Policy Specialist (Peace, and Security – Participation)

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 UAE, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak and the leadership of the General Women Union (GWU), has played a unique role in advancing the implementation of Security Council Resolution (SCR)1325 (2000) and the broader Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. The UAE was the first GCC country to launch a National Action Plan (NAP) for its implementation. In September 2022, it hosted the MENA region’s first high-level international conference for WPS in Abu Dhabi, highlighting the UAE’s leadership in implementing UNSCR 1325 and supporting women’s integration into decision-making.

As an elected member of the Security Council during its term in 2022-2023, the UAE actively advocated for women’s organizations to receive a greater share of development assistance and pushed for more women to be appointed to leadership roles in conflict resolution, preventative diplomacy, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. In June 2021, building on the milestones of the Training Initiative, the GWU, with technical support from UN Women, launched the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Women, Peace and Security Center of Excellence. This pivotal platform fosters international collaboration and advances the WPS agenda, enhancing the skills of stakeholders in WPS initiatives, with UN Women’s support ensuring its alignment with global priorities in promoting women’s roles in peace and security.

One of the flagship initiatives of the UAE is the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Women, Peace and Security Initiative, an annual comprehensive nine-week programme organized by the GWU in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense (MOD), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and in coordination with UN Women. This initiative contributes to gender-responsive security sectors in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia through seven weeks of intensive military training and two weeks dedicated to peacebuilding and peacekeeping training. Since its launch in January 2019, over 500 women from 20 African, Asian, and Arab countries have been trained under this initiative in Abu Dhabi.

Under the supervision of the Head of Liaison Office, GCC, and in close coordination with the Programme Specialist, the staff will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the UAE National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, building capacities, raising awareness, organizing events and meetings, and advancing the WPS agenda in the UAE, as well as at regional and global levels. This role involves extensive collaboration with national and international stakeholders, as well as managing and enhancing training programmes and conducting policy research. 

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Oversee the development and  Implementation of the UAE National Action Plan on SCR 1325:

• Oversee the development of SCR 1325 programme documents.
• Provide technical support for the implementation and monitoring of the UAE National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, including the development of implementation plans and strategies, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, development of annual work plans, and reporting on progress made.
• Provide inputs to intergovernmental processes and other international fora to help shape the development of national and regional policies, norms, standards, and strategies to enhance planning, implementation, and monitoring of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
• Provide technical advice on strategies and opportunities for building women’s participation and influence in conflict prevention, resolution, and peacebuilding, with a particular focus on the implementation of the National Women, Peace and Security agenda action plan in the UAE, including at the local level.
• Conceptualize and execute action-oriented policy research on national planning and implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325 and subsequent WPS resolutions.
• Assess implementation bottlenecks and gaps in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda in UAE and take appropriate responses whether in terms of policy development and negotiation with relevant stakeholders or pilot programming interventions.

Provide capacity-building support and  raise awareness of SCR 1325:

• Develop and implement training programmes to enhance the skills and knowledge of various national actors on SCR 1325 and the broader WPS agenda.
• Provide technical support and advice for UN Women’s programmes and initiatives on WPS, through strategic partnerships with UN Women offices and the Peace, Security and Resilience (PSR) global team.
• Develop technical documents and tools to strengthen women’s roles in fighting against radicalization and violent extremism.
• Coordinate the production of studies, reports, and background papers on national implementation and monitoring of Women, Peace and Security commitments, in accordance with mandates provided by relevant intergovernmental bodies, highlighting progress and challenges in critical areas and emerging issues as well as preparing options and recommendations for action.
• Contribute to UN Women’s global community of practice on WPS, sharing experiences and good practices from the UAE and GCC region.

Coordinate and organize  Events and Meetings:

• Organize high-level international conferences, expert meetings, panels, and other interactive events to promote the WPS agenda. This includes logistical planning, coordination with stakeholders, and ensuring effective communication.
• Ensure that new participants from various countries are participating in the training through networking with UN Women’s offices and various embassies functioning in UAE.
• Support effective programme planning, implementation, monitoring, and timely progress reporting.
• Provide technical support to further enhance the content of the training and also conduct pre- and post-assessments to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the training.

Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/international and development partners to advance the WPS Agenda in the UAE:

• Support the operationalization of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Women, Peace and Security Center of Excellence and find ways to further advance the WPS agenda in the UAE.
• Develop policy knowledge on WPS and its intersection with violent extremism, demonstrating the gendered nature of radicalization and the centrality of women’s leadership in promoting effective and sustainable responses.
• Strengthen partnerships with national and international stakeholders, including governments and UN entities, the WPS Focal Points Network and the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action,  to advance the WPS agenda and promote accountability mechanisms.
• Contribute to mandated reports, publications, and donor reporting.
• Produce studies, reports, background papers, talking points, press releases, and various documents, highlighting progress and challenges in critical areas and emerging issues and preparing options and recommendations for action.
• Strengthen partnerships with other UN entities and international policy-making forums to highlight and reinforce accountability mechanisms for the implementation of global policy commitments on Women, Peace and Security, including SCRs 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), 2242 (2015), 2467 (2019), and 2493 (2019); support inter-agency work and processes pertaining to gender, conflict prevention, peace processes, and mediation within the UN system, when requested.
• Establish and nurture relationships with academia, research institutes, civil society, and experts on gender, peace, and security to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on the latest findings, and incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women’s work on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Education and Certification:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in law, conflict resolution, gender studies, development studies, political science, human rights, 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 7 years of progressively responsible experience in women, peace and security, national planning for gender equality, conflict prevention, or peacebuilding, including relevant field experience in conflict and post-crisis settings;
• Experience in Women, Peace and Security programming and policy implementation is required;
• Experience in programme, policy analysis, and strategic planning is required;
• Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors, and civil society organizations internationally and at the country level;
• Experience working on gender equality in a fragile setting for a minimum of two years is strongly preferred;
• Experience working with the UN and/or other international development organizations is an asset;
• Experience in UN-inter-agency cooperation is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of Arabic is desirable
• Knowledge of another UN official working language (Russian, French, Spanish, and Chinese) is an asset;

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/requisitions/job/20094