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; empowerment of women; and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.
UN Women Albania is implementing its Strategic Note (SN) 2022-2026, which aims to ensure that “All Women and girls enjoy and exercise their human rights in a gender equal society and meaningfully contribute to Albania’s sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and EU integration”. To achieve such result, UN Women will focus on three outcomes, which mirror verbatim the areas of focus of the United Nations Albania:
1. Increased and more equitable investment in people to remove barriers and create opportunities for those at risk of exclusion.
2. Innovative and integrated policy solutions that accelerate sustainable, productive and inclusive development.
3. Gender-responsive governance that strengthens equality and non-discrimination.
Across its interventions, UN Women Albania will address key thematic area of focus in line with the Global Strategic Plan 2022-20251: ending violence against women; women’s economic empowerment; gender-responsive budgeting; gender responsive governance; as well as promoting cross-cutting principles including the adoption of a human rights and Leaving No One Behind. This approach aims to support the Government of Albania to implement its commitments on human rights and gender equality, in line with its National Strategy on gender Equality (NSGE) 2021-2030, and the EU Acquis Communautaire. All interventions undertaken by the Country Office aim to address structural causes of gender inequality, addressing discriminatory practices and reach women and girls who are at greatest risk of being left behind.
As part of the implementation of its new Strategic Note, UN Women will continue support the Government of Albania to align its national legal and policy framework with international human rights standards on gender equality, as well as facilitating networking and exchanges of good practices and advocate for women’s rights in all areas of life. Several ongoing initiatives support strengthening national policies and legislations, improve institutional capacities to implement international commitments, and promote the production of knowledge and information on the status of gender equality in the country.
In this context, the country office is seeking to hire national consultant who will advise on and support the implementation of activities related to gender equality, ending violence against women, social protection and inclusion, women’s economic empowerment, women, peace and security and youth engagement across the thematic areas covered by the office, including by providing expert-level support to relevant projects. This will include support to the following UN Women projects: “UN Joint Programme EVAW phase II” supported by Sida, “UN Joint Programme Leave No One Behind Phase II” supported by SDC, “EU for Gender Equality Phase II”, the Sida supported “Direct implementation of UN Women Strategic Note 2022-2026”, the PBF supported regional UN Joint Programme “Youth for Inclusion, Equality and Trust”, the AICS funded “Empower Women for Rural Development in Northern Albania”, and other upcoming programme interventions where the consultant will be requested to provide inputs related to human rights, gender equality and ending violence against women.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
Under the supervision of UN Women Albania Head of Programme and relevant project managers, the national consultant will be requested to provide technical assistance in the area of gender equality, gender responsive social inclusion and protection, women’s economic empowerment, women, peace and security and youth engagement and ending violence against women. Every assignment under the retainer contract will be guided by a specific assignment clearly stipulating the nature and scope of work, list of deliverables, timeframe and the outcome. The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:
Provision of advice and expertise to UN Women and relevant authorities (including but not limited to Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Interior, local government units, Ministry of Justice) on the adoption/amendments of policies, protocols and other frameworks related to ending of violence against women; Develop and deliver standard training modules for capacity building of providers of services for women victims of violence, including municipalities/local government units, members of local referral mechanisms, police, health, education and judicial sectors as well as civil society organisations and other relevant actors, including organizations that provide services for perpetrators of violence; Provide training to UN Women CSO responsible parties in implementing EVAW initiatives and providing technical support to the coordinated referral mechanism and direct services to survivors; Provide advice on UN Women programmatic strategies to address stereotypes and gender norms, including engaging men and boys in promoting gender equality and preventing VAW; Facilitate synergies with the Faculty of Social Work for the development of curricula and related knowledge products, as well as the organization of workshops, trainings, and internship or bootcamp programmes focused on the social integration of vulnerable women and girls, including survivors of violence. Provide technical inputs in engendering national strategies, policies, plans and practices relevant to UN Women programmatic interventions; Conduct gender analysis and related capacity building activities with the public and civic stakeholders with regard to gender equality and gender responsive planning and budgeting; Contribute to the development of new project proposals, when applicable, in the area of gender equality, gender responsive social inclusion and protection, women’s empowerment and ending violence against women; Undertake missions based on request of project managers, for events/activities outside Tirana and Albania; Provide written inputs to project summaries, briefs and reports and deliver presentations upon request, including in relation to the Country Gender Equality Profile; Advice and provide high-level technical inputs on the engagement of youth across governance processes at local and national level, including on issues pertaining to women, peace and security; Provide advice on the implementation and monitoring of the National Action Plan of the UN Sec. Council Res. 1325 on women, peace and security; Other tasks as assigned by the Project Managers within the scope of the above duties and responsibilities/key results expected.Notes:
Technical inputs and other on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested will be evaluated by peer review for quality. Quality of relationships with UN Women team and partners is central to success and will be assessed.Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy. As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of 30 trips to the projects’ target municipalities.
Competencies :
Core Values:
Integrity; Professionalism; Respect for Diversity.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 Values and Competencies Framework:
Functional Competencies:
Proven research, analytical and drafting skills, Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with various public and non-public stakeholders including in the areas of gender equality and violence against women; Excellent writing skills in English and Albanian; Strong interpersonal skills; Strong initiative-taker; Focuses on impact and results for the partner; Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.Education and Certification:
Advanced university degree in development-related disciplines (international development, gender and social studies, public administration or any other social science related to development). A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
At least 17 years of relevant professional experience in the areas of gender equality and gender mainstreaming; Experience related to the application of international and legal policy frameworks in the area of ending violence against women, gender- responsive planning and budgeting, social protection and inclusion, at national and local level including in the EU accession context; Experience in working with academia on issues related to gender equality and social inclusion; Experience in developing training modules and delivering training for service providers at the central and local levels on all forms of violence against women; Previous experience with UN system or similar international organisations would be an advantage.Languages:
Proficiency in written and spoken English and Albanian.
Statements :
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.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.