Background 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.
UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP's policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.
Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS's staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP's Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP's development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data-driven including in its programme support efforts.
UNDP has achieved significant progress in making gender equality and women’s empowerment integral to its work on human development. The upcoming UNDP Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025 builds on the lessons of the previous strategies it has established as the main goal to help governments to shift systems and power structures that generate gender inequalities and women’s disempowerment. It will work through its six signature solutions on poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy and gender equality; and promote integrated approaches in each thematic area, stronger investments in data and analysis, and the implementation of innovative solutions to transform social norms, and stronger partnerships with UN agencies and with civil society. Position Purpose
Reporting to the Manager of the Regional Hub/RBEC (e.g., day to day basis on matters related to planning and delivery of demand-based gender support to COs and to the regional programme) and the Director of the Gender Team, BPPS (e.g., overall substantive guidance and oversight)), the Regional Advisor on Gender Equality is the lead expert in the thematic area of gender equality and the empowerment of women across RBEC country offices in the Europe and Central Asia region. She/he will work, in close collaboration with specialists of Country Offices and other advisers in the Regional Hub and HQ (BPPS, RBEC) to reduce gender inequalities in the region, in line with the upcoming Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025. She/he will be responsible for:
Policy Development. Programme Integration and Coordination. Partnerships and Resource Mobilization. Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation. Key Duties and AccountabilitiesPolicy Development.
Example of Duties:
Coordinate the development of a Regional Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025/Action Plan, and support COs to update/align their strategies to the new global and regional frameworks. Provide guidance and inputs to the Regional Hub senior management and teams on corporate alignment to new global gender equality policies, including system-wide frameworks and corporate accountability (GSIC). Lead policy dialogues and help the Regional Hub and Country Offices to place gender equality at the core of political, economic and environmental policy dialogues and decisions, including in fragile and crisis settings. Provide substantive advice to the Global Gender Team and its Director on challenges and opportunities for the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025 in RBLAC. Identify and promote potential cross-regional collaborations in core priority areas such as inclusive growth and employment, the care economy and social protection, the digital and green transition, gender equality in crisis response, and gender in financing. Support the design of global and regional policy initiatives to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, ensuring perspectives from the different country contexts are represented.Programme Integration and Coordination.
Example of Duties:
Lead the integration of gender equality within each thematic portfolio of the Istanbul Regional Hub, including the RBEC regional programme, and regional and sub-regional flagship initiatives. Provide advisory services and coordinate substantive technical advice to RBEC Country Offices to strengthen the programmatic (CCA, UNSDCF, CPD, PRODOC and UNDP Funding Window proposals), human, and financial architecture for gender equality. Lead and support the implementation of corporate standards and flagship programmes such as the Gender Equality Seal, and comprehensive portfolio reviews. Create the capacity to have updated and actionable regional gender analysis to help RBLAC to identify opportunities and anticipate future challenges, including data and analysis on socio-economic structures that generate gender inequalities in the region, and other dimensions such as a backlash against women’s rights, and potential allies to counter them. Monitor Regional Hub and Country Office financial investments – using the gender marker and follow up on the corporate targets, promoting both accuracy in the use of the tool, and increase in resource allocations for GEWE especially in crisis contexts. Expand the network of gender experts, especially feminist economists and experts on gender and nature, climate and energy, available to provide additional on-call support to CO and regional teams.Partnerships and Resource Mobilization.
Example of Duties:
Strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities (particularly UN Women but also other specialized UN organizations with complementary skills and capacity) to improve interagency coordination and maximize impact on gender equality and women’s empowerment; represent UNDP in regional interagency forums and coalitions Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with governments, civil society (particularly women’s organizations) and businesses, among other key actors, to address gender inequalities in the region. Pursue new partnerships to bring innovation, change and influence social norms, behaviors and power relations, including with partners such as faith-based organizations, networks of young innovators, women professionals in STEM fields and policy level and grassroots organizations in civil society. Lead resource mobilization efforts, to strengthen UNDP’s regional and country office portfolios and results in gender equality, including identifying funding opportunities and supporting the preparation of funding proposals, donor briefings, etc. Coordinate and lead internal planning to implement the RBEC Regional Gender Equality Strategy/Action Plan, including allocation of internal resources and external resource mobilization.Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation.
Example of Duties:
Lead the RBEC regional Gender Equality Community of Practice; identify priorities and needs, promote sub-regional initiatives; coordinate periodic meetings; and promote peer learning across the network. Lead the development and implementation of capacity development and learning plan on gender equality for regional and Country Office levels, and foster participation in global/regional learning initiatives including learning labs and/or mentorship programmes. Foster innovation to advance gender equality, in partnership with Country Offices and Accelerator Labs across the region. Oversee RBEC knowledge management for gender equality aligned to the new global Knowledge Management Strategy and Framework for Action (e.g., CoPs, Knowledge Platforms, high-quality knowledge products, creative advocacy campaigns for external audiences, among others).Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:
The Regional Advisor on Gender Equality will lead and manage a multidisciplinary team, including one Programme Specialist, one Programme Coordinator, one Programme Analyst, and consultants. She/he will:
Set the direction for the team including roles and responsibilities, accountability and reporting. Lead and manage staff in the formulation and implementation of the Team’s Annual Work Plan. Supervise and ensure professional development of staff (PMDs, Learning, etc.).This vacancy is archived.