UNDP Consultancy-Zimbabwe
CONSULTANCY-UNDP Conducting a Study Defining the Role of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission in Ending Child Marriage in Zimbabwe
Advertised on behalf of : Location : Harare, ZIMBABWE
Application Deadline : 13-Jun-16 (Midnight New York, USA)
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required : English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 22-Jun-2016
Expected Duration of Assignment : 30 working days
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 centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the 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.
In Zimbabwe, UN Women supports the implementation of the existing international commitments to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with the national priorities. In this regard UN Women is providing capacity development support to the Zimbabwe Gender Commission.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission is one of the five independent commissions established in terms of Chapter 12, Part 4 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Number 20 of 2013. The mandate of the Commission as broadly set out in Section 246 of the Constitution is to do everything necessary to promote gender equality. The Gender Commission Act [Chapter 10:31] further provides for the power of the Gender Commission to investigate violations of gender equality, and monitor gender mainstreaming and efforts to achieve gender equity.
The Commission is tasked in terms of the Gender Commission Act with addressing ‘systemic barriers prejudicial to gender equality’ defined as any practice, custom, law or other impediment prejudicial to the achievement of gender equality, including equality of opportunities and outcomes, in accessing social services, including those relating to education, health and housing; accessing resources, including land, capital and finance; employment in and upward mobility within the public, private and parastatal sectors and civil society organisations, including the provision of conditions in the workplace conducive to the employment of both genders; ?engagement in and upward mobility of members within the professions and occupations, including the provision of conditions conducive to the engagement of individuals in the professions and occupations; accessing public office at the national and local level, whether elective or otherwise; and any other sphere or activity.
Capacity development Child marriage Child Protection Civil Society Conflict Management Driver Early Marriage Empowerment of Women Family Planning Gender Discrimination Gender Equality Gender Mainstreaming Human Rights International Law Social Services Violence against Women
Child marriage is defined as a formal marriage or informal union before the age of 18. Although it affects both boys and girls, girls are disproportionately the most affected hence the recognition that child marriage is rooted in gender discrimination, encouraging premature and continuous child bearing for girls while giving preference to boys’ education and personal development.
Studies indicate that Zimbabwe has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates; ranked 41st globally among countries with the highest child marriage prevalence rates. A 2011 study revealed that on average, one out of three girls will be married before they reach the age of 18, with the 20-24 year age group prevalence rate set at 31%. If these trends continue, approximately 246,000 of the young girls born between 2005 and 2010 will be married or in union before age 18 by 2030. Meanwhile the impact of this practice continues to destabilise the development agenda. Child marriage threatens girls’ lives and health, and it limits their future prospects. Girls pressed into child marriage often become pregnant while still adolescents, increasing the risk of complications in pregnancy or childbirth. Among the married girls, only 36% are using contraception. The unmet need for family planning amongst the 15-19 year olds is 11%, a percentage point higher than the overall unmet need for women of child bearing age (11).
Efforts to end child marriage underway include processes to harmonise laws and policies relating to the legal age of consent and marriage, community based child protection mechanisms such as child protection committees (CPC), work with traditional and religious leaders and families to prevent and punish child marriage and violence against women and girls in the communities, training communities on child marriage prevention reiterating missed opportunities that come along with early marriage and sensitization efforts on child marriage as a harmful practice.
As the lead organisation tasked with steering transformational work to achieve gender equality, it is imperative that the Gender Commission should map out its strategy engaging efforts at ending child marriage.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Deputy Country Representative, the Consultant will be reporting to the Chairperson of the Gender Commission. She/he will provide technical expertise to the Gender Commission and specifically, will undertake the following tasks and responsibilities:
Conduct a study which will outline the contextual background on child marriage in Zimbabwe;
Give an overview of current efforts to end child marriage in Zimbabwe;
Provide an analysis of the role that the Gender Commission should play in light of its special mandate; learning from best practices around the globe, to promote gender equality by proposing key interventions, activities and initiatives.
The Consultant will review relevant documentation related to child marriage in Zimbabwe and provide the Zimbabwe Gender Commission with an analysis of the following:
Causes, drivers, forms, effects and consequences of child marriage in Zimbabwe;
Existing legal, constitutional and policy frameworks addressing child marriage, proposing amendments and gaps in implementation;
Existing initiatives, campaigns to end child marriage and assess the role of the Gender commission in the implementation of these, and propose areas and/or strategies for intervention and involvement; and
Assess the role of the Gender commission in the implementation of laws and policies that address child marriage, drawing lessons and best practices from other jurisdictions and propose areas and/or strategies for intervention and involvement.
Expected Output: The key output is a study/report which should provide the Zimbabwe Gender Commission with a contextual background on child marriage generally and specifically in Zimbabwe, an overview of current efforts to end child marriage in Zimbabwe and an analysis of the role that the Gender Commission should play in light of its special mandate, proposing possible interventions, activities and initiatives.
Deliverables: The consultant/s will deliver the following:
A detailed proposal outlining the proposed methodology;
An inception report, including a document list for review and a suggested schedule for interviews with key stakeholders.
A final knowledge product on child marriage detailing the following:
An introduction detailing the contextual analysis, the problem analysis, and a literature review;
A mapping of existing initiatives and interventions engaged in by the various institutions including private, government, and development partners;
An assessment of existing legal and policy frameworks on child marriage and conduct a gap analysis;
Identify challenges faced by the institutions in the implementation of the existing policies and laws;
Identify a number of opportunities and entry points that could be capitalized upon by the Gender Commission in designing interventions while recognizing the challenges identified that need to be addressed.
Competencies
Core Values
Integrity:
Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
Professionalism:
Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:
Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.
Core Competencies
Ethics and Values:
Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.
Organizational Awareness:
Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
Development and Innovation;
Take charge of self-development and take initiative.
Work in teams:
Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Communicating and Information Sharing:
Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:
Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others.
Conflict Management:
Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.
Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:
Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.
Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:
Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.
Functional/Technical Competencies
Strong and sound knowledge of national, regional and international human rights and governance frameworks;
Understanding of gender equality and rights based programming of UN agencies and government;
Knowledge of the functioning of independent constitutional commissions within the framework of human rights, international law and Zimbabwean law, in particular, the Constitution of Zimbabwe;
Results oriented, exhibiting high levels of enthusiasm, tact, diplomacy and integrity; and able to work with minimal supervision;
Excellent communication (spoken, written and presentation) skills/fluency in English, including the ability to draft/edit reports, studies and other communications and to articulate ideas in a clear, concise manner.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
At least a Master’s degree in Law, Gender Studies, Development Studies and any other related discipline.
Experience:
Must have knowledge of human rights, international law and gender related research experience;
At least 10 years of relevant professional experience working on the subject of child marriage; and
Deep understanding of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues and experience of working on gender equality and women’s empowerment issues.
Language:
Excellent written and verbal command of English;
Knowledge of at least one local language, preferably Shona or Ndebele.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.