Background:

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls.
UN Women is commitment to delivering the highest quality research and data on gender equality, and through this work, giving gender advocates the evidence needed to make an impact on global and national policy debates.
The wars in Iraq and Syria that led to the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Dae’sh)  left tens of thousands of men, women, and children detained in Northeast Syria. As of December 2024, thousands of men who were arrested during or after the final battles remained imprisoned while tens of thousands of women and children remained indefinitely detained in camps. Al-Hol, the largest such detention camp, hosted 44,000 individuals and 94% of the detainees were women and children under eighteen. While most detainees were Iraqi and Syrian, 6,400 were from approximately 60 countries all over the world. Detention in Al-Hol carried significant stigma because of the assumption that all detainees were all Dae’sh supporters, but the reality was far more complicated.
United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations had faced significant political and operational barriers servicing the camp, especially since it was heavily securitized in 2019. In efforts to seek new pathways for UN engagement in Al Hol, UN Women carried out a comprehensive study into the lives and background of individuals in Al Hol. A draft study was prepared using mixed methods to provide an extensive personal history narrative into the background and stories that has led individuals into Al Hol. The study comprises eight chapters.

Purpose:
The consultant is responsible for legal review and copyediting of UN Women’s Al Hol Study in English. This study brings together the only UN led qualitative analysis on the background of individuals in Al Hol Camp. Given the geo-politically sensitive nature of the study, as well as the sensitive nature of the contents, it is important to ensure precision in relation to international law, as well as strong copy-editing of the final document.

The consultant will also be responsible for legally reviewing and copyediting of the study, jointly with the author.

IV. Key Functions and Accountabilities
In close consultation with the UN Women Regional Office for Arab States, UN Women Iraq Country Office and Peace and Security in HQ, the consultant will provide copyediting and proof-reading services for the short 9,000 word study, in accordance with the tasks and timelines specified below:

•     Revising and editing the narrative sections of the publications to ensure clarity and continuity of the argument and focus of the report; clarity of structure and core themes of the study; internal consistency, both analytical and stylistic.
•     Trimming text as applicable to fit the format and word count of the study.
•     Adherence to the UN Editorial Manual and use the correct gender terminology as per the UN Women Gender term lexicon.
•     Technical editing and copy-editing will concentrate on flow and clarity of argument, sequencing, consistency, especially between text and tables and figures and integration of text and boxes, content errors, style and punctuation, spelling and grammar.
•     Ensuring that the statistical data used and referenced in the text are consistent with the data in the respective tables, figures, charts and maps (if any).
•     Proof-reading the final publication after the design process, ensuring the final document text is free of typos and stylistic problems/errors.
•     Copyediting and proofreading accompanying report materials including social media cards, factsheets, website material and key messages.
•     Ensuring that the language used in the text is aligned with international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and other relevant legal instruments.

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:

Technical / Functional Competencies:
•     Knowledge of gender issues.
•     Expert knowledge of women, peace and security (WPS) and terrorism issues.
•     Demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment;
•     Excellent communication skills;
•     Highly effective organization and planning skills and high attention to detail;
•     Excellent analytical and research skills;
•     Team player;
•     Strong knowledge and use of computer office tools.
•     Excellent drafting and editing skills across a range of reporting formats and requirements.
•     Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability.
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.)

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements