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.

The UN Women Cambodia Programme Office focuses on three key priorities to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). The first priority is to strengthen government capacity and accountability to integrate international norms and commitments (CEDAW, SDGs, Beijing PfA, Sendai) into national legislative and regulatory frameworks, including supporting dialogue and civil society engagement in accountability for GEWE commitments.  The second area of focus is Ending Violence Against Women where CCO’s focus includes creating an enabling environment to prevent, respond to and prosecute all forms of GBV as well as ensuring that marginalised women who experience violence, including women migrant workers, access services and protections.  Thirdly, CCO works to enhance gender responsiveness in climate change action and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).  A focus on empowerment, women’s leadership, challenging negative gender norms and leaving no one behind runs through the programme.

Cambodia has made progress in promoting gender equality, yet challenges remain. Women and girls in Cambodia continue to face disparities in education, health, economic opportunities, and participation in decision making processes. Gender Based Violence (GBV) persists as a critical issue, undermining the well-being and potential of women and girls. Women in leadership and decision making has been underrepresented. Cambodian women have a high labour force participation rate (84.1%), yet they are more likely than men to be in informal employment. Structural inequalities persist across the labour market, with women over-represented in lower-paid, less-valued roles and under-represented in senior, higher-paying positions.

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment is a fundamental principle of the United Nations. The United Nations in Cambodia is dedicated to supporting Cambodia’s efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. This commitment is reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024 – 2028 that gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) has been mainstreaming across the four outcome results, with gender measurable indicators.

The United Nations Gender Equality Marker (UN GEM) is a crucial tool that has been used mandatorily to assess and promote gender equality across UN programmes and projects. The tool helps to ensure that the following:

1. Resource allocation: The GEM ensures that sufficient resources are directed towards initiatives that promote gender equality. By tagging and tracking expenditures, it helps in making informed decisions about where and how to invest in gender-focused interventions.
2. Accountability and Transparency: The GEM promotes accountability and transparency by promoting a clear framework for measuring the extent to which gender equality considerations are integrated into UN programmes and projects.
3. Enhancing program Impact: The GEM encourages the integration of gender perspectives at all stages of the project cycle, from planning to implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. This leads to more effective and equitable outcomes, resulting significant contribution to GEWE.
4. Aligning with Global Commitments: The GEM aligns with global commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls.

As a part of inter-agency groups of the United Nations Country Team in Cambodia, Gender Theme Group (GTG) and Result Group (RG) have significant role in ensuring gender has been mainstreamed in annual joint workplan of the UNSDCF and monitored consistenty. UN Women is an active member of GTG’s secretariat and has continued to provide technical assistance to GTG as well as UNCT for applying UN GEM coding to assess the extent UN’s fund and programmes have addressed gender critical issues identified and discussed in Common Country Analysis (CCA) to form part of UNSCF 2024-2028.

The capacity develop workshop for GTG and RG on UN Gender Equality Marker has been planned under GTG’s workplan 2023-2024, therefore given a relevant mandate of UN Women, we are seeking to recruit an international consultant with experience in conducting capacity development workshop, focusing on gender mainstreaming and UN Gender Equality Maker.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The main objective of the consultancy is to support GTG’s secretariat to design and deliver context-responsive and practical training for inter-agency Gender Theme Group and Result Group members. The UN GEM training will contribute to strengthening capacity of GTG and RG in applying UN GEM for joining planning of UNSDCF, it aims to enhance understanding of gender mainstreaming, improve the application of the GEM, and ensure that programmes and projects contribute meaningfully to gender equality outcomes, particularly within the framework of the UNSDCF 2024 – 2028.

The consultant will be responsible for the following key tasks:

1. Lead in designing two-day training programme that is contextual relevant to the specific needs of GTG and Result Groups covering, at a minimum, the following key issues

• Understanding gender in the context of UNSDCF’s joint plan
• Overview and importance of the UN Gender Equality Marker (GEM)
• Application of GEM in Joint Work Plan
• Resource allocations
• Strategies for effective joint planning within UNSDCF
• 2. In close consultation with GTG’s secretariat, develop and or adapt comprehensive training materials, including presentation, reading document and case study for practicing.
• 3. Lead in conducting training workshop for members of GTG and Result Groups by using a combined methodologies such as presentation, case study, pair/trio or group work, ensuring active engagement of participants and learning. Lead facilitator is expected to encouraging participants to practice using GEM within the limited time available to reinforce their learning.
• 4. Conduct pre- and post- training assessments, evaluating participants’ understanding and measure the training outcomes.
• 5. Prepare a comprehensive training report:
• Summarize results of the training, effectiveness of the training and evaluation feedback from participants and provide recommendations for future training engagements.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultancy is expected to be started on 15 November 2024 and continue until 31 December 2024.

This is a home-based consultancy. The consultant may be required to travel to Phnom Penh as needed for the purpose of the assignment where required by UN Women-Cambodia. The standard UN Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will apply to mission travel that may be required in the fulfillment of this assignment.

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the UNWOMEN National Country Programme Coordinator under the direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director. A workstation will be provided to the consultant to ensure effective consultation and support during in country mission. The Consultant will bring his/her own personal computer to conduct this assignment. The consultant will be based in her/his current residence.

Payments

Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payment will not be based on the number of days worked but on the completion of each stated deliverable within the indicated timeframes on satisfactory completion of task. Payments will be made upon submission of deliverables with an approval of the National Country Programme Coordinator. Travel cost will be reimbursable based on actual expenses and proof of document and complied with the UN Women travel policy. And the travel cost will not be included in the contract value.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Technical Competencies:

• Expertise in Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming: deep understanding of gender equality principles, gender mainstreaming strategies and the gender markers such as the UN Gender Equality Markers (GEM).
• Proven experience in designing and delivering context-responsive training programmes, with a focus on adult learning principles and methodologies.
• Strong facilitation skills, with the ability to engage diverse groups of participants, encourage active participation and mange group dynamics effectively.
• Familiarity with the UN system and its relevance to gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Ability to analyze and interpret data related to gender equality, and use this analysis to inform training content and delivery

Functional Competencies: 

• Knowledge of the social, cultural, and political context of Cambodia and local issues of gender, women’s participation in private and public sphere, multiple challenges that potential young leaders face to advance their personal development plan as well as participate equally in emergent socioeconomic development;
• Promotion respectful and gender sensitive learning environment throughout the assignment and in the office;
• Knowledge of gender mainstreaming and desired knowledge of the UN Gender Equality Markers;
• Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact, and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles, working with implementing young people and other stakeholders; and
• Proven excellent context analysis, and writing skills and high quality reports produced.

IV. Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in social and political sciences, human rights, gender equality, etc., or relevant field is required;
• 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:

• Minimum 10 years progressively responsible relevant experience, preferably in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment in development programmes/projects;
• Substantial knowledge and skills on UNCT SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard including conducting the assessment, report and follow-up matrix.
• Proven experiences in coordinating and facilitating trainings with multi-stakeholders and inter-UN agencies
• Experience in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Asia and Pacific region is an asset.

Languages Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required (Both oral and written).

EVALUATION

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis: (Desk review/Interview)

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates who may be contacted for validation interview.

Communicating and information sharing: facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Statements:

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.)