Background

UN Women, through the project “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress towards Gender Equality in Albania,” supported by the UK Government, aims to empower women to participate safely and actively in public and economic life, while ensuring effective prevention of violence against women. The project focuses on improving the implementation of policies related to violence against women by national institutions and actors. With a 12-month implementation period, this initiative will be carried out through partnerships with civil society organizations and experts.

Since 2014, UN Women has supported the establishment of a Media Forum, composed of journalists from various sectors, to address gender equality challenges in media coverage. This platform has been vital for enhancing cooperation and addressing gaps in reporting on gender issues. Key reports, such as CEDAW Concluding Observations, Beijing +30, and EU progress reports, are shared with journalists to strengthen their understanding of gender-related frameworks. The forum also focuses on improving standards for reporting on gender equality and gender-based violence, building alliances for campaigns, and raising awareness throughout the year.

In this context, UN Women is seeking national consultant/s to engage journalists from various sectors, such as social issues, economy, culture, and environment, to participate in media forums on gender equality. Consultants will advise on capacity-building efforts for media participants, organize workshops, and monitor the impact of gender-related articles. They will also guide media outlets on standards for reporting on gender equality and gender-based violence, support thematic workshops on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), and contribute to the development of a gender equality module for journalism curricula. Additionally, they will assist women advocates in advancing gender equality discussions in the media and public spaces. The consultant/s will also organize field trips to showcase UN Women’s work, highlight beneficiaries’ perspectives through human interest stories, and enhance the visibility of its initiatives.

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates 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.

The Government of Albania has made national and international commitments to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in many different socio-economic aspects. Several international conventions and platforms, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action, demonstrate Albania’s commitment to the realization of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality and SDGs as women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.

Over the past years, UN Women has provided support to national and local stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and advancing women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting. Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRB) has been identified as important tool for advancing gender equality in key national documents as in accordance with existing Albanian national policy documents on social inclusion and gender equality. In this framework, Albania has made important steps towards the institutionalization of gender responsive budgeting at central and local level.

UN Women Albania is currently implementing its Strategic Note (SN) 2022-2026 which aims to ensure that “All Women and girls enjoy and exercise their human rights in a gender equal society and meaningfully contribute to Albania’s sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and EU integration”. To achieve such result, UN Women will focus on three outcomes, which mirror verbatim the areas of focus of the United Nations Albania(1)

1. Increased and more equitable investment in people to remove barriers and create opportunities for those at risk of exclusion.
2. Innovative and integrated policy solutions that accelerate sustainable, productive, and inclusive development.
3. Gender-responsive governance that strengthens equality and non-discrimination.

(1) See UN Albania UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework: https://albania.un.org/en/153115-government-albania-united-nations-sustainable-development-cooperation-framework-2022-2026

Across its interventions, UN Women Albania will address key thematic areas of focus in line with the Global Strategic Plan 2022-2025(2): ending violence against women; women’s economic empowerment; gender-responsive budgeting; gender responsive governance; as well as promoting cross-cutting principles including the principle of Leaving No One Behind, and engagement of new and emerging partners such as the private sector to advance gender equality in the country. This approach aims to support the Government of Albania to implement its commitments on human rights and gender equality, in line with its National Strategy on gender Equality (NSGE) 2021-2030, and the EU Acquis Communautaire. All interventions undertaken by the Country Office aim to address structural causes of gender inequality, addressing discriminatory practices and reach women and girls who are at greatest risk of being left behind.

As part of the implementation of its Strategic Note, UN Women will continue supporting gender responsive governance as well as influencing and supporting implementation of national-level policy documents, working closely with government institutions being engaged across UN Women Albania’s projects and interventions, including but not limited to the following projects:

• Regional programme “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality in the Western Balkans,” implemented with support from the Government of Sweden – SIDA in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo. (3)

• UN Joint Program “ Leave No One Behind” implemented by UN Women jointly with UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation(SDC).

• UN Joint Programme “Ending Violence Against Women in Albania Phase II “, being implemented by UN Women, UNDP and UNFPA with support from Sida.

• The project “Empowering Women in Politics and Decision-Making in Albania,” supported by Sida as part of UN Women Global programming.

• The UN Women project “Engendering the consumption and offer of tourism services in Albania.”

• The Project “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress towards gender equality in Albania”, supported by the Government of the United Kingdom and implemented by UN Women Albania together with UNDP and UNFPA.

In Albania media plays an important role in informing the public and raising awareness on different issues related to gender equality and gender-based violence. However, there is a need to increase capacities of media organizations and journalists on international and national legal and ethical standards related to reporting on gender-related issues.. A well-informed media can foster greater empathy, drive policy change, and support women’s empowerment across all sectors of society. Of particular concern remains the media reporting on violence against women and domestic violence. There is sporadic interest of media for these topics and the relevant news have a tendency toward sensationalist cover, without a proper analysis of the gender-rooted causes of violence against women. As GREVIO noted in its first Baseline Evaluation report on Albania, often in the media reports, articles and TV programme, certain harmful gender stereotypes that lie at the root of gender inequality and violence against women are reinforced. Certain reporting may also lead to victims’ blaming and prejudice. Issues of confidentiality, including minor victims of violence remain a serious concern. In addition, there is need that relevant authorities, including the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) to provide more guidance to media on ethical and legal standards of gender-related and gender-based violence reporting.

Engaging with the media is essential for advancing Gender Responsive Budgeting and promoting social inclusion, particularly for the protection of vulnerable women. Media plays a pivotal role in raising awareness, shaping public opinion, and holding policymakers accountable. By amplifying the voices of marginalized groups, it can highlight the specific needs of women in budgetary processes and promote fair resource allocation. It also educates the public on the importance of gender equity in economic planning and supports initiatives that protect women from violence and exclusion.

UN Women, through the project “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress towards Gender Equality in Albania,” supported by the UK Government, aims to empower women to participate safely and actively in public and economic life, while ensuring effective prevention of violence against women. The project focuses on improving the implementation of policies related to violence against women by national institutions and actors. With a 12-month implementation period, this initiative will be carried out through partnerships with civil society organizations and experts.

Since 2014, UN Women has supported the establishment of a Media Forum, composed of journalists from various sectors, to address gender equality challenges in media coverage. This platform has been vital for enhancing cooperation and addressing gaps in reporting on gender issues. Key reports, such as CEDAW Concluding Observations, Beijing +30, and EU progress reports, are shared with journalists to strengthen their understanding of gender-related frameworks. The forum also focuses on improving standards for reporting on gender equality and gender-based violence, building alliances for campaigns, and raising awareness throughout the year.

In this context, UN Women is seeking national consultant/s to engage journalists from various sectors, such as social issues, economy, culture, and environment, to participate in media forums on gender equality. Consultants will advise on capacity-building efforts for media participants, organize workshops, and monitor the impact of gender-related articles. They will also guide media outlets on standards for reporting on gender equality and gender-based violence, support thematic workshops on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), and contribute to the development of a gender equality module for journalism curricula. Additionally, they will assist women advocates in advancing gender equality discussions in the media and public spaces. The consultant/s will also organize field trips to showcase UN Women’s work, highlight beneficiaries’ perspectives through human interest stories, and enhance the visibility of its initiatives.

(2) See UN Women Global Strategic Plan here: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/09/un-women-strategic-plan-2022-2025

(3) All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Head of Programmes and in direct coordination with respective Project Managers, the national consultant/s are requested to provide technical assistance in the areas of media forum facilitation on thematic areas with GEWE. Every assignment under the retainer contract will be guided by a specific assignment clearly stipulating the nature and scope of work, list of deliverables, timeframe and the outcome.

Possible duties and responsibilities:

· Support UN Women in organizing media forums, information sessions, briefings, and training programs over the two-year period. This includes proposing discussion topics, identifying participants, keynote speakers, and experts, as well as moderating the events. Additionally, integrate key knowledge products issued annually on gender equality in Albania by UN Women, the government, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure informed and impactful discussions

· Conduct monitoring of gender-related audio-visual products produced after each session/forum to measure the impact.

· Conduct research on existing national and international standards and best practices related to media reporting on gender equality and gender-based violence in Albania, within the UN system, Council of Europe, and other international governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as other countries.

· Based on the research support Albanian authorities, including the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) to develop guidelines for media on ethical and legal standards to be followed when reporting on gender-related and gender-based violence.

· Organize training and workshops with journalists– print and audio-visual media on GEWER thematic areas.

· Provide inputs to developing and pilot a module on gender equality in the media and advocate for its inclusion in the faculty of journalism curricula.

· Support individual initiatives of women advocates that would advance the gender equality dialogue around gender equality issues in the media and public space.

· Support the planning and organization of field trips with Media Forum members to various project sites to showcase project results and capture human stories from beneficiaries. Assist forum members in drafting impactful articles that highlight both the outcomes and personal perspectives of those benefiting from UN Women’s initiatives, ensuring increased visibility and engagement with the wider public.

· Support UN Women with any other tasks related to media reporting on gender equality and gender-based violence issues.

Expected deliverables:

• Reports related to the organizations of media forums including monitoring of media coverage
• Inputs to guidelines for media on ethical and legal standards to be followed when reporting on gender-related and gender-based violence;
• Database of identified journalists (sex disaggregated and sector disaggregated)
• Report related to the organizations of the training and workshops with Pre/post training questionaries and assessments (in English);
• Report related to the outreach of media activities with disaggregated data
• Interviews of women advocates.

Notes:

• Technical inputs and other on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested will be evaluated by peer review for quality.

• Cooperation with UN Women team and partners is central to success and will be assessed.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, and the incumbent will be expected to liaise closely with UN Women Albania project team, including regular face-to face and online meetings with the projects’ team of consultants. As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of 3 trips to target areas/municipalities of the project.

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:

· Strong analytical, writing and reporting abilities;

· Strong interpersonal and communication skills, ability to lead a team and negotiate amongst a wide range of stakeholders;

· Commitment to quality products and deadlines;

· Builds strong relationships;

· Focuses on impact and results and responds positively to feedback;

· Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;

· Demonstrated corporate knowledge and sound judgment;

· Acts as a team player and facilitates team work;

· Facilitates and encourages open communication in the team, communicating effectively;

· Learns and shares knowledge and encourages learning of others;

· Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards;

· Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments; observing deadlines and achieving results;

· Displays cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Master’s degree in communication, media or development-related disciplines (international development, gender and social studies, law, public administration or any other social science related to development);

• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of theadvanced university degree.

Experience:

• 10 years of relevant professional experience in the areas of media/communication, as well as human rights or gender equality;
• Proven track record in aligning media reporting practices with national and international commitments and ethical standards on gender equality and efforts to end violence against women, demonstrated through previous work experience;

• Experience in conducting trainings and other capacity building initiatives for journalists on international and national standards related to human rights and gender equality reporting;
• Experience within the United Nations system or similar international organisations will be considered an asset

Languages:

Proficiency in Albanian and English.

How to apply:

Qualified and interested candidates are required to apply online and submit the following documents:

• Completed Personal History From – 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 )

• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- P11 form.
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11) and Cover Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
• Click ‘Apply Now’ button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click ‘Submit Application;’
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above).
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

• UN Women retains the right to contact references directly.

• The individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the issuance of contract.

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