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’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to five corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes (WPS) and advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and Gender Responsive Governance. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.

Over the next two years, beginning 2024, UN Women will implement a joint program with UNFPA and OHCHR called the “Youth Promotion Initiative – Accelerating Digital Opportunities for Youth Civic Participation as a lever for Building and Sustaining Peace in Liberia”. The project goal is to increase opportunities for youth participation in decision making processes through the digitalization of existing youth and women-led informal platforms. This will be achieved by transforming the youth-led “Atayee centers” and women-led Peace Huts into spaces where youth can meaningfully participate in political and intergenerational dialogues, interact with political actors, women leaders, mentors, traditional and religious leaders, and other state actors, and connect to formal civic platforms using a digital interface. One core activity under the project will be to strengthen the capacity of youth-led and women-led networks and organizations and create a platform for young people to actively participate in the review and revision of the National Youth Policy. The policy and its action plan, launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2019, aimed to serve as a critical too; for promoting peace, enhancing social cohesiveness, and setting a good foundation for the country on the path of development.. However, the implementation and monitoring of the implementation have lagged and UNFPA, UN Women, and OHCHR in consultation with youth-led organizations has identified the limited capacity of youth-led and women-led organizations to monitor the implementation, as well as the limited access to actively participate in policy dialogues.

Against this backdrop, UN Women Liberia seeks to hire a National Consultant to develop a gender-sensitive youth context analysis that captures gendered perspectives on key priority themes for youth empowerment in Liberia. These include:

• Education and Training
• Employment and job market
• Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Justice, Governance and Youth Participation
• Youth and Peacebuilding
• Environment and Climate Justice
• Sports and Recreation
• Information and Communication Technology
• Culture and Family Life
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and management of the UN Women Deputy Country Representative and direct supervision of the Women, Peace, and Security Programme Specialist and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Peace Huts, Atayee Centers, Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), and other youth-led and women-led organizations, the consultant will work closely with an UN Women International Consultant to perform the following tasks:

Task 1. Desk Review and development of the inception plan

1. Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents including the National Youth Policy;
2. Conduct preliminary consultations with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Gender, the Federation of Liberian Youth, and other relevant youth-led and women-led organizations for the development of an inception plan;
3. Develop and submit an inception report;

Task 2. Conduct an evaluation of the current National Youth Policy and Action Plan

1. Conduct a gender sensitive evaluation of the current National Youth Policy and Action Plan to determine what worked well and what did not and what lessons were learned;
2. Develop a gender sensitive evaluation report that will include information on the extent to which the current policy was implemented, the gaps and recommendations with a clear focus on young women and girls;

Task 3. Develop a gender sensitive youth context analysis

1. Develop a gender sensitive youth context analysis on key priority themes including Education and Training; Employment and job market; Sexual and Reproductive Health; Justice, Governance and Youth Participation; Youth and Peacebuilding; Environment and Climate Justice; Sports and Recreation; Information and Communication Technology; Culture and Family Life; Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
2. Develop a concept note to facilitate the validation workshop of the gender sensitive youth context analysis;
3. Facilitate the validation workshop together with the national consultant;
4. Incorporate recommendations from participants into the drafted knowledge product;
5. Submit the validated gender sensitive youth context analysis for approval by UN Women Senior Management;

Task 4. Strengthen the capacity of youth-led and women-led organizations and networks and government officials

1. Conduct TOT training for officers of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and members or youth-led organizations on the key findings in the knowledge product to ensure a gender sensitive revision of the National Youth Policy.
2. Measure changes in knowledge and skills by pre and post-tests.
3. Develop and submit a training report;

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in English language.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of review is one week after receipt.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

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 Core Values and Competencies.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent research and analytical skills
• Excellent workshop facilitating skills
• Excellent knowledge about key Liberian youth, gender, and development policies, strategies, and plans.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification: Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Science, or other related fields

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the field of policy making with emphasis on Human Rights, Gender Equality, and Youths.
• Proven experience facilitating high-level consultative workshops for Government Institutions and CSOs in Liberia.
• Prior proven experience in strengthening the capacity of Government agencies and youth-led organizations in women’s human rights and the empowerment of young people in Liberia.
• Proven experience in developing high-level policies and strategies for governments is a MUST.
• Knowledge of Monitoring and Results-based Management.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required.