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. As such, UN Women is mandated to lead the UN system-wide coordination of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, as elaborated inter-alia through UN Security Council resolutions—1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, 2122, 2242, 2467, and 2493. To this end, UN Women works with governments, UN partners, and civil society around the world to support women’s participation and influence at all levels of decision-making to prevent and resolve conflict, to protect their rights during and after conflicts and to ensure that their specific needs are addressed during repatriation, resettlement and for rehabilitation, reintegration, and post-conflict reconstruction.

In 2005, at the request of the General Assembly and the Security Council (through Resolutions A/60/180 and S/RES/1645 (2005)) the Secretary-General of the United Nations established a multi-year standing Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) with the objective of ensuring release of resources needed to launch peacebuilding activities and the availability of appropriate financing for recovery. PBF continues to be the organization’s financial instrument of first resort to sustain peace in countries or situations at risk or affected by violent conflict. The PBF invests with UN entities and other international organizations, governments, and non-governmental organizations, either through direct funding or through national or regional multi-donor trust funds. The PBF works across thematic pillars and supports integrated UN responses to fill critical gaps; respond quickly and with flexibility to political opportunities; and catalyse processes and resources in a risk-tolerant fashion. The objective of PBF is to support “countries recovering from conflict or considered to be at risk of lapsing or relapsing into conflict, while also supporting efforts to address immediate needs in countries emerging from conflict at a time when sufficient resources are not available from other funding mechanisms that could provide support to peacebuilding activities.”

In October 2023, the project “Women Lead the Way Towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (Project) began its implementation. Carried out by UN Women, IOM, and UNFPA, this strategic program operates under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, with a collaborative focus on advancing the WPS agenda in the country. The project is crucial for addressing the significant gaps in implementing the WPS agenda in BiH through its localization at the community level, while also supporting and promoting its advancement on a national scale.

The objective of this consultancy is to support UN Women in the planning, coordination, and execution of the #WPS2025 campaign in BiH. This includes raising awareness about importance on local and national level of the WPS Agenda. The consultant will develop and implement a comprehensive communication strategy, create engaging content for social media and traditional media outlets, support campaign events, maintain regular communication with media outlets and journalists, and monitor the campaign’s impact to ensure broad visibility and effective advocacy.

Under the direct supervision of the WPS Programme Specialist and overall supervision of the UN Women Representative, the Communications Expert will work in close collaboration with the UN Women WPS Outreach Officer and Communications Analyst, as well as the WPS programme team consisting of UN Women, IOM and UNFPA staff.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Deliverables

The Communications Expert is expected to design and propose communications actions and products to enhance and implement the #WPS2025 campaign in BiH as follows:

• Support the design and implementation of the #WPS2025 campaign in BiH based on the overall list of events
• Develop content for communications products (infographics, quote cards, photos, videos, and similar content, as agreed with WPS team) with appropriate social media copy.
• Support the development and design of knowledge products (factsheets, newsletters, advocacy briefs, reports, studies, analyses).
• Support the organization of events from a communications perspective (media outreach, press conferences, press releases, use of online platforms).
• Support monitoring and tracking of outreach efforts throughout the campaign, based on the agreed monitoring plan;
• Provide additional support and perform tasks as necessary according to the agreed work plan to ensure the campaign’s success.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultancy will last max 50 days, in the period from 25 January 2025 to 25 December 2025. The assignment might require some presence at UN Women premises in Sarajevo. The consultancy will require travel. Any travel to field locations for events will be pre-arranged and approved in consultation with the supervisor, with all travel expenses covered by UN Women.

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:

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UN Women
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Development and Operational Effectiveness
• Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills. Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Demonstrates very good understanding of and experience in communications and outreach/advocacy
• Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported
• Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational problems
• Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Proven networking skills and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate
• Identifies opportunities and builds strong partnerships with clients and partners

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

A master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or a related field such as international development, gender studies or social science; or a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted. Pass/Fail

Experience:

• At least 4 years of demonstrated work experience in communications, including experience in media relations. 30 points
• At least 2 years of experience in managing media campaigns, online outreach and use of multimedia; 25 points
• At least 3 years of experience in producing communication materials (print and online); 20 points
• At least 2 years of experience in using of web editing tools and social media platforms; 10 points
• Experience in delivering communications services to promote activities of international development organizations will be considered an asset. 5 points
• Experience in promotion of gender issues and working with women is an asset; 5 points
• Previous experience within the UN System is an advantage; 5 points

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required. Professional writing sample (e.g. from previous project/work/campaign) must be provided Pass/Fail
•  Fluency in B/H/S. Pass/Fail

How to Apply 

• 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 )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

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.)

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements