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.
In efforts to advance peace, stability and inclusive development in Africa, UN Women and the African Union commission, through the office of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security and with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany have been implementing a project on women’s leadership initiative for stability in Africa, which was launched in December 2016. Under this project, the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) was launched in June 2017 in New York.
The AWLN seeks to enhance the leadership of African women in the transformation of the continent, in line with the Africa Agenda 2063 and the Global Sustainable Development agenda 2030. AWLN serves as a continental platform to galvanize women’s leadership towards lasting peace and sustainable development, the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in all sectors and at all levels, building on, and working with, existing women networks. AWLN also serves as a practical instrument to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) at regional level. The network seeks to increase women’s participation in decision-making through peer learning and mentoring, enhanced solidarity, advocacy and capacity-building among other strategies.
To date, the African Women Leaders Network continues to grow through the national chapters at country level who contribute to expanding and operationalizing the network. AWLN activities and advocacy are based on the Network’s six pillars: peace and security, governance, finance, agriculture, youth and social mobilization, which are advanced through the Networks (now) 25 National Chapters.
In November 2021, the Network will host a Third Forum. For this purpose, the AUC and UN Women seek to recruit a Report Writer and Rapporteur to support with developing three documents:
- A brief on AWLN’s work since its inception (to be finalized before the Forum).
- An outcome document to be read at the end of the Forum
- A short report of the Forum’s outcome.
- A comprehensive outcome report of the Third Forum, highlighting the Forum’s results and synthesis of recommendations.
Although interpreters for English and French will be recruited by UN Women for the workshop separately, the report writer is requested to be fluent in both English and French to comprehend inputs provided during the meeting and take substantive notes. The recording of the workshop’s session will be also available for the report writer in case some cross-reference check is needed. The incumbent will report to the Policy Specialist on Gender and Mediation at UN Women Headquarters in New York and work in close consultation with the AU Representative’s Office at the United Nations in New York, and the Office of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security in Addis Ababa. The incumbent will be home-based.