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 is seeking to recruit a consultant to support the organisationโs work through the simplification ofย the Service Delivery Standards and Procedures towards Delivering Quality Integrated Justice Services for Survivors of Violence Against Women and Girls to facilitate standardization in service delivery across the justice chain. The Service Delivery Standards and Procedures aim to facilitate integrated justice services by all the justice stakeholders/ actors to respond to, prevent and mitigate criminal forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) affecting women and girls within the criminal justice system; and to improve services offered by the key actors in the Criminal Justice System.
According to the National Gender- Based Violence Policy, 2016 survivors of allย forms of violence have a right to comprehensive response services including health, protection,ย justiceย andย psychosocialย support.ย Existenceย ofย serviceย deliveryย standardsย andย procedures will ensure standardization in service provision. This willย ย foster confidence and trust in justice institutions, especially when deliberate efforts are made to ensure that end users are awareย of these standards.ย
UN Women with support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) contracted a consultant in 2023 to developย Service Delivery Standards and Procedures. Although this is notable progress in the right direction, there remains an urgent need to disseminate the guidelines at the various ranks of the justice chain which cannot be effectively done unless they are simplified. Additionally, legal aid service providers will be tasked to raise awareness on the Standards and Procedures at community level which further makes the effort to simplify them a priority.
The development of the Service Delivery Standards and Procedures is a step forward towards implementing the CEDAW Committeeโs General Recommendation No.33 which encourages States parties to take measures, including awareness-raising and capacity-building for all actors of justice systems to eliminate gender stereotyping and incorporate a gender perspective in all aspects of the justice system. Noteworthy is the fact that the Service Delivery Standards and Procedures are also in tandem with the dictates of the UN Essential Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence.ย
The Service Delivery Standards and Procedures are a key intervention of the project titledโ Strengthening Criminal Justice Responses to GBV in Ugandaโ (Justice4 Her); and they will be disseminated within this framework. The project is currently beingย implemented in Gulu , Masaka and Nebbiย High Court Circuits .Itย aims to improveย the performance of the criminal justice system through enhancing the management of GBV cases, including reduction of the existing case backlog through the implementation of theย Fast Track Time Sharing Model; where a minimum of ย twoย court rooms fully equipped with technology for in person andย virtual hearings will beย designated in the selected High Court Circuits to hear GBV cases.
The consultant will be reporting to the Program Specialist Access to Justice and will be supported by the Administrative Associate who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
The consultant will complete the following specific tasks:
Review the Service Delivery Standards and Procedures with the trackย changesย function in MS word application.ย Simplify theย Service Delivery Standards and Procedures (including pictorials), checking their consistency, grammatical, factual accuracy and coherence. The final document should not be more than fifteen pages. Develop a dissemination plan for the Service Delivery Standards and Procedures.Deliverables: Deliverable Due Dateย Payment Scheduleย Two draft copies of the Simplified Service Delivery Standards and Procedures with proposed modifications (for simplification) with the trackย changesย function in MS Word application.
25th July 2025 ย 30% Two copies of final reports of the Simplified Service Delivery Standards and Procedures with pictorials. A clean copy and one with track changes. 8th August 2025 50% A comprehensive dissemination plan for the Service Delivery Standards and Procedures for the proposed High Court Circuits of Gulu, Masaka and Nebbi. 30th August 2025 20%
Consultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy.
Competencies :
Core Values:
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:
Ability to create, edit, and present information in clear and appealing formats. Excellent analytical and research skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently. Strong knowledge of the national gender machinery, policies, legislation on GEWE, as well as the functioning of the criminal justice system in Uganda. Good knowledge of project management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills. Cultural and gender sensitivity skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment with national government stakeholders. Excellent communication and writing skills.Required Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Masterโs degreeย (or equivalent) in Criminal Justice, Law, Human Rights, Gender, International Relations or related field.ย A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work experience inย ย developing, reviewing and simplifying legal or policy documents to promote gender equality. Experience working with the Ugandan criminal justice system is required. Experience working on gender-focused projects, access to justice initiatives, or similar fields is required. Proven experience in simplifying, editing and proofreading UN documents is desirable. Experience in developing mechanisms for monitoring compliance and ensuring accountability to set standards.Language:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of any other UN official language 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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