outcome XM-DAC-41146-ETH_O_4

Nurturing an empowered workforce and advancing an inclusive UN-Women culture

In its commitment to nurturing an empowered workforce and promoting an inclusive organizational culture, Ethiopia Country Office has established itself as an employer of choice, characterized by a unique and inclusive work environment. Throughout the year, UN Women has made significant advancement in ensuring that its workforce reflects a wide spectrum of experiences and backgrounds, thereby enriching the organization with a variety of perspectives and skills. Moreover, the organization has placed a strong emphasis on creating a work environment where every member feels valued, heard, and empowered. Through various initiatives and programs, UN-Women has reinforced its commitment to professional development, work-life balance, and a supportive workplace culture that prioritizes mental and physical well-being. This has been instrumental in attracting and retaining a cadre of talented professionals who are passionate about advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in Ethiopia and worldwide. During the past year, the average recruitment process spanned 16 weeks. This extended duration primarily stemmed from complexities involving multi-stakeholder engagement and the alignment of varying priorities among both internal and external stakeholders. Furthermore, the office encountered difficulties in attracting a sufficient pool of candidates possessing the necessary skills and experience, particularly for technical positions. This shortfall in qualified applicants often necessitated the re-initiation of the recruitment process. UN Women ECO actively participated and represented in eight and capacity building and cross-reginal initiatives: Global Humanitarian Strategic Planning at UN Women HQ: UN Women Country Representative attended, gaining insights on humanitarian strategic planning. This knowledge was applied to revise the Humanitarian Country Team's (HCT) gender roadmap for monitoring and reporting. CIPS Procurement Training in Senegal: UN Women Deputy Representative’s participation in this training enhanced procurement efficiency in the country office through the adoption of quality assurance steps. Sixth Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Leaders Meeting in Ecuador and 4) EVAWG Team Retreat with WCARO in Tanzania: These events allowed the UN Women to integrate safe cities principles into their programming and share the UNW ECO's approaches like SASA with the WCARO team. South-South Experience Sharing Mission on Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in Morocco: UN Women National Planning Team's participation facilitated exchanges of best practices in GRB, enhancing the office’s capabilities in this area. Global Ombudsman Training in Thailand: UN Women Coordination team's involvement in this training enabled the country office to orient its staff on the role and function of the ombudsman. Global Leadership Training for Deputies at UN Women HQ: This training provided innovative leadership strategies that have been integrated into the country office's core programs and resource mobilization efforts. Global Webinar on Ethiopia’s Experience Sharing for the customized and multi-year Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF) for the Strategic Note 2021-2025: The webinar showcased Ethiopia's effective use of the Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF) benefiting global Monitoring & Evaluation teams. Through these diverse engagements, UN Women ECO has not only shared its unique experiences and approaches but also assimilated global best practices and cutting-edge strategies into its operations and programming. This has strengthened the office's capacity in various critical areas, from humanitarian response to gender-responsive budgeting and leadership. The Ethiopia Country Office of UN-Women is focused on improving the well-being and retention of its staff. This initiative aligns with the global Strategic Plan for 2022-2025 and efforts by the ESARO Regional Director to foster a nurturing and inclusive work culture. Following a 2022 retreat, the office recognized the need for immediate and specific actions to enhance staff well-being, acknowledging issues such as high stress, work-life imbalance, and contract types. To address these challenges, a dedicated ECO wellbeing team was established, which decided to conduct a survey for developing a relevant and evidence-based Terms of Reference (TOR). In 2023, with support from UN Women Headquarters, a staff wellbeing survey was conducted, receiving responses from 67% of the staff (37 out of 55 members).

outcome XM-DAC-41146-ETH_O_5

Effective normative, programmatic and coordination products, services and processes

UN Women Ethiopia Country Office has played a proactive and collaborative role in the UN System Operations Management Team (OMT) Business Operations Strategy in 2023. This involvement has been pivotal in sharing valuable experiences from UN Women, while simultaneously ensuring that the organization's interests remain a priority. Active participation in the OMT has allowed the CO to gain insights and leverage initiatives across various functional areas such as procurement, information and communications technology (ICT), and finance, particularly through the use of joint Long-Term Agreements (LTAs). Moreover, the ECO has been diligently implementing all corporate systems, including the recently introduced Quantum system. This adoption is a strategic move to enhance compliance and streamline business processes, thereby achieving greater operational efficiency. The ECO’s Operations Unit has continued to provide critical finance services to support program implementation effectively. These services encompass a wide range of functions, including but not limited to, processing payments for goods and services, managing partner advances, conducting account reconciliations and closures, and offering advisory services on financial policies, processes, and procedures. This comprehensive suite of financial services ensures that programmatic activities are underpinned by robust and efficient financial management. In 2023, the UN Women Ethiopia Country Office (ECO) has made substantial progress in its evaluation and strategic planning activities, reflecting a commitment to continuous improvement and impactful programming. UN Women ECO successfully completed the final evaluation of the “Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) & Delivering Essential Services” programme. The validation of this evaluation was meticulously conducted, and the report has been communicated to the ECO. Currently, the team is diligently preparing the Management Response, which is expected to be finalized soon. This evaluation marks a significant step in assessing the effectiveness of the interventions and shaping future strategies. In collaboration with UN Headquarters, UN Women ECO participated in the Feminist Collaborative Evaluation (FCE). The country team was actively involved in data collection and reviewing the final report, which was completed in 2023. The evaluation provided valuable insights, particularly appreciating the SASA and Faith-based Approaches implemented by UN Women ECO as effective methodologies in changing social norms. Lessons from this evaluation, along with insights from other country offices involved in the assessment, will be utilized by the EVAWG and other teams to enhance their approaches. Furthermore, in 2023 UN Women ECO conducted a Mid-Term Review (MTR) of its Strategic Note (SN). The SN MTR employed a range of methodologies, including desk reviews, joint partner situation analyses, self-assessments, and validations with the UN Women Ethiopia Country team.