What's Happening?
UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, is seeking a Travel and Event Support Consultant for its Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO). This home-based consultancy, with occasional work
from the Nairobi office, will support transparent and efficient travel services in line with UN Women's policies. The consultant will manage travel arrangements for staff and non-staff, including booking tickets, analyzing travel requests and claims, and ensuring compliance with duty travel policies. Additionally, the role involves providing technical assistance for travel applications, maintaining vendor profiles, and generating travel-related reports. The consultant will also be responsible for logistical support for meetings and events, such as facilitating visa requests, vendor registration, ground transportation, and processing Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) payments. This position is crucial for the operational efficiency of UN Women's activities across the Eastern and Southern Africa region, ensuring smooth execution of programs and events aimed at advancing women's rights and empowerment.
Why It's Important?
This consultancy is important as it directly supports the operational backbone of UN Women's efforts in a critical region. Efficient travel and event management are essential for the successful implementation of programs that address discrimination against women and girls, promote women's empowerment, and achieve gender equality. The consultant's role ensures that UN Women personnel and participants in various initiatives can travel and convene effectively, facilitating crucial dialogues, training sessions, and project implementations. Without robust logistical support, the reach and impact of UN Women's strategic priorities in Eastern and Southern Africa could be hindered. This position contributes to the broader mission of the UN by enabling the organization to effectively respond to humanitarian needs, advocate for human rights, and foster peace and security through gender-focused interventions. The smooth functioning of these administrative processes directly impacts the organization's ability to deliver on its mandate and support vulnerable populations.
What's Next?
The selected consultant will be engaged on an as-needed basis for a maximum of 120 working days over the contract period, with no guaranteed minimum number of days. Their immediate tasks will involve integrating into the ESARO team and beginning to manage travel and event logistics for upcoming regional meetings, workshops, and other UN Women initiatives. This will include collaborating closely with program and operations staff across various country offices to ensure seamless service delivery. The consultant will also be expected to adapt standardized travel documents to regional and country-specific contexts and provide technical guidance to users of the travel application. Occasional travel within the ESA region may be required for capacity-building or user acceptance testing support, with specific trips and destinations confirmed based on business needs. The ongoing support provided by this role will be critical for UN Women's continued operational effectiveness in the region.
Beyond the Headlines
Beyond the immediate logistical support, this consultancy reflects the intricate operational demands of international organizations like UN Women in fulfilling their global mandates. The need for specialized roles in travel and event management underscores the complexity of coordinating efforts across diverse geographical areas, often in challenging environments. This position, while administrative, is integral to the broader humanitarian and development work, as it enables the physical presence and collaboration necessary for impactful interventions. It also highlights the commitment of UN Women to maintaining high standards of transparency and efficiency in its operations, adhering to strict UN rules and regulations. The successful execution of these administrative functions indirectly contributes to the credibility and effectiveness of UN Women's advocacy for gender equality, demonstrating responsible stewardship of resources in pursuit of its mission to eliminate discrimination and empower women and girls worldwide.
