International Consultant-Gender Mainstreaming in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF)

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 center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world.

UN Women, Sudan Country Office, has been mandated to contribute to the achievement of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) through robust interventions that recognize the human rights of women and girls to a decent life, which includes decent work and fair income. The office focuses on promoting effective political participation at all levels of decision-making, combating gender-based violence (GBV), and supporting the national agenda on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). Additionally, it aims to promote macro-level normative frameworks that contribute to necessary policy and legal reforms.

Sudan has experienced historical political instability, rooted in a long history of conflict that spans various regions. These conflicts have resulted in significant deprivation of basic needs and services, increased poverty rates, and food insecurity, all of which have undermined the already limited infrastructure. UN Women has been actively working to address the growing needs of women and girls. In light of the recent escalation in conflict and its negative impact on development, along with the rising humanitarian needs, UN Women has adapted its interventions to focus on the triple nexus of humanitarian, peace, and development efforts. This approach addresses urgent humanitarian needs, promotes sustainable development, and advances peacebuilding efforts. It recognizes the interconnectedness of these areas, ensuring that the immediate needs of women and girls, including those in safer areas and host communities for displaced individuals, are met, while also fostering long-term recovery.

The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for 2018-2021 is a planning and development tool developed by the UN Country Team (UNCT) to address the needs and priorities of the country, supporting its development agenda and the SDGs. UN Women has played a vital role in this process by contributing to a common country analysis through contextual and situational gender analyses, along with yearly updates to this analysis. Additionally, UN Women has supported the development of the UNDAF by mainstreaming gender considerations across all pillars of the SDGs. As the country has undergone significant protests that led to the overthrow of the former regime and is moving into a new era of democratic transition, UN Women has continued to support the political transition 

priorities. This support is reflected in the UN Country Common Approach narrative and results framework, which focus on protecting civilians, upholding human rights, addressing basic needs and resilience, and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention. These efforts specifically ensure that the unique needs, rights, and contributions of women and girls are integrated into responses, especially in light of recent conflicts and their implications for updating the common approach narrative and results framework.

The Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) is working on the development of a new UNSDF for 2024-2026. To assist with this effort, UN Women is looking to recruit a consultant who will work closely with the consultant hired by the RCO to ensure that gender considerations are integrated into the UNSDF.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall Objectives

Support the development of a comprehensive gender responsive UNSDFF

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the country representative and in close collaboration with the RCO and the hired consultant, the following tasks should be performed:

• Work closely with the hired consultant to ensure that gender considerations are integrated into all phases of work design, planning, and document development.
•  Support the consultant hired by the RCO in conducting a thorough contextual and situational analysis from a gender perspective, highlighting the importance of addressing social norms and the need for gender-disaggregated data, as well as their implications for the development of the UNSDCF
•  Conduct a desk review of relevant documents to ensure their integration into the inception report
• Conduct a thorough review of the UNDAF 2018-2021 and the country common analysis. Document the achievements and lessons learned from a gender perspective to support the development of the new UNSDCF.
• Work closely with the consultant to develop the methodological approach for the CF design, considering the changing context and women and girls recovery needs during the early development phase.
• Ensure that the tools used for data collection remain gender responsive to planning needs and that intersectionality considering factors such as age, geographical location, and disability is explicitly addressed in the data collection process.
• Ensure the inclusiveness of multi-stakeholder engagement in all consultations. This should include, but is not limited to, women-led organizations (WLOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), women's movements and activists, as well as women in political parties, local authorities, key government institutions, and academic institutions. Support the integration of gender into the results framework, including outputs, outcomes, and indicators, while maintaining its adaptability to align with the office's strategic notes.

Deliverable:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel:

This is a home-based consultancy.

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

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

Functional Competencies

• Ability to conduct a comprehensive gender analysis of frameworks.
• Knowledge of international and national gender equality frameworks, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and UN Security Council Resolutions.
• Knowledge of result-based management.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• M.Sc. in development, public policy, Economics, or any related field

Experience:

• Experience in developing gender equality strategies, action plans, or policy frameworks.
• Proven experience in integrating gender into programs, policies, and strategies at national or international levels.
• Experience of conducting quantitative, and qualitative research
• Ability to collect and analyze gender-disaggregated data.
• Experience of work with UN agencies is preferred

Languages:

• Fluency in English
• Knowledge of  Arabic is an Asset.

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• -Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials