Result of Service
(i) A long-term strategic action plan on addressing racism and promoting dignity for all in the United Nations.
(ii) A report on implicit biases in the United Nations and how to address them.
(iii) A report on the review of workplace culture and practices at the United Nations including recommendations about how discrimination can be addressed.
Work Location
Home based
Expected duration
As soon as possible through 30 September 2021
Duties and Responsibilities
In June 2020, the Secretary-General recognized that the United Nations was not immune to racism and racial discrimination and called for action to identify, prevent and address racism and racial discrimination in the Organization in an 18-month campaign on awareness and action through December 2021. In support of his efforts, the Secretary-General has established the “Task Force to Address Racism and Promote Dignity for all in the United Nations”, that will conduct its work through 30 September 2021.
The consultant[s] will report to the chairpersons or alternate chairpersons of the various working groups of the Task Force, as assigned.
The consultants will work collaboratively or independently to:
- Provide advice and support in the development of a Strategic Action Plan:
- Provide expert advice and support in shaping the development of a long-term strategic action plan that identifies concerted and sustained actions required to address racism and racial discrimination within the United Nations.
- Complemented by the data and information collected from the United Nations surveys on racism for staff and for non-staff personnel, undertake a data analysis on:
(i) workforce demographics, recruitment, retention, transfer, assignments and promotion; and,
(ii) contracting practices at all personnel levels. - Collect and assess good practices from other multilateral organizations on:
(i) Mitigating incidence of racism and racial discrimination in various structures, processes and practices and settings and at different levels.
(ii) How to identify, prevent and mitigate direct and indirect racism.
(iii) How to ensure equity in hiring practices, career development programmes – including on the job support programmes and mentorship.
(iv) Anti-discrimination policies and programmes.
(v) Support to staff who experience racism. - Develop a shared language and conceptual framework, including a public statement of principle for the United Nations regarding zero tolerance for racial discrimination in all its forms, that demonstrates the Organization’s commitment to addressing racism and racial discrimination.
- Provide expert advice to the Working Group on the Development of the Strategic Action Plan based on the data compiled from the United Nations surveys on racism, other sources of data, observations from the Task Force dialogues, recommendations emanating from the other Working Groups of the Task Force, good practices from other multilateral organizations and ideas from various stakeholders in order to develop a long-term strategic action plan on addressing racism and ensuring dignity for all in the United Nations.
The development of the Action Plan will entail engaging stakeholders and experts, including but not limited to departments and offices of the United Nations Secretariat, senior leaders and managers, other Working Groups of the Task Force, representatives of staff, interest groups, organizations of the United Nations system, private sector entities, non-governmental organizations, government organizations, external experts, staff members through the awareness and action campaigns or focus groups, the results of the United Nations survey on racism for staff and non-staff categories, data compilation and analysis etc. - Provide expert advice on implicit biases and workplace culture and practices:
- Provide expert advice on the study on how implicit biases may have manifested themselves in the United Nations and how such biases can be proactively addressed. This will entail, inter alia, the provision of expertise in:
(i) The study on unconscious biases from the lens of race and ethnicity, gender and diversity.
(ii) The identification of implicit bias, its causes, manifestation and impact within the Organization, including in policy, practices, organizational culture, staffing and management.
(iii) The identification of good practices (programmes/projects/initiatives/training) from other organizations or within the UN that successfully addressed discriminatory attitudes, perceptions, prejudice and implicit bias within the Organization and its activities.
(iv) Recommendations on how implicit bias can be addressed within the organization. - Based on the outcome of the study, prepare a report on implicit biases in the United Nations and recommend initiatives to address implicit bias within the Organization:
(v) Provide support to review workplace culture and practices - In support of the Working Group on the review of the Organization’s workplace culture and practices, a review will be carried out on:
(i) Workplace culture.
(ii) Treatment of general service and national staff and non-staff personnel.
(iii) The administration of benefits and entitlements
(iv) Workplace civility and staff engagement
(v) Teamwork or team functioning
(vi) Workplace culture change through leadership-based interventions - Based on the outcome of the review, prepare a report on workplace culture and practices at the United Nations.
Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualifications:
An advanced university degree (Master's or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in social sciences, organizational psychology, human resources management, business administration, or a related field is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
A minimum of 10 years of progressive responsible experience in human resources management or related areas, with five years of experience in developing organizational-wide strategies on diversity, equity and inclusion, with a focus on drafting strategic action plans, addressing implicit bias, best practices in this area and coordination with experts is required. Experience in preparing written outputs, e.g. studies, strategies, draft background papers, analysis reports, inputs to publications, etc. is required.
Language:
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy posting, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.