It is with this background that UN Women Liberia intends to conduct a comprehensive legislative analysis of laws from a gender perspective in Liberia with the aim to assess the gender compliance of existing laws and policies, identify possible discriminatory provisions and provide evidence for future advocacy and capacity development of relevant stakeholders. In this context, UN Women is seeking for a national lead Consultant to conduct a National Comprehensive Assessment of Discriminatory National Laws in Liberia. The Lead Consultant will be supported by a second National Consultant (to be hired by UN Women).

Duties and Responsibilities

In collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Liberia Law Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Justice among others, under the guidance of the Deputy Representative, UN Women Liberia and direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, Governance and Participation Unit, (jointly with a second National Consultant to be hired by UN Women), the national lead consultant will be responsible for:

• Undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the laws in Liberia from a gender perspective, beginning from the social, cultural, economic and political context
• Conducting stakeholder meetings during the process and ensure that relevant feedback emanating from the consultation process is incorporated into the final version of the report and
• Developing advocacy strategy and pathways for legal reforms and policy actions.

Scope of work

The legal mapping will consist of a selective analysis of legal frameworks from a gender perspective, beginning from the social, cultural, economic, and political context, highlighting the current situation in Liberia. The undertaking of the assessment will also be guided by the United Nations Checklist of Eliminating Laws That Discriminate Against Women And Girls: A UN System wide tool for accelerating progress on SDG 5 (May 2021). In light of this, the scope of the assessment will focus on, but not limited to, the following areas of laws:

• Constitution
• Health laws
• Nationality laws
• Family and personal status laws
• Labour/practices/laws
• Inadequate legal protections from violence against women
• Land laws
• Other non-statutory areas of laws, etc.

The analysis will be guided by international Standards such as CEDAW, concluding observations from treaty bodies and Universal Periodic Review mechanism, etc. In addition, sources such as Universal Human Rights Index, United Nations Gender Quota Portal, UNFPA Database on SDG indicator 5.6.2, FAO’s Gender and Land Rights Database, FAO data set on countries with equal rights to land, and EPIC (Equal Pay International Coalition) Equal Pay Legal Database shall be used during the process.

Deliverables

• Inception report including desk review, scope and methodology
• Stakeholder’s consultations reports
• List of different laws to be reviewed: A list of proposed laws to be reviewed, categorized under different domains to be elaborated and endorsed in partnership with key stakeholders.
• Draft research report: Initial comprehensive draft report of the assessment to be shared for feedback and pre-validation.
• Final research report from a gender perspective: Following the feedback from the pre-validation workshop, relevant inputs shall be incorporated into the draft and a final research report submitted.
• Advocacy strategy and pathways for legal reforms and policy actions. A concise advocacy strategy document shall be elaborated to stipulate different advocacy pathways, to ensure the implementation of different recommendations outlined in the report

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:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to details;
• Experience in facilitating public consultations;
• Experience in report writing;
• Proven excellent communication and facilitation skills;
• Ability to conduct gender analysis of laws and strong gender analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in law; a PhD will be an added value;

Experience:

• At least 7 years’ experience on the legal landscape of Liberia from a gender perspective and ability to undertake a gender analysis of national legislation and policy documents
• Proven knowledge of international practices, legislation, policies, and instruments, including violence against women and/or the protection of human rights
• Extensive experience in conducting assessments and research relating to law and highly knowledgeable about Liberian legislation
• Experience in managing and facilitating high-level dialogues, round table discussions, consultations, with stakeholders at both grassroots and national levels
• Experience of working with CSOs initiatives and government
• Proven experience to collect, analyze, and interpret complex qualitative and quantitative data
• Previous professional experience with development agencies and the United Nations would be considered an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of local language is desirable.