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 Member States have consistently recognized sportโs transformative power in achieving gender equality. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Actionย are leading frameworks thatย identify sport as an important enabler of sustainable development, for its growing and innovative contribution to empowerment of women and young people, individuals, and communities as well as health, education, and social inclusion objectives. Theย General Assembly Resolution 71/160ย on โSport as a means to promote education, health, development and peaceโ specifically calls on UN Women to play a role: โwithin its mandate for the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women, including in and through sport, and welcoming the continued advancement of women in sports and sporting activitiesโ.
Currently there is positive momentum that is driving progress toward gender equality within the sport world. UN Women has developed a Global Sports Strategy that leverages sport to promote women's rights, achieve gender equality, and empower women and girls using approaches that encourage progressive social norms. UN Women is focusing on the following three key outcomes: 1) transforming global norms into national policies that support gender equality in sport, 2) building new narratives using storytelling and media to engage audiences and challenge gender norms in sports and through sports, and 3) fostering collaboration among organizations to drive sustained action for gender equality, to cultivateย progressive social norms thatย promote womenโs rights, gender equality and womenโs empowerment in sport and through sport.ย ย
Reporting to Chief of Ending Violence Against Women and Chief of Communication and Advocacy and working in close collaboration with Sections across PPID and other Divisions, Policy Advisor for Sport Partnerships will oversee the implementation of the Global Sports strategy, contribute to inter-governmental, normative and UN system coordination work and establish and strengthen partnerships in the area of gender equality and sports, provide technical assistance and policy and programming advice to UN Womenโs regional and country offices, and develop relevant knowledge products.ย
Key Functions and Accountabilities:
1. ย ย Substantive inputs to policy, strategy, programme development and implementation in the areas of gender equality in and through sports
Lead the implementation of UN Womenโs Global Sports Strategy and contribute substantively to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, advocacy, partnerships, resource mobilization and outreach Lead the analysis of data and evidence and develop policy proposals and interventions on gender equality and sports, and distill relevant lessons Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning Provide policy and programmatic advice to UN Women regional, country and multi-country offices on gender equality and sports in line with the Global Sports Strategyย Develop tools, guidelines and manuals for use by UN Women regional and country offices, the UN system, and other partners Support technical consultations, South-South and South-North exchanges and other opportunities to share experiences and promising practices. Collaborate with other thematic sections to provide integrated policy and programmatic advice to regional and country offices across diverse contexts2. ย ย Representation and substantive support to intergovernmental and normative processes:
Represent UN Women at policy making inter-agency, inter-governmental and international technical and advocacy fora Provide technical and policy leadership when UN Women participates in, convenes, or leads interagency groups on gender equality and sports Manage and supervise preparation of policy papers and reports on gender equality and sports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making fora, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes Support the implementation of resolutions, decision and other directives in relevant areas of focus, including through support to expert bodies created by intergovernmental forums Contribute to international fora to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies3. ย ย Advocacy and Communication:
Participate in international, regional or national meetings and contribute programmatic/substantive expertise. Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutions, civil society and experts to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Womenโs workย Coordinate the development and implementation of a communication strategy for UN Womenโs Global Sports Strategy in collaboration with the global communication team.ย Leverage sport partnersโ events and media partnerships to promote UN Women messaging, working closely with the Communication and Advocacy Section.4. ย ย Knowledge generation and capacity development:
Contribute substantively to the knowledge management and capacity development of UN Women staff on gender equality and sports Establish and lead global communities of practice to contribute to the internal flow of information throughout the organization on policy and technical issues and promote collaboration, peer support, consultation and surface innovation, good practices, lessons and needs and opportunities Engage in thematic and gender equality networks outside of the organization to better connect UN Women and partner work and promote learning and innovation Develop and maintain rosters of gender experts, who can develop technical support to UN Women offices, national partners, UNCTs or other UN system entities Produce knowledge products to meet UN Women needs and standards of quality5. ย ย Manage strategic partnerships and resource mobilization strategyย
Establish multistakeholder partnerships and alliances with sports organizations, industry leaders, academia, research institutions, governments, civil society, media and experts to collectively advance gender equality in and through sports.ย Expand and deepen partnerships with the sport ecosystem to mobilize resources to support gender equality movements in sports and to increase opportunities for girls through sport programmes;ย Oversee the management of funds mobilized for global project and ensure close communication with and reporting to donors. Facilitate the development and implementation of joint strategies and advocacy plansย to highlight contribution of sport to gender dimensions of the SDGs and promote enabling policies and institutional change.6. ย ย The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: ย The incumbent leads a team of affiliate personnel (consultants and interns).
Competenciesย
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:
Excellent knowledge of sport and gender equality Excellent networking skills Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraisingย Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research Ability to advocate and provide policy adviceย Excellent analytical skills Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings Excellent knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management and reportingRecruitment Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
Masterโs degree or equivalent in gender studies, human rights, international relations or other social science fields is required. 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:
At least 10 years progressively responsible experience in designing and managing programmes and advocating for gender equality, ideally with experience in developing countries; Experience in programme, policy analysis, and strategic planning; Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors, civil society, and sport organizations internationally and in the field; Experience working with the UN system is an asset; Experience working in UN Women is an asset.Languages:
Fluency English is required; Knowledge of the other UN official working 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.