UN Women: Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Consultant, Bridgetown, Barbados, International Consultancy

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.

The UN Women MCO - Caribbean covers 22 countries and territories in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean. Strides towards gender equality in the countries covered by the MCO have resulted in gains for women and girls in the Caribbean, relating primarily to high education rates and increases in employment rates. However critical gaps and inequalities remain which are further exploited during hazards like COVID-19 and other environmental hazards. 

Empowering women to participate fully in the economy across all sectors and at all levels, is essential for building stronger economies; boosting business operations and goals; establishing more stable and fair societies; improving the quality of life for women, men, families, and communities; and achieving internationally agreed goals for development, sustainability, and human rights, for example, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).[i]

Ensuring the inclusion of women’s talents, skills, experiences, and energy requires affirmative action from corporate leadership and public policies. In response to this opportunity, the UN Global Compact and UN Women launched the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in 2010. The ‘WEPs’ are a set of seven principles offering concrete steps that companies can take in order to enhance gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. 

To improve women’s economic empowerment, and especially the role of private sector actors and businesses via the WEPs, UN Women is seeking to hire a consultant to promote the development of companies’ action plans towards gender equality, using the Women’s Empowerment Principles. 

UN Women MCO- Caribbean laid a strong foundation with the private sector through the Win-Win programme as well as other programs since 2018 and will build on this foundation by using the Women’s Empowerment Principles to lobby for substantive policies and programmes that will create a more enabling environment for gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

In 2023, UN Women launched the JP-SDG Funded program on ‘Optimizing innovative finance for underserved groups to build resilience and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in Antigua & Barbuda and St. Lucia ’. This program aims to foster technical assistance to increase the capacities of local stakeholders in promoting more inclusive access to underserved groups, particularly women and youth. The WEPs trainings to local businesses, particularly financial institutions and service providers, is a critical step in assuring a more enabling and inclusive environment within businesses and entities supporting the medium to small enterprises (SME’s).

• This is a home-based consultancy, with trips to Antigua and Saint Lucia. The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 50 working days during the period 01 April 2025 – 01 September 2025.  The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based communication technology is required.
• As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of two (2) travels to implement two in-person trainings in Antigua & Barbuda and Saint Lucia. Travel will be organized and paid for by UN Women. 

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: 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong problem-solving skills
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills
• Expertise in conducting trainings or capacity building initiatives
• Good planning and goal setting 
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities
• Ability to work with different actors, including through remote contact
• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct
• Ability to work in a high-pressured environment and handle logistical details
• Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in human rights, gender, international development, business, or related field.
• 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 5 years of experience in programmes related to gender equality and women’s empowerment and private sector engagement for gender equality, ESG or Corporate Social Responsibility required
• At least 2 years of experience in working with the Women’s Empowerment Principles desirable
• At least 2 years’ experience in developing and facilitating capacity development initiatives on gender equality for private sector actors required
• Previous experience in working in the Caribbean region or with Small Island Developing States is an asset
• Previous experience with the UN, governmental agencies or other international organization is an asset

Languages:

• Fluency in written and oral English is required. 

It is essential that when submitting your application through the online form, you include all your information.Incomplete applications or those missing the required information will not be considered.

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.