International Consultant- Trainer on Gender Mainstreaming and Analysis

Background

Despite persisting gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) issues in Africa, AU and its organs continue to provide leadership and support towards the adoption and implementation of regional policy and legal frameworks to ensure that GEWE is promoted and realized in AU Member States. Agenda 2063, as the continental blue print for Africa’s socio-economic transformation, peace and development sets as a key aspiration, “an Africa whose development is driven by and relies on the potential offered by people, especially its women and youth and caring for children”.

As part of the commitment to mainstream gender in the regional development policies, the AU Member States have also demonstrated the highest level of political will and commitment to GEWE through the adoption by the Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs of the AU Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028 in January 2018 which was officially launched during the 32nd African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in February 2019. The Strategy provides a clear action roadmap and serves as an investment plan, advocacy tool, organizing lens for practitioners and a bridge for policy coherence and harmonization. The strategy primarily recognizes that gender equality can only be achieved through wide-ranging efforts across multiple sectors and not solely through gender specific structures and institutions. Similarly, the AU ongoing reform process recognizes and recommits member states to ensure parity in AU institutions and processes for practical focus and delivery on GEWE priorities.

In this regard, the AUC’s Women, Gender and Development Directorate (AUC-WGDD) is entrusted with mandate of leading, guiding, advocating for and coordinating all efforts to achieve GEWE within the AUC, Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and organs. The WGDD thus provides the principal institutional mechanism within the AU to advance gender equality through the use of gender mainstreaming policies and tools to ensure that gender is more effectively mainstreamed into all programs and initiatives of the Commission, other AU organs and RECs.

Over the past number of years, notable progress has been achieved in the efforts to promote the integration of gender in sectorial development policies of the AU with strong leadership and support of the AUC-WGDD. However, capacity related challenges hinder significant progress in gender mainstraming in AU and its organs.

Therefore, the effective implementation of the AU GEWE agenda requires the institutionalization of gender mainstreaming mechanisms with a strong involvement of sectoral departments to achieve the objective of an integrated approach to GEWE. Moreover, with the launching of the AU GEWE Strategy, there is a need for ensuring that relevant departments and institutions of the AU are able to develop and implement catalytic initiatives in line with the strategy’s priorities in a streamlined and robust manner. This further necessitates a strong AUC internal capacity to support gender mainstreaming in the initiatives and processes of the AU, MS and RECs initiatives.

In this regard, AU has collaborated with different partners to implement initiatives that support gender mainstreaming in the AU. The AUC through the WGDD particularly explored strategic partnerships with UN Women and UNDP for an institutionalization of the efforts in a systematic manner. As part of the initial phase of the collaboration, the AUC-WGDD in collaboration with UN Women and UNDP RSCA propose to organize a four (4) day training workshop on gender mainstreaming and analysis for AUC gender focal points on 24-27 September 2019 in Kampala, Uganda. The training workshop will introduce to the gender focal points gender mainstreaming tools, practices and approaches and aims to enhance their skills and knowledge for their effective application towards gender responsive programs within the AUC and other AU organs. They will also have the opportunity to reflect and share experiences on gender mainstreaming efforts and jointly determine collaborative strategies to accelerate the efforts. At the training workshop, participants will be supported to develop a roadmap and practical actions to ensure that the knowledge and skills are applied in the policies, cultures, functions and work of the AU.

Objectives of the Training

The overall objective of this workshop is to build the capacity of the AUC gender focal points to effectively and efficiently mainstream gender into policies, programmes, projects and operations. In so doing, it aims to expand and strengthen AUC gender team including to champion GEWE in the AU. The training workshop aims to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. To introduce to the gender focal points gender mainstreaming tools, practices and approaches;
2. To enhance the skills and knowledge of gender focal points on gender mainstreaming and gender analysis tools for their effective application to support gender responsive programmes within AUC, other organs and RECs;
3. Provide opportunity for exchange of ideas and best practices among staffs on gender mainstreaming within the different departments of the AUC;
4. To introduce to the AUC the Gender Equality Seal certification programme for Public institutions including knowledge and understanding on the tools, principles, process and the role of each staff member of the AU in the process.
5. Enable gender focal points develop a roadmap and practical actions to implement as part of their commitment to apply the knowledge  

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Country Representative and working in close partnership and guidance with the UN Women Liaison Specialist, AUC-WGDD Head of Gender Analysis and Monitoring Division and UNDP RSCA Gender Team, the consultant will perform the following tasks;  

1. Share a draft work plans and scopes of work for planned training
2. Review relevant planning documents of the departments and develop a brief context analysis of the efforts and gaps in gender mainstreaming to inform the training process and serve as a baseline for further support by WGDD
3. Carry out pre training needs assessment for participnats
4. Contribute to drafting of training programme and content of the training
5. Prepare for and facilitate a 4 day participatory gender mainstreaming and analysis training workshop
6. Conduct post training assessment/performance evaluation of the training and share finding in the final report
7. Facilitate a discussion on road map and practical action plan for  enhanced gender mainstreaming in AUC and collaboration between the AUC-WGDD and sectoral departments   
8. Develop a revised context analysis and an outline of jointly agreed upon strategies for sustaining gender mainstreaming by AUC departments
9. Prepare detailed  workshop report on the key outcomes/results, chanllenges and opportunities of the workshop

Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Commitment to UN Women’s mission, vision, values and strategic goals.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Required Skills and Experience

Educational background 

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, or another relevant field.

Professional competencies

• Minimum 7 years of professional work experience at national, regional and international levels on gender equality and women’s empowerment field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in mainstreaming gender in policies,development programmes and projects
• Sound knowledge of analytical methods and tools for mainstreaming gender in policies and programmes
• Strong training, presentation and facilitation skills;
• Strong oral and written communication ability
• Previous experience and familiarity working with the African Union and the United Nations on training and facilitation is an asset.
• Sound understanding of gender and development issues in Africa.

Language

• Fluency in English is a must and knowledge of French language is an added advantage