Consultant – Development of a Gender Policy at UN Women

UN Women – 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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant – Development of a Gender Policy

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Additional Category: Gender Equality
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: National Consultant
Starting Date: (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 20th May, 2020
Duration of Initial Contract: 45 Working days

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.

Nigeria is simultaneously a country of origin, transit and destination for all streams of migration and trafficking. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Migration Profile (2009) and the World Bank remittances report on Nigeria (2010), the country’s increasing out-migrating population ranges between 836,832 and 1,041,284. Although North America and Europe remain the largest receiving continents, countries within the ECOWAS sub-region also host a significant number of the migrant population from Nigeria. Beyond irregular migration, Nigeria also experiences several cases of trafficking. Women and children constitute the majority of those trafficked. A large proportion of poor women migrants and women trafficked to Europe, especially Italy, are from Nigeria and a growing number of those are trafficked into the sex sector.

It is against this background that the Government of Italy and UN Women have embarked on a partnership, through the 2-year Programme on Prevention of forced migration and trafficking in women and girls in Nigeria to support efforts by the Government of Nigeria aimed at preventing forced migration and trafficking of women and girls by supporting policy measures and community-based initiatives to foster an enabling environment for prevention and enhance the gender-responsiveness of protection services and reintegration support measures for returning trafficked victims/survivors, building synergies with ongoing efforts of key partners, including the International Organization for Migration.

Within the context of Nigeria, through the development and approval of the National Gender Policy by the Federal Executive Council in 2006, gender is now recognized as an important policy issue demanding attention of all and sundry, including public and private institutions, local communities and law enforcement agencies.

In particular, given the paramount and pivotal role held by NAPTIP as custodian of the VAPP Act of 2015 and its mandate in tackling human trafficking, an effective gender policy in place within the Agency  increases its operational effectiveness to deliver solutions to domestic and transnational issues such as human trafficking, considering the disproportionate numbers of victims are women and girls. The ongoing process of policy revision and formulation also presents an opportunity to ensure that NAPTIP’s work is guided by a gender-responsive policy framework.

The  UN Women project articulates its main goal through two main outcomes:

• Outcome one, an enabling gender sensitive policy environment that addresses forced migration and trafficking is in place, whose design and implementation is influenced by women and girl’s rights organizations in source migration trafficking sites and
• Outcome two: Increased gender-sensitive information and awareness-raising in source migration-trafficking sites contribute to the prevention of women’s irregular migration and trafficking.

To promote an enabling gender sensitive policy environment that addresses forced migration and trafficking, UN Women in close collaboration with NAPTIP wishes to engage a Consultant to support the drafting of a Gender Policy for NAPTIP.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions & Key Results

• The overall objective of the consultancy is the formulation of a gender policy which captures and addresses the existing challenges and gaps and provides gender-responsive approaches in both the internal procedures of the Agency in terms of structure and human resources processes, and the external operational context of the Agency, especially regarding NAPTIP’s activities on trafficking and forced migration of women and girls
• To facilitate and harmonise the mandate of the Agency, the Gender Policy should be formulated within the framework of the Nigeria Constitution which guarantees equality and right to freedom from discrimination; and should take into consideration the various global, regional, and national policy commitments to gender equality and women empowerment, including CEDAW; the Beijing Platform of Action; the SDGs; Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA); African Charter and its Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa for Gender Equality; and the Nigerian National Gender Policy amongst others
• The overall goal of this policy is to mainstream gender within the Agency and enable it to ensure gender responsiveness in both dimensions: its internal structure and its operational mandate as well as provide the Agency with guidance in its referral system by providing gender sensitive benchmarks while selecting partners/programmes
• The consultancy will also have a deliberate focus on the formulation of a strategic results/implementation framework related to the Policy in order to ensure its sustainability and effective implementation.

Under the supervision of UN Women and NAPTIP team, and in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the national consultant will perform the following functions:

Task 1. Desk Review and Development of a 0 draft Gender Policy:

• Desk review of the prevailing policy and institutional context, including existing policies, laws, strategies  and institutional frameworks/arrangements of NAPTIP from a gender perspective
• Lead and manage data processing and analysis
• Undertake consultative meetings with NAPTIP leadership and staff as well as key stakeholders in close collaboration with the Agency; Conduct capacity and needs assessment to facilitate implementation
• Develop a 0 draft of the Gender Policy structured into two main sections i.e. internal procedures and the external operational mandate of the Agency
• Design a workplan for two consultation workshops to consolidate the Gender Policy.

Task 2. Facilitate various technical reviews and finalize the Draft Policy

• In close collaboration with NAPTIP, facilitate the convening of a technical consultation to present the 0 draft of the Gender Policy and garner inputs from key stakeholders
• In close collaboration with NAPTIP, convene a sub-technical meeting of key stakeholders to further refine the draft Gender Policy
• Develop a concept note for a validation workshop for the Gender Policy
• Facilitate a validation workshop with NAPTIP
• Submit  the final Gender Policy.

Deliverables of the Assignment and Time Frame
The selected Consultant will be expected to complete the following key-deliverables within the indicative time frame:

• Consultancy work plan and timeframe of the consultation meetings
  • Due date 5 days from the commencement of assignment.
• Draft of Gender Policy:
  • The Policy  should include an outline of the policy context, rationale, guiding principles, strategic objectives, Framework, goals, priorities and a strategic result framework for its implementation
  • Due date: 20 days from the commencement of assignment
• Technical Consultation workshop for the Policy:
  • Due date: 25 days from the commencement of assignment
• Sub-technical Consultation Workshop:
  • Due Date: 35 days from the commencement of assignment
• Validation of the Gender Policy:
  • Due date: 40 Days from the commencement of the assignment
• Submission of the Policy:
  • Due date: 45 days from the commencement of assignment

Reporting:

• Under the strategic guidance of the Country Representative and in partnership with the UN Women and NAPTIP Team, the proponent will develop and deliver the above listed outputs in accordance with the above outlined timeframe and specifications. Writing and formatting of the document should be consistent throughout.

Impact of Results:

• The Position contributes to achieve targets under the UN Women Project on  Prevention of forced migration and trafficking in women and girls in Nigeria, specifically under outcome one: an enabling gender sensitive policy environment that addresses forced migration and trafficking is in place
• The Position aims to support the formulation a Gender Policy and strengthen the gender-responsiveness of interventions by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to facilitate prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships.

Duration of the Assignment

• The assignment is expected to take 45 working days from the date of signing the contract and requires limited reporting time presence on UN Women premises.

Competencies
Core Values / Guiding Principles:

• Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct;
• Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work;
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: 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.

Core Competencies:

• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative;
• Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others;
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution;
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge;
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.
• Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of international law and instruments related to trafficking and migration, international law and international instruments on women’s rights
• Understanding of new developments, standards, good practice, and policy issues as they relate to anti-trafficking and safe migration initiatives
• Sound knowledge of the legal, policy, and institutional framework on trafficking in persons and migration in Nigeria
• Working knowledge gender tools, including assessments and audits
• Familiarity with the UN system and knowledge of UN Women.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master’s Degree in Law, Social Science, Gender Studies, International Development, Human Rights, Political Science, International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies or any related field.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience at national or international level in implementing or advocating for women’s rights, preferably in the area of migration and anti-trafficking;
• Excellent knowledge of research and assessment of programmes relating to policies and laws affecting women
• Understanding of the policy and legislative environment in Nigeria and ability to mobilize multi-stakeholders
• Proven experience in leading and facilitating workshops;
• Previous experience in and developing institutional gender policies
• Fluency in English is required
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset
• Experience working in the UN system is an asset.

Application Closing Date
21st April, 2020.