Gender Specialist, SGBV Investigator

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.

Peace and Security is a key area of UN Women's work. At headquarters, the Peace and Security Section leads on UN system-wide coordination on Women, Peace and Security, provides technical and financial support to the peace and security work of UN Women field offices, and implements a number of global initiatives that range from training women on mediation, peacekeepers on preventing and responding to sexual violence, and experts on investigation and documentation of international crimes, to rapidly deploying gender advisors to commissions of inquiry, peace talks, and post-conflict planning and financing processes, supporting gender-responsive public service delivery, and linking women in the community and grassroots organizations to police and other actors to ensure better protection.

A key area of UN-Women’s work is ensuring access to justice for women and the equal application of the rule of law. Effective judicial and legal systems not only ensure the protection and advancement of women’s rights, but can provide an enabling environment to address discriminatory practices which impede development. From a women’s human rights and rule of law perspective, at no time is legal protection more necessary, or more fragile, than during and in the immediate aftermath of conflicts when women’s experiences of insecurity and violations often continue unabated. Securing accountability and ending impunity for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and asserting women’s access to the full range of rights are some of the most challenging yet fundamental conditions for the restoration of the rule of law post-conflict.

Under the supervision of the head of the relevant international accountability mechanism and in coordination with the Chief, Peace and Security, UN Women, the Gender Specialist/ SGBV Investigator will contribute to the implementation of UN Women’s mandate on promoting women’s access to justice and the rule of law through providing technical support to international accountability mechanisms in investigation, documentation and training of SGBV crimes under international law.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure proper investigation and documentation of cases of SGBV and other gender based human rights violations and abuses by international justice mechanisms;

• Conduct and/or assist in the conduct of interviews and evidence gathering activities, ensuring that necessary measures of protection and confidentiality for witnesses and victims of women’s human rights violations are implemented throughout and that the gender-specific impact of violations is assessed. The incumbent will also ensure how to identify violence against women in private and public settings;

• Research and collect information pertaining to women’s human rights and gender issues directly related to the mandate of the international mechanisms, including SGBV and violations of women’s civil, economic, political and social rights;

Provide technical support to the work of international accountability bodies supported by UN Women

• Ensure that appropriate attention is given to the gendered dimensions of human rights, including through gender analysis and training;

• Provide advice, awareness-raising, and inputs to the justice mechanisms’ mandate –ensuring that all investigators are aware of how to identify documentation and investigation of human rights violations of women including SGBV and the gendered impacts of human rights and international humanitarian law violations, that security arrangements are gender-sensitive, that cultural and contextual gender considerations are considered;

• Ensure that the necessary measures of protection and confidentiality for witnesses and victims of women’s human rights violations and abuses are implemented, including measures such as working with local women’s organizations;

• Analyze existing documentation and propose gender-sensitive investigation methods according to the mandate of the international mechanisms including ensuring that all investigators are aware of the gendered dimensions of human rights violations, specific vulnerability of different categories of women (girls, mothers, repatriate women, women in prisons and camps, girls and women living with disabilities and elderly women), security arrangements are gender-sensitive and that cultural and political gender considerations are duly taken into account.

• Contribute to interview notes, investigation reports, briefings and analytical documents including the final report as required to ensure adequate attention to women’s human rights and gender issues;

• Prepare an internal report for UN Women reflecting on the work of the gender specialist/ SGBV Investigator and any recommendations for strengthening the gendered work of such bodies in future;

Perform any other duties, as required by the Chief, Peace and Security, UN Women in coordination with the Coordinator of the Commission of Inquiry 

Key Performance Indicators

The appropriate investigation procedures of all international accountability mechanisms UN Women supports will reflect :

• good practice in the investigation of SGBV cases, gender-sensitive approaches;

• full documentation of violations of women’s rights under international law; and advance women’s access to justice.

• Sharing of technical knowledge

• Quality of reports

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Proven ability to conduct complex human rights investigations, including expertise in monitoring and documenting SGBV and understanding of gender-specific protection concerns;

• Expertise in women’s human rights and gender dimension of human rights, including civil, economic, political and social rights, and SGBV;

• Good analytical capacity;

• Solid knowledge in witness and victim protection and data protection;

• Trained in management of data;

• Demonstrated people management skills;

• Ability to speak and write in a clear manner including ability to draft a variety of reports; correspondence using gender-sensitive language;

• Excellent writing and communication skills.

• Familiarity with the UN system and good knowledge of UN Women.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Advanced study (Master’s or equivalent) in law, political sciences, international relations, gender studies or other disciplines related to human rights. A combination of relevant academic qualifications and extensive experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights investigation and monitoring with a focus on women’s human rights and gender issues, including 2 years in the field.

Language Requirements:

 Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Arabic is preferred.