The ILO, Better Work and Gender Equality

Gender equality is critical to achieving the ILO vision of decent work for all and lies at the heart of the organization’s mandate. Building on the blueprint established by historical equality Conventions – C. 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation, C. 100 on Equal Remuneration. C156 on Workers with Family Responsibilities, C. 183 on Maternity Protection and C. 190 on Violence and Harassment – and answering the call for action of the 2019 Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, in 2022 the ILO also developed a Theory of Change towards a transformative agenda on gender equality touching on the same world-of-work issues and related equality barriers.

Aligned with this broader direction and strategic approach, and recognizing how gender equality and women economic empowerment ae also key drivers to a healthy, fair and sustainable garment sector, Better Work applies a gender lens throughout its operations and at different levels of program implementation. With a view to guiding such work and harmonizing it across country programmes towards a clear and shared vision, Better Work is launching a Global Framework on gender Equality and Diversity Inclusion, focusing on 5 thematic priorities – discrimination, safety and health through a gender lens, voice and representation, care and family, leadership and growth.

Background and rationale for the assignment

Sexual Harassment is particularly prevalent in sectors and contexts compounding a predominantly female workforce with systemic vertical segregation and power imbalances along gender lines, and the garment sector is no exception. Tackling sexual Harassment has therefore historically been one of Better Work’s key areas of focus under the GEDI portfolio. While the Programme originally started from rather standardized approaches and activities in that regard, over the years and responding to varying needs, Country Programme have been adapting and expanding programmes and approaches, in some cases spinning off into entirely different interventions and models.

With ILO Convention No. 190 being adopted in 2019, the demand for BW’s services in this space has also increased and multiplied. At the same time, on the side of Better Work’s Global Secretariat, a need emerged to harmonize and converge again around an approach which is as much as possible harmonized across countries and also aligns with C.190’s principles and overall call for integrated and broad-scope approaches.

The case of Nicaragua and the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) methodology is one of those cases in which an intervention model that was initially created for several countries significantly evolved in the hands of one Country Programme in particular. Since its first adoption, the method has been enhanced with participatory elements, a diagnostic tool and advanced advisory activities, which evidence has shown to be more effective in changing attitudes and perceptions comparatively with other approaches, and also trigger positive change beyond the scope of SH prevention alone and towards broader gender awareness and equality outcomes.

This very much aligns and resonates with the guiding principles of the-soon-to-be-published Global Framework on Gender Equality and Diversity Inclusion 2024-2027, which marks a shift of Better Work’s overall approach towards more holistic interventions focusing on system-level change that can sustain itself over time and be leveraged on to nudge behaviours and harmful social norms.

Through this assignment, we are looking to:

Redefinition of perimeter and scope will keep in mind the following strategic directions:

Description of assignment

Under supervision of a working group coordinated by Better Work’s Technical Officer on Gender Equality and Diversity Inclusion, the consultant is expected to support and facilitate the process described above, through the following deliverables:

All outputs will need to be delivered in English, and the working language in the working group will also mostly be English. However, some conversations – including those occurring at the factory level – need to be conducted in Spanish.

Reporting

The consultant will report to Francesca Biasiato, Technical Officer Gender, Diversity, Inclusion.

Value of contract, payment details and schedule

Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of the deliverables and submission of invoice for days worked as follows:

Required qualifications

• University degree in a related field (Gender studies, social sciences, labour law / labour relations, or alternatively adult learning / education science) or alternatively extensive and documented experience in this areas;
• 10 years + experience working on gender equality applied to the world of work;
• Specific experience in the garment sector and in supply chains will be considered an asset;
• Experience as a trainer and in designing training and training material and tools;
• Extensive knowledge of and practical experience with organizational gender assessment methodologies (ILO methodology will be considered an asset);
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality work within the specified timelines;
• Extensive and documented experience working in Central America as well as knowledge of the Region;
• Excellent command of English (especially in writing) and Spanish;
• As Better Work Haiti and its factories may be involved in the activities relating to the design and piloting of POSH 2.0, proficiency in French will be a plus.

Gender-sensitivity and inclusiveness

The consultant is expected to apply a gender lens when preparing reports, analyses, or any written outputs. For instance she will:

• analyze data and findings through a gender lens, ensuring that gender-specific impacts, challenges, and opportunities are highlighted;
• make sure that all recommendations provided in her reports consider gender disparities, wherever possible broken down by intersecting factors, and promote gender equality;
• in case of barriers and challenge identification, research, surveying and mapping methods will be gender-responsive and conducive towards harvesting gender-disaggregated information, and whenever possible broken down further by other grounds of discrimination and disadvantage;
• make consistent use of inclusive language that acknowledges diverse gender identities. E.g. using the pronoun “they” whenever uncertain of gender identification of subjects, including when conducting interviews;
• avoid gender stereotypes and use gender-inclusive terms throughout written materials;
• ensure that narratives promote positive images of both genders and proactively disrupts common stereotypes and harmful social norms.

Confidentiality Statement

All data and information received for the purpose of this assignment are to be treated confidentially and are only to be used in connection with the execution of these Terms of Reference. All intellectual property rights arising from the execution of these Terms of Reference are assigned to IFC and ILO. The contents of written materials obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the express advance written authorization of the IFC and ILO.

How to apply

Interested candidates wishing to apply to this assignment must send an email to BETTERWORK@ilo.org with the subject “Streamlining POSH with a focus on Central America”

The email shall include the following:

1- Technical Offer

• Candidate’s CV;
• A cover email of 200 to 300 words elaborating on experiences, qualifications and competences relevant to this assignment;
• A portfolio or extracts from authored guidance and training material that could exemplify deliverables and expected outputs.

2- Financial Offer

• Daily fees (all costs relating to travel to Costa Rica will be covered by the ILO according to ILO travel rules).

The deadline for receiving applications is 21 August 2024.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.