Organization Mission

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 Timor-Leste is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality as the country works towards sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. This includes efforts to ensure women’s right to live free from any form of violence, efforts to advance women’s economic empowerment, and women’s leadership and participation in support of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, and advance international agreements and commitments related to gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through adequate planning and budgeting.
UN Women provides support to the Government of Timor-Leste in implementing its commitments to promoting gender equality and women’s rights in line with international, regional and national normative and legal frameworks, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Concluding Observation 2023, Beijing Platform for Action, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Programme of IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste, National Strategic Plan (2011-2030), National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence (2022-2032), and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2024-2028 (NAP 1325) and Third Maubisse Declaration for Rural Women.

Context

Under the leadership of the IX Constitutional Government, Timor-Leste officially adopted its second-generation National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2024-2028 (NAP 1325) (2024-2028). This comprehensive five-year strategy is designed to advance gender equality and women”s leadership in areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, post-conflict recovery, and humanitarian response efforts across Timor-Leste, ensuring a multi-stakeholder and gender-responsive approach to sustainable peace and security. The National Action Plan (NAP) 1325 approval signifies a robust commitment of the IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste to plan, develop, implement and invest in its national WPS agenda in the context of post-COVID-19 recovery, and its integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). To advance the national Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Timor-Leste, UN Women has been providing technical support to line ministries in the NAP 1325 structure in strengthening institutional capacities to plan, implement, finance, monitor and report the national WPS commitments. UN Women has been providing support to the Government of Timor-Leste to develop and implement the first and second NAP 1325 and promote gender mainstreaming and Gender-Responsive Budgeting in policies and programmes, and advance women’s meaningful leadership in decision-making processes at all levels, towards accountable policy implementation, gender-responsive conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and to promote services that meet the security needs of women and girls in Timor-Leste.
Besides, Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) stands as a core pillar of UN Women’s work in Timor-Leste. UN Women supports government partners through knowledge exchange, research and capacity-building to strengthen gender-responsive policies and address the discrimination and structural barriers that limit women’s participation in the economy and income-generating activities. UN Women works with civil society organizations and women entrepreneurs to build the skills, knowledge, and networks needed to access decent work and sustainable livelihoods. In partnership with government partners, UN Women provides technical assistance in generating and sharing evidence to advance gender-responsive reforms and shift gender norms in line with Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Concluding Observations, for example, on unpaid care work, discriminatory policies and practices affecting women (particularly women with disabilities), and the need for inclusive social protection. The Programme Coordination Specialist will exercise overall responsibility to deliver results on programmes in support of UN Women’s Strategic Note 2022-2025 and normative frameworks on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE), including Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Programme Coordination Specialist will provide intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and programme advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming on Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG).

Key Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Head of Office and direct supervision of the International Programme Analyst, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

1. Integrate Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) across programme and strategic documents.
Support the integration of EVAWG strategies, frameworks, and interventions across programme proposals and initiatives; identify programmatic areas for support and interventions on EVAWG, including emerging forms of violence such as those on online platforms and/or Information and Communication Technology (ICT ) facilitated, as well as on the interlinkages between EVAWG and Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE).
Draft proposals, briefs, policy dialogue, and other documents related to EVAWG and key intergovernmental processes.
Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts, women’s economic empowerment specialists, and UN partners towards a coordinated response on EVAWG, as necessary.

2. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies.
Lead the development of a joint resource mobilization and sustainability strategy for the programme, with relevant UN agencies, funds, and programmes.
Develop relevant documentation on donors and identify potential opportunities for resource mobilization.
Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts, and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design, as necessary.
Oversee the preparation of analytical reviews and the systematic capture of lessons learnt from programme implementation.

3. Lead the coordination of the EVAWG programme in Timor-Leste.
Report to the UN Women Head of Office on programme performance and results.
Provide technical advice and innovative approaches to facilitating programme interventions.
Facilitate consolidation of joint annual work plans and budgets with the support of relevant staff in the Technical Unit.
Supervise and provide programme guidance, updates, and information to the Steering Committee, implementing partners, and other stakeholders.
Provide support and guidance to mitigate and address risks in a timely manner.

4. Lead the coordination between different UN agencies to achieve a coherent and aligned presence of the EVAWG initiative, including through the Programme Management Team (PMT)and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) Results Group in Timor-Leste.
Provide technical support to the UN Women Head of Office on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees.
Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to ensure the initiative’s capacity development approach is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

5. Oversee advocacy, knowledge building, and communication efforts.
Support gender mainstreaming in legislation, policies, and programmes of the Government from the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls perspective.
Lead coordination among donors, UN agencies, and Civil Society Organisations on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls programming, including frontier issues such as cybersecurity and VAWG in online spaces, for inclusion at national levels, such as the National Action Plans, and regional levels, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Oversee the development of knowledge management strategies, methodologies, and products on the EVAWG programme in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with their direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check-ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;

Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors and other stakeholders.

Technical experience in evidence-based approaches to ending violence against women and girls.

Experience in bringing gender mainstreaming in national processes is desirable.

Experience in leading/managing a diverse team is desirable.

Skills in:
Computer skills (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, infographics, social media, and others).

Core Competencies

Accountability
Adaptability and Flexibility
Building Trust
Client Orientation
Commitment and Motivation
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Communication
Creativity
Empowering Others
Ethics and Values
Integrity
Judgement and Decision-making
Knowledge Sharing
Leadership
Managing Performance
Planning and Organizing
Professionalism
Respect for Diversity
Self-Management
Technological Awareness
Vision
Working in Teams

Living Conditions

Timor-Leste is half of a tropical island on the Australian continental shelf characterized by a rugged mountain chain running east-west that divides the country into a generally warmer north coast and a milder south coast. The capital city, Dili, is located in the north.
Climate: The climate along the coast is relatively warm hot year-round with an annual average temperature of 30°C. There are two distinct seasons: the north- east monsoon season, which runs from November to March, constitutes the rainy season throughout the country. The south-east monsoon season, which runs from March to October, constitutes the dry season with some rain on the southern coast but otherwise dry and windy conditions in the rest of the country. The climate inland with its high mountains can be cool with an annual average temperature of 15°C.
Diet, Food and Water: Most staple foods can be found in the markets such as rice, meat, vegetables, cooking oil, salt and sugar. There are many local markets around Dili as well as several supermarkets that are stocked with imported goods, mainly from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and China. Dili has a large number of restaurants, cafes and bars. There is a variety of food ranging from Western to Southeast Asian fare.
Accommodation: Expect that your accommodation will range from the very basic to adequate, although many private houses in Dili have been renovated to a reasonable or even considered ‘luxurious’ level of comfort. The rate of reconstruction and renovation in the districts has been much slower than in Dili. Accommodation is far more likely to be of a very basic level.