Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) Specialist

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. As such, UN Women is mandated to lead the UN system-wide coordination of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, as elaborated inter-alia through UN Security Council resolutions—1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, 2122, 2242, 2467, and 2493. To this end, UN Women works with governments, UN partners, and civil society around the world to support women’s participation and influence at all levels of decision-making to prevent and resolve conflict, to protect their rights during and after conflicts and to ensure that their specific needs are addressed during repatriation, resettlement and for rehabilitation, reintegration, and post-conflict reconstruction.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), over 20,000 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) continue to face structural and societal barriers to justice, psychosocial and medical support, and social inclusion. Despite numerous national and international initiatives, a holistic, survivor-centered response remains insufficient.
The UN Joint Project “Women Lead the Way toward Peace and Security in BiH”, funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund and jointly implemented by UN Women, UNFPA and IOM, has underscored the urgent need to reinforce services for survivors and to challenge harmful social norms perpetuating stigma.

To contribute to this JP finding, UN Women is leading a dedicated initiative under the global Gender Justice Platform, a framework seeking to advance gender equality and close the global gender justice gap by enhancing women’s access to justice and supporting women’s meaningful participation and leadership in the justice and security sectors. The said initiative will:
•     Support access to psychosocial and legal services for survivors, particularly in rural areas;
•     Build institutional capacities of justice and security sector actors on CRSV and survivor-centered approaches;
•     Contribute to Launch a nationwide awareness campaign to address stigma and promote positive narratives;
•     Strengthen knowledge and learning on CRSV.

To coordinate the effective implementation of this short-term but high-impact intervention, UN Women seeks to hire a CRSV Specialist consultant with proven expertise in gender, transitional justice, and multi-stakeholder coordination to lead the implementation and engagement with implementing partners.

The objective of this consultancy is to build upon the interventions under the UN Joint Project “Women Lead the Way toward Peace and Security in BiH”, and address critical gaps in justice, support, stigma reduction by enhancing survivor support mechanisms and raising awareness to foster accountability and inclusion, in line with UNSCR 1325 commitments. In doing so, the consultancy will contribute to the broader goal of improving the lives of CRSV survivors and advancing the implementation of UNSCR 1325, through the two project activities under the global Gender Justice Platform: survivor-centered service delivery (Activity 1) and the stigma-reduction awareness raising and dialogues (Activity 2), working closely with national CSOs, media, and institutional stakeholders.

The consultant will be reporting to WPS Programme Specialist, under the overall guidance of the Programme Management Specialist, and they will collaborate closely with the UN Women WPS Field Coordinator and UNFPA WPS Project Manager to ensure consistency and alignment with UN programming on WPS, and will be supported by WPS Programme Assistant, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

The consultant will be responsible for submitting a workplan at the start of the assignment, followed by monthly progress reports and short updates after each key event or activity. A final consolidated report will be required at the end of the assignment, summarizing achievements, challenges, and lessons learned. All reports must be submitted in English and in electronic format. Outputs will be reviewed and approved by UN Women, and payments will be made monthly based on satisfactory performance and timely submission of required reports. 
 

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work
The selected consultant will be responsible for the following:

1.    Activity Coordination and Implementation
•     Develop a detailed implementation plan and schedule, monitor progress against workplan, identify risks and delays, and propose mitigation measures.
•     Coordinate with responsible parties (CSOs, media, experts) to ensure timely and quality delivery of planned outputs.
•     Provide regular updates and draft input for internal progress reports, briefs, and donor reports.

2.    Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Coordination
•     Organize and facilitate regular coordination meetings with responsible parties and relevant institutions.
•     Support the development, finalization, and implementation of partnership agreements (including necessary documentation).
•     Serve as liaison between UN Women and national/local stakeholders involved in CRSV response, including justice and security sector actors, survivor associations, and campaign partners.

3.    Technical Support and Capacity Building
•     Support the design and delivery of trainings for justice and security actors on survivor-centered and intersectional approaches to CRSV.
•     Support the design and delivery of a WPS Summer School session on transitional justice approaches to CRSV.
•     Review and advise on campaign materials and workshop content to ensure alignment with WPS principles and ethical storytelling.
•     Provide technical input into survivor support service design, ensuring they are trauma-informed and rights-based.
•     Coordinate the Peer Review Group for a forthcoming UN Women publication on the prosecution of CRSV in BiH.

4.    Facilitation of Events and Campaign Rollout
•     Organize two multi-stakeholder workshops/dialogues and facilitate community engagement sessions as part of the campaign.
•     Support the launch of the awareness campaign in collaboration with media partners and ensure survivor voices are ethically included.

Financial arrangements
Payments will be disbursed on a monthly basis upon submission of the monthly progress report and timesheet by the Consultant and their endorsement by UN Women. Expected workload is approximately 10 days per month and additional 4 days (over a 7-month period) for workplan development and final consolidated report. The level of remuneration will be established based on the UN salary scale. 

Inputs
UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment. The Consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
The assignment might require some presence at UN Women premises in Sarajevo. The consultancy will require some travel to field locations, as per agreed workplan. Any travel to field locations for meetings and events will be pre-arranged and approved in consultation with the supervisor, with all travel expenses covered by UN Women.

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

•     Project coordination and delivery: Demonstrated ability to manage multi-stakeholder initiatives in complex and politically sensitive environments.
•     Stakeholder engagement and partnership building: Strong capacity to build trust, facilitate collaboration, and maintain strategic relationships across sectors.
•     Technical expertise in gender-responsive justice: Applied knowledge of survivor-centered approaches and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in programmatic and policy settings.
•     Communication and reporting: Ability to convey complex ideas clearly in verbal and written form in both B/C/S and English, including through results-based reporting.
•     Monitoring and adaptive implementation: Capacity to track progress against results frameworks, identify challenges, and support course corrections in real-time.

Education and Certification:
• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender studies, law, human rights, international relations, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. (pass/fail)
• A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage. (5 points)

Experience:
•     At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in coordinating and implementing development or human rights projects in the area of WPS, gender justice, or transitional justice is required. (50 points)
•     At least 5 years of experience working with civil society organizations and CRSV survivors in BiH is required. (25 points)
•     Experience in designing or facilitating trainings, workshops, or multi-stakeholder events is required, with at least 5 similar activities implemented. (20 points)

Languages:
•     Fluency in English and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is required. (pass/fail)
 

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.