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.
UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and covers five countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland). SAMCO works with the government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the Private Sector to contribute to gender equality by formulating and implementing norms, laws, policies, programmes, and services that ensure the human rights of women and girls and increase economic participation. SAMCOโs responsive programs include increasing womenโs political participation and leadership, securing womenโs economic rights, strengthening women's involvement in peacebuilding, ending violence against women, and making government budgets and gender transformative policies.UN Women is guided by the strategic Note 2023 -2025 aligned to the UN-South Africa Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan (SP) (2022-2025), which aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of theย 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
ย UN Women South African Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) seeks to provide high-quality, evidence-based content, subject matter expertise, multilateral cooperation, and facilitate cross-regional knowledge exchange in support of the South African Governmentโs Presidency of the G20, particularly within the Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG). By supporting the South African government in the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG), UN Women is advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women (GEWE) on a global scale. This effort aligns with the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Integrating gender perspectives into global governance fora like the G20 enhances the effectiveness and inclusivity of decision-making processes. It ensures that the needs and perspectives of women and girls are considered in policy development and implementation, leading to more equitable and sustainable outcomes.
Therefore, UN Women SAMCO is looking for a national consultant with expertise in the care economy to provide technical advice to the Ministry in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD).ย The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the WEE Specialist with overall guidance from the Deputy Representative.ย
Description of Responsibilities
The assignment's main objective is to produce high-quality analytical output on the current state of the legal and regulatory environment regarding the care economy in G20 Member States, as well as to produce specific and realistic policy recommendations for possible legislative or regulatory changes with links to public spending. This analytical output will serve as a base for further analysis, including macroeconomic simulations of potential policy interventions and their outcome on paid and unpaid care work and female labour market participation. The consultant will work alongside the Ministry in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) on Care Provision Models and will mutually inform each other of the intermediary findings and recommendations of their work.
Specifically, the expert will be expected to:
Contribute technically in the area of Womenโs Economic Empowerment and theย care economy
Provide technical support to the South African Government in gender and macro-economics, advance the care agenda, promote decent work and social protection, and address other areas of womenโs economic empowermentย as required. Identify, analyze, and present best international practices in the care agenda, promoting decent work and social protection, as well as other areas of womenโs economic empowerment. Provide substantive inputs to the research initiatives in their design, review of methodologies, data, findings, and conclusions at the national, regional, and global levels.Provide technical assistance and capacity development for the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group.
Develop technical knowledge products. Provide technical support for G20 activities in the areas of care and social protection. Identify areas for support and intervention related to the care and social protection work areas within G20 Member States.Provide technical inputs to the monitoring and reporting for the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group.
Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports. Prepare relevant documentation, including project summaries, conference papers, briefing notes, and speeches.Provide substantive inputs to advocacy, knowledge building, and communication efforts.
Develop background documents, briefs, and presentations related to the care agenda, promoting decent work and social protection, as well as other areas of Womenโs economic empowerment. Coordinate the development of knowledge management methodologies and products for the care agenda, promoting decent work and social protection, as well as other areas of womenโs economic empowerment.ย Produce advocacy briefs Lead the development of knowledge products Develop technical briefs, background notes, and evidence-based policy recommendationsย to feed into the Outcome documentLead coordination of the care economy working groupย meetings in consultation with the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities
Participate in and provide technical guidance at planning and working group meetings, as well as conferences. ย Prepare relevant documentation, includings project summaries, conference papers, briefings, and speaking notes. Produce monthly reports for UN Women to integrate into quarterly reporting.Contribute to building partnerships and resource mobilization strategies
In consultation with stakeholders, develop a legacy projectย on the care economy and genderย infrastructure Lead on resource mobilization efforts for the legacy projectScope of work
The Consultant will undertake the following activities for the duration of the program:ย
Provide technical inputs to the design and formulation of programme and policy briefs and technical papers Develop high-level technical advisory services through speaking points and briefing notesย Lead coordination of the care economy working group ย meetings in consultation with the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities. Participate in and provide technical guidance at planning and working group meetings, as well as conferences. ย Prepare relevant documentation, such as project summaries, conference papers, briefings, and speaking notes. Produce monthly reports for UN Women to integrate into quarterly reporting. Provide substantive inputs to advocacy, knowledge building, and communication efforts on theย care economyย Contribute to building partnerships and resource mobilization strategies In consultation with stakeholders, develop a legacy project ย on the care economy and gender ย infrastructure Lead on resource mobilization efforts for the legacy projectDeliverables
Review planning and discussion documents to date on the Care Economy Working Group. Develop a strategic engagement and work plan, and present with an Inception Report. Produce a technical paper on the status of the care economy in the region and South Africa. Monthly Care Economy Working Group meetings are held. Four (4) technical position papers for the 4 (4) sub-thematic areas under the care economy producedย Produce briefing notes and speaking notes for the planning and working groups meetings as required. Produce a finalย report with recommendationsย to feed into the Outcome document Concept document on the legacy project addressing care infrastructure produced A funding proposal wasย developed, and a list of potential donors was identified to support the implementation of the legacy project.ยConsultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy. The consultant will be required to travel to Mpumalanga as part of this assignment.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:
Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills. Strong budget and finance skills Strong knowledge of Results-Based Management Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports for management and strategic decision-making. Strong analytical skills Good knowledge of UN programme management systems Required Qualifications At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing and implementing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national partners, preferably related to economic empowerment. Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating development programmes and projects.ย Previous experience working in the UN system is an added advantage.Education and Certification:
A masterโs degree or equivalent inย economics, finance, public administration, human rights, gender equality, management, or other related areas. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieuof the advanced university degree;
Experience:
At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in gender equality and women's empowerment. At least 5 years of experience in working on women's economic empowerment policy and programmes is required. Extensive knowledge and understanding of the care economy. At least 5 yearsโ experience in research and policy formulation on women's economic empowerment is required. Excellent analytical skills with a strong drive for results and capacity to work independently. Experience in leading coordination with various stakeholders, including the government, the United Nations, and Civil Society Organisations, is required Experience in working with UN and government stakeholders. Excellent communication and writing skills.Languages:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of any other UN official is an asset.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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