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.

It is globally recognized that the full and equal participation of women is essential to achieve gender equality and drive progress towards sustainable development. In Latin America and the Caribbean, as in other regions of the world, women keep facing multiple barriers for their full and effective participation in decision-making. This trend is most clearly reflected in the low numerical presence of women in elected and appointed bodies.

In the region, the exclusion of women from the political arena and the harassment and gender-based violence against them in these spaces are much more pronounced when gender is intertwined with other forms of belonging, such as for indigenous, afro-descendant, rural, migrant, young and sexually diverse women, as well as women with disabilities, among others. As pointed out in the last CSW65, information on the participation of these particularly marginalized women in decision-making is scarce and it is urgent to redouble efforts to guarantee their inclusive and effective participation.

Women’s political participation is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work. In order to strengthen the leadership and participation of women in decision-making processes, UN Women works to promote gender equality in political and electoral process at all levels, as articulated in UN-Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 Impact Area 1 “Women and girls participate in leadership and decision making and benefit from gender responsive governance”. Americans and Caribbean Regional Office Governance and Political Participation Section works to strengthen parity democracies in Latin American and Caribbean countries, by enhancing an enabling institutional and public environment for the achievement of substantive equality in all dimensions of life. This work, in coordination with UN Women offices in the field, includes advocacy and technical assistance to Member States in establishing and effectively implementing normative and policy frameworks to ensure equal conditions to participate in political processes and institutions, including mechanisms towards gender parity in decision-making positions at all State’s branches and levels; and comprehensive measures to prevent, monitor, punish and eradicate violence against women in politics, as to guarantee an inclusive management and audit of political financing.

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director and in close cooperation with the Political Participation team at UN Women Headquarters, the Regional Programme Analyst on Governance and Political Participation will provide technical and operational support for the implementation of the thematic portfolio in the region; provide technical assistance to country offices (Cos)in the elaboration and implementation of their projects aimed at promoting women’s political rights; support UN Coordination and partnerships building functions; and assist the Regional Advisor to coordinate the elaboration of relevant knowledge products.

The scope of work of the Regional Programme Analyst in Governance and Political Participation (GPP) requires experience in and in-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s political empowerment and leadership to translate UN Women’s strategic plan into effective programmes and results in the LAC region.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who have applied before need not reapply.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide operational, monitoring, analytical and coordination support to corporate needs and institutional strengthening:

• Provide coordination support to the planning process of the thematic portfolio by preparing Annual Work Plans, Procurement Plans, Communication Plans, Internal Work Plans and RACI documents (Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed – Matrix of results).
• Oversee operational and administrative processes related to the implementation of the thematic portfolio’s projects and activities.
• Monitor and track the progress of portfolio projects, activities, and partnerships, ensuring coherence with Annual Work Plans and project documents’ indicators.
• Draft and provide inputs to internal and external reports, including quarterly and annual reports for the portfolio and reports for donors.
• Prepare documents, briefings, TORs (Terms of Reference), and other relevant materials required for key processes of the Governance and Political Participation portfolio.
• Provide thematic inputs and technical assistance for regional documents, reports, and processes as required.

2. Provide technical assistance and quality assurance to country offices (COs) in the elaboration and implementation of their thematic projects/programmes:

• Provide technical assistance to Country Offices to support the implementation of thematic programmes, aligned with corporate direction and messaging, and in compliance with UN System wide policy.
• Provide technical inputs to the development of regional programme documents on women’s political participation and governance in collaboration with country programme teams and the Political Participation team in Headquarters.
• Provide technical support to Country Offices in corporate planning and reporting processes, ensuring corporate policy coherence, and assisting with thematic aspects of UNSDCF processes when needed.

3. Provide knowledge management support on women’s political participation and governance:

• Provide technical inputs to the development of new strategic knowledge products for the promotion of women’s full exercise of their political rights.
• Coordinate bi-monthly meeting of Governance and Political Participation (GPP) Community of Practice to facilitate cross-country knowledge sharing
• Keep the corporate regional platforms such as UN Women Regional Office SharePoint and the regional GPP Community of Practice up to date and share relevant knowledge products with regional and global knowledge platforms (e.g. ATENEA and IKnowPolitics).
• Coordinate the organization of virtual dialogue and learning spaces (webinars, workshops, political dialogues) with strategic stakeholders to disseminate the portfolio’s new knowledge products, as well as normative advances on women’s political rights.
• Provide quality assurance support on COs’ knowledge products in line with corporate strategies.
• Maintain up-to-date relevant thematic regional data; and integrate analysis to policy-oriented advocacy and corporate support materials such as briefing notes, background papers, and region-specific reports.
• Assist in drafting and providing inputs to the portfolio’s communication strategy and ensure its timely and accurate execution.

4. Provide technical inputs to the establishment and strengthening of strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/ international actors and development partners:

• Support in building and strengthening alliances and strategic partnerships for the advancement of women’s political participation
• Produce periodic updates and briefings on regional/country development situations to be used by stakeholders, COs and HQ.

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 Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Good knowledge of women’s political empowerment and leadership.
• Good networking skills.
• Proven ability to draft policy papers, speeches, briefings etc.
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing workflow prioritization under time constraints.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to contribute to the undertaking of policy research and preparing quantitative studies.
• Knowledge of results-based programme management.
• Ability to work collaboratively in diverse teams, as well as strong communication skills.
• Knowledge of the UN System is an advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in political science, gender studies, law, 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 2 years progressively responsible experience in developing programmes and advocating for women’s political empowerment and/or gender-responsive governance, ideally with some experience in developing countries.
• Experience in programme development, policy research and analysis is required.
• Experience working with the UN is desirable.
• Experience working in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is desirable.
• Knowledge of the LAC social and political context is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Spanish is required;
• Working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is desirable.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

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 check

Additional Note:

In accordance with the UN Staff Regulation 4.5 (c) A fixed-term appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal or conversion, irrespective of the length of service. This fixed-term appointment is budgeted through 31 December 2025.