Nairobi, 4 Jun 12
UN-Habitat is seeking proposals for candidates to serve on its Advisory Group on Gender Issues established to advise the Executive Director on all matters related to gender mainstreaming in the agency's work. The Group will also provide strategic guidance and policy advice.

The establishment of the gender ground is in response to the request of the UN-Habitat Governing Council at its twenty-third session in April 2011 (Governing Council Resolution 23/1) that the UN-Habitat strengthen its gender focus through, among other mechanisms, the establishment of an Advisory Group on Gender Issues. This positive development gives stronger emphasis to the importance of gender equality and women's empowerment and will put women on the front line as vital agents of change in human settlements work.

It is foreseen that the gender group will be officially launched during the sixth session of the World Urban Forum in Naples in September 2012 and, as a result, we are now embarking on the selection process.

Preliminary Working Group

UN-Habitat, together with the Huairou Commission, convened two preliminary working group meetings during a Global Land Tool Network Partners meeting in Nairobi on 18 November 2011 as well as in New York from 24 to 25 February 2012. They produced a comprehensive document detailing the terms of reference for the Advisory Group on Gender Issues. The two meetings also agreed on the selection process and the format for the nomination of the members of the Advisory Group.
Composition

The group shall be composed of up to a maximum of 17 members appointed by the Executive Director, taking into account the broadest possible representation, including regional and gender balances, consisting of representatives of women's organizations (grassroots and professional organizations), academic institutions, the private sector, local authorities, and policy makers and decisions makers in governments, and reflecting the Habitat Agenda Partners.

The members of the group shall serve in their own capacity and shall be nominated and appointed on the basis of their experience and expertise on gender equality and empowerment of women in sustainable urban development; and shall have knowledge or experience in at least one of the UN-Habitat thematic priority areas.

Nomination Process

A pre-selection committee will sift through the nomination forms applying the selection criteria included in the terms of reference and submit a short-list of 30 nominees to the preliminary working group which will recommend short-listed candidates to Executive Director.

Please find attached copies of the terms of reference (with related annexes) and nomination form. Whether you are self-nominating or nominating someone else, please complete and submit the enclosed nomination form via email to: Rachael.mrabu@unhabitat.org

Nomination Period
Opening Date: 01/06/2012
Closing Date: 30/06/2012