Background

UN Women (UNW), 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

• Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.
• Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.
• Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in the country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.

In line with the Palestinian Government’s commitment to achieve gender equality and combat Violence Against Women (VAW), and in full partnership with the Justice, Security, and Social Sectors, UN Women within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF- “ Reinforcing equal access to justice for all Palestinians – SAWASYA III” is supporting the justice, security and social institutions to mainstream gender into their plans, procedures, and policies; develop and provide gender responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence.

In 2023, UN Women in cooperation with the Supreme Judge Department has supported the establishment of the Media Department at the SJD. Taking into consideration the crucial role that the media plays in raising the awareness of people on their rights; available services amongst other issues, and in shaping people’s views and positions- UN Women in collaboration with the SJD plans to recruit a national expert with a gender and media background to train the Media Team at the SJD.

Objectives:

The consultancy has two main objectives, as per the following points:

1. Increase the Media’s Team understanding and awareness of women’s rights and gender equality issues.
2. Improve the capacities of the Media’s Team in media-related activities and social communication, including in effective media engagement for communication and message promotion and creation, management, and marketing media content.

The consultant will be reporting to Sawasya III Programme Specialist and will be supported by the Finance Associate. who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Developing the inception report:

• Meet with UN Women and the SJD focal points to discuss the assignment and its objectives.
• Conduct desk review of related knowledge products and references as guided by UN Women and the SJD.
• Develop the inception report, including the methodology, the deliverables and time frame and share with UN Women for review and approval. The methodology should include formulation of training components, multimedia storytelling techniques, social media strategies and management, crisis communications, digital media tools, audience analysis and engagement, public speaking and presentations skills, data-driven journalism, collaborative media projects, community engagement, interviews techniques, sample media contact lists, gender-sensitive messaging and reporting, and evaluation mechanisms amongst other issues.
• Share with UN Women the inception report for review, inputs and approval.

Developing and implementing the capacity building training :

• Conduct a quick capacity assessment for the Media Team to assess their knowledge in areas related to gender and women’s rights, and their knowledge and skills in creating, managing, and marketing media content.
• Based on the findings of assessment, develop a capacity building training that covers both aspects – the theoretical and the practical aspects. The training should include the following topics:

– The content creation process.

– The effective way of creating content through the online channel.

– The effective way of creating content through other relevant communication channels, such as photographs, short videos, and Facebook Livestream, including the basic knowledge of infographic design, enabling them to craft visually appealing and informative graphics to enhance communication efforts.

• Develop pre- and post-assessments to measure the impact of the training on participants’ knowledge and skills.
• Support the training participants in developing their communication materials on “Gender and Justice” whether in the form of a journal, photograph, video, or infographic. The media expert shall conduct a follow-up session to track the participants’ progress and provide them with needed assistance after one month of the assignment’s completion.
• Produce an advocacy media to promote the story of women’s rights at sharia courts.

The training should be based on a women’s empowerment approach and should ensure gender mainstreaming all across the training components.

Reporting on the assignment:

• Develop a final narrative report on the assignment – that includes a description of the methodology, the main findings, challenges and recommendations- including direct feedback from participants.

Deliverables:

The consultancy has three main deliverables:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel:

This is a home-based consultancy that requires field visits to sharia courts and other partners, and possible movements between cities – if needed.

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 conduct needs assessment through consultation with stakeholders.
• Very strong background on gender.
• Ability to manage time and meet tight deadlines.
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.
• Proven networking, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

A Master’s degree in media or communication studies, (max. 10 points)

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional working experience in the field of gender, women’s rights and women’s access to Justice (max. 20 points)
• At least 5 years of professional experience in media/ Communication for development. (max. 20 pints)
• At least 3 years of experience in capacity building on media and gender issues. (max. 15 points)
• Previous experience with the UN or international organizations is an asset. (max. 5 points)

Languages:

• Fluency in Arabic and professional knowledge of English

The candidate must provide:

1. A sample of a capacity-building training report or material that they have developed in the past related to media and gender issues.
2. A sample video showcasing their training delivery or media-related work, demonstrating their proficiency in communicating complex topics effectively.
3. Highlight any specific achievements or successful projects related to gender-sensitive media training or women’s empowerment initiatives.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in using relevant software or tools for media production, communication, and data analysis, if applicable.
5. Showcase any publications, articles, or research papers authored by them in the field of gender, media, or related areas.
6. Detail any additional training or certifications relevant to the scope of the consultancy, such as courses in gender mainstreaming, media ethics, or conflict-sensitive reporting.

The samples will be evaluated as part of the selection process to assess the candidate’s ability to develop effective training content and deliver engaging presentations. (max. 30 points)