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To contract the services of a Legal Advisor to Support Women Farmers and Small Business Entrepreneurs in the agriculture, fisheries and related sectors

Bridgetown

  • Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • Location: Bridgetown
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Legal - Broad
    • Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
    • Agriculture and Forestry
    • Sustainable trade and development
    • Fisheries
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources
    • Sustainable Business Development
  • Closing Date: Closed

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.

Businesses run by women (such as those in the agriculture and fisheries related sector) face major establishment hurdles and are frequently unable to respond to emerging economic opportunities. While women have the rights to own assets, including land, and operate businesses in their own name, informal barriers and costs, and social rules, (including sex stereotyping that leads to occupational sex segregation); as well as weak bargaining position also discriminate strongly against women’s economic participation.

Gender inequalities in access to economic incentives and productive resources reduce productivity and output. They prevent women from sharing in the benefits of production, even when they have done most of the work. For example, giving women farmers the same level of land tenure rights as men for the land they work on as men could increase, as per some studies and research, agricultural production in some countries by 20% and thereby make a huge contribution to national and regional food security.

Policy settings and regulatory frameworks often drive these less positive outcomes, engineered by discriminatory social institutions that reproduce gender stereotypes and mind-sets. This needs to be addressed sustainably through in-depth (focused) policy and legislative change. 

The above provides the conceptual foundation for the project, “Building Effective Resilience for Human Security in the Caribbean Countries: The Imperative of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in a Strengthened Agriculture (and related Agri/Fisheries Small Business) Sector”, supported by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNHSTF) in collaboration with the UN Sub-Regional Team for Barbados and the OECS (UNST). This project argues strongly that gender inequality and women disempowerment is one of the main determinants of human insecurity.

The project thus aims, through a combination of policy reform advocacy and technical advice, as well as, direct downstream support to up to 2,500 farmers and small agro- and fisheries business entrepreneurs, (the majority women), to advance multi-faceted human security by focusing on the economic empowerment (of women) in these sectors.

By doing so, the project will also lay the basis for the further up-scaling of the impact upon the completion of this 3-year project, and the expansion of its innovative strategy to other sectors. Success expected to be achieved under this project will then provide a major impetus for a broader recognition of the priority of gender equality and women empowerment for enhanced resilience; for stronger economic growth; for a more inclusive society; and finally, for strengthened and sustainable human security.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the assignment

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative, the Legal Advisor will provide legal advice to members of women farmers groups and small business associations operating in the agriculture, fisheries and related sectors. The focus will be on (1) Assisting women farmers with obtaining legal title to their land; and supporting women-operated small business entrepreneurs with registering their businesses; and (2) Preparing a report on the experiences of the legal clinic. 

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The Legal Advisor will be based in Dominica for the full duration of the assignment and will be expected to deliver the following results:

  1. 10 Legal Clinics
  • Provide individual legal advice to a minimum of 40 women farmers and small business entrepreneurs (a maximum of 1 hour per client);
  • The legal clinics will be offered during 10 legal clinics (4 1- hour sessions per clinic) in a confidential setting closest to the location of the members of the women farmers/small business entrepreneurs groups, and in consultation with them.

        2. Report “Experiences Providing Legal Advice to Women Farmers and Small Business Entrepreneurs”

  • The report will provide an overview of the experiences of the legal clinic with a view to assessing the following:
    • The level of understanding by women farmers and small business entrepreneurs of their rights to land/business ownership;
    • The level of understanding by women famers and small business entrepreneurs of the relevant legislation on land tenure and business ownership.
  • Recommendations for improving legal literacy by women farmers and small business entrepreneurs of the relevant legislation on land tenure and business ownership.

Reporting Requirements

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to UN Women Programme Specialist for Economic Empowerment and Statistics.

Competencies

Core Values / Guiding Principles:

  • 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/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong gender responsive budgeting, economic analysis, social research and analytical skills;
  • Excellent written and oral communications skills including the conveying complex concepts and recommendations, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences;
  • Ability to interact independently as part of a team;
  • Ability to multi-task and operate effectively in stressful situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Required skills and experience:

Education:

  • LLB (Bachelor of Laws) Degree is required.

Experience:

  • A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible and relevant experience as a practicing lawyer within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region;
  • At least 5 years’ experience in at least one of the following areas: property law, family law, conveyancing;
  • At least 3 years’ working experience in Dominica is required;
  • Experience working with women’s groups is an asset, but not required;
  • Prior experience in the UN System and the Region will be an asset.

Languages:

  • Fluency in oral and written English is required.

References:

  • Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

Remuneration:

  • The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

  • The consultant must be equipped with a fully-functional laptop, which must run at least Windows 7. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based telecommunications application software (Skype or equivalent) is required.

Location and Duration:.

  • The consultancy will be based in Dominica (no travel is required);
  • The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 30 working days during the 3rd April 2020 – 30th June 2020.

Other:

  • Interviews will be conducted with the shortlisted applicants;
  • The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering.

Note:

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.   As such, all application materials must be scanned into one document and submitted.

All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs.  Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
This vacancy is now closed.
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