Background:
UN Women (UNW), 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. Placing womenโs rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member Statesโ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.ย
UN Womenโs triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and womenโs empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and womenโs empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level.ย
UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworkโs (UNSDCF) outcomes:
- Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.
- Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.
- Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.
Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Womenโs Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.ย
In line with the Palestinian Governmentโs commitment to achieve gender equality and combat Violence Against Women (VAW), and in full partnership with the Justice, Security and Social Sectors, UN Women within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF- โ Reinforcing equal access to justice for all Palestinians - SAWASYA IIIโ is supporting the Justice, Securityย and Social institutionsย to mainstream gender into their plans,ย procedures and policies, and develop and provide gender responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence. Within this framework, UN Women is providing technical support to the Ministry ofย Justice (MoJ), High Judicial Council (HJC), Palestinian civil police (PCP) and the Attorney General Office (AGO) to mainstream gender into their policies, plans, procedures and practices.
Cybercrimes against women is a growing concerning trend, where women often face threats such as cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of images, online abuse among other forms of violence. These crimes do not only violate privacy but also cause emotional and psychological harm, and expose women to different forms of violence, including sexual assaults and exploitation. Access to justice to women victims of those crimes remains a significant challenge as many victims encounter barriers such as lack of awareness, fear of stigma, inadequate and discriminatory legal frameworks, and unresponsive service provision. Ensuring gender responsive protection services is an essential step toward empowering women and ensuring safe digital space.
To address these challenges, UN Women under the previous phases of Sawasya programme conducted several interventions to strengthen the Policeโs response to the increased cases of cyber violence against women. The interventions included awareness workshops targeted four Specialized Units at the PCP and AGO (Cyber-crimes Prosecution, PCP Cyber-crime Unit, VAW Prosecution and the FPJD) on cybercrimes against women, in addition to developing procedural guidelines manual for managing cases of cyber violence against women for the public prosecution and the PCP. The guidelines are based on related national and international legal frameworks that guarantee justice for women victims of violence and define roles and responsibilities of actors in managing VAW cases entailing cybercrimes violence.
As the gaps in the case management and collaboration between the Specialized Units at both institutions; the PCP and the Public Prosecution still exist, UN Women as part of its support to the AGO and the PCP, is seeking to hire an experienced consultant to assist both institutions in consolidating their work and upgrading their capacities, to handle cyber-crime cases against women in an effective, responsive, inclusive and coordinated manner.ย
Objectives of the Assignment:
The main objective of this assignment is to support the PCP and the AGO in enhancing the quality and responsiveness of the services provided to women victims and survivors of cyber violence, including through preventing their revictimization during the legal process.ย
The assignment includes the following sub- objectives:
- To conduct capacity needs assessment (human resources and ICT) for the PCP and the AGO.
- To develop and deliver capacity building training in line with the findings of the capacity needs assessment.
- To develop a chapter on the management and referral of cybercrime cases committed against women- detailing the procedures, steps, and considerations that should be followed as part of the management of these cases. The developed chapter should also include risks assessments and monitoring and evaluation templates and will be added to the two institutions' standards operating procedures (SoPs).
- To strengthen the internal and external coordination and cooperation between the different specialized units at both institutions.
- To revise the procedural guidelines manual, upgrade and amend it as needed.
The consultant will be reporting to UN Women Sawasya III Rule of law and Protection Specialist and will be supported by the Womenโs Security and Inclusion Analyst and the focal points at the PCP and the AGO, in addition to UN Women Financial Associate who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work:
Inception phase:
- To develop an inception report that includes a detailed description of the work plan, and the methodology, and share it with UN Women for review and approval. The methodology should include details on the tools and approaches that will be followed to accomplish each of the targets of the consultancy.ย
- To meet with UN Womenโs technical team and stakeholdersโ focal points, to discuss the assignmentโs objectives, methods and tools that will be used, and the main deliverables.
Implementation phase:
Review and assessment:
ย ย ย ย ย Review and amend the procedural guidelines manual:ย
- To conduct a desk review on relevant national, regional and international references including the procedural guidelines manual which was developed under the previous phases of the programme.
- To organize meetings and orientation sessions for the AGO and the PCP newly appointed Heads of relevant units and staff to introduce the manual and the previous work and collect inputs.ย
- To conduct meetings with relevant officers from both institutions to collect data on their views and recommendations to upgrade and strengthen the procedural guidelines manual.ย
- To revise and amend the procedural guidelines manual and share it with UN Women for review, inputs and approval.ย
- To organize orientation sessions for relevant officers from both institutions on the procedural guidelines
Develop a needs assessment report:ย
- To review the applicable work mechanisms related to cyber violence against women at the AGO and the PCP, to identify challenges and gaps in services provision- including through conducting case review.
- To conduct field visits to the FJPUs at the PCP and the AGO, organize meetings and focus groups discussions to get first-hand data on followed procedures and practices.
- To consult with women and civil society organizations to learn about their expectations and experience in combating and managing cybercrimes against women.
- To assess the human resources and ICT capacity needs (staff and ICT) at the AGO and the PCP to effectively manage cybercrimes cases against women.
- To develop an assessment report and share it with UN Women for review, inputs and approval. The assessment report should provide details on the human resources and ICT gaps and propose specific recommendations to address them.ย
Implementation and capacity building:
ย ย ย ย ย ย Develop a chapter on the management of cybercrime cases committed against women:
- In line with the findings of the assessmentโs report, to develop a chapter on the management and referral of cybercrime cases committed against women- detailing the procedures, steps, and considerations that should be followed in the management of these cases. The chapter should include risks assessments, monitoring and evaluation templates as well, and will be added to the two institutions' SoPs.
- To share the chapter with UN Women, the PCP and the AGO for review, inputs and approval.
- To support the PCP and the AGO in developing a joint plan for improving coordination and collaboration in managing and referring cases of cyber violence against women- anchoring on the chapter that was developed.
ย ย ย ย ย ย Develop and deliver a capacity building training:ย
- To develop a capacity building plan in line with the findings of the assessment report. ย
- To develop, design and deliver a technical training programme to the PCP and the AGO responsible officers in line with the needs assessment report. The training programme should be in line with womenโs rights, gender justice principles and human rights-based approach.ย
Final report:
- To submit a final narrative report that includes a description of the assignment, the achievements, methodology used, lessons learned and recommendations for future interventions. Annexes should include a list of interviewed and consulted people.
In addition to that, the consultant must ensure a participatory approach during all phases of the consultancy work and national ownership of the process as well as of the final deliverables. S/he must work closely with the PCPโs and the AGOโs relevant staff members and ensure active engagement of the field/ frontline officers.
Deliverables: Deliverable Expected completion time (due day)ย
The approved inception report including a detailed work plan, objectives, methodology and a brief literature review.
15 Days after the signature of the contractThe approved amended procedural manual; the approved capacity needs assessmentโs report and capacity building plan
ย Three months after ย the signature of the contractTheย approved chapter on the management of cybercrime cases against women.ย
The approved joint plan of action.
Successful implementation of the capacity building sessions.
Nine months after the signature of the contractThe approved report on the capacity building sessions.
The approved final narrative report, that includes a description of the methodology used, findings and recommendations.
Ten months before the end of the contractยConsultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy. Travel to Palestine may be considered during the course of the assignment conditioned with the security situation on ground.ย
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 visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
- Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, gender justice and women rights.
- Proven Experience in the field of protection and access to justice and security.
- Strong capacity to establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of clientโs perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.
- Strong ability to effectively interact with technical and non- technical end users in aย ย cooperative and helpful manner.
Required Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Master
- Masterโs degree or equivalent in computer science, cybersecurity, criminal justice or digital forensics or any other related field is required.ย
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be acceptedย in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- At least 5 years of professional working experience in the field of gender equality, violence against women and/or human rights with a strong focus on addressing cybercrime cases against women,ย is required.
- Experience in developing policies, guidelines or SoPs on VAW or\\and on digital safety is desirable.ย
- Experience in designing and delivering training sessions, preferably for justice and security sector forces, on relevant topics including gender sensitivity, digital evidence handling, and victim-centered approach is desirable.ย
- Experience with the UN system or/and International Organizations is desirable.
- A sample ofย a previously developedย capacity needs assessment on cyberviolence, or a capacity building report on cybercrimes against womenย must be attachedย as part of your application.
Languages:
- Fluency in English is required
- Working knowledge in Arabic is highly desirableย
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,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย 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 toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย 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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- To submit a final narrative report that includes a description of the assignment, the achievements, methodology used, lessons learned and recommendations for future interventions. Annexes should include a list of interviewed and consulted people.