Gender Equality Policy Associate

El PNUD trabaja en unos 170 países y territorios, ayudando a erradicar la pobreza, reducir las desigualdades y la exclusión y desarrollar la resiliencia para que los países puedan progresar. Como agencia de desarrollo de la ONU, el PNUD desempeña un papel fundamental para ayudar a los países a alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS).

At the UNDP Office in Costa Rica, gender equality and women's empowerment are also guiding principles that apply to everything we do. We recognize that the participation of all women in every area of sustainable human development is essential to achieving effective and lasting change, not only for themselves, but also for their families, communities and the country.

Our commitment in this new programme cycle defined in our Country Programme Document (CPD) 2023-2027, is that gender equality and women's empowerment are the backbone of our actions. Therefore, we promote public policies for gender equality; we promote institutional transformation and modernization that accelerate women's empowerment, including participation in decision-making spaces; we ensure that an inclusive economy and shared prosperity are centered on expanding women's economic autonomy and strengthening the enabling conditions to reduce gender gaps in employment and inclusive growth; and we believe that becoming stronger in the face of adversity, adapting to climate change and using ecosystems sustainably are guided by the capacities and knowledge of women in all their diversity.

It is urgent to eliminate the structural barriers faced by women and propose comprehensive, multidimensional and innovative alternatives to address the polycrisis—a concept coined by the UNDP to refer to the interconnected and systemic nature of the threats we currently face as humanity—and to influence women's autonomy for their human development and the prosperity of the country. This is to contribute to the fundamental objective of our 2023-2027 CPD: "We contribute with the Costa Rican population to transform its development model to eliminate the economic, social and political inequalities that have affected the country for a long time. Our interventions are aligned with the national priorities of decentralisation; more efficient state institutions; sustainable economic activities that generate employment and benefits for the regions; and response to multiple threats with an intersectional gender perspective and respect for human rights".

Thus, the UNDP Office in Costa Rica supports various institutions and ministries in the design of public policies for gender equality, which seek to close gender gaps and promote women's autonomy in the country, in accordance with the National Policy for Effective Equality between Women and Men (PIEG, 2018-2030), the National Policy for the Care and Prevention of Violence against Women of All Ages (PLANOVI, 2017-2032), and the guidelines established by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Policy for the formulation of public policies (MIDEPLAN, 2023). The UNDP Office in Costa Rica supported the formulation of the country's first environmental sector policy: Institutional Gender Equality Policy of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewage (AYA, 2018). We also supported the design of the Gender Equality Policy for Inclusive Development in the Costa Rican Agricultural, Fishing and Rural Sector and its First Action Plan (MAG, 2020), the Gender Equality Policy of the Regulatory Authority for Public Services (ARESEP, 2021), the Gender Equality Policy with an Intersectional Approach of the Joint Social Welfare Institute and its First Action Plan (IMAS, 2022), and the National Action Plan on Gender Equality in Climate Action (MINAE & INAMU, 2023), declared of public interest by the President of the Republic via Executive Decree No. 44053.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Specialist and Coordinator of the Technical Unit for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, UNDP Costa Rica, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Support the design and annual implementation of at least three gender gap assess-ments in public institutions, ministries, local governments, and sectors in accordance with INTECO's INTE G:38 1-2-3 2021 standards and the UNDP's Global Gender Equality Award in Public Administration.

• Support the annual formulation of at least two public policies for gender equality and their action plans in public institutions, ministries, local governments and sectors, in accordance with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Policy for the formulation of public policies (MIDEPLAN, 2023) and the needs of the counterpart.

• Support the publication of at least five annual documents on Gender Gap Diagnostics and Public Policies for Gender Equality and their Action Plans supported in public in-stitutions, ministries, local governments and sectors.

• Support the development at least five annual events on Gender Gap Diagnostics and Public Policies for Gender Equality and their Action Plans, supported by public institu-tions, ministries, local governments and sectors to highlight their efforts to reduce the structural barriers faced by women, and comprehensive, multidimensional and innova-tive alternatives to address the polycrisis and its impact on women's autonomy for their human development and the prosperity of the country.