Background

Background/Context

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.

ASEAN-Institute of Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) is ASEAN’s knowledge hub and centre of excellence in building capacity for conflict resolution and reconciliation, further strengthening peace-oriented values towards harmony, peace, security, and stability in our region and beyond. ASEAN IPR serves as a research and capacity-building institution as requested by the ASEAN Member States, supporting the strengthening of cooperation among research institutions, and academic institutes, pooling of expertise, and disseminating information, as well as promoting knowledge and skills for sustainable regional peace and reconciliation.

UN Women, as the lead UN Agency to support ASEAN in advancing the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, in close collaboration with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO), is supporting the ASEAN Women Peace and Security Advisory Group to implement the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women Peace and Security (RPA-WPS) adopted by the ASEAN leaders at the ASEAN Summit 2022.

In 2023, ASEAN IPR and UNWomen commissioned a regional study to support the implementation of priority action 3.2.3 under the Regional Plan of Action on Women Peace and Security, encouraging ASEAN sectoral bodies, institutions, and the ASEAN Member States to carry out research and analysis to understand the barriers to women’s full involvement in peace-making, conflict resolution, and post-conflict. The objectives of this research included conducting a mapping of the existing peace infrastructure[1] at the national and local levels in ASEAN from a gender perspective. The research will indicate the gender responsiveness of the existing peace infrastructure. The research should further provide recommendations to strengthen their gender responsiveness and effectiveness. The specific objectives included:

• Map the types, locations, composition, capacity, roles, functions and activities undertaken by peace infrastructures in the 10 ASEAN Member States.
• Set up the criteria for assessment of the existence, and the types and quality, of coordination mechanisms for peace infrastructures at national and regional levels, including qualitative and quantitative methodology.
• Assess the gender responsiveness of peace infrastructures. This includes the current gaps and the extent it can build on greater gender responsiveness; the types, level of participation and roles played by women and men;
• Examine to what extent the current peace infrastructure can be more inclusive of the gender perspective and/or how it can provide a greater space for participation and empowerment of women at the national and local levels in particular.
• Assess the opportunities available and the challenges existing in the national/local conflict and crisis prevention mechanisms and the potential for their sustainability.
• Identify the specific challenges that women face in participating and/or playing a leading role in the existing conflict/crisis prevention and or peace-building mechanisms.
• Provide both policy and programmatic recommendations to strengthen coordination, effectiveness and gender responsiveness to enhance the existing conflict and crisis prevention mechanisms as well as opportunities to build more sustainable conflict prevention, resolution and recovery at the regional, national and local levels within the ASEAN region.

Against this background, UN Women is seeking a substantive copy editor to provide substantive copy editing for the policy research report titled ‘ Mapping of Conflict and Crisis Prevention Mechanisms at National and Local Levels in ASEAN from a Gender Perspective’.

The consultant will be reporting to the ASEAN WPS Coordination Specialist, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

[1] “Infrastructure for peace is a network of interdependent systems, resources, values and skills held by government, civil society and community institutions that promote dialogue and consultation; prevent conflict and enable peaceful mediation when violence occurs in a society” (UNDP 2013)

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities/Scope of Work

The objective of this assignment is to provide substantive copy editing for the policy research report titled “Mapping of Conflict and Crisis Prevention Mechanisms at National and Local Levels in ASEAN from a Gender Perspective.” The copy editor will ensure the report is clear, concise, and free of errors, and that it adheres to UN Women’s style and formatting guidelines while improving readability and overall coherence.

· Review the chapter content, trends and policy analysis across all the key focus areas of the publication.

· Provide some additional analysis and/or interpretation where appropriate

· Ensure that key contents and messages are in line with ASEAN’s policy frameworks policy positioning on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

· Improve structure, presentation of contents, data and findings.

· Enhance sentence structure and language use to streamline key messages of the publication, including

· organization of contents and presentation of ideas so that they are more logical and concise. The full draft report is of approximately 45,000 words.

· Restructure or rephrase complex sections for clarity and accessibility.

· Grammar and Usage: Correct grammatical errors, optimize word choice, and reduce ambiguity.

· Fact-Checking: Verify facts, citations, and cross-references where necessary.

· Ensure accuracy and logical flow of arguments.

· Develop a set of substantive recommendations about the content, findings and recommendations so that the publication is helpful for ASEAN Member States and other stakeholders to further advance the implementation of the WPS Agenda in the ASEAN Region.

Deliverables

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, and no trips will be required.

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and before the payment of the first instalment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of review is one week after receipt.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background information and documents.
• The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her computer.

Performance evaluation:

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to work in a highly pressured environment.
• Fact-Checking: Ability to research and verify facts, dates, names, and other information for accuracy.
• Deadline Management: Efficiently work under tight deadlines, prioritize tasks, and manage time effectively.
• Adaptability: Adjust the editing approach to suit different projects and audiences.
• Computer Skills: Proficiency with word processing software and editing tools like track changes.
• Collaboration: Effectively collaborate, provide input, and resolve editorial issues during the editing process

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Master’s Degree in gender studies, peacebuilding, or a related field preferred.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience and proven track record in conducting research on Women peace and security-related topics in Southeast Asia and/or ASEAN.
• Proven record in substantive editing of knowledge products, including but not limited to policy research, and publications for policy advocacy.
• Experience in writing and editing for international development and/or other UN/UN Women documents is desirable.
• Excellent analytical skills with a strong drive for results.
• Proven experience in editing gender-related research or publications.

Language and other skills:

• Fluency in English
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English is required (Samples of previous work will be required)