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.

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. The UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has dedicated work with a diverse array of partners to end violence against women and girls. Efforts in the region include: legislative reform to uphold human rights and hold perpetrators accountable; strengthening of quality, coordinated, multi-sectoral services for all survivors; interventions specifically targeted to women migrant workers to ensure safe and fair labour migration; tailored approaches to sexual harassment and sexual violence towards women in public spaces and online; and support to evidence-based approaches to prevent it from happening in the first place, especially through behavior and social norms change.

The purpose of this consultancy is to support start-up of an end-term review of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women (ASEAN RPA on EVAW) and development of the second-generation RPA on EVAW, processes that are inter-related and will be undertaken in parallel under the direction and auspices of an ASEAN technical working group.[1]

The consultant will be supervised by the UN Women EVAW Regional Programme Manager.

[1] The Regional Plan of Action for the Elimination of Violence against Children (RPA on EVAC) is also coming to a close in 2025. The development of the next generation RPA on EVAC will be undertaken simultaneously through a separate technical working group and process, but in close collaboration to leverage processes and synergies of these intersecting forms of violence, culminating in a possible common chapter.

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Violence against women (VAW) includes many types of violence and harassment, going beyond violence in families or homes – and is common in public spaces and transport; schools and universities; workplaces and public institutions; and happens online and offline. VAW creates a lack of safety and security and prevents women and girls from participating fully in education, workforces and economic activities, leadership and decision making. VAW is linked with other types of violence and crime, including online violence and exploitation of adults and children, child abuse, trafficking in persons, and violent extremism- to name a few. During crises, the strain of economic hardship and other uncertainties is linked with increased violence in families, amplifying harm and insecurity. It is now clear that VAW must be anticipated when planning for disasters and humanitarian crises, to prevent and respond to increases in risks and the experiences of VAW that are regularly documented during these times.

Violence in families is often intergenerational, repeating across the life cycle. Men who witness or experience violence as children are more likely to be violent adults. Thus, work to end violence against women and children can make it less likely that men engage in violent conflict. Violence is preventable, and addressing the drivers of violence can have broad impacts across multiple forms of violence, resulting in safer, more peaceful societies.

The benefits of reducing violence are broad ranging. When violence against women reduces, women are in better health, can participate in economies more readily, are more mobile, and can participate more fully in work to prevent and respond to conflict, include security decision-making and peace processes. Preventing violence against women and children from violence is a critical step in ensuring their rights to education, health, safety and security, and livelihoods.

Recognition of the globally unacceptable prevalence rates of VAW and the detrimental costs it inflicts on individuals, families, communities and nations, garnered unanimous agreement to eradicate it as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The (ASEAN), operating under its stated goals, purposes and principles as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, have been at the regional forefront of guiding ASEAN Member States to uphold and advance their commitments to prevent and respond to all forms of VAW under the auspices of their Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women (RPA on EVAW).

The RPA on EVAW is coming to the end of its cycle in 2025. ASEAN will be leading the development of a new generation RPA on EVAW that reflects the learning from the first regional plan that will be captured under the end-term review, the documented findings and recommendations from the Mid-Term Review of the RPA on EVAW (2016-2025) which development was supported by UN Women ROAP. The changing country contexts and an elevated normative and global evidence-base on “what works” to prevent and respond to violence against women will be considered. In this context, the aim is to launch the next generation RPA on EVAW, including a feasible monitoring and evaluation framework, at the ASEAN Summit in 2025.

UN Women East Asia and Pacific Regional Office is seeking an individual international consultant with proven expertise and skills on ending violence against women to facilitate the end term review of the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (ASEAN RPA on EVAW) and develop the next ten year Second Regional Plan of Action with ACWC, ASEAN Member States, and key partners. The incumbent will act as the lead technical consultant for drafting the RPA on EVAW review process and development of the next 10-year RPA on EVAW with a common chapter on the intersections of VAW-VAC (Violence against Women- Violence against Children), ten country briefs capturing progress and challenges for ASEAN Member States, and a consolidated regional end of term review report.

Scope of work:

This work assignment is remote/home based but with travel expected to Bangkok and to ASEAN countries in the region. The ideal candidate will be based in Bangkok or Southeast Asia, and available for regular in-person meetings in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Southeast Asia, as well as remote meetings during working hours in the ICT time zone.

Key tasks include:

Key task 1. Develop a strengthened regional framework for action on EVAW including VAW-VAC intersections, through a review of progress of the current RPA on EVAW and the development of a second ten-year RPA on EVAW 2026-2035 with a monitoring framework, with a common chapter on VAW-VAC.

Activities include:

• Close coordination with ASEAN to determine deliverable steps and timelines; workplan(s) and roles and responsibilities for the end-term review and next generation RPA on EVAW, including a feasible monitoring and evaluation framework; identification of key stakeholders and consultation opportunities.
• Explore and assess coordination opportunities with RPA on EVAC processes; identification of contextual or substantive areas of focus that have emerged since the drafting of the first RPA on EVAW; and other arising needs to prepare for both mutually reinforcing processes and ensuring synergies.
• Undertake a preliminary desk review of existing information sources related to ASEAN Member States from 2021 to present and informed by the mid-term review on progress on the implementation of the ASEAN RPA on EVAW, especially on the prevention pillar, which had yet to evolve into today’s understanding.
• Attend all drafting Committee, Technical Working Group and ASEAN meetings for this process(es) on RPA on EVAW and select key meetings for the RPA on EVAC and prepare meeting’s summaries.
• Develop an assessment process and a self-assessment framework for ASEAN Member States to complete in order to capture progress on the RPA on EVAW against key indicators, the baseline and mid-term review on VAW elements at regional and national levels, highlighting examples related to vulnerable groups where possible.
• Conduct key informant interviews to both elaborate responses received in questionnaires from ASEAN Member States, including with relevant civil society organizations and to probe for forward-looking strategies and entry points for a next generation RPA on EVAW.
• Facilitate remote and in person country and regional consultations on progress on the RPA on EVAW and the next ten-year RPA on EVAW.
• Develop 10 country briefs to capture progress by each ASEAN Member State on the RPA on EVAW against key indicators, the baseline and mid-term review, and the challenges. Final briefs to incorporate feedback on the draft from UN Women, ASEAN Member States and ASEAN (up to 15 pages each).
• Draft the end-term review report of the RPA on EVAW. A summary regional report consolidating progress by ASEAN Member States. Final report to incorporate feedback on the draft from UNICEF, UN Women, ASEAN Member States and ASEAN (up to 70 pages).
• Lead and facilitate drafting of the new RPA on EVAW with a common chapter on the VAW-VAC intersections in partnership with UNICEF.
• Develop a one-two pager fact sheet on the new ASEAN RPA on EVAW.
• Develop the monitoring framework in coordination with the ASEAN Technical Working Group, which may include development of an outline.
• Prepare background materials for consultations; and analysis of information from paper-based and consultation-based inputs to integrate relevant content.

Key task 2. Facilitate the roll-out of the strengthened ASEAN RPA on EVAW

Activities

• Provide sensitization and technical support for partners and UN Women Country Offices to implement the RPA on EVAW.
• Organise a regional virtual launch with ASEAN of RPA EVAW.
• Support national launches of the RPA EVAW (in collaboration with RPA on VAC
• Facilitate the roll out of the final ASEAN RPA on EVAW.

Key Deliverables

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. Bangkok based or based in the Asia Region is an asset.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in the field of international development, law, gender studies, social sciences, or other related area
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in research and/or policy on gender or international relations is required.
• Experience in researching or working on gender preferably on gender and violence against women is an asset.
• Experience working in Southeast Asia on policies related to gender equality and ending VAW is an asset.
• Experience working with ASEAN or similar governmental institutions is highly desirable.
• Experience in facilitating round table discussions in complex environments coupled with strong negotiation skills is an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender equality and the empowerment of women is required.
• Understanding of the social, cultural, and political context of ASEAN and ASEAN Member States.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English is requiredInterested candidates are encouraged to submit an electronic application no later than 14th October 2024, Midnight New York’s time (EST).

  Submission of application

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• Updated CV
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Two samples of work: policy briefs, desk review, research, papers, articles will be requested from shortlisted candidates only
• 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. Please merge all documents into one document to attach.

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