Background:

Location: Home-based
Application Deadline: 09-Apr-09
Additional Category: HIV/AIDS
Type of Contract: SSA
Languages Required: English 
Starting Date: 20-Apr-2009
Duration of Initial Contract: 2 months
Expected Duration of Assignment: 2 months

Human rights violations and inequitable gender relations continue to fuel the spread of the HIV epidemic. Gender inequality and harmful gender norms are not only associated with the spread of HIV but also with its consequences, such as violence targeted toward HIV-positive women. Intimate partner violence, challenges in negotiating safer sex and other manifestations of gender inequality are closely associated with the risk of women being infected with HIV. Women and girls also are significant sources of care, support and advocacy for persons who are living with HIV and AIDS.

Protecting the rights of people living with HIV and promoting gender equality are essential for reducing vulnerability to HIV and scaling-up national responses. UNDP supports countries in creating an enabling human rights environment to protect the rights of people living with HIV, women and vulnerable groups. The integration of gender into national AIDS responses and the enrichment of partnerships among different actors are of particular importance for UNDP. The UNDP HIV/AIDS Practice in the Bureau for Development Policy has a strategic outcome on Gender, Human Rights, Sexual Diversity and HIV. This strategic area includes UNDP’s role as lead UNAIDS cosponsoring agency for these areas of workin connection to the Global Task Team’s division of responsibilities.

Working with the UNDP HIV/AIDS Practice in BDP and on behalf of the interagency coordination team, and under the overall guidance of the Practice Director, the consultant will complete the following tasks by no later than 15 June 2009.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Objectives:

Formulate a user-friendly, brief and accessible “roadmap” document providing a ‘how to’ process for helping national actors: conduct an assessment of their current national AIDS response; identify gaps; and develop an action plan to accelerate national efforts to address women’s and girls’ vulnerability to HIV and to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on them. The action plan should build be evidence-informed and human-rights based, designed to build and strengthen the experience and contributions of women and girls, and emphasize women’s/girl’s empowerment and gender equality in the context of national AIDS responses.

Activities:

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Formulate a user-friendly, succinct and accessible roadmap that provides a “how-to” process for helping national actors address women and girls in the context of their current national AIDS response (including the national strategy, national plan and its implementation)
• Identify gaps in programming, specific areas of work and priority actions that must be enhanced in order to empower women and girls, address women's and girl's vulnerability to HIV, and mitigate the consequences of HIV and AIDS on them;
• Liaise with appropriate UN colleagues (UNDP, UNAIDS Cosponsors and UNIFEM), civil society, donors, governments and other key partners to capture relevant information for a country-level roadmap to ensure that it builds on existing experience and knowledge and addresses the concerns of key partners/constituencies;
• Consult key partners, particularly positive women’s groups, to ensure the accessibility and adequacy of the tool;
• Create a monitoring and evaluation tool with indicators to measure the usefulness of the roadmap; and
• Any other related tasks.

Competencies:

• Strong track record of research and writing skills;
• Strong knowledge of gender and HIV issues;
• Experience in developing ‘how to’ tools or similar products;
• Good working relationships with the UN family, governments and civil society partners, especially positive women’s groups;
• Editing skills are helpful;
• Expertise in HIV, human rights and development issues.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Master’s degree in international relations or other related field;
• At least ten years experience working in HIV or gender-related field; and
• Fluency in English;
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

To Apply:

Please apply ONLINE at: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=9501

Application Deadline: 09 April 2009.