Civil Society Coordination Consultant

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.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the future of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to placing them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs and priorities of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, (4) Women, Peace and Security and (5) Women’s Civil Society Organizations (WCSO). UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces:  Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar. 

Women’s civil society organizations are a driving force for ensuring the availability of essential programming for women and girls and for advancing social cohesion and resilience, anchored in gender equality. However, women-led and women’s rights organizations in Afghanistan face a range of constraints that may limit their operational effectiveness. In absence of a dedicated investment in strengthening the organizational resilience of women civil society organisations, these organizations risk being unable to adapt to the Afghan crisis. 

Reporting to the Programme Manager of the WCSO Programme Pillar, the Civil Society Coordination Consultant will work to support ACO and its programme pillars to coordinate and help operationalize on key programmatic and operational issues related to CSO partners as well as provide knowledge management support on analyzing trends, challenges and opportunities.

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.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the future of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to placing them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs and priorities of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, (4) Women, Peace and Security and (5) Women’s Civil Society Organizations (WCSO). UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces:  Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar. 

Women’s civil society organizations are a driving force for ensuring the availability of essential programming for women and girls and for advancing social cohesion and resilience, anchored in gender equality. However, women-led and women’s rights organizations in Afghanistan face a range of constraints that may limit their operational effectiveness. In absence of a dedicated investment in strengthening the organizational resilience of women civil society organisations, these organizations risk being unable to adapt to the Afghan crisis. 

Reporting to the Programme Manager of the WCSO Programme Pillar, the Civil Society Coordination Consultant will work to support ACO and its programme pillars to coordinate and help operationalize on key programmatic and operational issues related to CSO partners as well as provide knowledge management support on analyzing trends, challenges and opportunities.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Coordinate Programmatic and Operational Support to Programme Pillars on CSO Engagement

• Liaise with all programme pillars on their engagement with CSO partners and coordinate on common needs and challenges required to be addressed to programmatically and operationally facilitate harmonized approach to CSO partner engagement.
• Review operational requirements of CSO engagement and advise on the tools, approaches, and methodologies for ways forward under the leadership of ACO PSMU, and in coordination/consultation with relevant RO and HQ teams.
• Troubleshoot and advise on addressing the challenges to implement the WCSO engagement considering the evolving operational context.

       2. Contribute to Strengthening and Expanding WCSOs Partnerships in a Coordinated and Coherent Way

• Provide technical guidance on UN Women’s overall engagement strategy with women CSOs including on parameters for engagement, pre-conditions for access and negotiations and learnings from navigating the space.
• Contribute to tools and opportunities for women CSO partners for advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives.
• Contribute to ensuring a coordinated approach of ACO WCSO engagement with other key stakeholders (UN, INGOs, donors) supporting women CSOs.

       3. Facilitate Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing of CSO Engagement Across ACO

• Map existing Women CSOs landscape in Afghanistan and organize, compile and process information from CSO partners as inputs to various databases, reports, and documents.
• Manage and update CSO partner matrix of partners and document key information on a quarterly basis
• Develop/ contribute to the development of customized position papers for internal and external engagement purposes.
• Regularly monitor developments on working with WCSOs in Afghanistan at both the capital and province levels, analyse trends, challenges and opportunities across ACO’s WCSO partners and produce key knowledge products for internal and external stakeholders.
• Draft public information materials and briefing packets based on provided data and analysis in coordination with ACO Communications team.
• Capture and synthesize lessons learnt and good practices from Women CSO partners engagement in country as well as facilitate learning from similar humanitarian contexts at the regional and global level.
• Analyse global practices in supporting WCSOs in similar context to guide programme innovation on WCSOs and inform ACO’s strategic direction. 

       4. Provide Communications support to the Programme Unit

• Contribute to policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/materials for use in the development and presentation of innovative and coherent policy and programmatic positions in WCSO engagement.
• Produce programme briefs analysing results of overall programme in communications-oriented manner as well as partner spotlight briefs.
• Draft talking points, briefing notes, and PPT presentations as requested for CSO engagements for internal/external purposes.

Competencies

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Strong coordination skills
• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow
• Strong writing and analysis skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University degree or equivalent in Political Science, International Development Studies, Gender/Women’s Studies, Economics or Sociology, or related field.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in civil society programming, knowledge management and/or reporting;
• Experience with independent research, analysis and/or survey design a plus; 
• Experience in Afghanistan or other conflict post conflict setting supporting women civil society organisations will be an asset;
• Experience in the United Nations, a governmental, other multilateral or civil society organization focused on international development and/or philanthropy highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters  Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)