International Consultant - Advocacy and Youth Empowerment

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.

 

Asia and the Pacific

Through the regional office in Bangkok and a number of country and multi-country offices, UN Women builds on a long history of support to governments and women’s movements. UN Women’s programs in Asia and the Pacific focus on ending violence against women, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction, women’s economic empowerment, CEDAW and women’s human rights, peace and security, governance and HIV/AIDS. For more information about UN Women in Asia and the Pacific, please visit the official

 

External Relations unit

This position is based within External Relations unit for the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). At the regional office, External Relations unit is in charge of building partnerships with private sector entities as well as bilateral partners, non- profit organisations and the media. External Relations unit also provides strategic advice and technical support to both the regional office and country offices in Advocacy and Communications in Asia and the Pacific. The consultant will directly report to the Regional Advocacy and Campaigns Coordinator.

Duties and Responsibilities

A significant element of the Strategic Note is an enhanced strategic approach to advocacy, innovation, and youth and civil society empowerment, with the aim of increasing the visibility of ROAP and public awareness of both success stories and the specific gaps and challenges to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the region. It is imperative that advocacy methodologies adopted by ROAP are suited to the regional context and able to attract and support the engagement of diverse stakeholder groups, including youth, civil society, national and regional authorities etc.

UN Women ROAP envision to collaborate with technology and innovation companies in the Asia Pacific region to promote women empowerment and leadership in the digital economy, promote women safe and inclusive cyber spaces and mobilize private sector companies to commit to the on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality. This will require wide consultations with women and girls, young feminists, tech for gender equality experts and CSOs from across the region.

UN Women ROAP launched the in 2022; as a youth leadership network that brings together young decision-makers, eminent civic and business innovators, feminists, entrepreneurs, technology pioneers, educators, activists, artists, journalists, and more. The 30 for 2030 thought leaders and experts are determined change makers to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda from a feminist perspective, break down gender barriers and make gender equality a working reality in their spheres of influence.

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Advocacy and Campaigns Coordinator, the International Consultant – Advocacy and Youth Empowerment will coordinate the recruitment of the 30 for 2030 networks and its initiatives, the organization and implementation of events and campaigns; mobilize and build networks of young champions and CSOs; support the development of regional strategies and initiatives and coordinate the production and dissemination of communication and advocacy products. He/she will collaborate closely with the Headquarters, Regional, Country Offices and Programme Presences (RO/CO/PP) colleagues to ensure coordination of efforts and strong capacity building support in all areas of advocacy and youth empowerment outreach.

Expected deliverables and timelines

 

Tasks

Coordinate the recruitment of the 30 for 2030 networks and its initiatives: Manage the recruitment of the 30 for 2030 networks members and drive a campaign to attract new members. Provide orientation guidance for the new members and keep the network members motivated, inspired, and collaborative. Coordinate the convening of network members for capacity building activities, mentorship sessions, and collaborative projects. Documentation of the 30 for 2030 network projects, achievements, and impact.

Development and promotion of high-quality advocacy materials: Support the production of key external advocacy materials including social media plans, briefs, statements, brochures, posters, videos, photography, infographics, stories, gifs, etc. Develop web stories to showcase youth voices and update UN Women’s website. Support the update of a regional youth and civil society engagement strategy. Build and maintain a database of relevant stakeholders including CSOs, feminist leaders, social media influencers and young leaders.

Coordination of activities related to gender inclusive design, innovation, and tech initiatives: Support the coordination of at least one initiative focusing on women digital transformation and leadership. Support the coordination of at least one initiative focusing on gender equality in and through sports. Support the coordination of at least one initiative focusing on gender, climate justice, and green skills and jobs for young women. Mobilizing CSOs and youth especially young women to participate in trainings, webinars, and other opportunities. Collection of data for reporting (activities, stories, audio-visual materials, social media reach, etc.) for reporting purposes. Mobilizing public and private sectors to commit to Generation Equality.

 

Deliverables

Target Dates

Monthly Status Report provided. This report can include updates on the progress in any of the following areas of work: Recruitment of the 2024 cohort of the 30 for 2030 networks. One consultation meeting with youth leaders, feminist movements, and civil society organizations. Database of relevant advocacy stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific Region. At least three key external advocacy materials. Social media plan with assets for IWD 2024 and IWD 2024 report. Coordination of at least one initiative focusing on women digital transformation and leadership. Coordination of a social media campaign focusing on gender equality in and through sports. Coordinate at least three capacity building workshops. Youth & CSOs engagement report. Coordination of the localization and translation of at least two knowledge products.

At the end of each month

 

Supervision

The consultant will be supervised by Regional Advocacy and Campaigns Coordinator, External Relations, UN WOMEN Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

 

Payments

The consultant is expected to work 20 days a month. A monthly rate will be paid upon satisfactory completion of tasks and deliverables that will be summarized in a monthly 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

 

Functional Competencies: (below are examples to be adjusted to each assignment)

• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong knowledge of UN Women processes and systems.
• Strong networking skills.
• Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to work in a highly pressured environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Communication, Political Science, Gender Studies, Public Relations, Psychology, International Development, or related field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of experience in advocacy, communication, youth empowerment, campaign management or related field preferably with international organizations.
• Experience and knowledge of social media management, media production and dissemination strategies.
• Previous work experience with UN Agencies or international development agencies will be a plus.
• Experience in the fields of gender equality and women’s empowerment and human rights related work would be an asset.

 

Language requirement:

• Proficiency in English.

 

III.  Contract period and work location

This is a 4-month contract commencing on 01 March 2024 and ending on 30 June 2024. The International Consultant will be home-based and working remotely for the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

 

IV.  Evaluation

 

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis:

• Technical qualification (100 points);

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria: Technical Evaluation Criteria	Obtainable Score
A) Education Master’s degree or equivalent in Communication, Political Science, Gender Studies, Public Relations, Psychology, International Development, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree	10
B)Experience and skills Minimum 2 years of experience in advocacy, communication, youth empowerment, campaign management or related field preferably with international organizations. Experience and knowledge of social media management, media production and dissemination strategies. Previous work experience with UN Agencies or international development agencies will be a plus. Experience in the fields of gender equality and women’s empowerment and human rights related work would be an asset.	80
C) Language and report writing skills Proficiency in English.	10
Total Obtainable Score	100 %

 

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates who may be contacted for validation interview.

V.    Submission of application

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications via the job announcement page on  not later than 13 February 2024.  Submission package must include: 

·         A UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from 

·         Cover letter outlining relevant work experience

·         Writing sample or portfolio, if any

* The above-mentioned documents should be submitted together in one document, incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

 

VI.   UNW Statement on 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.