Result of Service

The incumbent will be responsible for the enhancement of staff capacities on gender across selected topics.

Work Location

UN-House ESCWA

Expected duration

3 weeks

Duties and Responsibilities

Background: Since its adoption by the United Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) in 2012 to put into effect the policy on gender equality , the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) has been among the first UN entities to roll-out and implement the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan (UN-SWAP) on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Upon the completion of the first 5-year reporting cycle on UN-SWAP in 2018, ESCWA was recognized by UN Women, the custodian entity monitoring its implementation, as a top performer agency. ESCWA maintained its exemplary results, and in 2022 it continued to exceed the requirements for almost all the indicators of the action plan. As part of its ongoing efforts in the implementation of UN-SWAP, ESCWA conducts regular assessment surveys to learn more about staff capacities and needs in the field of gender equality. Building on the results of these surveys, ESCWA organizes an annual training on mainstreaming gender across thematic areas. The fourth capacity assessment survey conducted in 2021, recommended changing the approach to annual gender trainings by promoting the delivery of hands-on, more focused trainings that cover actual aspects of work rather than theories on how work on gender should be done. This reiterated a recommendation made during a participatory gender audit conducted, for ESCWA, in 2020 which highlighted the lack of on-the-job training to strengthen and increase knowledge and competencies. Following these recommendations, ESCWA organized the first Gender Equality Open Day (GEOD) in 2022 as a capacity building activity to strengthen and increase the knowledge of staff members on gender issues. The GEOD built on the gender analysis training conducted in 2021. The training outcome highlighted the importance of strengthening knowledge on gender equality issues as they link to all sustainable development components, factors, and subjects within the organization’s scope of work. The GEOD was designed to answer, simultaneously, the needs of numerous on-going and future ESCWA projects covering a wide range of issues under the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It provided a platform to discuss specific projects and outputs from a gender perspective with the aim of strengthening their gender dimension. The 2022 GEOD tackled one of the ESCWA’s staff capacity building challenges as the mandate of the organization covers a multidisciplinary programme including a large set of research and policy areas and topics. ESCWA’s multidisciplinary programme addressed various interrelated topics pertaining to development across six integrated functional clusters namely: climate change and natural resource sustainability; gender justice population and inclusive development; shared economic prosperity; statistics information society and technology; and governance and conflict prevention; in addition to a sixth cluster following on the overall implementation of the 2030 agenda and SDG coordination. Under each cluster, the thematic areas encompass a wider range of topics translated into projects and conducted by project teams. Project teams work in harmony to provide well-grounded policy advice in areas of high priority to the Arab region. Information on ESCWA clusters and their areas of focus can be found on the following link https://www.unescwa.org/clusters. Based on the success of the first edition, ESCWA is planning to organize the second GEOD in December 2023. Objectives and methodology: In light of the above, ESCWA aims to organize the 2023 GEOD to provide staff members with the opportunity strengthening and enlarging their knowledge by exchanging with experts in gender mainstreaming across selected topics. The objectives of the 2023 GEOD are: • To advocate for further gender mainstreaming in all ESCWA’s projects and outputs; • To strengthen the capacity of all staff members in gender issues by creating a space where they can discuss issues pertaining to their specific projects and outputs with experts having diversified backgrounds; • To provide staff members, with a particular focus on projects’ coordinators, with knowledge, tools and resources so they are able push for further mainstreaming of gender related issues in their projects and related outputs; • To provide staff members with the opportunity of discussing and exploring new perspectives or dimensions or approaches to the topics they are working with a focus on gender equality. The 2023 GEOD will be organized around: • Structured discussions lead by ESCWA staff members. Those will include short presentations about on-going or planned projects and outputs around the selected themes, with the aim of sharing specific challenges in terms of gender mainstreaming, or raising questions, or sharing success stories and promising practices related to gender mainstreaming; • Presentations by the participating experts on gender mainstreaming in their field of work with the aim of shedding light on gender related issues specific to their areas of research; • Open discussions where staff members can discuss their specific projects and outputs with the experts to seek information and knowledge on their current or planned project with the aim of enhancing their gender dimension. For this vacancy, several positions are available each to focus on one of the below: • Gender and the economy; • Gender and energy/food security; • Gender and digital divide; • Gender and governance; • Gender and social sciences. Duties and Responsibilities: The consultant is requested to: • Familiarize him/herself with ESCWA’s work by reading the materials that will be provided by ESCWA; • Prepare a short presentation on gender related issues and gender mainstreaming in their area of research; • Prepare relevant inputs, feedback and substantive elements to feed into and nurture the discussions; • Actively participate in the Gender Open Day at ESCWA premises and provide hands-on training and feedback to staff members in unusual training setting.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced University degree (master’s or equivalent) in social and/or economic and/or development studies and /or related areas is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. At least 5 years of experience in working on gender equality and women’s rights across the selected theme is required. Previous experience in conducting and publishing research is required. Previous experience in delivering presentations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Recruitment for this position is on a local basis. The incumbent is required to have the legal right to live and work in the specified working location.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.