Result of Service

Development of a strategic, analytical mapping providing an overview of current CRSV responses, consolidating information from UN entities and partners, and identifying gaps, complementarities, opportunities, and constraints across key thematic areas. This overarching deliverable will guide system-level coordination, inform strategic decision-making, and support Syrian-led CRSV prevention and response efforts. The overarching mapping and phase-based deliverables will be implemented through regional coordination, direct engagement where feasible, and remote modalities, including travel as security, access, and operational conditions permit. All activities will be conducted in close collaboration with UNCTs, clusters, UN Action member entities, and relevant partners, ensuring system-wide coherence and complementarity.

Work Location

Home-Based

Expected duration

Two months

Duties and Responsibilities

The UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict Network (UN Action) brings together the collective experience and institutional capacity of the UN system through its 27 member entities. UN Action is the only UN system-wide initiative that leads advocacy, knowledge-building, resource mobilisation, and joint programming to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). UN Action was created in 2007 in response to the “Call to Action” of the June 2006 Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond held in Brussels, Belgium. The establishment of UN Action responded to calls from within the UN, as well as from women’s rights organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and Member States to elevate sexual violence politically, as a peace and security challenge, and as a humanitarian, human rights, gender, and development issue. UN Action is housed in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. In June 2007, the Secretary-General’s Policy Committee endorsed UN Action as “a critical joint UN system-wide initiative to guide advocacy, knowledge-building, resource mobilisation, and joint programming around sexual violence in conflict”. In the robust normative framework developed by the United Nations Security Council, which recognizes that sexual violence, including when used or commissioned as a tactic of war, terror, torture, and/or political repression, can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and impede the restoration of international peace and security, UN Action is highlighted as the critical interagency coordination forum to address CRSV. Notably in Security Council resolutions, notably 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2331 (2016) and 2467 (2019). Against this backdrop, many priority contexts under the purview of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict mandate’s, particularly in fragile, non-mission, or transition settings, continue to face acute capacity gaps in CRSV coordination and prevention measures. To address these gaps, UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict proposes the deployment of a CRSV Coordinator for a 2-month period to provide tailored advice to UN Senior Officials in-country, coordination support, and surge technical, assistance in response to emerging needs as expressed by the government and CSO stakeholders at country and regional levels. The CRSV Coordinator will provide remote assistance and/or undertake frequent deployments within short notice to provide surge capacity support to United Nations, government and/or civil society counterparts, especially women-led organizations, in priority crisis-affected countries, as required. The CRSV Coordinator will be embedded in the UN Action Secretariat. The UN Action Member entities have called for further support to the Syrian context to implement a gender-responsive methodology to CRSV that supports national capacities and development frameworks. The initial deployment will take place to Western Asia to coordinate a regional response to the growing needs in Syria. Purpose of the Role Under the overall strategic guidance of the Chair of UN Action and its 27 member entities, and under the supervision of the UN Action Coordinator, the Coordinator on CRSV with a focus on the response for Syria will be responsible for the duties outlined below. The role will focus on strategic coordination, technical advisory support, and system-wide coherence, undertaken through UN coordination mechanisms, regional platforms, and partnerships, and within delegated authority. Coordinate UN entities, civil society actors and other relevant parties

Support and coordinate the efforts of UN entities addressing CRSV in Syria, providing strategic advice, technical guidance, and facilitation to strengthen national capacities on CRSV prevention and response, including at the request of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and where feasible, in collaboration with relevant authorities and Syrian-led initiatives.
Support Syrian-led efforts to meet the needs of survivors of CRSV by facilitating and strengthening coordination between UN entities and women-led organizations, survivor networks, members of existing humanitarian platforms, including the Protection Cluster, GBV AoR and Child Protection sub-sector, peace and security actors. This will include actors operating inside Syria and from neighboring countries, while recognizing access, protection and confidentiality considerations.
Lay the groundwork for a systematic inter-agency and multi-stakeholder approach to gender and CRSV, by providing strategic guidance, convening support, and technical input for survivor-centered programming, and fostering long-term partnerships between UN entities, civil society and relevant stakeholders, complementing in-country initiatives, including from the government.
The work of the CRSV Coordinator will build on and complement the work of justice and accountability actors for CRSV including but not limited to the Justice Advisor deployed by UN Women, as well as the Team of Experts, including the report which outlines what in-country capacity exists to address both the legacy of CRSV as well as CRSV currently, adopting an inclusive and integrated CRSV approach in the region that links the rule of law work with protection and assistance efforts such as access to services and economic empowerment.
Coordinate and support strategic, system-level analysis of multi-sectoral mitigation strategies for gender-based and CRSV protection risks, informed by inputs from in-country actors and regional partners, to strengthen prevention and survivor-centered access to services. Establish a shared understanding of the CRSV landscape
Create a shared, regionally informed and system-level understanding of the current status of the CRSV response for Syria, consolidating inputs from civil society actors, UN entities, UNCTs, UN Regional Offices and other relevant stakeholders, to enhance coherence and complementarity of UN support.
Consider a holistic CRSV approach in Syria, centering the needs of survivors and addressing interconnected issues such as enforced disappearances, sexual violence in detention and displacement settings, trafficking and sexual exploitation, early and forced marriage, and the role of women’s participation and leadership. Respond to expressed needs and demands from Syrian authorities
Strengthen regional, national and local governance on CRSV through communicating and facilitating UN support to Syrian-led efforts on integrating gender and CRSV considerations into planning and decision-making processes in a manner that complements in-country engagement and reflect political and access sensitivities.
Facilitate and sustain government efforts on gender mainstreaming, and institutional coordination on CRSV through strategic advisory, coordination and capacity-support functions, with a focus on survivors of CRSV and undertaken in close collaboration with UN entities engaged at country and regional level. Promote system-wide learning and knowledge management
Facilitate the dissemination of good practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches to CRSV prevention and response.
Support peer-to-peer learning and strategic knowledge-sharing among UN entities, civil society actors, and regional partners to enhance coordination, coherence, and survivor-centred approaches.
Provide guidance and support for the development and use of tools, frameworks, and guidance to strengthen evidence-based programming and strategic decision-making. Key Responsibilities A. Technical Advice and CRSV Mainstreaming and Integration
Provide strategic advice and technical support to ensure that CRSV concerns are reflected in strategic planning frameworks of the government, local authorities, UN entities, UNCTs and other relevant actors. This could include documents such as the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, Country Common Assessment (CCA), Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and Peacebuilding Priority Plans, among others;
Support UN Senior officials in the integration of CRSV considerations into strategic conflict-sensitive analysis, operational activities, political and mediation processes and peace-building-related activities;
Support the development or review of dedicated CRSV strategies, frameworks, and action plans at country level;
Integrate CRSV prevention and response into broader protection of civilians (PoC), gender, and rule of law instruments and initiatives; B. Inter-agency Coordination
Provide the structural basis and technical basis for the possible establishment of a UN Working Group on CRSV for Syria, as necessary, to support a regional approach considering the needs of civil society actors, UN entities and government counterparts in serving survivors of CRSV, prioritizing survivor safety, confidentiality and complementarity with in-country coordination structures. This is done through engagement of the whole UN system and women-led civil society organizations and while ensuring survivors’ safety and confidentiality;
Where applicable, lead, in close collaboration with UN Senior Officials (Heads of Mission or RC/HC), the UNCT and UN Action member entities, the implementation frameworks and ensure the integration of prevention and response to CRSV to strengthen local capacities and facilitate peer-to-peer learning;
Promote regular, structured information exchange and improved coherence among UN entities and partners engaged in Syria-related prevention and response to CRSV, with an emphasis on system-wide alignment; C. Advocacy and Capacity Building
Manage the production of a mapping of relevant activities, offers and services from UN entities and relevant partners to support Syria-led efforts on CRSV response and protection measures, and communicate this to the relevant government counterparts;
Facilitate strategic-level trainings, briefings, and technical exchanges to build the capacity of UN, NGO, and relevant government stakeholders, strengthen shared understanding, promote policy coherence, and support the adoption of survivor-centered approaches;
Strengthen coordination and advocacy by engaging with women’s rights, survivor-led, and community-based organizations and connecting them with the national authorities to promote inclusive responses to CRSV and ensure survivor voices shape policy and response mechanisms;
Produce actionable recommendations identifying and prioritizing civil society stakeholders for participation in a potential future advisory group, fostering inclusive and survivor-centred responses;
Provide support to initiatives aiming to secure time-bound protection commitments for survivors, including the application of the ‘do no harm’ approach developed by the GBV AoR; D. Knowledge Management and Reporting
Document good practices, innovative approaches, challenges and lessons learned from the CRSV Coordinator deployment, with a focus on transferable models and peer-to-peer learning, contributing to UN Action’s knowledge base;
Support UN Senior Officials (e.g. Heads of Mission and/or RC/HCs) and UN Action and its member entities to mobilize political attention and financial support from UN Member States, donor community, inter-governmental agencies and regional organizations to support Syrian-led efforts related to the prevention and response to CRSV;
Contribute to internal briefing notes to the Chair of UN Action, and relevant country-level stakeholders. Ultimate Result of Services Development of a strategic, analytical mapping providing an overview of current CRSV responses, consolidating information from UN entities and partners, and identifying gaps, complementarities, opportunities, and constraints across key thematic areas. This overarching deliverable will guide system-level coordination, inform strategic decision-making, and support Syrian-led CRSV prevention and response efforts. The overarching mapping and phase-based deliverables will be implemented through regional coordination, direct engagement where feasible, and remote modalities, including travel as security, access, and operational conditions permit. All activities will be conducted in close collaboration with UNCTs, clusters, UN Action member entities, and relevant partners, ensuring system-wide coherence and complementarity. Duties include: - Validation of UN Action mapping of services. - Consolidation and presentation of an overview of available UN system services and expertise to support Syrian-led efforts on CRSV, communicated through appropriate coordination channels. - Presentation of proposed ways forward for the CRSV mandate for the Syrian response, outlining key findings, existing challenges and opportunities. - Compilation and delivery of a comprehensive list of relevant non-UN entities critical to advancing gender equality and CRSV prevention and response.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in human rights, gender studies, international relations, law, or a related field is required. At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience is required, including at least 2 years of relevant experience in conflict, crisis, or post-conflict settings Demonstrated experience facilitating and supporting inter-agency coordination and planning processes related to CRSV, GBV, protection, and/or peacebuilding is required. Experience in providing advice to senior UN leadership related to WPS, gender, or conflict prevention and resolution is required. Experience within the UN common system or other comparable international organization is required. Demonstrated knowledge of CRSV frameworks and survivor-centered protection approaches is required. Experience implementing Security Council resolutions on CRSV, GBV, or Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is required. Experience providing backstopping support to peace operations and/or field offices is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Fluency in French and/or Arabic is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.