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.

The UN Women Cambodia Programme Office focuses on three key priorities to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). The first priority is to strengthen government capacity and accountability to integrate international norms and commitments (CEDAW, SDGs, Beijing PfA, Sendai) into national legislative and regulatory frameworks, including supporting dialogue and civil society engagement in accountability for GEWE commitments. The second area of focus is Ending Violence Against Women where CCO’s focus includes creating an enabling environment to prevent, respond to and prosecute all forms of GBV as well as ensuring that marginalised women who experience violence, including women migrant workers, access services and protections. Thirdly, CCO works to enhance gender responsiveness in climate change action and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). A focus on empowerment, women’s leadership, challenging negative gender norms and leaving no one behind runs through the programme.

According to United Nations Gender Equality Deep Dive (2020), social norms and beliefs that restrict what women can do and be, and give higher value and more power to men, are still pervasive. Restrictive gender norms are reflected in the vastly unequal distribution of unpaid domestic and care work, with women doing, on average, 90% of that work. Climate change and disasters add to women’s unpaid work in affected regions. In the absence of other supports, unpaid work may be transferred to elder women in the family or to girls, often with negative impact on their education. The under-representation of women in decision-making is another consequence of underlying gender inequalities. Women in Cambodia have a moderate say over their own earnings and participate in most decisions in their households, their community, their workplace or in national governance.

Women have tended to be more prominent than men as participants managing local resources, such as fisheries or forests, but they are a minority of paid positions (e.g. 42 out of 1200 park rangers31) and their representation in decision-making remains weak (Schröder & Young, 2019 cited in UN Gender Equality Deep Dive 2020). In the economy more generally, women’s participation in management of workplaces also lags behind their labour force participation. Twenty-five percent of people with the occupation of managers are women. This matches the proportion of management positions held by women in government, although women are primarily found in deputy positions (such as Deputy Director General, rather than Director General) in central and provincial governments (Mith et al., 2020 cited UN Gender Equality Deep Dive 2020). Improving women’s influence over the decisions that affect their lives and communities is also a means through which women’s interests can be reflected in development outcomes.

In 2025, the global community will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), and 10 years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. To mark the occasion Strengthening Women’s Leadership to Accelerate Progress on Women’s Rights is the key for women leaders to be able to meaningfully participate and exercise leadership in power and decision-making. The emphasis will be on intergenerational exchange to strengthen the feminist movement, empower future young women leaders, and create an enabling environment for women in power.

Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), developed by Cambodia gender advocates and purposefully designed to promote feminist leadership, has proven record in contributing to support Cambodia young women with less or no privilege to realize their potentials and increased confidence to apply feminist leadership to network and act for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The overall goals of the Youth Leadership Academy are:

1. To provide a safe and respectful space for young women with leadership potential to develop their capacity in critical thinking on a range of skills/knowledge from conceptual frameworks to approaches to techniques, using a multi-disciplinary approach, including the social sciences, STEM, cultural studies, arts, etc.;
2. To develop transformative and adaptive leadership models that are applicable in the rapidly developing context of Cambodia;
3. To build and sustain a network for feminist collective action
4. To promote inter-generational feminist dialogue and learning.

The office intends to explore if YLA programme is possible to apply for young men. Hence, consultations with various age of men groups to build understand on male perspective on gender, leadership, challenges of being Cambodian men and opportunities to apply YLA promoting transformative leadership for gender equality with young men. At the same time, continuing to nurture more feminist transformative leaders in the community office also aims to deliver YLA programme for another cohort which expected to be started in the last quarter of 2024. This will be conducted with engagement of participants from YLA Group 1 and 3 as well as the YLA Core Group that initially created the programme.

In this regard, Cambodia office is looking for an international consultant, with qualification and experience in transformative leadership programme with diverse groups, including men, and strengthening feminist networks. The consultant will be reporting to Deputy Regional Director, and will be supported by National Country Programme Coordinator, who will be the point of contact on, technical content, coordination, the contract and payment issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of the assignment is strengthening feminist networks, with more engaging men to bring about gender equality by using gender transformational leadership and human right based approach and contributing to inclusive intergenerational dialogues involve women leaders from different walk of lives. The scope of work includes provision of technical support to implement Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) with new cohort of young women who have limited or no privilege and are interested to challenge norms toward gender equality. Further, the scope of work will also be working collaboratively with YLA core group to tailor the YLA Programme for engaging young men, including design of tool building understanding men perception in transformative leadership for gender equality, norms of being a man, and men’s experience in overcoming the masculine norms.

1. Provision of technical advice as well as assistance to lead in modifying the YLA Programme for young men groups.

• Develop a detailed workplan to meet the purposes of the assignment;
• Conduct literature review related to current trends of youth development in Cambodia, focusing on social norms and behaviors among young men both in urban and rural communities, analysing related leadership programme for men if any;
• Building on findings from the literature review, develop questionnaire/tool for conducting in-depth discussions with programme team, YLA Core Group and participants from group 1 and 3;
• Support YLA core group and identified participants from group 1 and 3 to conduct a series of consultations with both formal and informal networks/groups of young men as well as gender advocates to deepen understanding of current leadership programmes as well as men perspectives regarding to gender equality transformative leadership for adjusting YLA Programme for men. This includes key in-depth interview and informal dialogue with individuals and groups;
• Lead in analysing the data/stories collected and adapting YLA programme to engage (contents, structure, methodologies), reflecting men experiences and perception on feminist transformative leadership. The process may include a conduct a validation workshop men meet, and virtual discussions with YLA core group and trained participants as well as identified gender advocates to present the draft area of focus and substances of modified manual;
• Provide technical support to the office and YLA core group to pilot the YLA modified programme for men groups. This includes monitoring the progress and documenting lessons learnt as well as story of changes. 2. Provision of technical support to YLA core group and programme team to deliver YLA Programme for a new cohort
• Conduct a reflective exercise with YLA core group and identified YLA trained participants to validate if the YLA contents, structure and methodologies need to be updated. This can be held with a support of programme team;
• Lead in modifying any session if it needs. This will be done in close collaboration with YLA core group, YLA trained participants and relevant programme team;
• Conduct a virtual refresher workshop for YLA core group and identified YLA trained participants;
• Support in monitoring the progress and collect the stories of change throughout the journey for a new cohort. 3. Provision of technical support to design and convene intergenerational dialogues emphasing on transformative women leadership align with Beijing+30 anniversary calling for systematic actions ensuring substantial equality, spotlight on women leadership role model in government and civil societies via communication channel
• Conduct consultations and collect inputs from women leaders in the government and civil societies to design a programme for convening intergenerational dialogues, bringing women leaders and gender advocates from virous backgrounds and age groups to a safe space which women stories have been shared, highlighting challenges, approaches and positive enabling factors for women leadership
• Design the programme reflects the context and experiences of Cambodian women, especially women with public services/government
• Lead in convening inclusive and intergenerational dialogues. This includes documenting reflective notes for sharing with regional learning forums
• Support women leaders in the government to develop affirmative statement, focusing on women leadership for Beijing+30 review at 2025 CSW.

Consultant’s Workplace and Mission Travel

The consultancy is expected to be started on 30 October 2024 and continue until 31 December 2025

This is a home-based consultancy. The consultant may be required to travel to Phnom Penh as needed for the purpose of the assignment where required by UN Women-Cambodia. The standard UN Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will apply to mission travel that may be required in the fulfillment of this assignment.

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the UNWOMEN National Country Programme Coordinator under the direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director. A workstation will be provided to the consultant to ensure effective consultation and support during in country mission. The Consultant will bring his/her own personal computer to conduct this assignment. The consultant will be based in her/his current residence.

Payments

Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payment will not be based on the number of days worked but on the completion of each stated deliverable within the indicated timeframes on satisfactory completion of task. Payments will be made upon submission of deliverables with an approval of the National Country Programme Coordinator. Travel cost will be reimbursable based on actual expenses and proof of document and complied with the UN Women travel policy. And the travel cost will not be included in the contract value.

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:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

Technical Competencies:

• Good knowledge of development of individual agency/self-esteem as well as robust skills in mentoring/coaching potential young leaders through feminist framework;
• A proven history of leadership, management and young people capacity building through a style of mutual accountability and professional development;
• Proven experience and skills in critical analysis, participatory programme design, facilitation/coordination, and report writing;
• Proven experience and skill in conducting participatory skill building session, with application of diverse tools/technique to enable audiences to interact and learn from each other experience knowledge as well; and
• A proven ability to liaise and coordinate with a myriad of stakeholders and partners, including gender advocates, formal and informal young leadership network, civil society organization as well as university.

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of the social, cultural, and political context of Cambodia and local issues of gender, women’s participation in private and public sphere, multiple challenges that potential young leaders face to advance their personal development plan as well as participate equally in emergent socioeconomic development;
• Promotion respectful and gender sensitive learning environment throughout the assignment and in the office;
• Solid experience in coordination and facilitation to engage relevant stakeholders in the process and learning space;
• Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact, and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles, working with implementing young people and other stakeholders; and
• Proven excellent context analysis, and writing skills and high quality reports produced.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism; and

Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience