UN Women: Programme Review Consultant, Home-Based, International Consultant

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Intgrated Programming and Localization, (2) Women’s movement building through core grant making; 3) Policy and Research; 4) Economic Resilience and Private Sector and 5) Coordination, Access and Humanitarian Response. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces of Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

As UN Women’s largest Country Office worldwide, the Afghanistan country portfolio and footprint scaled rapidly over the last four years as the country’s women’s rights context deteriorated with the takeover of the Taliban and the international community responding to the crisis. In 2024, ACO reached a $55 million budget and 180 personnel located in six offices, a central one in Kabul and sub-offices in Bamiyan, Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar and Balkh provinces. ACO mobilized significant resources against its Strategic Note 2023-2025 (SN) which has allowed for flexibility in responding to a rapidly changing context. In early 2025, the international aid sector and UN Women Afghanistan were severely impacted by the cancelled agreements from US funding sources and subsequently from key donors diverting attention to other priorities or facing reduced ODA. This factor is coupled with development partners increasingly deprioritizing Afghanistan, and a donor fatigue of the lack of progress in the women’s rights space, namely on girls’ and women’s education. 

The ongoing restrictions on Afghan women's access to UN compounds and participation in programmatic activities have posed significant operational challenges. There is an urgent need to identify and implement practical adaptations to enable women’s engagement across program responses, ensuring their meaningful participation and continued contribution.

The overall ownership of the assignment will be with the ACO. It will be overseen by the Deputy Country Representative-Programmes, working closely with Deputy Country Representative-Operations, and the Security Specialist, under the oversight of the Special Representative. ACO will assign 2 dedicated Afghan staff members who will work closely with the consultant to serve as focal points to help coordinate the process and provide documentation. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The consultancy aims to identify and recommend actionable entry points and solutions to facilitate Afghan women's participation across the UN Women country office priorities. Further, in line with the ongoing re-alignment of the ACO organogram, the Consultant will also identify potential roles and functions that can be assigned to the national women staff and o map the capacity needs and mentoring models for them to successfully adapt to new or realigned roles.

The work will involve collaborative and consultative approaches with ACO unit heads and sub-offices, focused discussions with national staff, and individual consultations. 

Deliverables

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is home-based consultancy with travel to Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan as needed

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to consult collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a strong drive for results
• Deep understanding of gender equality, women’s rights, and the socio-political context
• Demonstrated ability to conduct high-quality qualitative and quantitative assessments.

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in public administration, law, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas is required. 
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in gender equality programming, women’s rights, humanitarian or development contexts, or organizational development is required.
• Experience conducting analytical assessments and developing practical operational recommendations in restrictive or crisis environments is required.
• Experience working on women’s participation, access, protection issues, or gender-responsive operational modalities in humanitarian or conflict settings is required.
• Experience in capacity needs assessments, staff development frameworks, or organizational change processes is highly desirable.
• Previous experience working in the UN system is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish). 

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.