Gender Protocol Consultant (Homebased) External Post level International Consultant Apply by Ma[...]

United Nations Development Programme • Bridgetown, OH, United States • $200k - $250k / year • 1m ago

Maximum of 40 working days between 1 May 2024 and 31 March 2025

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, which are part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). 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 remain. These gaps are further exploited during hazards like COVID-19 and other environmental hazards.

The MCO Caribbean 2022 -2026 programme builds on the works of the 2017-2021 Strategic Note with a focus on the Normative Framework (Proposed Outcome 1), Women’s Economic Empowerment (Proposed Outcomes 2 and 3), Ending Violence against Women and Girls (Proposed Outcome 4) and Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience (Proposed Outcome 5). All the Outcomes like the SDGs are interconnected and interrelated. Public engagement and events are critical opportunities for networking, sensitization and advocacy.

In 2023, UN Women launched a project titled ‘Vulnerable Population Response for Bahamas Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Agencies’, which seeks to reduce gender-based violence, youth crime and trafficking in persons in The Bahamas. The project’s logical framework is based on the findings of the UN Common Country Assessment, a mapping and assessment of the laws of the Bahamas, and administrative data from police and justice sectors which point to the impact of gender-based violence, youth crime, and institutional gaps in evidence-based policymaking and in the administration of justice as an inhibitor of progress towards advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Against this background, the project seeks to address these issues in three-part by:

Assessing the current government capacity to respond to incidences of gender-based violence.
Strengthening the capacity of duty-bearers to enhance and deploy prevention and reduction strategies, through training and sensitization, and by developing and implementing dedicated judicial and law enforcement response protocols.
Adopting and implementing evidence-based programmes to increase perpetrator accountability and reduce impunity, which offer mechanisms for rehabilitation and prevent recidivism.

A key aspect of a strong response system for survivors of gender-based violence is ensuring practical guidance for the key stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities, and the operational procedures integral to effective intervention. However, there exists institutional gaps in the response system, including, general lack of coordination of services, lack of information management systems, deficiencies in the coordination of care processes and non-existence of best practices protocols.

As such, UN Women MCO Caribbean wishes to engage a consultant to develop a comprehensive Gender Protocol for stakeholders within Justice and Law Enforcement on issues of gender-based violence and non-discrimination including trafficking in persons, and to support trainings which will ensure the smooth integration of the protocol into daily practices.

Adoption of the Gender Protocol presents an opportunity for formalising and streamlining guidance on how to effectively respond to critical incidents across The Bahamas, using a gender perspective and person-centred approach, ensuring that no one is left behind. Furthermore, the development and implementation of wide-scale training for key justice and law enforcement duty-bearers will ensure that stakeholders are equipped with the knowledge and tools to make decisions that reflect gender sensitivity, and that are ultimately transparent and fair. These practices will be core to reinforcing international human rights standards, reducing the occurrence of discrimination and bias for women and vulnerable groups accessing government services and justice system, and improving the quality of services which are provided for women and vulnerable group survivors of gender-based violence in the Bahamas.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative, and day to day supervision of the Planning and Coordination Specialist (Trinidad and Tobago) the consultant will complete four main objectives:

Hold consultations with judiciary and key legal stakeholders on gender protocol, and establish steering committee approved by Chief Justice.
Adapt/develop comprehensive gender protocol for justice and law enforcement stakeholders in the Bahamas on issues of gender-based violence and non-discrimination including trafficking in persons.
Support the Judiciary and all law enforcement agencies with developing harmonised training and advocacy tools and materials to roll out the Gender Protocol for the criminal justice sector.
Conduct Training of Trainers among key justice and law enforcement officials with the Gender Protocol.
Conduct wide-scale training of justice and law enforcement duty bearers, service providers and government officials within The Bahamas on issues of gender-based violence and non-discrimination including trafficking in persons.

Scope of Work and Deliverables:

The consultant is expected to deliver the following results:

Inception Report

Develop a detailed inception report and workplan to carry out the assignment, including a comprehensive timeline, proposed approach and methodology.

Adapt/Develop a Comprehensive Gender Protocol for Justice and Law Enforcement Stakeholders

Conduct consultations with key stakeholders in justice and law enforcement to identify the challenges/gaps in the current Gender Protocol.
Adapt/develop the draft Gender Protocol and operational guidelines based on stakeholder consultations and present feedback.
Finalise the protocol and operational guidelines based on feedback from key stakeholders and UN Women.

Support the Development and Delivery of Training and Tools to Roll out the Gender Protocol

Conduct consultations with the Judiciary to develop harmonized training and advocacy tools and materials designed to roll out the Gender Protocol for the criminal justice sector.
Develop training courses on the Gender Protocol using an online platform, which includes a practical component and an assessment.
Support at least 2 training sessions on the Gender Protocol for identified duty-bearers in justice and law enforcement, using a Train the Trainer approach.
Conduct wide-scale training sessions on issues of gender-based violence and non-discrimination, including trafficking in persons, for justice and law enforcement duty bearers, service providers and government officials.

Final Report

Produce a final report, based consultation findings and feedback, and including progress, outcomes and challenges encountered.

Core Values:

Respect for Diversity
Integrity and Fairness
Professionalism

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
Accountability;
Creative Problem Solving;
Effective Communication;
Stakeholder Engagement;
Leading by Example.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Advanced University Degree in any of the following areas: Gender and Development, Law, Public Policy, or a relevant Social Sciences discipline is required.
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 10 years’ experience working on gender equality, gender-based violence and human rights issues is required.
At least 7 years’ experience working within the justice sector or supporting justice institutions is required.
At least 5 years’ experience in facilitation and training, including course development and preparation of training tools, is required.
Demonstrated experience in inter-agency coordination, negotiations, facilitation and coordination of sectors, reporting and technical writing would be an asset.
Experience working within the Caribbean region is required.
Experience working in The Bahamas is preferred.
Experience working with the United Nations is preferred.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English is required.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultancy will be home-based. However, travel may be required.
The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 40working days within the period, 1 May 2024 to 31 May 2025.

Remuneration

The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.
The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits. Hence, it is the responsibility of the consultant to take out adequate medical insurance for the duration of the contract and it is recommendable that the policy includes coverage for COVID-19 related illness. The medical coverage should be international when the contract requires missions or international assignment.
If selected for this consultancy, proof of medical coverage should be presented within the first two months of the contract.

Hardware, Software, And Communication

The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must run at least Windows 7. The consultants must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

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.)

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