UN WOMEN recrute un Consultant International, New York, États-Unis

After violent conflicts and in fragile contexts, economic recovery and reconstruction are often a cornerstone of the peacebuilding effort. The post-conflict period presents an important opportunity to “build back better” social, economic, and political institutions that prevent relapse into conflict and foster stability and development. The recovery and reconstruction processes are opportunities to address the root causes of conflict, and correct systems of social, political, economic and gender-based exclusion.

Women’s economic vulnerability often increases significantly during and in the aftermath of conflicts: their access to rights, employment, productive resources, assets, services and infrastructure becomes increasingly limited. Violence against women is often deployed as a weapon and/or a tool for appropriation of economic resources. Yet, women are often absent from decisions regarding peace negotiations, economic reforms, natural resource allocation and post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

From resource allocation to large-scale infrastructure planning, to social service provision, women’s meaningful participation is critical for more inclusive and effective peace and development outcomes. The post-conflict period is therefore an opportune time to rethinking the way women contribute to the economic tissue, and how their contribution can strengthen sustainable peace recovery. However, the challenges to economic recovery faced by an estimated 264 million women living in fragile and conflict affected countries  have not received the desired attention in terms of policies, programming and financing. While many policies and programmes have focused on women’s individual economic empowerment through livelihoods initiatives, these have mainly considered women as beneficiaries. Gender-sensitive approaches to macro-level recovery reconstruction efforts remain under-researched and implemented, and women are often sidelined across reconstruction analysis, planning, operationalization, financing, and evaluation.

The 4th pillar of the UNSCR 1325 (2000) emphasises the role of women in relief and recovery efforts. In 2013, a declaration on women’s economic empowerment for peacebuilding was adopted by the Peacebuilding Commission  while the Secretary-General’s Seven-Point Action Plan (7PAP) on gender-responsive peacebuilding along with subsequent Secretary-General’s reports on WPS emphasize the need to pay attention to women economic security. In 2018, the WPS Expert Group Meeting report and the NGO Working Group on WPS identified women’s economic empowerment as a gap area in the implementation of WPS commitments. Additionally, the 2017 report of the UN High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment recommended four sectors (informal work, formal sector employees, agriculture and women-owned enterprises) and seven drivers of women economic empowerment. These call for concerted efforts to advance women’s economic empowerment through research, policies and programmes.

This study, led by UN Women, will seek to address an existing policy gap, focusing on women’s larger-scale role in economic recovery and reconstruction in peacebuilding settings. It will explore innovative solutions for a feminist approach to economic recovery and reconstruction, identifying a structured way for engaging women in analysis and decision making for planning and reconstruction, which could lead to accessible, predictable and dedicated resources for WPS priorities.

The study will shed light on the specificities and diversity of women’s economic role and experiences in post-conflict settings, and on the unique resources and capacities they have for contributing to the economic recovery and reconstruction in countries emerging from conflict. Specifically, the study will seek to:

  • Establish a snapshot of the diversity of women’s experiences and participation in economic recovery and reconstruction, and determine their level of exclusion in peacebuilding settings;
  • Understand the dynamics and linkages between women’s participation in peace processes (power sharing) and in post-conflict economic recovery efforts (distribution of resources);
  • Identify the challenges, financial and structural barriers to women’s economic inclusion in economic recovery and reconstruction;
  • Showcase the value of women’s participation in efforts to rebuild and sustain peace, through an evidence-based approach with case studies and examples;
  • Explore innovative solutions to support a feminist approach to post-conflict recovery and reconstruction for a gender-responsive “build back better,” and propose potential entry points and opportunities for the UN, international financial institutions, international and civil society actors.

The study will be carried out in a phased approach, the initial desk review will provide the background of existing practices, successful examples and lessons learned in terms of women’s engagement. Further a guided 2-3 case studies, to be undertaken by CSO partners in the field, will provide more detail on the experience in the selected country contexts. In the expert group meeting the outcomes of both desk review and country case studies will be discussed and the policy recommendations developed.

Scope of the study

The study will analyze women’s role and participation in economic recovery and reconstruction efforts in peacebuilding settings – immediately after conflicts, but also as a contribution to the prevention agenda, to avoid relapse into conflict. Specifically, the following thematic issues should be covered by the study:

  1. Women’s contribution at macroeconomic level, including their specific contribution to economic growth; to the post-conflict job market; to relevant economic sectors (care industry, for instance); as well as in building sustainable infrastructures;
  2. Participation in economic governance, including within decision-making spaces (Government, Parliament), as well as in national, regional and international financial institutions;
  3. Women’s contribution as entrepreneurs and within the private sector.

While the study should have a global range, at least three case studies should be developed to illustrate findings. Countries of specific interest include: Central African Republic, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan.

The study should pay a specific attention to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in economic recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The study should be gender- and age-responsive. The analysis should systematically include considerations on the specific roles, contributions, needs and barriers faced by young women.

This consultancy aims at developing the first phase of the study.

This consultancy will provide a first snapshot of existing experiences of women’s involvement and inclusion in economic recovery and reconstruction. A desk review will cover known existing practices, successful results and lessons learned. The initial desk review will also identify the areas of research for the case studies, as well identify a unified methodology. The consultant will attend two expert meetings: one is a consultation to discuss preliminary findings of desk review, another is an expert group meeting to validate the outcomes of both, desk review and case studies, and elaborate policy recommendations

Methodology

This study will be developed through a phased approach:

  • Phase 1: Initial research and a consultation and a methodology for case studies (this consultancy)
  • Phase 2: Case Studies (by CSOs)
  • Phase 3: Expert group meeting to validate findings and develop policy recommendations

This consultancy aims to conduct the first phase of this process, with the following methodology:

Preparations

Preparatory phase will include a virtual meeting with UN Women and the UN Reference Group established for this study to clarify, if needed, the terms of reference and the scope of work, and agree on the methodology. The consultant should establish his/her workplan and detailed methodology. A succinct inception report including an outline of the paper.

Desk review, data collection and analysis

The development of the study should include a thorough desk review of 1/ existing literature, including publications from UN Women and as well as from the rest of the UN system, the World Bank, IMF and other international financial institutions, thinks tanks and academia; 2/ community of practice documentation, including project evaluations or lessons learned exercises on projects related to women economic participation in peacebuilding settings.

The consultant will develop a methodology for case studies. Considering travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, alternate methods of data collection should be envisaged to collect primary information, including teleconference interviews with UN Women country offices as well as with relevant stakeholders located in peacebuilding settings. Specific attention should be paid to ensure that the voice of women entrepreneurs or women leaders in economic governance spaces are adequately included in the data collection exercise.

The consultant will analyze and interpret the data collected. The consultant will also prepare a detailed methodology aimed at supporting the partner CSOs that will carry out the case studies.

Attending two virtual expert meetings and drafting of findings and recommendations

The consultant will  draft a policy paper which will include the analysis of the desk review, overall findings and key recommendations for pilot programmes in the targeted countries.

Reviewing case studies

The consultant will review the case studies developed by CSO partners, and provide feedback and recommendations to ensure overall consistency and alignment with the initial objective of the study.

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Accountability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

  • Demonstrated experience designing and managing highly engaging, interactive events, including virtual and in-person
  • Excellent spoken, written, external and strategic communications skills
  • Strong knowledge of social media platforms and trends
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Desktop publishing and graphic design skills highly desirable
  • Familiarity with women, peace and security and humanitarian issues
  • Firm grasp of women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment issues

Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to advocacy, communications and outreach messages

Education and Certification:

  • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, social sciences, gender studies, peace and conflict studies, or related field.

Experience
  • A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience in research, programming or policy in the field of women’s economic empowerment and/or gender-responsive peacebuilding;
  • Excellent writing and editing skills.

Language requirements

  • English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. The consultant must have fluency in spoken and written English.
  • Proficiency in other UN languages, in particular French or Arabic, is desirable.
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