Consultant on Gender Specialist to support the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard

Result of ServiceDeliverables 1. Draft UNCT-SWAP narrative report, informed by the inputs of the Technical Team and UNCT. The report will include a methodology chapter outlining the methods used and briefly summarise any constraints faced (e.g. lack of time, lack of access to documents or staff), 2. Prepare an Action Plan based on agreed follow-up action points identified through the assessment. 3. Present the draft report, including a summary of the findings of the UNCT-SWAP gender score card assessment, and action plan to the UNCT (or to representatives as delegated by the UNCT) for feedback and endorsement. 4. Complete the final draft of the UNCT-SWAP narrative report and Action Plan based on feedback, including from the UNCT HOAs. Work LocationRemote Expected duration1 month Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: At the 59th Session of the UN General Assembly, Member States, in adopting the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) of Operational Activities for Development of the UN System called on all UN organizations to: “mainstream gender and to pursue gender equality in their country programmes, planning instruments and sector-wide programmes and to articulate specific country-level goals and targets in this field in accordance with the national development strategies”. Further, ECOSOC Resolution 2004/4 - Review of Economic and Social Council agreed conclusions 1997/2 on mainstreaming the gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system requested: “the Secretary-General to ensure that all United Nations entities develop action plans with time lines for implementing the agreed conclusions 1997/2, which address the gap between policy and practice identified in the Secretary-General’s report, with a view to strengthening commitment and accountability at the highest levels within the United Nations system as well as to establishing mechanisms to ensure accountability, systematic monitoring and reporting on progress in implementation”. As a direct follow-up to the QCPR, and to ensure a comprehensive response to many of its recommendations, the UN Development Group (UNDG, now UNSDG) created a Task Team on Gender Equality as a sub-group of the UNDG Programme Group. The goals of the Task Team are to support more consistent and coherent action among UNDG member agencies to mainstream gender equality and promote women’s empowerment at the country level; and to ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment are mainstreamed into the tools and processes that emerge from the UNDG for UN Country Teams (UNCTs). In 2006, the UNDG Task Team on Gender Equality commissioned a background paper on accountability mechanisms in UNDG agencies. This paper reviewed accountability for programming in support of gender equality in ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, and WFP and found that: “A common understanding of how to apply gender mainstreaming in UN operational activities is needed. This is because if there is no agreement on what constitutes a minimum level of actions to support gender equality, how will it be possible to hold agencies and UN Country Teams accountable for this. Reaching agreement across agencies on what constitutes a minimally acceptable performance to support gender equality, through an agreed set of indicators, would contribute to stronger guidance and accountability”. Subsequently this background paper was endorsed at the UNDG Principals’ meeting in July 2006, where agreement was reached on development of a UNCT-level “Accounting for Gender Equality” Scorecard that sets minimum requirements for UNCTs to assess their performance across the system. The Gender Scorecard was endorsed by the UNDG in 2008 in response to the UN Chief Executive Board for Coordination 2006 Policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women (CEB/2006/2) to establish an accountability framework for assessing the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming by UN Country Teams. The 2016 QCPR calls for the United Nations development system to expand and strengthen the use of the Gender Scorecard as a planning and reporting tool for assessing the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming in the context of the UNDAF (OP 83; now Cooperation Framework). Building on this call, an updated version of the framework, the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard, was launched in 2018, resulting from almost two years of work by the UNSDG Task Team on Gender Equality under the Results Group on Voice, Values and Norms, to align the Action Plan with the SDGs and to it with its entity level equivalent, the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan, drawing on good global practices with motivating, managing and measuring institutional change processes. Furthermore, the 2019 UNSDG United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Guidance calls for UN entities to “put gender equality at the heart of programming, driving the active and meaningful participation of both women and men, and consistently empowering women and girls, in line with the minimum requirements agreed upon by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) in the UNCT System-wide Action Plan (SWAP) Gender Equality Scorecard” (para 20). In order to support the development of a gender-responsive Cooperation Framework for Saudi Arabia and ensure better accountability of UNCT towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with UN corporative policy, the UN Country Team will use the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard (UNCT-SWAP) to assess status and identify gaps and corrective actions. The Programme Support Team (PST), Gender Advisor, and the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) will lead this process to complete the UNCT-SWAP process in a participatory and timely manner. Duties and Responsibilities The main objective of this consultancy is to facilitate the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard and assess the effectiveness of the UN Country Team in gender mainstreaming, promotion of gender equality, and women's empowerment. The consultant will also provide a set of actions for improvements and identify relevant reporting milestones for the annual performance review and assessment reporting of the RCO and UNCT. The consultant will be responsible for the following actions: o To assist UNCT entities in identifying areas in which they are meeting or not meeting minimum UNSDG minimum requirements on gender mainstreaming practices and performance. o To stimulate a constructive dialogue within the UNCT about the current status of support for gender equality and women's empowerment, and how it can be improved. o To identify where technical assistance can support the achievement of minimum requirements. o To share good practice in supporting national priorities to advance gender equality and women's empowerment. Scope of Work and Deliverables The UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard methodology has been designed for in-country self-assessment as a means of fostering deeper understanding and ownership of results. The IC Gender Specialist will facilitate the exercise and apply participatory methods to ensure a Technical Team is formed from the beginning of the exercise and owns the process. To guide and support the Technical Team, the consultant will conduct the following activities within a stipulated timeframe of 20 working days: 1. Background document review: • UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard Technical Guidance and Framework • UNCT-SWAP reports for the countries in the regions and from other countries • Information Management System (IMS)/UN INFO/UN Women Platform reports’ including UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard (2022-2025) • Current UNCA and UNSDCF 2022-2026. • Current UNSDG United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Guidance. • UNCT planning, budgeting, and programming documents. • ـJoint Work Plans 2022-2026 including the Gender Marker, outcome and output indicators on gender. • CEDAW Reports/other national assessments/national Gender Plans and legislation, etc. 2. Assistance and support for the TT with the in-country assessment: • Support the collection of complementary data and evidence to rate indicators. • Conduct gender analysis of verification documents required to help the PST and RCO rate areas of performance. • Facilitate working sessions with and provide technical support to key stakeholders such as the Resident Coordinator; Heads of Agencies; key programme staff; partners, etc. to discuss and score areas of performance. • Complete the rating matrix based on discussions and agreements. • Facilitate a debrief with the UNCT HOAs to discuss findings and proposed actions. Qualifications/special skillsA Masters degree in social and political sciences, human rights, gender equality or related area is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 10 years of professional work experience in work on gender mainstreaming in development programmes/projects at national and international levels is required. At least 3 years of experience of work on results-based management, review and/or evaluation is required. Experience in gender data collection and analysis, including interviews, survey and focus groups Experience in gender data collection and analysis, including interviews, survey and focus groups is required. Previous experience with the Gender Equality Scorecard, narrative report and follow-up matrix is required. Experience in gender training for staff of development agencies is required. Computer skills, internet communication and command of MS Office are required. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge or Arabic is desirable. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas. Additional InformationThe United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.