Women Empowerment and Gender Responsive Budgeting Specialist

For the past 8 years, the EU-funded UNDP Public Finance Management (PFM) Pro PALOP-TL SAI programmes (2013-2017[1] and 2018-2022[2]) successfully fostered and consolidated innovative tools and a solid Community of Practices (CoP) gathering more than 20 core economic governance state institutions and a similar number of CSO platforms in the 6 PALOP-TL countries (Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé e Príncipe, and Timor-Leste) to promote transparent and efficient PFM, budget oversight and economic governance. These programmes have been brokering CoPs that use south-south/triangular cooperation and peer-to-peer association between similar state and non-state institutions that have spurred a degree of coordinated policymaking on PFM transparency and accountability matters unmatched in most countries in the region. They have increased the quality and efficiency of policy dialogue, notably in countries with EU Budget Support operations, by providing critical, timely insider information, networks, and connection to oversight institutions.

The 3^rd PFM Pro PALOP-TL SAI programme, the PALOP-TL Regional Economic Governance Programme – Boosting Public Finance Management Systems (PFMS) and Budget Oversight (Pro PALOP-TL – Phase III), aims to consolidate and scale up the gains and actions referred above to continue promoting transparent, accountable, gender responsive and open budgetary cycles, as well as to further strengthen parliament, the court of auditors, the executive institutions and citizens’ capacities to monitor how governments execute state budgets. Hence, the focus is now on promoting change and transformation in fiscal/tax transparency and domestic resource mobilisation, gender equal economies (EQUANOMICS), open and accountable PFMS, notably using digital technologies and promoting environmental sensitive initiatives. The programme will promote alignment with UNDP 2022-25 Strategic Plan directions of change, signature solutions and enablers, as well as with the EU Global Gateway axes on green (accelerating green transition for biodiversity) and digital transitions through its crosscutting issues.

Public Finance Management (PFM) is a crucial aspect of a country’s development process. It involves the efficient allocation of resources, effective delivery of public services, and sound management of public finances to promote economic growth and reduce poverty. In many national development plans, consolidating PFM is emphasized to ensure transparency, accountability, and financial sustainability. Likewise, Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) refers to the process of generating funds from local resources within a country to finance its development goals and provide public goods and services. DRM encompasses various sources of revenue, such as taxes, tariffs, fees, and other forms of income that a government can use to finance its expenditures. It plays a crucial role in a country’s economy and public finance management.

UNDP has achieved significant progress in making gender equality and women’s empowerment integral to its work on human development. The new UNDP Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025 builds on the lessons of the previous strategies it has established as the main goal to help governments to shift systems and power structures that generate gender inequalities and women’s disempowerment. It will work through its six signature solutions on poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy and gender equality; and promote integrated approaches in each thematic area, stronger investments in data and analysis, and the implementation of innovative solutions to transform social norms, and stronger partnerships with UN agencies and with civil society. Additionally, the Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) programme is aligned with the recommendations and targets of national and EU policies, including the EU’s Toolkit on Mainstreaming Gender Equality in EC Development Cooperation, but also the promotion of gender equality and human rights across all its components such as the EU Gender Action Plans (GAP) and the CPLP Strategic Plan for Equality and Empowerment of Women.

 All six PALOP-TL countries demonstrate a commitment to promoting gender equality at the policy level. However, their capacities vary considerably, largely due to differences in resources and institutional capacity allocated to promote gender equality. While in some of these countries, the gender machineries stand out for their effectiveness, driven by a clear mandate, relatively strong resources, and significant policy influence; others have limited implementation capacity or face more significant challenges – e.g. underfunding, inadequate human resources, and institutional capacity constraints. Despite these challenges, each PALOP-TL country has shown incremental progress in specific areas, highlighting the potential for progress with additional resources and capacity-building.

In this context, the project’s output 5 will promote gender-responsive budgeting practices and the mainstreaming of gender equality matters from long-term strategic development planning to shorter-term budgetary cycles in all PALOP-TL countries. Accordingly, it will mainstream gender in all of its components strengthening capacities of PFM actors to advocate for and apply gender-sensitive budgeting approaches, and promoting external control, legislative oversight and social monitoring of public resources effectively allocated and efficiently implemented to promote national gender equality policies and targets.

The Women Empowerment and Gender Responsive Budgeting Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) Head of Partnerships and Chief Technical Advisor providing expert advice and technical support to PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance, Tax Authorities, Gender Machineries, Supreme Audit Institutions, parliaments, CSOs and other relevant state PFM actors. The Specialist will support and equip these project’s beneficiaries to internalize good practices and international standards for gender-responsive budgeting and mainstreaming of gender equality in national development planning and budgetary processes, as part of the activities and initiatives foreseen under the programme’s Output 5 and as a crosscutting issue. These activities include, but are not limited to:  

• Capacity development of Executives and Gender Machineries, Parliaments, SAI and CSOs, including women’s organisations. This activity aims to provide capacity development, including through technical assistance and south-south/triangular cooperation, on Standard Operation Procedures (SoPs) for Gender Responsive Budgeting and oversight and Gender Mainstreaming in Planning and Gender Budgeting Impact Evaluation Tool (the PALOP-TL Gender Scorecard). 
• Advocacy and sensitisation campaigns. This activity aims to promote advocacy and sensitisation campaigns for CSOs and citizens’ awareness for increased budget allocation to gender programming on state budgets and fiscal policies (including tax) to promote gender equality. 
• Legal and institutional reforms. This activity aims to promote legal and institutional reforms to promote Gender Equality, including through the Gender Seal Programme, the Pro PALOP-TL SAI Gender-Responsive Budgeting Approach, and the mainstreaming of gender into planning and budgeting cycles. 
• Digitalisation to promote gender equality mainstreaming into planning, budgeting and auditing/monitoring cycles. This activity will also promote studies on the availability of disaggregated data to include allocations to gender programming on state budgets and including a specific gender indicator (for the different gender markers’ scale) in the PALOP-TL Civil Society Digital/Online Budget Platform by CSOs.

Since gender equality is a crosscutting issue in the project, the following activities will also be supported by the incumbent in all PALOP-TL countries:

• Gender responsive budgeting using the GRB Pro PALOP SAI Methodology and the Gender Seal PALOP-TL Programme customized for Ministries of Finances, Tax Revenue Authorities, Supreme Audit Institions and Gender Machineries (Gender-line ministries and policy institutes/institutions).
• Advocacy and Sensitisation campaigns focused on Fiscal Policies that works for gender equality.
• Legal and institutional reforms targeting gender responsive budgeting and mainstreaming gender in planning exercises; availability of disaggregated data (by sex, age, disability, etc,), as a resource to measure gender policies results and impact, as well as climate relevant budgeting.
• Development and/or improvement of PFM e-Governance systems to include gender markers.
• Legislative oversight of public expenditures focusing on gender equality and using the GRB Pro PALOP SAI Methodology.
• Performance audits (including collaborative/coordinated audits) by PALOP-TL SAI focus on national SDG targets 5 (SDG 5 performance audits & coordinated audits targeting Gender-based Violence in the PALOP-TL).
• Social Monitoring of public expenditures focusing on gender equality using the GRB Pro PALOP SAI Methodology.
• Inclusion of a Gender Impact Indicator/Index (the PALOP-TL Gender Scorecard) in the PALOP-TL CSO eBudget Digital Platform.

He/she will be based in UNDP CO in Luanda, Angola, but will cover all six beneficiary countries. He/she will devote 100% of his/her time to the programme.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

• Develop training materials for PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance and Tax Authorities, Gender Machineries, Parliaments, SAI, and CSOs on issues related with gender-responsive budgeting and mainstreaming of gender equality in national development planning and budgetary processes; legislative oversight and social monitoring of public expenditures focusing on gender gaps (gender expenduiture analysis); Gender Budgeting Impact Evaluation Tool (the PALOP-TL Gender Scorecard); Pro PALOP-TL standard methodology for gender-responsive budgeting and oversight of public expenditures and policies focusing on gender equality gaps; gender equality seal programme and other relevant EQUANOMICS products – see more on EQUANOMICS at https://stories.undp.org/equanomics; among others. 
• Organize and facilitate trainings (in-person and online) for PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance and Tax Authorities, Gender Machineries, Parliaments, SAI, and CSOs on, but not limited to, the issues referred above.
• Organize and deliver training for UNDP PALOP-TL Country Offices operations/projects staff on issues referred above.
• Identify opportunities for south-south cooperation with other countries with good practices in promoting gender equality through gender-responsive budgeting and sound pro-gender equality fiscal policies.
• Facilitate and support the building of Communities of Practice of PALOP-TL PFM state and non-state actors focusing on, but not limited to, the issues referred above.
• Provide expert advice and technical support to Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) / University ISCTE-IULtendersglobal.netIPPS academic courses in areas of relevant expertise in benefice of the project beneficiaries, particularly PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance and Tax Authorities.
• Provide expert advice and technical support for Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) participation and contributions to UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub initiatives, particularly the Gender Equality Seal Programme.
• Provide expert advice and technical support PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance and Supreme Audit Institutions for an effective and successful implementation of the Gender Equality Seal Programme and other EQUANOMICS initiatives – see more on EQUANOMICS at https://stories.undp.org/equanomics. 
• Ensure the successful implementation of the project’s gender-equality crosscutting initiatives referred in the previous point.

• Advise and support PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance and Tax Authorities, Gender Machineries, Parliaments, SAI, and CSOs to design content and strategies to carryout advocacy, sensitisaton and outreach camapaings (in-perrson and online/digital) focusing on issues related with gender-responsive budgeting and mainstreaming of gender equality in national development planning and budgetary processes; legislative oversight and social monitoring of public expenditures focusing on gender gaps (gender expenduiture analysis); Gender Budgeting Impact Evaluation Tool (the PALOP-TL Gender Scorecard); Pro PALOP-TL standard methodology for gender-responsive budgeting and oversight of public expenditures and policies focusing on gender equality gaps; gender equality seal programme and other relevant EQUANOMICS products; among others. 
• Engage with key Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) beneficiariary instituions and stakeholders to build consensus on issues referred above. 
• Facilitate dialogue and collaboration among Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) stakeholders, particularly Ministries of Finances, Tax Authorities and Supreme Audit Institutions, to promote an effective participation in the Gender Equality Seal Programme and other EQUANOMICS iitiaitves.
• Contribute to the Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) / RTP AFRICA Podcast.
• Contribute for communications outputs, including annual reports, newsletters, videos, digital platforms engagement, amongst others, in the areas of expertise.
• Liaise with the Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) management unit to provie graphic design, communications and visibility guidance, web and social media design services for activities delivered under the project’s Output 5 and the gender equality crosscutting actions to PALOP-TL state and non-state actors beneficiaries of the project.
• Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks on gender-related matters, particularly in the PALOP-TL countries.
• Implement relevant, high-impact advocacy targeting gender equality issues with key partners, particularly in the PALOP-TL countries.

• Provide expert advice and technical support to PALOP-TL Ministries of Finance, Gender Machineries, and Parliaments to draft proposals for legal framework and institutional reform on issues related with gender-responsive budgeting and mainstreaming of gender equality in national development planning and budgetary processes; Pro PALOP-TL standard methodology for gender-responsive budgeting and oversight of public expenditures and policies focusing on gender equality gaps; gender equality seal programme and other relevant EQUANOMICS products; among others.
• Identify opportunities for south-south cooperation with other countries with successful legal reforms (good practices) in the domains referred above, amongst others.
• Conduct policy analysis and provide recommendations for improving gender-related budgetary and tax legislation and regulatory frameworks. 
• Identify policy-driven issues; and identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to gender equality programme policy goals in the six countries.
• Coordinate and ensure integrated support in development of gender equality and gender responsive budgeting policies and institutions to address country problems and needs, in collaboration with the Governments and other strategic partners, particularly in the PALOP-TL countries.

• Provide expert advice and technical assistance to Ptro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) stakeholders on matters related with gender-responsive budgeting, gender equality fiscal policies, gender markers to be considered or included in fiscal IMS (digital / informatic management systems).
• Map best practices and identify opportunities for south-south triangular cooperation with countries that have successfully mainstreamed gender equality into fiscal IMS (digital / informatic management systems).
• Support PALOP-TL Ministries of Finances and Planning to adopt gender markers in their respective financial and budgetary IMS (digital / informatic management systems).
• Support policy advisory services that contribute to inclusive societal digital transformation and take digital technology risks and opportunities or futures signals into account.

• Draft one working paper and/or policy brief quarterly on matters related gender-responsive budgeting and mainstreaming of gender equality in national development planning and budgetary processes; Pro PALOP-TL standard methodology for gender-responsive budgeting and oversight of public expenditures and policies focusing on gender equality gaps; gender equality seal programme and other relevant EQUANOMICS products; among others.
• Contribute for the project publications, handbooks and progress reports, as well as for the project’s contributions to other partners’ publications, international articles/papers and corporate UNDP Policy briefs/papers in the relevant field of expertise and domains referred above. 
• Prepare an annual narrative report focused on the activities carried out under Output 5 and gender equality crosscutting initiatives of the Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) with a focus not only on the activities carried out in all PALOP-TL countries, but also on the overall impact of the project’s interventions.
• Collaborate on evidence collection and lessons-learned from PALOP-TL countries’ experiences, including promoting best practices sharing and peer learning through case-studies.
• Provide expert advice and technical support to Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) / ISCTE-IULtendersglobal.netIPPS academic courses in areas of relevant expertise.
• Collaborate on knowledge management between various Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) stakeholders.
• Provide Pro PALOP-TL SAI (Phase III) contributions to UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub initiatives and the Gender Equality Seal Programme.
• Provide sound contributions to gender equality related knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms.

• Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

• Cross Functional and  Technical Competencies:

2030 Agenda: People – Gender: Gender Mainstreaming.