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. UN Women is mandated to lead, coordinate and promote the accountability of the UN system for women’s equal representation. Women’s equal representation has been addressed by various international instruments, including the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1979) as well as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995).

UN Women has been actively engaged in the work of the UN Executive Group to prevent and respond to sexual harassment (formerly known as the CEB Task Force on addressing sexual harassment). The purpose of the Executive Group is to advance a coordinated, system-wide approach to preventing and responding to sexual harassment within the United Nations System. This includes promoting an inclusive, safe, and enabling workplace environment and organizational culture, fostering a culture of zero tolerance for inaction on sexual harassment, and pursuing a victim/survivor-centered approach.

UN Women leads Workstream 1 on Knowledge-sharing and Collaboration in the Executive Group and cooperates with other workstreams. One of the objectives of this workstream is to conduct a mapping exercise to identify available tools and innovative approaches to address sexual harassment by inter-governmental and other organizations, as well as by Member States.

The planned action is as follows:

Support the development of approaches and/or innovative ideas, for the benefit of the UN System, including mapping what is being done by inter-governmental and other organizations and UN entities as well as OECD/DAC Member States.

The consultant will work under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Office of the Focal Point for Women in the UN System. At the beginning of the assignment, a work plan will be developed, including expected outputs and success indicators over the reporting period. Informal feedback will be provided regularly.

Duties, Responsibilities and Output Expectations:

1. The consultant will provide support to UN Women’s leadership in the UN Executive Group to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. This will require supporting the Office of the Focal Point for Women by providing updates of the ongoing work and liaising with internal and external stakeholders (including the UN Gender Focal Points), also fostering effective communication and advocacy.
2. The consultant, as a main task, will undertake a mapping exercise to identify available tools and innovative approaches to sexual harassment implemented by inter-governmental and other entities and develop new approaches for the consideration of the Executive Group. In this process, the consultant serves as a focal point to liaise with the Executive Group, as necessary.
3. Building on the findings, the consultant will establish:
   • materials to highlight innovative approaches undertaken by inter-governmental entities, Member States and others to tackle sexual harassment and;
   • a proposal on how to move forward, including ideas for system-wide application.
4. The consultant will develop draft policy papers, conduct background research, and adapt briefing notes as requested and as necessary.

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:

• Strong organizational and planning skills;
• Strong research and analytical skills;
• Ability to work well under pressure, and to meet deadlines;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team and with stakeholders;
• Excellent knowledge of office software packages.
• Excellent writing abilities, including drafting, organizing, and presenting information well.
• Demonstrated research skills and engagement with research, writing and data compilation and knowledge on gender equality.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Familiarity with UN Women’s work, especially related to addressing sexual harassment, or prior experience with the UN considered an asset.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Gender/Women’s Studies, Social Sciences, Political Science, Communications, International Development, Psychology, International Law, or related field.
• A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in the United Nations’ organizational context and particularly in addressing sexual harassment or gender parity within an organization is required.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).