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.
Globally, one of the key challenges in achieving SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2023 is an alarming lack of financing, with a USD 360 billion annual shortfall in spending on gender-equality measures. Currently, aid for programmes with the principal objective of supporting GEWE remains low, amounting to $5.7 billion per year or a mere 4 per cent of total bilateral aid, a decrease from 5 per cent in previous years. This lack of financing for gender equality prevents critical progress in tackling gender gaps across economic, social, and political spheres, perpetuating entrenched disparities and reinforcing cultural and societal norms that foster gender-based discrimination. Such disparities are barriers to achieving not only SDG 5 but all of the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within this context, financing for gender equality has emerged as a critical imperative and there has been an urgent call for strengthened international development cooperation and global partnerships including via the South-South Cooperation (SSC) vehicles.
In China, in line with national development priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2020-2025 (notably Outcome 6 “through South-South Cooperation and humanitarian cooperation, China makes greater contributions to SDG attainment and the principles of the 2030 Agenda, incl. LNOB”), UN Women China Country Office seeks to work with a range of development cooperation stakeholders to inform cooperation partnerships, engagements and financing that are more gender responsive, demand-driven, and SDG-aligned, by providing policy and technical guidance on alignment with international best practices and norms. In addition, UN Women leverages its global network and South-South Cooperation (SSC) to facilitate mutual knowledge and experience sharing between China and partner countries on best practices and lessons learned to advance the SDGs including SDG 5 and make impactful contribution to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
To support China’s international development cooperation engagements for greater SDG impact and to strengthen the application of international norms, standards, and best practices, UN Women and sister UN agencies are jointly implementing a multi-year Joint Programme, including research, knowledge sharing and capacity-building workshops, multi-stakeholder dialogues, and other activities. The project aims to foster two-way exchanges and reinforce global efforts to achieve the SDGs.
Reporting to and under the guidance and supervision of the Partnership Specialist, the Programme Analyst will contribute to advancing UN Women’s South-South Cooperation for Gender Equality (SSC for GE) portfolio in China and will provide project management, multi-stakeholder coordination support, communications, and technical support with primary focus on the aforementioned Joint UN Programme, and contribute to the UN coordination and the joint implementation of UNSDCF. The Programme Analyst is also expected to conduct relevant research and analysis, support capacity development, mobilize and manage partnership, and support programme development, resource mobilization and knowledge management under the portfolio and related portfolios.
Key Functions
1. Provide effective programme management support, including design, set up and implementation of the Joint UN Programme (“Effective Multilateralism in China towards Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals”), as well as related initiatives in UN Women China.
Formulate the annual workplan under the Joint Programme, including joint action plans with key stakeholders, developing annual/quarterly budgets, advising on implementation arrangements, and on other specific project-related topics or issues; Coordinate and monitor the implementation of programme activities in accordance with the project document, annual work plans, and other agreements between UN Women and relevant partners; Coordinate across key stakeholders – including external partners, UN partners, internal UN Women – to design, implement and evaluate activities under the Joint Programme; Ensure timely and quality deliverables by consultants and contracted venders; and manage contracts as well as amendments when needed; Coordinate and facilitate UN Women’s representation at the regular project steering committee meetings, including providing quality progress summary and datapoints; Facilitate the organization of high-level policy dialogues, technical-level dialogues, roundtables, trainings, and workshops, as well as closed-door sharing sessions; Contribute to the development of. Provide technical advice, inputs and analyses for high-level events and meetings on relevant areas including but not limited to concept notes, agendas, briefing notes, background briefings, talking points, note-to-files, meeting minutes, letters, and other relevant documents upon request.2. Lead and ensure effective inter-UN coordination across activities under the Joint Programme, including monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the project implementation and financing.
Lead the communications and coordination in agreement signing process and amendments (if any) with UN Agencies, UN Women internal and external counterparts (if any); Provide substantive inputs, advice and support to the development of joint workplans in coordination with the UN Agencies involved; Monitor the progress of the project implementation (including the implementation of activities and finances) using results-based management tools; collect, analyze and present information for monitoring and evaluation of project implementation against project targets as well as for audit purposes; identify gaps in implementation and provide advice and support in bridging those gaps in consultation with supervisor and partners; Develop and contribute to the overall monitor and report on the activities implemented under the Joint Programme; Contribute to the implementation of effective risk management for the Joint Programme with a well-documented risk mitigation plan and action in place; support monitoring of previously identified and emerging risks; Facilitate funds transfer under the Joint Programme and joint financial reporting working closely with the Operations and Finance colleagues of the office as well as other UN Agencies; regularly monitor expenditures and commitments against the project budget and relevant plans, and provide finance-related information to support project implementation; when necessary, recommend corrective actions and draft various correspondence concerning finance, operations, and budgetary issues; Coordinate and provide support to regular and ad-hoc meetings under the Joint Programme in coordination with UN Agencies involved; provide technical inputs to the inter-UN annual joint work plan (including budget), progress of joint activities and annual UN reporting including in context of the UNSDCF where needed.
3. Provide technical expertise and support to the SSC for GE portfolio
Contribute to the development of a multi-year portfolio strategy (or roadmap) for UN Women China with clear goals, outputs and outcomes, timelines; Grow the SSC for GE team within UN Women China office, including the recruitment and performance management of team members (e.g., programme assistants, interns); Act as a technical focal point to liaise with key technical partners and support partnership management efforts; Liaise with the UN Women Regional & HQ teams to seek technical support and share experiences, good practices, and information as relevant to enhance programme design and implementation; Provide technical expertise and support on capacity development efforts to mainstream gender into the institutional strategies, frameworks and operations of key ecosystem stakeholders (e.g., government bodies, research institutes, CSOs, private sector entities, etc.); Conduct research, and policy analyses with focus on SSC, development cooperation and development effectiveness (including relevant gender mainstreaming frameworks and indicators, bilateral and multilateral best practices, innovative and sustainable cooperation/ finance models), stakeholder landscape analysis, trajectories and opportunities on SSC for GE; Support research efforts related to other relevant portfolios (e.g. Sustainable Financing for GEWE) and contribute to developing locally adapted guidance and toolkits for financial actors to integrate gender perspectives into project finance and investment decisions.4. Develop strategic partnerships and resource mobilization for SSC for GE initiatives by UN Women
Contribute to identifying and developing strategic partnerships with key ecosystem stakeholders (e.g., government institutions, research institutions, development partners, UN agencies, foundations, etc.) to forge impactful global partnerships for gender equality advancement through programmes and key initiatives; Support the development of relevant concept notes for key stakeholder engagements, initiatives and partnerships – including the development of partnership agreements and donor proposals; Strengthen UN Women corporate resource mobilization efforts and access to relevant South-South Cooperation funding mechanisms in advancing global gender equality and women’s empowerment and SDGs in Southern partner countries, by providing technical inputs and support to project formulation and design and coordination efforts with relevant stakeholders; Create and contribute to the knowledge base on partners and resources and periodically review it for UN Women’s internal use; Support the preparation of resource mobilization efforts, and other engagement activities relating to innovative and sustainable partnerships.5. Technical expertise and support to advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts and other requests related to the portfolio and the office
Substantively facilitate knowledge and information sharing to increase the visibility and communications about UN Women’s work under the SSC for GE portfolio as well as relevant portfolios (e.g. Sustainable Financing for GEWE), by developing audience-friendly materials to enhance the understanding and awareness; Contribute to other capacity development and awareness raising efforts of relevant programme team of the UN Women China Office with respect to SSC for GE; Contribute to awareness raising and knowledge sharing efforts for UN Women internal with focus on SSC for GE, to innovate partnerships and explore cooperation/ financing models; Proactively manage internal knowledge sharing platform under the relevant projects; Support the development and implementation of the communication strategy of the relevant projects, with UN agencies involved, to ensure strategic communications with external audience on development results and takeaways; Support relevant communications deliverables and efforts (e.g. social media posts, press release, news article, media outreach, etc.) with focus on the SSC for GE portfolio and as well as relevant portfolios (e.g. Sustainable Financing for GEWE), working closely with Communications Team of the UN Women China Office where needed; Provide support to design and translation of publications working closely with experts and the Communication Team of the UN Women China Office; Facilitate understanding and strengthen the capacity of UN Women team members to engage in innovative and sustainable finance discussions, exploring cross-cutting opportunities within gender financeKey Performance Indicators
Timely implementation of programme/project activities and finances Timely and quality contributions to the CO’s coordination efforts Quality inputs and technical support provided Quality inputs to planning processes and reports, and quality support to the Country Representative Increased awareness and visibility of UN Women’s work Increased resources mobilized and interest in GEWE among partners and donors A new portfolio and partnerships on financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatedCompetencies
Core Values:
Respect for Diversity Integrity ProfessionalismCore Competencies:
Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues Accountability Creative Problem Solving Effective Communication Inclusive Collaboration Stakeholder Engagement Leading by ExamplePlease visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf
Functional Competencies
Demonstrated development/programming skills particularly those that are pertinent to UN Women strategic priorities on gender issues and women’s rights; Ability to lead implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes component; Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them for development results; Good knowledge of Results Based Management principles and approaches; Ability to establish and maintain broad strategic networks and partnerships with UN agencies and other partners to promote partnership and build alliances to advance organizational interests and competencies. Demonstrated strong coordination, facilitation, and communication skills.Recruitment Qualifications
Education and certification:
Master's degree (or equivalent) in international development, international relations, economics, public administration, public policy, cultural studies, or other relevant social science field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.Experience:
At least 1 year of experience in international development and/or South-South Cooperation (SSC) is required, preferably in China. Experience working with, and/or coordinating and liaising with a range of SSC government institutions (including research institutions), private sector partners and development partners is required. Relevant work experience in programme support, multi-stakeholder coordination or negotiation, multi-country communication, partnerships building, or related field is required. Prior experience on strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation and managing multi-country/multi-partner SSC projects (including project development, monitoring and reporting) will be an asset. Relevant work experience on developing policy analysis and research and/or coordinating and liaising on research projects is desired. Experience in the preparation and organization of high-level events and/or engagements is desired. Experience working on gender equality and women’s empowerment is desirable. Work experience and knowledge of the UN system and UN Women desired. Familiarity with multilateral cooperation mechanisms (including regional mechanisms) will be an asset.Language Requirements:
Full proficiency in Chinese and English is required. This includes proven bilingual writing skills (e.g. draft reports, concept notes, briefing notes).How to apply
All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11). Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
The Submission package includes:
Motivation letter Education certificate Personal History Form (P11 which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.docNote:
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Inclusion Statement:
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It is important for UN Women to create an accessible and inclusive workplace for everyone. If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please direct your request and inquiries to china.hr@unwomen.org. Kindly note the email will only be used for any disability-related accessibility requests and not for sending the application itself.
UN Women China Office offers a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.
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