Citizen Data Consultant

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.

UN Women’s global gender data programme, “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” (Women Count), delivered significant results in scaling up work on gender statistics availability, accessibility, and use during Phase I of its implementation.  In the ongoing implementation of Women Count Phase II, with gender data being elevated as one of the strategic outcomes of UN Women’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, UN Women is steadfastly supporting Member States and leading efforts on mainstreaming gender perspectives in three key interventions:

• Enabling environment for the production and use of gender statistics: Put in place supportive policy, legal and financial environment to ensure gender-responsive national adaptation and effective monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Increasing the production of gender statistics: Increase availability of quality, comparable and regular gender statistics to address national data gaps and meet policy and reporting commitments under the SDGs, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and Beijing Declaration
• Increasing data accessibility and use: Ensure that gender statistics are accessible to all users (including governments, civil society, academia and private sector) and can be analysed, communicated, and used to inform research, advocacy, policies and programmes, and promote accountability.

Background on the assignment:

Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly gender-related indicators, is crucial for tracking progress toward global commitments like SDG 5 (Gender Equality). However, many countries face significant data gaps in gender-specific SDG indicators, hindering comprehensive and accurate reporting. In response to these challenges, there is an increasing focus on alternative data sources, such as citizen data, which offer more granular and locally relevant insights, especially in areas where traditional data collection is lacking.

Citizen data can play a transformative role in filling these gaps by engaging communities, increasing participation, and providing real-time, localized data on gender disparities. It also offers the potential to highlight the experiences of marginalized groups, particularly women, girls, and LGBTIQ+ communities, whose voices are often underrepresented in traditional data systems. The 55th Session of the UN Statistical Commission recognized the potential of citizen data in filling these data gaps and highlighted the importance of integrating it into SDG monitoring. The United Nations Experts Group Meeting on Harnessing Data for Public Policy and SDG Monitoring emphasizes the role of citizen data in enhancing the inclusiveness and responsiveness of official data systems. Allowing communities to participate directly in the data generation process can help address the persistent gaps in gender-related indicators, contributing to more comprehensive and equitable SDG reporting.

In 2020, the Women Count project in the UN Women East and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Office developed the Citizen Generated Data Methodological Guidelines, which provided a foundation for integrating citizen data into official data systems, particularly for monitoring SDG gender data. These guidelines focus on the general principles, best practices, and methods for incorporating citizen data into official statistics, particularly in the ESA region. However, while these guidelines provide a broad framework, the scope is limited to the ESA regional practices and experiences. The proposed global guidance aims to be broader and more diverse in scope and provide more up-to-date practical experiences. The global guidance is thus expected to provide more tailored guidance to countries with similar country situations vis-à-vis country examples included in the study to address gender data gaps in SDG monitoring and build on the new literature and guidance available.

We are thus seeking a consultant who is a known expert and highly skilled in citizen data to support us in the above undertaking by developing guidance on recommended practical guidance for using citizen data for SDG monitoring based on country examples across various regions. The consultant must provide evidence-based insights(e.g., practices from diverse regions and countries, global guidance from Expert Groups, guidance, standards, and classifications produced globally, regionally, and to some extent, nationally, to inform best practices and other methodological considerations.

The consultant will be reporting to Jessamyn Encarnacion, Statistics Specialist, and will be supported by Satanay Eshak, Programme Associate, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Duties and Responsibilities 

Under the supervision of the Women Count Inter-Regional Advisor on Gender Statistics, the Gender-Related Citizen Data Consultant will have the following responsibilities and tasks:

Development of the Global Practical Guidance on Using Citizen Data to Fill Gender Data Gaps in SDG Monitoring[1], guided by the Generic Statistical Business Process Model[2]

• Conduct a desk review

Review relevant literature, including the Citizen Data Methodological Guidelines (UN Women ESA Regional Office, 2020), recent global frameworks (e.g., the draft Copenhagen Statistical Framework on Citizen Data presented at the 55^th UN Statistical Commission), and case studies (e.g., Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda). The review should assess the strengths, limitations, and considerations for applying current approaches and inform the new guidance.

• Conduct interviews with stakeholders to gain qualitative insight
  • Conduct consultations with civil society organizations (CSOs), women’s advocates or grassroots movements, national statistical offices (NSOs), and other concerned actors in national statistical systems (NSSs), international organizations, and development partners to capture diverse perspectives on implementing citizen data initiatives. The consultant will:
  • Gather insights on practical partnerships between state and non-state actors and how these collaborations can be optimized for SDG gender monitoring
  • Identify enabling mechanisms, including barriers and opportunities that citizen data producers and users face for its greater and sustainable integration in gender data ecosystem. 

• Develop an actionable Global Practical Guidance on Using Citizen Data to Fill Gender Data Gaps in SDG Monitoring
  • Document step-by-step processes for integrating gender-related citizen data into national SDG monitoring frameworks. 
  • Include documentation and insights into enabling mechanisms that support the production and use of gender-related citizen data, such as the following:
    • How to engage non-state actors at various stages of the data value chain 
    • How to ensure inclusivity and at what levels of participation
    • What types of partnerships and collaborations worked successfully between state and non-state actors
    • Ethical and safety concerns and protocols that need to be established. The mode of data collection in various settings (e.g. crisis or emergencies)
  • Identify challenges and provide suggestions for using gender-related citizen data in countries with varying capacities and resources
  • Highlight case studies and good practices from countries successfully implementing gender-related citizen data initiatives for gender data production and use. Classify case studies into three categories:
    • Category 1: Producing or using citizen data to inform gender-specific SDG indicators directly
    • Category 2: Producing or using citizen data to inform gender-related aspects of broader SDG indicators
    • Category 3: Using gender-related citizen data to integrate and strengthen citizen participation in developing the broader gender data ecosystem (i.e., SDG and beyond)
  • To promote greater uptake and use of the Guidance, develop an Executive Summary (at most four pages) for communication and advocacy purposes 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. 

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: 

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in demography, social sciences, development studies, development economics, gender/women's studies, international relations, or a related field is required. PhD is a plus.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of seven years of demonstrated extensive experience in conducting gender data-related research or methodological studies at the national and international levels is required
• Relevant years of experience in gender issues, particularly in the production or use of citizen data
• Track record of papers, journals, or publications related to gender data, particularly using citizen data 
• Excellent writing and analytical skills
• Experience working with Member States, particularly with NSOs, national women’s machineries, or other actors of NSSs, as well as the UN System is an asset

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required. 
• Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

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.)