African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)

Advocacy for African Women's Participation in the Processes and Structures of the African Union

Terms of Reference for the Consultant

Background
The AU came into being after two thirds of the members of the AU signed the Constitutive Act of the AU in July 2001, and it was formally launched in Durban, South Africa in July 2002, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Women were virtually absent from the structures of the OAU, holding no positions of influence within the OAU during its 39 years of existence. A notable departure from the OAU is therefore the inclusion of principles of democracy, gender equality, good governance, human rights and the rule of law in the Constitutive Act of the AU. Building on those principles, the African women’s movement has started to explore strategies for mainstreaming gender in all institutions and processes of the AU.

The Ford Foundation’s Special Initiative (SIA) supports FEMNET’s “Advocacy for African Women’s Participation in the Processes and Structures of the African Union” Project. It seeks to improve the participation of women in regional integration institutions and processes, especially those of the African union (AU).

Activities and objectives
The project involves:
· Holding of a regional advocacy meeting to identify entry points for and strategize on more long-term work on gender mainstreaming within the AU and its specialised mechanisms;
· Development of a gender-mainstreaming framework targeting the AU and its specialised mechanisms for use by African women's organisations and the AU.

The first activity was completed in October 2003 and the report of the meeting will be used in the second activity-developing a gender mainstreaming framework with the objective to increase capacity of African women’s organisations and members of staff of the AU to mainstream gender in the AU and its specialised mechanisms. The developed framework will be published and distributed in English and French.

A gender consultant is needed with experience in:
· Gender mainstreaming;
· The African Union and its Specialised mechanisms;
· Regional and international human rights conventions particularly on women’s rights.

Terms of Reference
The terms of reference of the consultant will be to:
· Analyse the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Co-operation in Africa (CSSDCA), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the African peer Review Mechanism (NEPAD/APRM), Peace and Security Council, Economic Social and Cultural Rights Council (ECOSOCC), Pan African Parliament, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the Women, Gender and Development Directorate and the AU Commission (hereafter referred to as the African Union and its specialised mechanisms) from a gender perspective;
· Identify the gender gaps in the African Union and its specialised mechanisms using the report of the “Regional strategy Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union October 27-31, 2003”;
· Develop tools and strategies to fill in the gender gaps in the African union and its specialised mechanisms including strategies from “Regional strategy Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union October 27-31, 2003”;
· Identify all the programmes of the AU and its specialised mechanisms and the main actors in the AU and in the African women’s movement for quick reference.

Those interested in applying for this consultancy are invited to submit their CV's, together with a brief (no longer than two pages) statement of interest, indicating how they would propose developing the framework and the time it will take.

Please send your applications to:

Mary Wandia
FEMNET
E-mail: [email protected]
By May 6 2004