Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women works with governments and partners to promote women’s economic empowerment and increase their access to economic opportunities and outcomes, especially for those who are most excluded, including women migrant workers.

In 2018, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was adopted by UN Member States. As the blueprint for the governance and coordination of international migration, it is critical that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central in its implementation. UN Women works to help ensure that migrant women’s human and labour rights are effectively promoted and protected at all stages of migration, and that the Global Compact for Migration is implemented in a human rights-based and gender-responsive manner. UN Women launched the second phase of its Germany-funded Making Migration Safe for Women programme in South Africa, which aims to ensure that migration is safe for women while strengthening international norms and standards for the protection and promotion of migrant women’s rights. This work aligns with South Africa’s commitments under CEDAW, CERD, ILO Conventions 189 and 190, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and relevant national legislature and policy frameworks.

South Africa remains a key destination and transit country in the region, hosting large numbers of migrant women and girls who often experience intersectional discrimination, gender-based violence (GBV), limited access to services, and xenophobic attitudes. The “Making Migration Safe for Women” (MMS) programme aims to strengthen gender-responsive migration governance and ensure that migrant women can access their rights safely and without discrimination.

Evidence from the Rapid Assessment of the Situation of Migrant Women in South Africa highlights persistent gaps in the implementation of migration policies and service delivery, particularly in the integration of gender equality considerations. It also underscores the role of public narratives and media representation in shaping attitudes towards migrant women

To respond to these gaps, UN Women seeks to engage an individual consultant to provide technical expertise and capacity-building support to relevant government institutions, to strengthen their capacity and technical skills on how to advance gender-responsive migration governance.

Objectives of the Consultancy

The purpose of this assignment is to provide expert technical and capacity-building support to strengthen the integration of gender mainstreaming in the development and implementation of migration policies, services, service tools and programmes

Specifically, the consultant will:

Design and deliver 2 training sessions (Gauteng and Western Cape) on the following topics:

Strengthen understanding of the gendered nature of migration, including how migration policies and practices affect women, men, and gender-diverse persons differently.

• Moving from commitments to implementation, equipping officials with practical tools to integrate gender at all stages of the policy and service provision.

The training will address how government services can better respond to the specific needs and barriers faced by migrant women, particularly those in vulnerable or irregular situations.

• core focus will be strengthening government capacity to prevent, identify and respond to GBV affecting migrant women, in line with survivor-centred and do-no-harm principles.
• training will focus on gendered labour migration, recognising that many migrant women work in informal, undervalued and unprotected sectors.
• strengthen institutional coordination across government and with non-state actors.
• provide targeted capacity-building support to at least 50 government officials in Gauteng and Western Cape to enhance implementation of gender-responsive migration governance.
• provide tailored technical assistance and advisory support to the Department of Home Affairs to enhance gender-responsive service delivery for migrant women and girls.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

Design and deliver training to Government Institutions (Gauteng and Western Cape)

• For each of the two workshops, prepare training materials, including concept notes, agendas, presentations, exercises, facilitator notes, pre/post assessments, pre and post evaluation forms
• Deliver in-person training workshops in Gauteng and Western Cape, including facilitating interactive sessions and group work.
• Prepare and submit concise training reports including key outcomes and recommendations within two weeks of the respective training courses.

Targeted Technical Assistance and Advisory Support to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA)

• Conduct a rapid gender and capacity needs assessment on gender mainstreaming (desk review and stakeholder interviews).
• Develop or adapt practical tools on gender mainstreaming to generate a gender checklist and a short guidance document to support DHA officials in gender-responsive delivery of their mandate and services.
• Provide recommendations for the integration of gender considerations into DHA policies or SOPs.
• Deliver tailored training sessions on gender mainstreaming for DHA officials at national and provincial levels, in Gauteng and Western Cape.
• Provide ongoing technical advice on identified priority areas on gaps in gender mainstreaming.

Consultancy duration

The assignment will be undertaken over a total of 50.5 days, distributed across a six-month period.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The assignment will be home-based with travel to Gauteng and Western Cape provinces.  In case of any official trip, approved by the office, the travel-related costs will be covered as per the associated duty travel policy.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent learning facilitation
• Strong programme planning and delivery
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills
• Monitoring and reporting skills

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in in gender studies, migration studies, public policy, social sciences, human rights or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A [project/programme management] certification would be an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years’ experience working on gender equality, women’s rights, gender-based violence, women’s economic empowerment and migration governance.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering gender and/or migration related training to government or other relevant stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience working with or analyzing migration governance institutions
• Familiarity with participatory and learner-cantered methodologies (e.g., experiential learning approaches).
• Strong experience developing capacity-building materials and practical gender-responsive tools.
• Strong knowledge of international frameworks on gender and migration
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills
• Strong analytical and report writing skills, with the ability to work independently and deliver results.

Ethical Considerations

• The consultant must adhere to UN Women’s:
• Do-no-harm principles Safeguarding and ethical standards
• Data protection and confidentiality requirements
• Survivor-centered approaches when using any example relating to GBV or vulnerable groups

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.