Individual Contractor - Gender/GBV Specialist, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia

Under the guidance of the Regional Gender Adviser and working as a member of the Regional office COVID team response and in collaboration with other Sections, the Gender consultant provides technical support for input in regional COVID initiatives and knowledge management, as well mapping and scoping of global COVID resources and regional women’s networks and organizations.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future

How can you make a difference?

1. Rationale:

At UNICEF we have three core commitments to ensuring gender equality in every humanitarian response, including public health emergencies such as COVID19.  These are: 1) An end to Gender Based Violence, 2) Community engagement with and for women and girls, and 3) Gender-responsive programming, including a lens on adolescent girls.

 An end to Gender Based Violence (GBV)

For many women and girls, #stayathome #restaacasa #restezalamaison etc can be dangerous.  Evidence shows that home is often the most dangerous place for a woman and her children. In addition, increasing food insecurity, where women are primarily responsible for procuring and cooking food, may place them at heightened risk of intimate partner violence due to tensions in the household. For example, the economic impacts of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa placed women and girls at greater risk of exploitation and sexual violence.  Responses need to include both on-line and off-line child protection measures as well.

 In addition, life-saving care and support to GBV survivors (e.g. clinical management of rape and mental health and psycho-social support) may be disrupted in tertiary level hospitals when health service providers are overburdened and preoccupied with handling COVID-19 cases.

 Community engagement with and for women and girls

Women and girls’ voices are essential to understanding the impact of the epidemic and meeting the needs of affected populations effectively. We call on governments and partners to identify existing women’s networks and youth rights groups to strengthen the leadership and meaningful participation of women and girls in all decision-making processes in addressing the COVID-19 outbreak.

Women also play a major role as conduits of information in their communities. They have typically less access to information than men. Thus, reaching women and girls and educating them on the disease is crucial to tackling the spread. Ensure that women and girls are able to get information about how to prevent and respond to the epidemic and resources available- via multiple platforms including digital outreach such as U-Report.

 Women and adolescent girls are equitably represented in community feedback and complaints mechanisms 

 Gender-responsive programming, including a lens on women and adolescent girls specifically.  According to the World Economic Forum, COVID 19 will impact women’s unpaid and paid care work in the following situations:

•     Where healthcare systems are stretched by efforts to contain outbreaks, care responsibilities are frequently “downloaded” onto women and girls, who usually bear responsibility for caring for ill family members and the elderly.

•     The closure of schools further exacerbates the burden of unpaid care work on women and girls, who absorb the additional work of caring for children.

•     Women constitute 70% of the workers in the health and social sector globally and are on the frontlines of the response. Within this sector, an average gender pay gap of 28% exists, which may be exacerbated in times of crises.

•     Women health care workers have called attention to their specific needs beyond personal protective equipment, including to meet menstrual health and hygiene needs and psychosocial support.

 UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) requires an individual consultant to continue to provide knowledge management technical assistance to work with the Regional Gender Adviser to further and strengthen the Gender area of work across the region and country offices, specifically on gender  and MHM, gender and immunization, gender responsive monitoring, value of girl child, and focus on transformative gender results. Thus, a consultant Gender Specialist will support the Regional Gender Adviser to accelerate important gender initiatives, generate gender knowledge products with the country offices, promote gender responsive programming, promote a regional learning practitioner series on achieving gender results, accelerate evidence, and enhance gender programming in the South Asia region.

2. Purpose:

Under the guidance of the Regional Gender Adviser and working as a member of the Regional office COVID team response and in collaboration with other Sections, the Gender consultant provides technical support for input in regional COVID initiatives and knowledge management, as well mapping and scoping of global COVID resources and regional women’s networks and organizations.

S/he provides the following technical assistance:

1. Support health sector interventions to develop resources so that first responders are trained on how to handle disclosures of GBV,  including basic skills to respond to disclosures of GBV, in a compassionate and non-judgmental manner, so that they  can make referrals for further care or bring in treatment to provide care on the spot. First responders can be trained with our GBV Pocket Guide and app. Holistic support to first responders should furthermore include their own psychosocial support.
2. Support Child Protection by consolidating, translating and dissemination of brief rolling positive practice across the region on measures to address VAC/GBV in the context of the prevention and response including containment and mitigation measures.  This will consider both online and offline violence as well as combatting discrimination and stigma.
3. Support C4D and Communications:  In coordination with regional partners and Country Offices, identify women’s networks who are acting as change agents and messengers within their communities; Map ongoing women’s networks and organizations across the region to identify strategic partnerships for community engagement and accurate messaging.
4. Support ROSA data collection related to outbreaks and the implementation of the emergency response to be disaggregated by sex, age, and disability and analysed accordingly in order to understand the gendered differences in exposure and treatment and to design differential preventive measures.

3. Key Assignments/Tasks:

1. Gender and GBV Resources integrated into ROSA COVID Response

• Review ROSA and CO materials related to health systems response to ensure that first responders are able to manage GBV disclosures and refer.
• Provide resources and technical support for strategies to support continuity of care and access to sexual and reproductive health services in an emergency
• Document initiatives in the region that prevent and respond to VaC/GBV in the context of the COVID response.
• Produce and review C4D and Communications messaging to ensure gender considerations are made.

2. Communications, C4D and Knowledge management technical support

Complete a mapping of active women’s networks (including those led by adolescent girls and young women) who are engaged in the COVID19 response, and produce brief summaries of work underway and support needed.

Review ROSA data collection and support disaggregation by sex, age and disability as well as analysis.

Key Tasks - day to day functions

1. Review and support the development of COVID19 health, C4D and Communications initiatives

• With technical support and resources
• Maintain updates on new resources available from global and regional partners on COVID and Gender
• Technical support in the production of a video highlighting key gender considerations and ROSA responses
• Document the responses to prevent GBV/VAC in the region in the context of COVIC

2. Coordinate with COs to identify and reach out to Women’s Networks in the region, as well as regional partners to map capacities and document positive practices

3. Support data collection and analysis

4. Key Deliverables:

1. Summary of reviewed documents and provision of technical expertise on gender through the month (Health, C4D, Comms, Data)
2. Women’s Network mapping finalized first draft
3. Minimum three brief summaries of positive practice across the region on measures to address VAC/GBV
4. Support design of COVID 19 and Gender video
5. Finalize Women’s Network mapping and activation or amplification plans

Duration: 15 April - 31 July 2020

Note: This is a home based The Contractor will be expected to work daily between Monday and Friday, off site, with time-off 1 ½ days per month for a 5 day work week.  In case of an urgent action, contractor may be required to take calls in the evening (within a reasonable hour) and over the weekend.

Note: The consultant will be paid upon satisfactory completion of assigned tasks and receipt of key deliverables and as certified by the Supervisor/Manager.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

A. Education:

• Advanced university degree in the social sciences, gender, women’s studies, international development, or in an area relevant to UNICEF’s sectoral work (e.g. Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, Social Inclusion, HIV/AIDs, etc.), with a particular focus to managing humanitarian responses. A higher qualification will be and added advantage
• Academic credentials in gender are a strong asset.

 B. Work Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience and demonstrated track record of having undertaken humanitarian and emergency response programming, knowledge management on gender.

• Experience in designing knowledge products, gender strategies, guidance and work plans, and providing support to delivering results-based programmes/projects on gender and development.
• Experience in child protection and particularly addressing violence issues
• Proven experience in writing published documents

• Good knowledge of the gender and social context of the South Asia Region is required
• Experience of working with UNICEF, sister UN agencies and other partners is an asset

 c. Language Proficiency:

• Proficiency in English language is required

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies required for this post are

• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities, presentation and editorial skills in English
• Ability in working independently and to a clear work plan being directly accountable

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.