UN Women: National Communications Consultant, Skopje North Macedonia, National Consultant

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.

Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action globally. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In line with its global Strategic Plan, UN Women in North Macedonia advances a comprehensive approach to gender equality that includes women’s economic empowerment, the transformation of the care economy, and the promotion of women’s leadership and participation in all spheres of public and political life. Particular emphasis is placed on advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, supporting the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions, as well as promoting women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding, security, and decision-making processes.

UN Women also works to strengthen the role and visibility of women in diplomacy and international affairs, recognizing their critical contribution to inclusive governance, conflict prevention, and sustainable peace. Through its programmes and partnerships, UN Women supports institutional and societal shifts toward gender-responsive governance, elimination of discriminatory norms, and increased representation of women across sectors.

Progress of North Macedonia in recent years respecting and promoting Gender Equality is highlighted in a series of international commitments and in national legal and policy frameworks. The main achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment reside in the Country’s institutional capacity development for the work on gender equality. Indeed, the legal provisions guaranteeing women’s rights and gender equality are largely in place – the Law of Equal Opportunities of Women and Men, the National Action Plan for Gender Equality, the Election Law amendment instituting quotas, the Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 (2020-2025), and the ratification of the Istanbul Convention are normative achievements that influence the institutional practice in promoting gender equality in North Macedonia.

However, the Country still copes with deep-rooted, patriarchal stereotypes regarding the role and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society at large. Women in North Macedonia face a precarious reality – they remain underrepresented in central and local government, have disproportionately limited access to employment, and many are subjected to violence. Gaps in policy development and slow implementation of the adopted legislation constitute important structural obstacles to achieving gender equality. Improvements are needed in both strengthening institutional capacities and enhancing cooperation between the gender mechanisms, the key ministries and civil society organizations in order to increase gender mainstreaming in all aspect of government work - primarily policy development and budgeting - as the means for achieving gender equality.

The UN Women office is implementing the project “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets: Towards Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in Republic of North of Macedonia – phase 2” funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The project is structured around two outcomes: 

 Outcome 1: Central and local government institutions advance gender equality through gender responsive legislation, strategies, and budgeting processes.  

 Outcome 2: Women and civil society organizations exercise their voice, agency and leadership in decision-making and budgeting processes. The UN Women Office in North Macedonia is seeking to recruit a Communications Consultant who will work under the direct supervision of the Head of Office.

The UN Women office is also implementing the regional project “Youth for Inclusion, Equality and Trust”, financed by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

The Office is seeing to hire a national expert/consultant to support overall communication work of the Office and specific projects related to gender-responsive budgeting and youth empowerment. The Communications Consultant is responsible to ensure the timely and quality planning and implementation of the UN Women communication strategy, and will support advocacy efforts, maintenance of media relations, and organizational outreach efforts, in order to communicate the scope, results and added value of UN Women’s work, while increasing the  visibility and understanding of UN Women’s substantive work, achievements and results among relevant stakeholders, development partners, UNCT,  the media and the wider public. This will include support to specific activities implemented by the Office, including work on the campaign for 16 days of activism, the commemoration of International Women’s Day and other important dates, and may involve work in the field, outside of Skopje. The Communications Consultant will work closely with the Programme Analyst, will collaborate closely with other UN Women colleagues, and will be overall accountable to the Head of Office,  to ensure communications strategies, media relations and organizational outreach efforts are aligned in a strategic and coherent manner with corporate communications policies and initiatives and follow good practices.

Description of Responsibilities / Scope of Work

The consultant is expected to have a solid understanding of UN Women’s mandate, including gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s leadership and political participation, eliminating violence against women, women in diplomacy, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The consultant will undertake the following functions:

1. Plan and design communications and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans:
   • Revise the communications needs assessments for the UN Women North Macedonia Office, related to the GRB project, the Youth project and the Office in general, and update as necessary;
   • Revise, update and implement communication and outreach/advocacy strategies, including media strategies, ensuring gender perspective;
   • Integrate communications, advocacy and outreach strategies into proposals for the GRB Project and other initiatives;
   • Contribute to monitoring and analysing print and social media and draft reports;
   • Coordinate to in-country UN Women local campaigns and special events as well as to regional events as applicable, including participation in the planning and realization of relevant campaigns and commemoration of international days, including International Women’s Day, 16 Days of Activism Campaign etc.;
   • Ensure that all communication and advocacy materials reflect UN Women’s broader thematic priorities, including women’s leadership, women in diplomacy, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda; 
   • Promote visibility of initiatives related to women’s participation in decision-making, peacebuilding, and security processes; 
   • Support communication efforts that challenge harmful gender stereotypes and promote positive narratives on women’s roles in governance, diplomacy, and peace and security; 
   • Develop targeted communication products highlighting national and international commitments on gender equality, including CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, and UNSCR 1325; 
   • Integrate intersectional and inclusive approaches in all communication outputs, ensuring representation of diverse groups of women.
   • Contribute to the UN Joint Communications Group meetings and ensure joint communications activities.
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2. Coordinate and implement the development and dissemination of advocacy materials related to the

UN Women GRB and Youth Projects and the Office:

• Develop and produce communications materials, including brochures, publications, briefing materials, press releases, and articles, and manage their dissemination;
• Identify and propose information-sharing opportunities, activities, approaches and platforms and partners;
• Promote and disseminate corporate advocacy materials for launching flagship initiatives, publications, and campaigns;
• Manage the translation/adaption/rewriting of global or regional communications materials, coordinate printing and dissemination of publications and audio-visual materials;
• Follow UN Women Branding Guidelines and Identity Standards.

3. In coordination with Programme Analyst and upon approval of the Head of Office, maintain media relations for the UN Women GRB and Youth Projects and the Office:

• Advise management on coordination of relationships with the media in the country related to the GRB and Youth Projects; maintain and update a media database;
• Respond to media inquiries and information requests; prepare related correspondence;
• Organize roundtable discussions, press conferences, and briefing sessions for the media, as required;
• Draft talking points, drafting texts for media for the Head of Office.

4. Build and maintain partnerships and maintain relations with donors for the GRB and Youth Projects and prospective donors:

• Identify and develop new communications partnerships and alliances to enhance visibility;
• Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors;
• Provide inputs to donor reports and information packages for donor review.
• Facilitate communication and visibility related to exchange/learning visits, regional and in country events.

5. Maintain the UN Women North Macedonia online presence:

• Provide content for UN Women North Macedonia activities related to the GRB and Youth Project and the Office which will be published on local and regional social media account(s) and regional UN Women web site and Flickr account;
• Prepare content (including news, updates, and resources) on a regular basis to be uploaded to knowledge management system.

6. Facilitate knowledge building and sharing:

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities;
• Support training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate.
• Support corporate reporting obligations in relation to the GRB and Youth Project and other initiatives
• Provide as necessary support for relevant obligations under the UNSDCF;
• Liaises and coordinates with the ECARO Communications personnel as necessary

7. Support to international days marking Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

• Support advocacy and promotion of Gender Equality
• Support PR activities and campaigns
• Develop promo materials and coordinate visibility actions

All deliverables must meet UN Women quality standards for analytical rigor, policy relevance, gender responsiveness, and clarity.

The national consultant will be expected to complete the tasks below:

Payment schedule:

Payments will be released in monthly instalments based on number of days reported in the timesheet and upon submission of progress report against deliverables specified in this Terms of Reference and is approval by the Supervisor.

• Monthly Progress Reports describing work performed and timesheet to be approved by the supervisor - from first week of the following month, till end of contract.

The consultancy may require work in the field and outside of Skopje, which would be covered under UN regulations.

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:

• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats;
• Good knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify, and resolve operational problems;
• Ability to prioritize for self and others, to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high-quality standard throughout;
• Good knowledge of project management.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• University degree or equivalent in communications, public relations, media communications, journalism/or relevant social sciences fields required.
• A Master’s degree or PhD will be considered an advantage.
• Additional training and certification in communication and related areas is a strong advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in communications at the national or international level,
• Experience in media relations is required;
• Experience with development of Communication Strategies for projects is required;
• Experience in the use of social media, multi-media and digital platforms is required;
• Experience required in editing and copywriting skills, including articles, reports, social media content, press releases preferred;
• Experience in video and photo editing and design software is an asset.
• Previous experience with projects focused on gender issues, with UN Women and UN system and their donors is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Macedonian both verbal and written, 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.