The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of parliaments. It was founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 179 national Member Parliaments and 12 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments become stronger, younger, gender-balanced and more diverse. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world. Twice a year, the IPU convenes over 1,500 parliamentary delegates and partners in a world assembly, bringing a parliamentary dimension to global governance, including the work of the United Nations and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The IPU recognizes gender equality as a key component of democracy and works to achieve equal participation of men and women in politics and to advance gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment. It monitors the participation of women in parliament at the global, regional and national levels and makes data available. It carries out surveys and studies on violence against women in politics and provides guidance to parliaments to address such violence.
Request for proposals
The IPU is seeking applications from qualified and experienced candidates to work under the supervision of the Manager of the Gender Partnership Programme (GPP) to implement projects aimed at supporting parliaments and their members in addressing violence against women and girls in their work and combating sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament and in politics.
The consultancy will run from 3 January 2022 to 31 March 2024. Contracts will be issued to the consultant on a single calendar year basis and renewed each year subject to annual review of performance and the availability of funds.
An average of 18 days of work per month is foreseen. The IPU will offer a daily rate between 300 and 550CHF according to the experience of the candidate.
The consultant can be home based though work would entail travel in country. The IPU shall cover the expenses related to the missions that the consultant will need to carry out for purposes of this assignment.
Deliverables
- Design, coordinate and implement research projects aimed at providing evidence on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament, including drafting related reports and publications;
- Provide guidance and expertise on combatting violence against women and girls and addressing violence against women in parliament and in politics;
- Respond to requests for support from parliaments, parliamentarians and others on means to assess the prevalence of sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament and actions to address the situation;
- Design, coordinate and implement technical assistance projects aimed at addressing discrimination and violence against women and girls, including support to capacity building, legal reforms, oversight actions and/or outreach visits, in targeted parliaments;
- Assess needs and prepare workplans and documents for project activities (concept note, agenda, budget, speeches, outcome report);
- Monitor and control project expenditure and oversee effectiveness toward results and participate in missions in countries for purposes of carrying out and evaluating the projects;
- Prepare activity reports and produce funding submissions to donors;
- Organize and take part in international and regional meetings and events on violence against women and girls and violence against women in politics;
- Organize regional and national training seminars and workshops for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff on violence against women and girls and on violence against women in parliament and in politics;
- Develop targeted initiatives for male parliamentarians to engage them in addressing violence against women and girls and on violence against women in parliament and in politics.
Specific deliverables in 2022-2023:
- One regional study on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament is undertaken, published and disseminated;
- The dissemination of the 2021 IPU-APU study on sexism, harassment and violence against women in African parliaments is pursued and its impact assessed;
- Response and expert advice are provided to all requests for support received from parliaments or MPs on means to assess the prevalence of sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament and actions to address the situation;
- Reforms carried out to address sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament are supported in 1 to 2 parliaments;
- 5 to 6 global parliamentary meetings or events on violence against women and girls and violence against women in politics are organized;
- 4 targeted parliaments (including Djibouti and Sierra Leone) are supported in engaging in capacity building trainings, support for legal reforms, oversight actions or outreach visits in addressing discrimination and violence against women and girls; and harmful practices;
- Monitoring and evaluation are carried out for all Programme’s activities, outputs and outcomes related to the elimination of violence against women and girls and violence against women in parliament;
- 1 to 2 activity reports including an analysis of achieved results and impact are produced every year;
- Contribution to funding submissions is provided during the consultancy period.
Work implies frequent interaction with the following:
- Members of Parliament and Parliamentary staff
- UN experts and staff
- Representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations
- Staff of the IPU Secretariat
- Researchers and academics
Required experience and qualifications
- University degree in political science or law and/or gender studies;
- At least 10 years’ relevant professional experience in the field of gender equality and women’s rights as well as work experience in international parliamentary organisations required, with a focus on the elimination of violence against women and girls and violence against women in politics being a strong asset;
- At least 10 years’ relevant professional experience in supporting parliaments required, with a focus on protecting and promoting human rights, gender equality and ending violence against women being a strong asset;
- Sound experience of research in the field of violence against women in parliament required, including published work on violence against women in parliament;
- Experience in interviewing victims and witnesses of sexism, harassment and gender-based violence in parliament required;
- Complete fluency in English or French, and working ability in both languages. Some knowledge of additional languages (particularly Spanish and Arabic) desirable;
- Excellent drafting skills in English or French; Proven skills in drafting reports and presenting and analysing data;
- Recent research conducted in the field of violence against women in parliament would be a strong asset;
- Knowledge of statistics and the use of research indicators;
- Demonstrated ability to plan, implement, coordinate and deliver on projects;
- Sound management and organisational abilities; good liaison, communication and negotiation skills;
- Personal attributes of initiative, self-motivation, tact, sound judgement and a preparedness to accept responsibility;
- Aptitude for human contacts and resourcefulness. Team spirit. Adaptability to varying working environments and conditions;
- Political and psychological acuteness: proven experience in working with parliamentarians from different backgrounds; proven experience in interviewing victims and witnesses of sexism, harassment and gender-based violence in parliament.
How to apply
Candidates should provide a curriculum vitae and a letter describing why they are the right person for this consultancy and providing information about their availability to begin work. One sample of published work on violence against women in parliament is required.
The deadline for applications is 8 December 2021.
Applications should be sent by e-mail to jobs@ipu.org with " Consultant- Violence against Women" in the subject line. For further information about the consultancy, please contact Zeina Hilal, Manager of the IPU Gender Partnership Programme (zh@ipu.org).
Applicants will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration.
Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.
Recruitment principles
Our guiding principle in selecting candidates is to secure the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. We do not discriminate on any grounds and are committed to promoting diversity in our workforce.
Particular attention is paid to candidates from developing countries and to achieving gender balance. We strive to provide an environment where the contribution of each individual is valued