Result of Service

Specific deliverables performed by the consultant: Under the overall supervision of the Chief of CEB and under the direct supervision of the Anti-corruption Regional Adviser of the Anti-corruption Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean, and in coordination with other UNODC officers and personnel as necessary, the consultant will have performed the following deliverables: Deliverable A: Conducted research, collected and collatee information on existing gender audits and methodologies in the judiciary, guidelines, case studies, practices and experiences. Deliverable B: Contributed to the first expert meeting concerned with the development of the methodology. Produced an expert meeting plan, including objectives, outcomes and programme. Contributed to the organization, facilitation and reporting of the expert meeting. Deliverable C: Produced the first draft of the methodology for gender audits in the judiciary. Deliverable D: Contributed to the second expert meeting concerned with the improvement of the methodology. Produced an expert meeting plan, including objectives, outcomes and programme. Contributed to the organization, facilitation and reporting of the expert meeting, as well as to the revision of the methodology based on the meeting discussions. Contributed to the selection of pilot countries.

Work Location

Home-based with missions to a Central American country and another Caribbean country

Expected duration

15/1 to 15/12/2025

Duties and Responsibilities

Background of the assignment: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has established a leading global position in delivering support to countries to prevent and combat corruption, serving as the guardian of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Within UNODC, the overall substantive and implementation responsibilities and functions relating to UNCAC are vested with the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch (CEB). To bring its anti-corruption services closer to the beneficiary countries, CEB has established two sub-regional anti-corruption hubs in the Latin American and Caribbean region, one in Mexico and one in Colombia. Thanks to this strong regional presence, UNODC has accumulated significant experiences and knowledge about regional anti-corruption priorities and has enhanced its partnerships with many judicial experts and judiciaries In 2018, UNODC launched the Global Judicial Integrity Network as a platform for judges and judiciaries to share knowledge, resources and experiences related to judicial integrity and ethical challenges they encounter. One of the ongoing thematic areas of the Network has also been the topic of gender-related judicial integrity issues. In 2019, the Network published a paper examining the ways in which gender issues may affect judicial integrity, as well as the adequacy of existing safeguards in promoting appropriate conduct and taking corrective action. The UNODC Strategy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (2022-2026) provides an institutional framework approach for the promotion of gender equality and gender mainstreaming throughout UNODC’s programmatic activities and organizational policies and practices. Conscious of the interlinkages between gender and corruption, in 2020 UNODC launched the The Time is Now – Addressing the gender dimensions of corruption, assessing how anti-corruption and gender equality efforts tend to be mutually reinforcing and how synergies between the two can strengthen policy decisions and legal frameworks. Against this background, UNODC is currently implementing the project “Supporting national and regional efforts to enhance transparency mechanisms to effectively implement the UNCAC in Central America and the Caribbean”, with a view to effectively prevent and combat corruption through improved policies and mechanisms for transparency, accountability and integrity, while promoting inclusion, equity and gender equality. This consultancy is required to support one of the key outcomes of the project, which aims to strengthen the capacity of judicial systems to address unconscious gender bias and promote gender inclusion, equity, and equality, in alignment with international standards of judicial integrity while addressing potential vulnerabilities to corruption in judicial systems. Among its objectives, the project seeks to develop, pilot, and validate an international methodology for conducting gender audits in the judiciary. This methodology will enable a comprehensive analysis of the judiciary’s gender sensitivity and responsiveness, both in its internal operations and in the fulfillment of its external mandate. At present, there is no internationally validated methodology for conducting gender audits within judicial systems, leaving a critical gap in the tools available to assess and enhance gender sensitivity and responsiveness in this sector. This consultancy seeks to fill that gap by systematically gathering and analyzing past experiences with gender audits in various contexts, evaluating their strengths and limitations, and developing a structured methodology tailored to the judiciary. The consultant’s role will include conducting in-depth research on existing gender audit frameworks and methodologies, with a focus on identifying best practices that effectively address gender biases and mitigate corruption vulnerabilities. Additionally, the consultant will play a central role in organizing and facilitating expert meetings to ensure the methodology is informed by diverse perspectives, including those of practitioners and academics. These meetings will be instrumental in refining the methodology, which will then be piloted and further adjusted based on lessons learned in select countries, ensuring its practical applicability and effectiveness.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in international relations, social science, law, political science, international relations or criminology is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • A minimum of fifteen (15) years of professional work experience as a justice sector practitioner or in working with justice sector issues is required. • Experience working on gender-related issues, in particular in connection with the judiciary and issues of justice sector reform is required. • Demonstrable research skills and experience in drafting legal analytical reports are required. • Familiarity with the United Nations Convention against Corruption and other regional anti-corruption frameworks, as well as with international judicial integrity and gender equality standards is desirable. • Proven capacity to work independently and with minimal supervision is desirable. • Excellent verbal and written communication skills are desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English and Spanish are required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.