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.

In Ukraine UN Women works with the government, parliament and civil society in advancing gender equality through implementation of the national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions towards the realization of following strategic goals: elimination of violence against women and girls; implementation of women, peace and security agenda and gender responsive governance. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in integration of women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of UN work.

As part of the UN system in Ukraine, UN Women supports national partners to implement their commitments to Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS), since 2015. UN Women has been providing technical assistance to develop, implement and monitor the first and the second National Action Plans (NAP) for the implementation of UN SCR 1325 as well as other relevant international and national commitments related to the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in Ukraine. In doing so, UN Women has partnered with and provided demand driven technical assistance to the key governmental institutions of the National Machinery for the Advancement at national, regional and local levels, and women’s CSOs and grassroots women, especially those affected by conflict and marginalized. As the UN Women marks the 25^th anniversary of the SC Resolution 1325, Ukraine will begin its intensive efforts to draft, adopt and launch its third National Action Plan 1325 (2026-2030).

Mine action in Ukraine has been traditionally dominated by men often due to gendered norms, perceptions around safety risks and physical demands, and structural barriers, such as the recently removed laws prohibiting women’s employment in the mine sector and labor legislation. However, the war has prompted women to take on new roles and responsibilities, challenging traditional gender roles. Prior to 2022, women accounted for approximately 30% of the humanitarian mine action sector. Women’s participation in mine action can improve clearance efforts and community engagement, and reclaiming safe land as part of the recovery process should involve women equally.  In Ukraine, factors such as the mobilization and conscription of men, the growing sector and high demand for deminers, and attractive salaries are bringing in more women. Motivations of women (and men) to work in mine action also include the importance of the work, the desire to benefit society, an interest in mine action and career development opportunities within the sector.  Despite the emergence of these motivations, to enable greater inclusion it is necessary to work on reforming societal attitudes towards women’s participation in emergency services if women are to confidently grow professionally in this sector.

In summer 2024, Ukraine adopted a 10-year National Demining Strategy and implementation plan. The strategy recognizes the urgency to clear de-occupied territories from UXOs and other explosives and highlights that even if the war ended, massively contaminated soil will remain and have a long-term negative impact on national socio-economic recovery, community safety, and global food security. Strategy draws also strong attention and commitments to inclusivity in ensuring humanitarian mine-action addresses specific and diverse needs of women, veterans, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, their families and the most unprotected groups in remote mine and UXO contaminated communities.

In light of those challenges and opportunities, the UN Women aims to encourage more women to enter the emergency services by addressing stereotypes, persistent discriminatory gender norms, and institutional strategies on male-dominated sectors that lack gender considerations and creates barriers for women’s meaningful employment. The project will build on UN Women’s previous work on enhancing mechanisms to address sexual harassment, improve mental health, and create an enabling working environment for women in the security and law enforcement sector[1]. UN Women aims to confirm studies that shows that humanitarian mine action is more efficient, precise and less prone to accidents when both women and men are working in the same teams[2] and disprove beliefs that women working on disposing of ordnances is not as efficient as when performed by men[3]. WPS’s communication and advocacy components aim to break public perceptions and stereotypes which are common especially among Ukrainian men but also hold back women from their full economic empowerment and participation in resolving peace and security challenges.

The Communications Analyst will have a substantive role in highlighting UN Women’s engagement and support of national stakeholders in the consultative processes to maximize public awareness and inclusion in this process, with a special emphasis on the leadership of women in the development of gender responsive and inclusive recovery plans at national, regional, and local levels. The Communications Analyst will also have a specific focus on contributing to the behavior change advocacy that aims at addressing barriers that hinder women’s full and equal participation in traditionally male dominated sectors i.e. emergency and humanitarian mine-action spheres.

Reporting to the Advocacy and Communication Analyst and in close coordination with the WPS Programme Specialist, the Communications Analyst is responsible for assisting in the planning and implementation of the communications and advocacy strategies on Women, Peace and Security, especially those related to the Demining Programme and women’s employment in that sector, to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public.

The Communications Analyst works in close collaboration with other Programme, Operations and technical teams in the CO, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Functions

Provide substantive support to the planning and design of external communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans on Women, Peace and Security, with a specific focus on women in emergency services including women in humanitarian mine-action 

• Provide analysis for elaboration of communication strategies on WPS, including women in emergency services and humanitarian mine-action, ensuring a gender perspective;
• Integrate communication, advocacy and outreach strategies into WPS proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives, as necessary;
• Monitor and analyze print and social media and provide analysis to RO/HQ on WPS;
• Provide WPS, including women in emergency services and humanitarian mine-action, inputs and support to the launch of in-country UN Women/ UN system corporate and local campaigns and special outreach and media events;
• Collecting, designing and visualizing human impact stories relative to the advancement of the WPS agenda, including women in emergency services and humanitarian mine-action.

Coordinate and contribute substantively to the development and dissemination of WPS advocacy materials in Ukraine

• Draft briefing materials, and press releases and coordinate its dissemination through effective channels;
• Identify storylines for publication and articles;
• Promote and disseminate corporate advocacy materials for launching flagship initiatives, publications, and campaigns;
• Coordinate the translation/adaption/rewriting of information received, printing and dissemination of publications and audio-visual materials;
• Follow guidelines from HQ and RO, liaise with the RO and HQ offices to ensure communication of WPS results and visibility of UN Ukraine activities on the regional and HQ level.

Coordinates with CO for media relations

• Coordinate the establishment of relevant relationships;
• Maintain list of relevant media in country;
• Respond to inquiries for public and UN system information materials;
• Organize roundtable discussions, press conferences and briefing session for press, as required;
• Draft talking points and messages, QAs, compile data for the infographics, fact sheets and other information type of materials for the media;

Build and maintain partnerships and maintain relations with donors

• Maintain relationships with partners and alliances to enhance visibility;
• Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors, as delegated.

Coordinates with CO for web/ online presence

• Coordinate CO’s websites’ content and maintenance based on corporate requirements;
• Coordinate CO’s social media accounts in line with corporate social media policy;
• Content development (print, photo, video) and design for different channels, coordination of the content distribution on UN Women platforms and partner/media platforms;
• Upload information to knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, resources.

Facilitate knowledge building and sharing

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme goals and activities;
• Organize and conduct training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Knowledge of web-based management systems
• Knowledge of production, graphic design and photography standards
• Knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Knowledge of local country media landscape
• Communication, networking and advocacy skills
• Ability to be strategic and analytical
• Knowledge of gender and human rights issues desirable

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant field 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 1 years of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy;
• At least 1 years professional experience working on gender equality and women empowerment
• Experience working on WPS issues, including with national security and defense and/or humanitarian mine-action actors is an asset
• Experience at the national or international level in a communications role with the following job-related functions: digital communications, web management, social media management, copywriting, graphic design.
• Advanced skills in graphic design, including Canva, and more:
• Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premier or similar,
• Experience in media relations.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required;
• Working 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, 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.