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.

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) provides global support to UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver results in support of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Division provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and programme advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management, and cutting-edge technical expertise to support UN Women programmes and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

The Intergovernmental Support Section in PPID is responsible for leading UN-Women’s strategic engagement with, and support for intergovernmental bodies and processes towards ensuring that a comprehensive and dynamic set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is strengthened and implemented. It manages and coordinates the Entity’s substantive engagement with intergovernmental bodies on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and drives the process of integration of normative frameworks into UN Women’s operational and UN system coordination functions.

Under the general guidance of the Chief of the Intergovernmental Support Section , the Intergovernmental Specialist leads UN Women’s substantive engagement with Member States and other stakeholders to advance gender perspectives in intergovernmental processes, particularly those related to sustainable development, small island developing states, climate change, biodiversity, and other environmental issues. The incumbent exercises independent professional judgment in developing engagement strategies and policy positions, consulting the supervisor on politically sensitive or precedent-setting matters.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

1.  Provide substantive and technical support to the Intergovernmental Support Section’s engagement with intergovernmental processes with a particular focus on sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity,  other environmental issues, and small island developing states:

• Develop engagement strategies and activities to guide UN Women’s work in specific intergovernmental processes and events, in particular in the focus area, to help advance the global normative framework for gender equality;
• Engage in intergovernmental meetings and negotiations, identify key messages on gender equality issues, propose action points for UN Women and undertake follow up;
• Liaise and coordinate with the Secretariats of relevant intergovernmental bodies to ensure that gender equality issues are mainstreamed in the work of those bodies and in negotiated outcomes.

2. Lead research and analysis, in close collaboration with relevant substantive teams at national, regional and global levels,  on gender perspectives in regard to sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity, other environmental issues and small island developing states:

• Monitor policy approaches and intergovernmental debates with regard to gender perspectives in sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity and other environmental issues, as well as those related to small island developing states;
• Undertake analysis of selected policy areas in intergovernmental processes and on the implications of discussions and outcomes on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
• Draft substantive papers, background and briefing notes, talking points and key messages, and provides policy inputs to relevant Secretary-General reports, ensuring gender-responsive content and recommendations. 

3. Strengthen partnerships with Member States, international organizations, civil society organizations and other stakeholders with a particular focus on sustainable development, , climate change, biodiversity, other environmental issues and small island developing states:

• Build and strengthen relationships and informal networks with Member States and other stakeholders;
• Build partnerships with UN entities and other organizations for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
• Organize and participate in inter-agency and expert group meetings with a particular focus on sustainable development, , climate change, biodiversity, other environmental issues and small island developing states;
• Organize panel discussions, side events, briefings and stakeholder events, and other alliance building activities;
• Provide technical inputs to information dissemination, including through UN Women’s website and social media.

4. Contribute to the strategic coherence and operational effectiveness of the Intergovernmental Support Section:

• Collaborate with colleagues at Headquarters and in Regional and Country Offices on linkages between normative, coordination and operational issues; 
• Advise field offices on the integration of intergovernmental outcomes into country-level programming;
• Provide substantive inputs to internal monitoring and reporting processes in the framework of the UN Women Strategic Plan and Strategic Framework;
• Oversee the development of UN Women internet and intranet content on sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity and other environmental issues.

5. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

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:

• Substantive knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in intergovernmental processes.
• Substantive knowledge of gender equality issues in the context of sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity and other environmental issues, as well as SIDS and of relevant intergovernmental processes;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of environmental issues 
• Effectiveness in establishing and fostering strong relationships with government delegates, UN agencies and other international organizations, civil society representatives and other stakeholders;
• Proven communications and presentation and networking skills;
• Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings;
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Good planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in international relations, environmental studies, environmental policy, climate change, public policy, development studies, gender studies, social sciences, or other related fields. 
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in providing analysis and policy guidance on issues related to sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity and other environmental issues.
• Experience with a UN organization highly desirable.
• Experience in supporting or participating in intergovernmental negotiations or multilateral processes is required.
• Experience in integrating gender perspectives into policy analysis or intergovernmental processes is required.
• Demonstrated experience in drafting policy papers, briefing notes, or inputs to intergovernmental documents is required.
• Experience in building and managing partnerships with government delegations, international organizations, or civil society in a multilateral setting is desirable.
• Experience in supporting intergovernmental bodies such as the General Assembly, ECOSOC, SIDS PoA, CSW, UNFCCC COP, UNCCD COP or CBD COP is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in French is desirable.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

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.