Consultant to provide advisory services on Disability Inclusion

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 part of UN-Women's mandate to promote gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, UN-Women has increasingly worked with women and girls with disabilities, including for their empowerment and effective participation in all aspects of life. Given that close to 20% of women experience a disability related exclusion, to address this, UN-Women has a corporate strategy for the empowerment of women and girls with disabilities and UN Women have also joined forces with sister UN agencies and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities through joint programmes pioneering gender-responsive and disability-inclusive programming. The aim is to ensure the integration of the SDGs, as well as intersectional and human rights-based approaches to our development work, and more importantly, leadership and participation of women and girls with disabilities. This is reflected in all aspects of UN Women's work across all its priority areas and in all regions, as set out in its Strategic Plan 2022-2025. As stated in our Strategic Plan 2022-2025, UN Women is fully committed to mainstreaming disability inclusion throughout its work. The aim is to ensure a more systematic approach to strengthen the inclusion of the rights of women and girls with disabilities in UN Women’s efforts.

Recognizing that gender-neutral approaches to disability inclusion perpetuate discrimination and vulnerability, UN-Women has made concerted efforts to promote disability inclusion and gender equality, including by establishing and strengthening partnerships, and contributing to amplifying the voices of women and girls with disabilities, both at headquarters and in the field. Active participation of and consultations with women with disabilities and their representative organizations have informed gender equality and disability inclusive action at all levels.

UN Women South African Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) seeks to provide high-quality, evidence-based content, subject matter expertise, multilateral cooperation, and facilitating cross-regional knowledge exchange in support of the South African Government’s Presidency of the G20, particularly within the Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG). By supporting the South African government in the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG), UN Women is advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women (GEWE) on a global scale. This effort aligns with the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Integrating gender perspectives into global governance fora like the G20 enhances the effectiveness and inclusivity of decision-making processes. It ensures that the needs and perspectives of women and girls are considered in policy development and implementation, leading to more equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Therefore, UN Women SAMCO is seeking a national consultant with expertise in the area of Disability Inclusion to provide technical advice to the Ministry in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD).The National Consultant will work under the direct supervision of SAMCO’s Coordination Specialist.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work:

The main objective of the assignment is to produce high-quality analytical output in support of the G20 working group on Disability Inclusion in order to produce specific and realistic policy recommendations for possible legislative or regulatory changes. The Disability Inclusion Consultant will use their in-depth contextual understanding, technical and practical expertise, and relationship building skills to define and deliver a strategic ambition for Disability Inclusion Working Group within the G20; and will work alongside the Ministry in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) on Disability Inclusion and will mutually inform each other on the intermediary findings and recommendations of their work.

Contribute technically to the area of disability inclusion: 

• Conduct policy and situational analyses on the status of women and girls with disabilities in South Africa and other G20 countries, with attention to intersectionality and SDG 5.
• Develop technical briefs, background notes, and evidence-based policy recommendations on disability inclusion for integration into G20 EWWG priorities.
• Provide guidance on alignment with international frameworks including the UNCRPD, CEDAW, the African Disability Protocol, and the Beijing Platform for Action.
• Identify and document emerging good practices and gaps in disability-inclusive gender equality programming.

Provide technical assistance and capacity development for the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group on disability inclusion: 

• Offer technical support to the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) in developing G20 deliverables and inputs with a focus on women and girls with disabilities.
• Design and support training sessions, webinars, or roundtables for stakeholders and task teams within the EWWG on disability inclusion.
• Support DWYPD and G20 stakeholders to ensure disability-inclusive language and actions are embedded in all priority documents, policy frameworks, and recommendations.
• Strengthen national and intergovernmental capacity on inclusive policy development through guidance, tools, and resources.

Provide coordination support and technical inputs to the monitoring and reporting for the G20 EWWG on disability inclusion

• Contribute to the development and implementation of a disability inclusion monitoring framework aligned with national, regional, and global standards.
• Assist DWYPD and UN Women in collecting, analysing, and reporting data disaggregated by gender and disability across the EWWG workstreams.
• Draft inputs for the Outcome Document and G20 progress reports related to the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities.
• Liaise with G20 countries and working groups to harmonize efforts and share lessons learned on disability-inclusive practices.

Provide substantive inputs to advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:

• Develop advocacy materials, policy briefs, and communications content highlighting the role of women and girls with disabilities in achieving inclusive and sustainable development.
• Support the development and dissemination of knowledge products (e.g. case studies, newsletters, toolkits) to promote awareness and capacity on gender-disability inclusion within G20 platforms.
• Prepare high-level talking points, speeches, and briefing notes for events and meetings led by UN Women and DWYPD.
• Coordinate engagement with Disabled Persons' Organizations (DPOs) to amplify their voices within national and G20 processes.

Deliverables: 

• A brief on the status of women and girls with disabilities in South Africa and key G20 nations.
• At least two policy briefs and one concept note addressing disability inclusion for the G20 EWWG.
• Technical inputs and summaries for EWWG meetings, ministerial events, and draft outcome documents.
• Quarterly technical reports reflecting activities, findings, and recommendations.
• Final consultancy report capturing achievements, lessons learned, and sustainability recommendations.

External Engagement

• Engage in strategic positioning with donors, partners and G20 Member States.

Special conditions

Maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information with discretion. It is not allowed to share information relating to the EWWG without the consent of the South African Government. 

Special conditions

Maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information with discretion. It is not allowed to share information relating to the EWWG without the consent of the South African Government.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is an office-based consultancy. Any travel will be coordinated in advance and aligned with UN Women travel policies.

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:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment 
• Strong writing and analytical skills
• Ability to prioritize and work under pressure with colleagues at all levels
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Required Qualifications 

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, gender, international relations or other social science fields 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:

• At least 5 years’ experience of leading the design and implementation of Disability Inclusive programmes.
• Experience of designing and facilitating capacity building trainings on disability rights and inclusive programming for stakeholders.
• Experience of working with representative organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and good relationship and wide network with disability experts.
• Experience of strategy development and planning to promote and enhance Disability Inclusion.
• Strong understanding of the Disability Rights sector and policy priorities. Understanding of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of French or any other UN official language is an asset.

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.