National Lead Consultant to conduct a National Comprehensive Assessment of Discriminatory National Laws in Liberia (Re-advert)

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; 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.

Liberia has adopted a range of institutional and legal frameworks which speak for the advancement of gender equality and women empowerment. These include international and regional declarations and treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) and its Optional Protocol the Rights of Women in Africa (The Maputo Protocol). Despite commitments that Liberia has subscribed to women and girls continue to face entrenched and pervasive barriers that limit their ability to realize their full potential in society, including participation in the political, economic and social domains. Gender inequalities cut across all spheres of life in Liberia. Women are disproportionally represented in all areas of livelihoods, with the inequalities giving rise to unequal gender power relations, limited access to basic and productive services, under-representation in governance systems, limited access to legal and judiciary services. The limited participation of women in all aspects of life contributes to poor development results characterized by poor performance in most development indicators.

Law reform more broadly, and the repeal or revision of discriminatory laws specifically, are inherent to the achievement of gender equality a requirement for realizing the transformative ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are also among the specific commitments of States enshrined in relevant international conventions and United Nations standards and norms. Yet progress in eliminating discriminatory laws has been uneven. For instance, in 2015 the CEDAW Committee noted the efforts by Liberia to incorporate most of the provisions of the Convention into its national legal order; however, the Committee highlighted the pluralistic nature of the legal system where customary and statutory law are applicable side by side and that certain elements of customary law conflict with statutory law and do not comply with the Convention. The Committee then recommended for Liberia to take a “holistic approach to law reform that will ensure women’s de jure and de facto equality and urged to ensure that all discriminatory laws, including customary law, are amended or repealed and brought into full compliance with the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendations as a matter of priority.”

It is with this background that UN Women Liberia intends to conduct a comprehensive legislative analysis of laws from a gender perspective in Liberia with the aim to assess the gender compliance of existing laws and policies, identify possible discriminatory provisions and provide evidence for future advocacy and capacity development of relevant stakeholders. In this context, UN Women is seeking for a national lead Consultant to conduct a National Comprehensive Assessment of Discriminatory National Laws in Liberia. The Lead Consultant will be supported by a second National Consultant (to be hired by UN Women).

Duties and Responsibilities

In collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Liberia Law Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Justice among others, under the guidance of the Deputy Representative, UN Women Liberia and direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, Governance and Participation Unit, (jointly with a second National Consultant to be hired by UN Women), the national lead consultant will be responsible for:

• Undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the laws in Liberia from a gender perspective, beginning from the social, cultural, economic and political context
• Conducting stakeholder meetings during the process and ensure that relevant feedback emanating from the consultation process is incorporated into the final version of the report and
• Developing advocacy strategy and pathways for legal reforms and policy actions.

Scope of work

The legal mapping will consist of a selective analysis of legal frameworks from a gender perspective, beginning from the social, cultural, economic, and political context, highlighting the current situation in Liberia. The undertaking of the assessment will also be guided by the United Nations Checklist of Eliminating Laws That Discriminate Against Women And Girls: A UN System wide tool for accelerating progress on SDG 5 (May 2021). In light of this, the scope of the assessment will focus on, but not limited to, the following areas of laws:

• Constitution
• Health laws
• Nationality laws
• Family and personal status laws
• Labour/practices/laws
• Inadequate legal protections from violence against women
• Land laws
• Other non-statutory areas of laws, etc.

The analysis will be guided by international Standards such as CEDAW, concluding observations from treaty bodies and Universal Periodic Review mechanism, etc. In addition, sources such as Universal Human Rights Index, United Nations Gender Quota Portal, UNFPA Database on SDG indicator 5.6.2, FAO’s Gender and Land Rights Database, FAO data set on countries with equal rights to land, and EPIC (Equal Pay International Coalition) Equal Pay Legal Database shall be used during the process.

Deliverables

• Inception report including desk review, scope and methodology
• Stakeholder’s consultations reports
• List of different laws to be reviewed: A list of proposed laws to be reviewed, categorized under different domains to be elaborated and endorsed in partnership with key stakeholders.
• Draft research report: Initial comprehensive draft report of the assessment to be shared for feedback and pre-validation.
• Final research report from a gender perspective: Following the feedback from the pre-validation workshop, relevant inputs shall be incorporated into the draft and a final research report submitted.
• Advocacy strategy and pathways for legal reforms and policy actions. A concise advocacy strategy document shall be elaborated to stipulate different advocacy pathways, to ensure the implementation of different recommendations outlined in the report

Competencies

Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

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 Core Values and Competencies:  

 

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to details;
• Experience in facilitating public consultations;
• Experience in report writing;
• Proven excellent communication and facilitation skills;
• Ability to conduct gender analysis of laws  and strong gender analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in law; a PhD will be an added value;

Experience:

• At least 7 years’ experience on the legal landscape of Liberia from a gender perspective and ability to undertake a gender analysis of national legislation and policy documents
• Proven knowledge of international practices, legislation, policies, and instruments, including violence against women and/or the protection of human rights
• Extensive experience in conducting assessments and research relating to law and highly knowledgeable about Liberian legislation
• Experience in managing and facilitating high-level dialogues, round table discussions, consultations, with stakeholders at both grassroots and national levels
• Experience of working with CSOs initiatives and government
• Proven experience to collect, analyze, and interpret complex qualitative and quantitative data
• Previous professional experience with development agencies and the United Nations would be considered an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of local language is desirable.

How To Apply 

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

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.)