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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Security Council Resolution 1315 (UNSCR1325, 2000) is the landmark resolution on women, peace, and security (WPS) that links gender equality to the maintenance of international peace and security. In the Philippines, the UN Women played a vital role in advancing the WPS agenda since 2015, including support to advance the WPS normative framework at the national, regional, and local levels, including the inclusion of gender and women empowerment provisions in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and subsequently the establishment of the Bangsamoro Women’s Commission (BWC) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The programme, Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is a Joint Programme (JP) of UN Women Philippines and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded by the Global Affairs Canada under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator Office and the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority. The fundamental objective of the programme is to prevent insecurity and violence by harnessing the potentials of both women and men and addressing structural gender inequality and discriminatory gender norms that are barriers to sustainable peace. While it focuses on empowering women to participate and lead in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution, it also aims to enhance ownership and responsibility of the BARMM governments in promoting gender equality and inclusion of peace and security processes.

The programme is a three-year that will be implemented in close coordination with BARMM ministries, offices, and agencies, as well as with civil society organizations in the BAMRM. The JP will be implemented primarily within the BARMM and in the Bangsamoro communities adjacent to the region.

The UN Women primarily support the BWC, the lead agency promoting the welfare of and empowering Bangsamoro women and their families, protecting their rights and preventing abuses. BWC also serve as the primary policy driver of the WPS agenda in the region wherein the major outputs of the Joint Programme were aligned with the current priorities of the commission.

The Consultant will be supervised by the Progamme Specialist and Team Leader of Women Peace and Security. All deliverables will be reviewed and endorsed to the Team Lead of UNW-PHL WPS for approval and processing of payments

Duties and Responsibilities

In view of the foregoing, the UN Women – Philippines Programme Office (PPO) is looking to hire a National Consultant-Gender Advice to provide technical support to Bangsamoro Women Commission on the delivery of priority policies and guidance note under the Joint Programme. The Consultant shall be under the direct supervision of the UN Women-WPS Programme Specialist, and under the overall guidance of the BWC, shall undertake the following tasks:

1. Act as the direct focal person of UN Women in the BWC in the implementation of the Joint Programme.
2. Provide substantive technical input, assistance, and advisory to the BWC on the planning, programming, execution, monitoring and reporting of the Joint Programme deliverables in close coordination with UN Women.
3. Provide technical support in the crafting/development, writing, and finalization of key priority policies and gender and development (GAD) agenda of the BWC.
4. Coordinate with BWC and with other key BARMM Ministries/Offices/Agencies (MOAs) on the implementation and delivery of commitments under the Joint Programme.
5. Provide substantive inputs on the module and technical support for the localization/rollout of the 3rd Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2023-2028.

The consultant will ideally be based in Mindanao at UN Women Sub-office in Cotabato City. Upon request of UN Women team and/ or partners and depending on budget availability, the consultant may travel to project/partners areas or activity venues outside duty station to support activities by BWC. Any travel costs related to travel will be authorized and arranged by UN Women prior the travel date according to its rules and regulations.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong knowledge of UN Women processes and systems
• Strong networking skills
• Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization
• Ability to work in a highly pressure environment

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Masters degree in Political Science or Social Science, Gender Studies, Economics, Public Management, International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• At least 2 years of experience in the field of women peace and security is required.
• At least 2 years of experience in providing policy advice and technical assistance on women, peace and security to government institutions is required.
• Prior experience in developing or contributing in the development of National or Regional Action Plans on UN SCR 1325 will be an asset is desirable.
• Proven experience in supporting development of policy papers in gender equality and women empowerment is desirable.
• Knowledge of the Bangsamoro context related to WPS is required.
• Previous work experience in the Bangsamoro region is desirable.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English and Filipino is required.
• Understanding of the major Bangsamoro dialects is an advantage.

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their electronic application to [email protected] with cc to [email protected] not later than 15 May 2024, 17:00 Manila, PHL time. The submission package includes:

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Written samples or links to access the work portfolio

Diversity and Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.