In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In doing so, UN Member States took an historic step in accelerating the Organization’s goals on 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, which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment: Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) The main roles of UN Women are: To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms. To help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society. To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: National Consultant
Languages Required: English
Starting Date: 01-Dec-2021 (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)
Duration of Initial Contract: 6 months
Background
- COTLA/CONATA is a pan African movement of progressive Traditional Leaders primarily established to end child marriage, FGM/C, and other harmful practices in Africa by 2030. COTLA/CONATA’s primary focus is to preserve positive cultural practices, customs, and traditions while at the same time transforming and eradicating altogether all negative practices, customs, and traditions especially those that affect the human rights of girls and women. COTLA/CONATA was established in Lagos, Nigeria in December 2018 following a series of dialogues with Traditional Leaders on ending child marriage and female genital mutilation across Africa organized by UN Women. UN Women facilitated dialogues with Traditional Leaders starting with a consultation that was held in Nairobi in August 2018, then regional dialogues that took place in Blantyre (Malawi), Cairo (Egypt), and Lagos (Nigeria).
- The movement was officially launched by the President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu, in his capacity as AU Presidential Ambassador on ending child marriage, on 10th February 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the margins of the AU Heads of State and Government Summit. COTLA/CONATA envisions a well-organized and vibrant pan African platform for progressive Traditional Leaders which harnesses the power and influence of African culture to respect human dignity, human rights, gender equality, and attain sustainable development of Africa in line with the AU Vision 2063. Its mission is to harness and amplify the voices of progressive Traditional and Cultural Leaders at continental, regional, and national levels to meaningfully contribute towards an integrated, stable, resilient, environmentally sustainable, prosperous, and developed Africa that respects the human rights of girls and women.
- The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in support of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. It was launched in September 2017 by the UN Secretary-General and the EU High Representative and Vice President (HRVP). The 500 million Euro Initiative provides a model for partnerships with donors, civil society, and the UN to deliver on the SDGs in a comprehensive manner leveraging comparative expertise. SDG 5 and the achievement of gender equality are placed at the center of efforts (alongside Goal 16) with the aim to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of all goals. Within the UN, the Initiative will operationalize the UN development system reforms and model a new way of delivering on the SDGs in an integrated way, leveraging collaborative advantages. Three Core Agencies: UNDP (the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population (UNFPA), and UN Women) will work together with other UN agencies to make large-scale investments in priority countries.
- COTLA/CONATA aims to create pathways through which Traditional and Cultural Leaders can more constructively engage and contribute at AU, regional, national, and local levels to move towards the attainment of Africa’s development, human rights, and respect for girls and women’s rights with progressive cultural values. Its purpose is to secure, renew, deepen and act on commitments of governments and African Traditional and Cultural Leaders to end child marriage, FGM/C, and other harmful practices, and promote gender equality through recognition and harnessing of the power and influence of culture, customs, norms, and traditions as they relate to state laws and international human rights instruments.
The objectives of the COTLA/CONATA are as follows:
- Create and sustain a transformational Pan African progressive Traditional Leaders movement that embraces cultural dynamism and respect for the human rights of girls and women in Africa.
- Promote dialogue and partnerships that facilitate positive actions to address negative cultural practices, traditions, and customs to end child marriage & Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and promote gender equality in Africa.
- Ensure action and accountability on all commitments and targets agreed at local, national, and international levels towards the respect of the rights of girls and women
- COTLA (Nigeria chapter) is currently being supported by UN Women and Africa Union and building partnerships with other regional or national institutions and bodies to help it achieve its objectives.
- Under the Spotlight Initiative, an individual consultant is required to support the COTLA in developing a national work plan that is GBV/SRHR/ HP responsive, including implementing the accountability framework, coordinate bi-monthly (once in two months) meetings as well as support their advocacy initiatives on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence/Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights/Harmful Practices (SGBV/SRHR/HP). The Consultant will work under the supervision of the UN Women Nigeria Spotlight Program Specialist and provide programmatic and operational support to the program.
- As part of UN Women’s mandate to improve the capacity of traditional and religious leaders to promote access to justice for women and women’s rights within the framework of the customary laws. As part of this assignment, the consultant will develop a training manual for traditional leaders on gender justice and customs in Nigeria.
- The consultancy is in two parts and is further explained in the deliverables.
Duties and Responsibilities
- UN Women is seeking to hire an individual consultant is required to support COTLA in developing a national work plan that is GBV/SRHR/ HP responsive, including implementing the accountability framework, coordinate bi-monthly (once in two months) meetings as well as support their advocacy initiatives on SGBV/SRHR/HP.
Specifically, the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
Task1:
- Facilitate the development of the group’s national work plan that is GBV/SRHR/ HP responsive,
Task 2:
- Work with COTLA members and relevant stakeholders to implement the accountability framework across all Spotlight states as well as support operationalization of COTLA commitments made within the framework of the GE Forum in Paris
Task 3:
- Coordinate bi-monthly (once in two months) meetings as well as support COTLA advocacy initiatives on SGBV/SRHR/HP
Task 4:
- Provide technical support towards the implementation of developed work plan to achieve key objectives of COTLA in line with targets of the Spotlight Initiative
Task 5:
- Facilitate partnership dialogues between COTLA and other key stakeholders working on EVAWG at the state and national.
Part 2:
Task 6:
- Develop a training manual for traditional leaders on gender justice and customary law in Nigeria.
Task 7:
- Present the training manual draft at a consultative workshop for review by relevant stakeholders including but not limited to rule of law actors and based on feedback, finalize.
Deliverables
Deliverable – No of Days
- Prepare and submit Inception Report/Finalize report based on reviews – 5
- Prepare and submit draft Workplan after inputs and thorough engagement with COTLA members for review (Conduct at least 1 Workplan development workshop) – 15
- Prepare targets/milestones based on accountability framework and COTLA commitments made within the framework of the GE Forum in Paris with input from COTLA members/key stakeholders and submit for review – 10
- Finalize and organize validation of COTLA national Workplan – 10
Part 2 (The consultancy is divided into two parts):
- Develop a training manual for traditional leaders on gender justice and customary law in Nigeria. – 10
- Present the training manual draft at a consultative workshop for review by relevant stakeholders including but not limited to rule of law actors and based on feedback, finalize. – 1
- Facilitate bi-monthly meetings of COTLA members and other related meetings/events – Continuous throughout the period of consultancy
- Facilitate/support COTLA advocacy initiatives on SGBV/SRHR/HP – Continuous throughout the period of consultancy
- Facilitate the implementation of developed Workplan to achieve key objectives of COTLA in line with targets of the Spotlight Initiative – Continuous throughout the period of consultancy
- Facilitate partnership dialogues between COTLA and other key stakeholders working on EVAWG at the state and national. – Continuous throughout the period of consultancy
- Prepare and submit a final report of consultancy; approved COTLA national work plan, manual – 10
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Degree in Business Administration, Social Science, International Development, Law, Human Rights, Political Science, International Relations, or another related field.
Experience:
- At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in organizational development and /or business management
- Knowledge and experience of working in business management and incorporation environment
- Knowledge of documentation and knowledge products
- Knowledge of program management and results-based management tools
- Demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner; ability to organize work efficiently and deal with multiple tasks
- Ability to work independently and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds
- Strong IT skills. Experience in the use of computer applications and software packages.
- Previous experience working in West Africa is an asset.
Competencies:
Core Values and Guiding Principles:
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling UN Women’s values and ethical standards.
- Demonstrates a commitment to UN Women’s mission and vision.
- Able to work effectively within a team.
- Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability.
- Able to multi-task and juggle competing demands.
- Can assess and prioritize work needs quickly.
- Able to relate to external partners, including other international organizations and agencies, NGOs, etc.
Functional Competencies
- Knowledge of organizational development processes
- Knowledge and expertise in administrative practices and company incorporation
- Capacity to work with diverse groups, networks, and partners including governments, donors, and civil society.
- Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds.
- Results-based management skills.
- Ability to produce well-written documents demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills.
Language:
- Excellent oral and written English skills.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to UN Women on jobs.undp.org to apply
