Call For Nomination for participation in the committee for the selection of the Spotlight Initiative 2.0 Civil Society National Reference Group

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.

Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is a significant human rights violation that impacts women and girls of all ages, regions, and societies. It undermines their rights, dignity, and potential. Addressing SGBV is a critical priority for achieving national, regional, and global development goals. 

 Despite Liberia’s ratification of numerous international and regional human rights treaties, violence against women and girls remains a significant issue in Liberia, deeply rooted in its history and culture.  The 2020 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) findings show that 60% of women aged 1549 have experienced physical violence and 9% have experienced sexual violence, with less than half (42%) of these women seeking help. 

 To address the perennial issue of violence against women and girls in Liberia, the European Union and the United Nations implemented the Spotlight Initiative, a global, multi-year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). This initiative highlighted the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment, aligning with the Agenda for Sustainable Development. The promising results from Spotlight 1.0 initiative demonstrated significant progress, showing that increased and sustained investment in gender equality is a precondition and driver to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and fulfil the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action for advancing women’s rights. Building on these gains, the approved Spotlight Initiative 2.0 will continue to enhance the rights and opportunities for women and girls globally, focusing on prevention and response to VAWG with comprehensive and inclusive approaches that enable women and girls to live free from harmful practices and various forms of violence. 

 Recognizing the pivotal role of women’s rights groups and relevant human rights-based civil society organizations, including those representing young women and groups facing intersecting forms of discrimination (e.g. women and girls living in rural communities, women and girls who are survivors of violence, women and girls living with HIV/AIDs, women and girls living with disabilities, etc.) is a key principle of the Spotlight Initiative. 

In line with this, and as part of a fundamental pillar of work of the Initiative, a Civil Society National Reference Group (CS-NRG) will be established as an institutional mechanism to provide expertise and facilitate systematic civil society engagement in the inception and implementation of the Spotlight Initiative Country Programme. The CS-NRG will serve a triple function to advise, to advocate, and to hold the initiative accountable, informed by the women’s and feminist movement. The CS-NRG will have a membership of 11 representatives. Members will be selected based on their personal experience and expertise in the feminist and women’s movement, gender equality, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence, etc. The CS-NRG shall build on lessons learned from the operations of its predecessor during the implementation of the Liberia Spotlight Initiative 

II. The Selection Committee 

     a) Composition and tasks 

 The Selection Committee will consist of five (5) civil society representatives with proven experience and expertise in the field of gender equality, feminist and women’s movements, ending violence against women and girls, incl. harmful practices. 

 The Selection Committee will be responsible for the election of the Eleven (11) CS-NRG members of the Liberia Spotlight Initiative 2.0. 

   b) Selection process 

The 5 members of the Selection Committee will be chosen by consensus or through voting based on the decision of the representatives from each of the following entities: the Spotlight Initiative 2.0 Coordination/RCO, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, UN Women, UNDP, and the EU. The election committee will be chaired by UN Women. The Spotlight Initiative Global Secretariat representative will serve as an observer of the process. 

The Spotlight 2.0 implementation has a duration of 48 months, starting from 1 September 2025. 

 Nomination must include the following: 

 Applications will be reviewed for placement of the five leading civil society activists who will lead the process for the election of the CS-NRG members. 

Selected candidates will be required to sign a Code of Conduct governing the organization. 

III. The Role of the Spotlight Initiative Country Team 

The Spotlight Initiative Country Team is responsible for ensuring meaningful engagement and partnership with civil society, grounded in principles of inclusivity, transparency, respect, and equality. 

The Country Team will facilitate, coordinate, and support the selection process of the CS-NRG. This includes establishing the Selection Committee. 

Once the Selection Committee has been formed, the Country Team will propose a timeline for the selection process of the CS-NRG members, organize meetings, disseminate the call for applications on behalf of the Committee, collect submissions, and provide logistical and administrative support throughout the process to enable a smooth and effective selection. 

Upon completion of the process, the Country Team will formally communicate the results to the selected CS-NRG members. 

IV. Timeline       

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

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

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.