International Consultant to develop a private sector engagement strategy for UN Women East and Southern Africa offices at UN Women

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. 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 globally. UN Women uses its convening power to bring together partners such as civil society and the private sector to address a wide range of dimensions of women’s economic empowerment in a holistic, coherent and coordinated manner drawing on its own expertise in the areas of economic empowerment including women's access to decent work, redistribution of unpaid care work, gender and macroeconomic growth and social protection.

In 2017, UN Women embarked on developing an “All Africa Strategy”, to improve coordination, promote synergy and prioritize its activities for maximum impact, thereby increasing efficiency of the organization’s resources in the region. The strategy tackles the most compelling issues affecting women and girls on the continent and positions UN Women for effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. The strategy aligns to the African Union’s agenda 2063, (“The Africa we want”) and emphasizes the principle of leaving no one behind but reaching the furthest first in an effort to acghieve the SDGs. To effectively and successfully implement this strategy and the UN women East and Southern Africa strategic note, UN Women is looking to establish strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders in the region including the private sector.

The East and Southern Africa Region is hub to many multinational companies. UN Women would like to engage these companies at national and regional levels to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. The organization therefore seeks the services of an international consultant to conduct a study to map private sector organizations and provide recommendations on strategies to engage private sector companies for UN Women’s work in the region.

Duties And Responsibilities

The study which will cover 12 countries in the ESA region. Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Regional Director for UN Women East and Southern Africa (ESAR) and in close consultation with UN Women Country Offices, Partnership and thematic programme units, the consultant will support UN Women Regional Office to identify top 20 private sector institutions in ESAR; assess their value proposition as aligned to that of UN Women; their initiatives responding to Corporate Social Responsibility; and value chains with possible entry points for women. The study will improve UN Women’s knowledge and give recommendations on how to best engage the private sector for advancing GEWE.

Key Responsibilities

• 
  Identify and map top private sector companies in each of the 12 selected countries within East and Southern Africa
• Conduct Desk review of key UN Women document including but not limited to UN Women private sector go-to-market strategy; UN Women global strategy, UN Women Private Sector Accountability Framework (UNW-PSAF), Africa Strategy and ESARO Strategic note (2018 – 20-21) to understand UN Women’s programme of work and priorities for gender equality and women empowerment.
• Hold consultation with all 12 UN Women Country Offices in ESA region to assess previous engagement with private sector, identify and map out potential cooperate entities.
• Identify the value chains and value proposition or corporate priorities of these private sector companies that aligns to UN Women’s work, indicating areas of possible mutual collaboration.
• Consult with potential corporates to identify and confirm their value proposition, capturing areas of mutual collaboration with UN Women in ESAR.
• Develop a comprehensive database of private sector entities in ESAR, capturing the head of these institutions, contact details and mutual areas of collaboration;
• Propose entry points for the integration of women businesses supported by UN Women in the value-chains of large companies established in ESAR.
• Identify, map and develop a database of women-owned businesses established in ESAR.
• Develop a UN Women – Private sector engagement strategy document for ESA region proposing entry points for UN Women engagement and drawing on the findings of the study.
  
  

Expected Deliverables

• Inception Report
• A Database of at least top 20 private sector companies in ESAR with priorities and values that align with that of UN Women developed.
• A Database of major women-owned businesses established.
• An engagement strategy for the private sector developed.
• Opportunity for partnerships between UN Women and the top 20 companies identified.
• Entry points for connections between large companies and women-owned businesses identified.
  
  

Proposed Work Schedule

The duration of this assignment is for a period of 54 calendar days as outlined below.

Activity

Location

Estimated Time

• Inception report

Home-based

2 days

• Desk review and consultations/interview with all 12 country offices to identify potential private sector interested to support GEWE.

TBC

10 days

• Mapping of private sector companies and women owned businesses established in ESAR, develop a comprehensive database of the top private sector companies (at least 20 in ESAR) and database of women-owned businesses.

TBC

7 days

• Analysis of value proposition of the private sector companies for alignment with UN Women’s work, the company’s corporate social responsibility activities and value chains, identifying areas of mutual collaboration for potential engagement at national and regional level. Also, identifying and entry points for integration of women owned business supported by UN Women.

TBC

20 days

• Develop initial report with findings and recommendations

Home-based

5 days

• Develop draft UN Women - Private sector engagement strategy

Home-based

5 days

• Finalize private sector strategy and report of the study

Home-based

5 days

Payment Schedule

20% on submission of a detailed work plan of the assignment and mapping tool;

50% on submission and acceptance of draft private sector engagement strategy;

30% on acceptance of final strategy document

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• In-depth knowledge of gender equality, the UN system and private sector operations;
• Demonstrated ability to research and produce clear reports with in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations in English.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships;
• Ability to complete complex assignments in a timely manner and deliver quality results.

Education

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced Degree (Masters or PhD) in the field of gender, Social Sciences, business administration, Economics or any closely related field with proven track record in project design, business development and private sector engagement.

Experience

• At least 10 years of experience working in the area of research in development and familiar with the private sector
• Experience conducting research with strong analytical and writing skills.
• Experience working with the private sector and developing strategy documents
• Knowledge of policies and legal frameworks on gender equality and women empowerment.
• Experience of working with UN Women or understanding the context of UN entities and their engagement with the private sector is an added advantage.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset