Gender Analysis of CT/PVE Regional Strategies in Africa

Background:

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. 

UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls.

UN Women is committed to delivering the highest quality research and data on gender equality, and through this work, giving gender advocates the evidence needed to make an impact on global and national policy debates. 

In Africa, ongoing terrorist threats unfold against a backdrop of complex insecurity and socio-economic challenges, disproportionately affecting women and young girls. Notably, the Sahel and West Africa region, as well as the Horn of Africa, East Africa and more recently southern Africa with Mozambique and the DRC witnessing an increase in insurgency, face common challenges ranging from the active operations of designated terrorist groups, porous borders, and organized crime to socio-economic and climate crises. In response, regional bodies and national governments have enacted policies and strategies to address violent extremism and terrorism. However, security related frameworks could have significant gendered impact, this includes policies and strategies aiming at countering and preventing violent extremism and terrorism. It is therefore important to gain a thorough understanding on the extent to which such policies and strategies are gender responsive and what extent they take into account the needs, perspectives and experiences of women, men, girls and boys. Such an approach is essential to ensure strategic planning, adequate resources allocation, and effective implementation to meet the goal of reduced threat of violence and to prevent and supress the ongoing mobilization efforts of designated terrorist organizations. Gender responsive security policies are also essential to deliver on State obligations on respecting, prompting and fulfilling human rights. 

Therefore, a robust gender analysis of existing regional CT and PVE policies in Africa, will help guide policy makers and civil society engage in an informed manner to effective address potential gendered biases, systemic barriers to the participation of women, and to enable the delivery of quality security services for all. . Such gender analysis of regional CT and PVE frameworks in Africa, could also inform the degree of its harmonization with international and regional frameworks like the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy (UNCTS), the AU Convention on the Prevention and Combatting of Terrorism and its 2004 Protocol  and WPS framework. 

Furthermore, civil society focused on women’s rights has repeatedly highlighted the importance of strengthening women’s voices and the role of civil society in CT/PVE processes and mechanisms at the national and regional level. One of the recommendations that emerged from a recent symposium organized by UN Women with women groups representatives from the Sahel and the Horn of Africa/East Africa was the need to increase their knowledge and understanding of regional CT/PVE policies and their gender impact.

Accordingly, UN Women is embarking on reviewing and conducting a gender analysis of the main CT/PVE regional policies and frameworks governing regional CT and PVE efforts. 

Purpose:

The consultant will be responsible for conducting a robust gender analysis of current CT/PVE regional policies in Africa, strategies, and frameworks of regional bodies in Africa, such as the AU and Regional Economic Commissions. The gender analysis will clearly and succinctly detail to what extent CT/PVE regional frameworks are gender responsive, what are the gaps, and the potential impact of the current frameworks on achieving the goal of countering and preventing violent extremism that could be conducive to terrorism, as well as, their direct and indirect impact on the civil and political rights of women in country, their ability to engage effectively in regional CT/PVE efforts, and their access to services and opportunities at the local level. Furthermore, the analysis will support accountability by providing evidence-based recommendations to ensure Member States integrate and uphold gender equality and human rights standards in the design, implementation, and monitoring of regional CT/PVE policies and strategies.

The gender analysis could also inform support to strengthen gender responsive policies, discussions and capacity building of security sector actors and institutions as well as capacity building on CSOs to increase their knowledge and ability to engage in advocacy efforts with regional institutions, and to strengthen their role in regional security efforts. 

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the UN Women Counterterrorism Policy Specialist and in consultation with Regional Offices in West Africa and Central Africa and East and Southern Africa, the consultant will conduct desk review and consultations with national and regional stakeholders to produce a robust gender analysis, in accordance with the tasks specified below:

• Conduct an initial desk review to identify and map existing regional CT/PVE and security related policies, strategies, and frameworks in Africa.
• Develop a detailed workplan including timeline and research methodology.
• Map specific provisions and commitments related to gender and WPS included in regional CT/PVE and security related policies, strategies, and frameworks.
• Prepare objective analysis on gaps and challenges pertaining to CT/PVE regional frameworks limiting their gender responsiveness. 
• Review regional policies and strategies to assess their impact on the rights of women at all levels, including as domesticated in national legislation and the application of the law following several examples. 
• Review alignment with international human rights obligations, including alignment to WPS international commitments, identify gaps, and provide recommendations for strengthening gender-responsive approaches to CT/PVE at the regional level. 
• Conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders at the global, regional, and country level as appropriate.
• Circulate drafts and engage constructively with focal points to address comments and inputs as appropriate.
• Present the final product to internal and external partners.  

  Completed Deliverables

  • Inception report including initial desk review, detailed work plan and timeline, and methodology.
  • First draft of the gender analysis with concrete and actionable recommendations, following meetings and consultations with stakeholders.
  • Advance incorporating comments and inputs. 
  • Final draft submitted and presented on behalf of UN Women. 

    Competencies :

    📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

    ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

    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: 

        Technical / Functional Competencies:

        • Expert knowledge of women, peace and security (WPS) and terrorism issues.
        • Excellent analytical and research skills.
        • Demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment.
        • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
        • Highly effective organization and planning skills and high attention to detail.
        • Excellent drafting and editing skills across a range of reporting formats and requirements.
        • Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability

          Education:

          • Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, gender studies, development, political studies, peace and security studies, international law, or a related field is required.

            Experience:

            • A minimum of 10 years of experience conducting research and analysis on gender and human rights issues in the context of peace and security.
            • Demonstrated experience in producing high-quality analytical reports for international organizations, meeting UN quality standards.
            • Experience conducting gender analysis of security policies and strategies is desirable.
            • Experience working with the UN system is an asset.

              Languages:

              • Fluency in English is required. 
              • Working knowledge of French is desirable.

                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:

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                If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

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                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.