UN Women: Inclusive Resilience in Safe Spaces Consultant; Bridgetown, Barbados, International Consultant

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.

The UN Women MCO Caribbean covers 22 countries and territories in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, which are part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Strides towards gender equality in the countries covered by the MCO have resulted in gains for women and girls in the Caribbean, relating primarily to high education rates and increases in employment rates. However, critical gaps remain. These gaps are further exploited during hazards like COVID-19 and other environmental hazards.

Building on the “Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls” model and the recently concluded EnGenDER project, the IRiS (Inclusive, Resilient, SMART and Safe SIDS Spaces) model creates an enabling environment for understanding, participating in and achieving inclusive, smart and safe urban, peri-urban and rural spaces that are resilient to climate change impacts and natural hazards.

The application of the IRiS model creates a knowledge base, fosters dialogue among diverse stakeholders, and enhances the capacities of urban planners, development organizations, and government agencies to promote inclusive and empowering urban planning. This approach aims to support the creation of public spaces that are free from violence and harassment, while improving climate resilience for women, youth, and other vulnerable populations.

The Belize Inclusive Resilient Safe and SMART Spaces (B-RISS) Joint Project funded by the SDG Fund, is being implemented collaboratively by UN Women and UNDRR to focus on achieving resilient cities in Belize through promoting and facilitating a multi-sectoral, multidimensional and multistakeholder approach. The Joint Project will specifically apply approaches aimed at increasing inclusion, resilience, and safety and security for people of Belize, focusing on areas where individuals are particularly vulnerable to climate change and violence. The project aims to empower women, children, and youth – with knowledge, capacity and opportunities for being part of key processes – to advocate for the localisation of the SDGs around gender equality, climate resilience and sustainable cities. The impact of the Joint Project will extend beyond women and youth to ensure that no one is left behind by engaging other marginalised groups, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including women and youth-led organisations, urban planners, and government agencies dedicated to developing urban spaces and infrastructure that are resilient, accessible, and that utilise relevant technologies through an inclusive and participatory planning processes. By fostering the implementation of important tools such as the Inclusive, Resilient in Safe, Secure Spaces (IRiS) model and the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) model, the Joint Project will contribute to wider communities in Belize through the important entry point of Climate Change. The aim is to create a platform for those who are most impacted by the effects of climate change but have the least chance to voice their concerns.

To achieve this objective, UN Women MCO Caribbean is seeking a consultant who will be able to do some key assessments and participate in capacity strengthening activities in Belize to facilitate dialogue, and advocacy amongst vulnerable parts of the population, duty bearers, government entities, private sector and civil society. The consultant is expected to undertake such assessments and capacity strengthening activities in a participatory and collaborative manner with relevant stakeholders, including government counterparts, NGOs/CSOs representing women, youth and other groups, private sector and other stakeholders with interest in the area. The consultant will be reporting to the Planning and Coordination Specialist-UN Women MCO Caribbean under the overall supervision of the Head of Office a.i UN Women MCO Caribbean.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The consultant will conduct the following tasks:

Scope of Work:

1. Adapt the model for participatory assessment of inclusivity, resilience and safety (IRiS) for application in Belize towards the objectives of the Joint Project.
2. Carry out comprehensive assessments to evaluate the inclusivity, resilience, and safety of selected public spaces in Belize city.
3. Collaborate with stakeholders to identify needs and gather evidence to support dialogues.
4. Utilize tools such as the MCR 2030 scorecard to assess the inclusion of women, girls and other vulnerable groups including people with disabilities.
5. Utilizing the principles of the IRiS model: Facilitate the inclusion of women, children, youth, and other marginalized groups in key conversations about their surroundings.
6. Develop and conduct engagement sessions with CSOs representing women, youth and other key stakeholder groups.
7. Collaborate with the Belize Government and other relevant groups to ensure broad participation.
8. Create briefs and training materials based on the IRiS model for safe public spaces.
9. Develop and conduct engagement and capacity building sessions to raise awareness and enhance capacity among stakeholders, inclusive of women, youth, marginalized community led CSOs working on climate change, disaster risk reduction and environmental issues.
10. Prepare and present assessment results to UN Women MCO, and stakeholders, including government partners.
11. Participate in joint stakeholder engagement activities.
12. Contribute to joint programme management, monitoring, and reporting activities.

Deliverables

1. Inception Report: including approach, target groups and timelines
2. Comprehensive assessment report with evidence-based recommendations and an accompanying PowerPoint presentation.
3. Engagement Sessions planned and conducted with key CSOs (inclusive of women, youth, marginalized community led CSOs working on climate change, disaster risk reduction and environmental issues) to support development and implementation of a communication and advocacy strategy in consultation with the UN Women Communications Analyst.
4. Briefs prepared from the assessment results based on the IRiS model for safe spaces for 1) engagement of women led CSOs working on climate change, disaster risk reduction and environmental issues 2) engagement of youth and marginalized communities ..
5. Final report summarizing activities, outcomes and lessons learnt.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, with travel to focus area of the Joint Programme in Belize. Travel (a maximum of 3 trips) will be organized and paid for by UN Women. The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 35 working days during the period 01 August 2025 – 30 December 2025. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Zoom/Google Meet/Teams or equivalent) is required.

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 statistical analysis and social research and analytical skills, with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills including the conveying complex concepts and recommendations, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences.
• Integrity and Fairness: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
• Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.
• Ability to maintain networks and partnerships with UN agencies, other international organizations, and national organizations.
• Excellent English communication and writing skills; (Samples of previous work will be required.)

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Sustainable Planning and Development, Urban Planning, Architecture, Urban Sociology, or Environmental Design
• 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 certification in sustainable urban development, disaster risk reduction, and climate-resilient infrastructure or gender and urban development would be an added advantage.

Experience- Required:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in Urban Planning, or Infrastructure Improvements for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change.
• Experience in gender analysis, gender-responsive infrastructure development.
• Experience in capacity strengthening and delivering trainings on inclusive and safe infrastructure, and participatory planning.
• Experience working in the Caribbean region, with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) or regions strongly affected by disasters and climate change.

Experience-Desirable:

• Experience working in the United Nations.

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.

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