Programme Specialist, HA/EVAW

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 UN Women Geneva Office supports building and nurturing strategic relationships and alliances with Geneva-based partners instrumental for advancing and successfully achieving the mission of UN Women through partnership development and resource mobilization. These strategic relationships cover a wide range and number of key humanitarian and development partners, including delegates appointed to the UN, International NGOs, and UN Geneva-based agencies, as well as the private sector, foundations, academia and think tanks, as well as the media.

Under UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the corporate Humanitarian Strategy has been developed in response to the recognition that effective humanitarian action requires putting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the center of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. It integrates 3 main approaches:

• Approach 1: Strengthen accountability towards gender commitments in coordination and implementation of UN-led humanitarian and refugee responses.
• Approach 2: Strengthen comprehensive protection and livelihoods support to crisis affected women and girls.
• Cross-cutting approach: Amplifying women’s voices and leadership in humanitarian and crisis response and recovery.

With the UN Women Strategy for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus, UN Women articulates a comprehensive approach to conflict and crisis prevention, response, early recovery, and sustainable development through a gender lens, responding to the need of investing in advocating, coordinating and resourcing efforts to address VAWG across the Nexus. By leveraging its triple mandate (normative, programmatic and coordination), UN Women aims at driving impact across the thematic areas of Ending Violence Against Women and Women, Peace and Security, Humanitarian Action, and Disaster Risk Disaster Risk Reduction. This Strategy will further solidify UN Women’s position as a leader in the field, guiding its engagement with and contributions to multi-stakeholder platforms, leveraging the comparative advantages for addressing VAWG across the HDP Nexus:

– Being the global champion for gender equality and the UN organization with a targeted focus on delivering programmes, policies and standards that uphold women’s human rights,

– The unparallel experiences and lessons learned on eliminating VAWG in development and peacebuilding contexts, disaster preparedness, humanitarian, conflict, and crisis response, working across a triple mandate: normative, programmatic and coordination.  

– The unique position to address VAWG root causes and consequences from development, peace, security and humanitarian angles by being the only UN entity with a development, human rights and peace and security mandate and, since October 2022 a member of the Inter-Agency Steering Committee (IASC), the primary global coordination mechanism for a coherent and timely international response to humanitarian crises.

– The unmatched capacity to ensure the participation and leadership of women’s organizations to address VAWG across the HDP Nexus given the historic partnerships with civil society and the feminist movement, ensuring that civil society has access to international platforms for advocacy and access to decision making platforms

Under LEAP (Leadership, Empowerment, Access, and Protection)- UN Women’s Accelerator for Gender Equality in Humanitarian Coordination and Response- and Second Chance Education (SCE) program, crisis affected women, including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), have enhanced resilience, self-reliance, and leadership in humanitarian action. They have also gained access to livelihoods, employment and learning opportunities. UN Women’s programming draws on lessons from LEAP’s and SCE’s implementation in over 35 countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Ukraine, Northwest Syria, Türkiye, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Moldova, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (among others).

The consultant will be reporting to the Deputy Chief of Humanitarian a.i, the Programme Specialist and will be supported by Operations Specialist, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with staff, in particular the coordination group composed of PSR, EVAW experts; and partners ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation, exercises the overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under the EVAW portfolio across the HDP nexus.

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme strategies in the area of HA/EVAW across the HDP nexus

• Support the finalization and rollout of the UN Women Strategy for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus and the accompanying guidance note;
• Strengthen internal coordination with the EVAW and Peace, Security and Resilience sections to further deepen the understanding of the global context and the need for a coherent/holistic approach and entry points to further strengthen UN Women’s positioning and leadership on EVAW across the nexus.

 

Provide technical assistance to COs in close partnership with Regional Advisors on WPS, HA and DRR as EVAW to ensure a comprehensive approach to EVAW programming in crisis settings

• Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives to build the capacities of UN Women staff and partners;
• Provide regular and ongoing training to UN Women staff and partners on GBV focusing on EVAW along the HDP Nexus;
• Build and manage relationships with partners to support the implementation and expansion of the thematic area;
• Support data collection and research in EVAW and cross-thematic areas to strengthen evidence-based programming for GBV in emergencies.

 

Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement strategic partnerships and facilitate high-level dialogues (with UNHCR, WHO, UNFPA and others);
• Create resource mobilization strategies and explore opportunities for joint resource mobilization;
• Offer UN Women’s experience in concretizing the gender approach and its implementation in humanitarian action;
• Support other agencies in needs assessment and response planning, to incorporate both the gender and intersectionality approach;
• Support partnerships with non-traditional partners including philanthropic organizations and the private sector.

 

Manage advocacy, knowledge management and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the thematic area;
• Represent UN Women Humanitarian Section in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to EVAW as necessary, such as Call to Action, GBV working group (AoR), partnerships with UNHCR and others;
• Provide technical inputs products prepared by the inter-agency/multistakeholder coordination mechanisms relevant to EVAW and advise on strategic engagement of UN Women with those mechanisms and key actors;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Continue investing in and sharing the findings from gender analysis in emergencies systematically.

 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is an office-based consultancy as the position requires close collaboration with colleagues across teams as well as external partners and stakeholders in Geneva.

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: 

• Strong programme formulation and implementation
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Strong knowledge of Humanitarian work and Ending Violence Against Women
• Strong analytical skills

Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, 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:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of in relevant programmes/projects;
• Technical experience in Humanitarian and Ending Violence Against Women including in crisis settings;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Knowledge of UN Women’s programming priorities;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.
• Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.

 

Languages:

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

 

How to Apply

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.