Job Title: GOVERNANCE AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ADVISOR, Nairobi
UN WOMEN: GOVERNANCE AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ADVISOR
Location : Nairobi, KENYA
Type of Contract : FTA International
Post Level : P-5
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.
Following the strategy initiated in 2011 to ensure UN Women’s global strategy is aligned with country development plans as detailed in the Annual Work Plans (AWP); UN Women has consolidated, during 2012, the vision and work modalities for political participation. In addition UN Women also actively participates and contributes to various UN inter-agency processes and collaborates with U.N. organisations around governance and political participation related programmes. Key messaging on women’s political participation has also been harmonised across the system so that all partners engaging in electoral assistance have a clear vision for the promotion of women’s voices – not only regarding elections but in all political processes; aimed to ensure that gender equality becomes a priority theme in all the UN policies related with democracy, conflict prevention and electoral assistance.
UN Women launched its Regional Office in Kenya following a series of consultations which enabled UN Women to identify a number of sectors and issues as priority programmes for the next years. Most of the East and Southern Africa Region AWPs 2012-2013 include women’s leadership and participation in governance as one of the priority areas of work.
In addition to the above, based on the AWPs analysis, 9 National and 25 Local/Municipal elections are scheduled in the region in 2013. In order to ensure policy advice and technical support in the region, a regional Governance and Political Participation Advisor will be placed in Nairobi Regional Office. This Advisor will ensure up to date specialised knowledge on country situations is available and technical expertise is readily on hand, ensuring response is tailored to the newly emerging realities. The scope of work of the Governance and Political Participation Advisor requires experience and in-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s political empowerment issues, to translate UN Women`s strategic plans in the area of political participation into effective programmes and results. It also requires developing mutually reinforcing partnerships with relevant Government counterparts, UN organisations, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). Under the supervision of the East and Southern Africa Regional Director, and in consultation as required with Multi/Country Offices in the Region and relevant Divisions/Sections in UN Women/HQ, the Governance and Political Participation Advisor based at the Regional Office in Nairobi is expected to engage proactively on women’s leadership and political participation issues with local and regional figures to help advance women political participation in East and Southern Africa.
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions:
Analysis and Monitoring of Trends, Opportunities and Challenges;
Programme Development and Technical Support;
Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, regional and international actors and development partners;
Knowledge Management and Reporting.
Analysis and Monitoring of Trends, Opportunities and Challenges
Provide policy recommendations, strategic advice and proposed courses of action to the Regional Director and Country Representatives;
Establish and maintain close working contacts with national partners and regional actors, civil society, and international organisations in the region;
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of political events and integrate information and analysis in support of policy development, analysis, outreach and advocacy;
Contribute to the drafting and delivery of briefings to senior management and other officials as required;
Prepare analytical reports, briefing notes, background papers, summaries, correspondence and talking points;
Liaise with key national, regional, and local stakeholders from Government and civil society and key international actors to build up and strengthen strategic alliances and partnerships on political participation initiatives;
Represent UN Women at inter-governmental and regional meetings on women’s political participation in the region;
Propose plan of action for immediate and long range actions on Women’s political participation in the region;
Work closely with colleagues from UN Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace and Security teams across the organisation to identify promising practices, technical expertise, and strategic opportunities for enhancing women’s political participation as well as the effectiveness of women political actors in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Programme Development and Technical Support
Manage and be responsible for the overall implementation of the UN Women Political Participation programming in East and Southern Africa;
Assist country offices in developing and strengthening policies to ensure a high quality rapid response capacity on women’s political rights, participation, leadership and influence, supporting the adoption and implementation of constitutional reforms and other measures in laws and policies, (including temporary special measures), gender-responsive electoral management, and institutional change to enhance women’s engagement on leadership positions;
Support and oversee establishment and effective functioning of the Leadership Centre for Equal and Inclusive Governance, and its link with affiliate leadership institutes in the region and contribute to module development and delivery on behalf of UN Women;
Work closely with UN Women country offices in East and Southern Africa and provide programme support to develop and implement programmes at the local and national level to enhance women’s political influence;
Promote coordination and participation in joint activities with various stakeholders to work collaboratively in pursuit of the shared goal of increasing women’s political participation such as: UN agencies, Women’s National Machineries, Electoral Management Bodies, Civil society, Inter-governmental organisations and regional women’s networks;
Provide support to countries in the preparation of CSW and other normative reports.
Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, regional and international actors and development partners
Support the building of strategic alliances and partnerships for women political participation related strategies and initiatives;
Maintain close liaison with relevant donors and other actors supporting women political participation efforts in the region;
Support the country offices mobilising resources for the implementation of women political participation initiatives;
Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Women Headquarters.
Knowledge Management and Reporting:
Manage the process of compiling reports and lessons learned on Women’s political participation and contribute to UN Women's knowledge management efforts;
Work with relevant UN Women teams to identify and disseminate lessons learned and good practices in the area of political participation;
Contribute to the development of the regional knowledge hub and propose plans to enrich its political participation coverage;
Produce key knowledge products on aspects of GEWE in democratic governance and political participation, ensure their dissemination;
Initiate and manage regular policy dialogue/engagement seminars and workshops in the region
Establish and facilitate a regional community of practice on GEWE in democratic governance and political participation.
Impact of Results:
The specific impact of the post can be measured by its ability to help the Regional Office and Country Offices/Multi-Country Offices translate UN Women`s strategic plans in the area of political participation into effective programmes and results. This impact will only be sustainable if the incumbent succeeds in developing mutually reinforcing partnerships with relevant Government counterparts, UN organisations, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). A measure of the incumbent’s efforts to formulate and help implement UN Women Political Participation programmes and initiatives will be reflected in how well it advances gender equality and women’s empowerment in the political sphere in East and Southern Africa.
Competencies
Core Values/Guiding Principles:
Integrity:
Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
Professionalism:
Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:
Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organisation and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.
Core Competencies:
Ethics and Values:
Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organisational precedents.
Organisational Awareness:
Build support for the organisation and ensure political acumen.
Development and Innovation:
Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.
Work in teams:
Build and promote effective teams;
Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Communication and Information Sharing:
Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication.
Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:
Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others.
Conflict Management:
Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.
Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:
Share knowledge across the organisation and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.
Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:
Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.
Functional Competencies:
Substantive experience and record of accomplishment in the area of political participation;
Demonstrated People Management Skills;
Familiarity with women's rights organisations and networks globally is essential, with knowledge of such networks and organisations specifically in the region highly desirable;
Good knowledge of UN Women and the UN system;
Pr oven ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Ability to lead strategic planning, programme development and implementation, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships and mobilise resources;
Area of political participation: Contribute to the development of the regional knowledge hub and propose plans to enrich its political participation coverage.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Master’s degree (or equivalent) in political science, social sciences, international relations, law, gender issues, or other development-related fields.
Experience:
A minimum of 10 years of experience on political issues, and preferably including 5 years field experience in the area of governance and political participation, particularly on electoral assistance.
Related experience in East and Southern Africa desirable.
Experience working in large multicultural development agencies a distinct advantage.
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.
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.
How to Apply:
http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=39563
Deadline: 30/08/2013
