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.

Under its Strategic Note 2021-2025; Uganda Country Office focuses on delivering programmes under the following four thematic areas:

• Women’s rights, gender responsive peace and security;
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE);
• Ending Violence against Women and Girls;
• Women, Peace, Security and Humanitarian Action.

Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, and in line with the ongoing UN Reform, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts in Uganda to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Uganda’s priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships within the UN, with Government, the Donor community, civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women globally adopted a UN Women Coordination Strategy 2024, which was developed to guide and support the entity to implement its UN system coordination mandate to its maximum potential. This has been adopted at a time when increased importance has been placed on UN System Coordination for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women (GEWE) as a means to securing attainment of the 2030 Agenda and all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This in turn has led to calls – both internally and externally2 – for strengthening UN Women’s organizational coherence across its UN System coordination efforts.

The overall objective of the United Nations System Coordination in UN Women is to develop and oversee the implementation of UN Women’s UN system coordination role to “lead, coordinate and promote the accountability of the United Nations system in its work on gender equality and the empowerment of women” at global, regional and country level and to support the systemwide implementation of the gender mainstreaming strategy.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) is the UN’s strategic programme framework that defines the UN’s support to national development results. UN Women in Uganda co-chairs the Human Rights and Gender Advisory Group (HRGAG) along with UNAIDS – this is the UNCT group responsible for the coordination of and policy advice on gender equality issues in the UNSDCF.UN Women is also a principal partner in several outcome results groups in the UNSDCF as well as a partner to several UN joint programmes. Up till September 2024, the agency also played a key role in advancing GEWE Coordination at sub national level within the UN Area Coordination (UNAC) system (in Arua, Gulu, Karamoja and Mbarara).

UN Women is the Secretariat to the Gender Development Partners Group, a coordination mechanism that is comprised of the lead donors in Uganda that invest substantially into GEWE at all levels in Uganda.

With the enhanced role of UN Women as the leading agency on gender coordination, gender mainstreaming, and leadership of the UN Human Rights and Gender Advisory Group of the UNSDCF, a strong, flexible and versatile coordination function within UN Women Country Office is required. This will be an important effort towards strengthened accountability for results for gender equality and women’s empowerment, enhanced efficiencies, improved coherence, and joint action through enhanced coordination between UN agencies, the government and development partners.

Objective of the assignment:

The key objective of the assignment is to provide technical assistance and specialist services to UN Women for integration of GEWE across national policies, frameworks, and development initiatives, ensuring alignment with global normative standards and fostering collaborative partnerships to drive sustainable and inclusive outcomes for women and girls.

The consultant will be reporting to the Country Representative, and work in close collaboration with the Deputy Representative. The Coordination and Normative Support Consultant will support the advancement of UN Women’s Coordination and Normative mandates and is expected to spearhead efforts towards:

• Improved Accountability: Increase accountability for mainstreaming a gender perspective;
• Enhanced technical support: Provide technical support for the development and management of UN Women’s strategic coordination strategy and normative mandates;
• Strengthened support and guidance: Provide guidance to and support the coordination of UN agencies and development partners on addressing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for the following key responsibilities:

Provide high-quality technical assistance in support of UN Women’s gender coordination and normative mandate:

• Provide technical assistance to Uganda CO in support of UN Women’s gender coordination, normative and UN Area Coordination (UNAC) efforts;
• Draft strategic papers, concepts, documents, talking points, briefs, and other materials or plans for the use in processes linked to UN Women’s coordination and normative mandate and/or management of key initiatives;
• Identify areas for support and interventions on gender coordination and normative processes in collaboration with the UNCT Gender Advisor and the Human Rights and Gender Advisory Group (HRGAG) including for implementation of agreed workplans and actions;
• Provide technical support and/or provide quality inputs into document and processes as well as identification of potential challenges for country level and regional interventions;
• Develop strategic documents; review and provide feedback to project/ program strategies and documents, workplans based on UN women’s coordination and normative mandates.

Support Uganda CO units and offices and partners on GEWE related normative commitments including through Human Rights treaty body reporting mechanisms (and other intergovernmental processes), and multi-stakeholder initiatives/convenings for the promotion of state obligations on GEWE:

• Support the Uganda CO thematic units, sub offices and partners in intergovernmental/ multi-stakeholder fora, including in relation to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action+30 reviews, the Universal Periodic Reviews, the annual sessions of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) (global level and regional consultations), the Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals, and other relevant international platforms and processes (at global, regional and country levels);
• Provide advisory and technical support to Uganda CO units and UN Area Coordination locations on Human Rights treaty body mechanisms and special procedures, to facilitate their effective support to/or engagement in intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder initiatives/convenings;
• Provide and/or coordinate substantive inputs to UN Country Team (UNCT) Confidential reports and/or other reporting processes/ mechanisms as needed at both national and UNAC levels and identifying/supporting areas of joint action;
• Support capacity building of Government, Implementing Partners, Stakeholders, Uganda CO units, UNCT and UNAC actors as needed, to ensure that they can meaningfully engage in gender integration and implement gender responsive action;
• Build, manage, and expand relationships with national and regional partners to advocate for translating international standards and norms on GEWE into action, including by designing and implementing joint actions and initiatives, ensuring meaningful engagement of diverse Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and representative of women and girls in all their diversity;
• Provide substantive inputs to advance resource mobilization actions and participate in sundry events, as delegated.

Inter-Agency and Development Partner Coordination Support:

• Support the coordination of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard comprehensive rollout and relevant follow up processes;
• Provide support to the Uganda CO management, UNCT, HRGAG Coordinator and UNAC platforms on UN inter-agency coordination related activities;
• Provide substantive inputs to CCA/ UNSDCF, National Development Plan (NDP), Strategic Note (SN) development/review and other strategic processes, analyzing and researching the political, social and economic contexts;
• Work closely with the Country Representative to manage the secretariat of the Gender Development Partners Group (GDPG) and contribute to strengthening advocacy, strategic partnerships and coordination for GEWE within the UN System and with external partners, including government and development partners;
• Inputs into mapping of GEWE-related normative issues based on findings and recommendations of normative review processes and Human Rights treaty body mechanisms and special procedures, ensuring that GEWE concerns are clearly captured to support their mainstreaming in these processes;
• Support the preparation of analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s experiences in support of its inter-agency coordination role.

Manage knowledge-building efforts:

• Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the Uganda CO’s inter-agency gender coordination and normative efforts and/or and contribute to their dissemination to relevant audiences;
• Prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation with key partners, in support of the Uganda CO’s normative efforts;
• Facilitate the development of analytical knowledge products on regional progress on normative commitments to advance GEWE, in close consultation with the Gender Group Coordinator;
• Review and provide feedback to project/ program related knowledge products and publications, as needed.

Deliverables:

The consultant is expected to deliver the following deliverables.

• Present a detailed draft and final inception report (after consultations) highlighting the road map and workplan that will guide this assignment (Gantt chart format), elaborating the methodology and tools;
• Technical support in developing strategic papers, concepts, workplans, briefing materials, PowerPoint documents, talking points and other programming materials;
• Convene and participate in meetings and deliver quality and timely reports;
• Synthesize and document best practices, develop and disseminate analytical knowledge products and visibility materials;
• Submit monthly project progress report about activities implemented and results achieved, with documentation of contributions and deliverables produced.

Consultant’s Workplace:

This is an office-based consultancy.

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:

• Strong analytical, written and oral communication skills, including good presentation skills;
• Familiarity of the Sustainable Development Goals; Familiarity with UN system and UN Women coordination and normative mandates;
• Ability to work within a team;
• Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently;
• Strong planning and organizing skills;
• Ability to take decisions and manage political/cultural sensitivities;
• Strong knowledge and understanding of gender equality issues in peace and security and humanitarian action;
• Familiarity with results-based management and rights-based programming;
• Proficient IT and presentation skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in International Relations, Gender Studies, Human Rights, Social Sciences 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 8 years of experience at national or international level in Gender Coordination and normative work;
• Experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Technical and capacity building experience in the field of gender and/or human rights of women;
• Experience in partnership building with development stakeholders, civil society organizations, international institutions, donors and other UN entities;
• Prior experience in the UN System and working on UN System coordination is desirable;
• Experience working within the region or with fragile states is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of any other UN official is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include a cover letter (maximum length:1 page) and the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

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.