I.Background/Context
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. Central to this mandate is the promotion of women’s access to justice as a fundamental human right and a critical enabler for achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
For many years, UN Women Tanzania Country Office has been collaborating with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania (URT), the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, and other key stakeholders to implement interventions aimed at ending violence against women, promoting women’s access to justice and enhancing women’s leadership and participation in decision-making at both local and national levels. These efforts focus on strengthening gender-responsive justice systems, improving survivor support services, preventing violence against women and girls and implementing strategic interventions to promote their voices across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Initiatives are implemented through various programmes and frameworks including the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC) in Mainland Tanzania (2017/18–2021/22 and the subsequent 2024/25–2028/29 framework) and the Zanzibar National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (2017–2022) and national gender policies. These frameworks serve as strategic guides for preventing and responding to violence against women and children through coordinated, multi-sectoral approaches.
Efforts to advance Access to Justice is well aligned with the URT Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and non-discrimination among other fundamental rights and freedoms. Tanzania is a signatory to numerous international and regional women’s and human rights instruments, aimed at promoting human rights and gender equality, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Goal 5 on Gender Equality and Goal 16 on promoting peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, including a specific focus on the rule of law and access to justice. . The multi-stakeholder initiative Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030 further underscores the urgency of repealing discriminatory laws and strengthening legal systems to ensure equality.
Despite these commitments, women and girls continue to face multiple forms of violence, discrimination, and barriers in accessing justice and protection services. Significant gaps remain in both the legal frameworks and their implementation. Women—particularly those who are poor, rural, living with disabilities, or otherwise marginalized—continue to face systemic barriers in accessing justice. Additional challenges include limited legal awareness, weak referral and case management systems, social and cultural norms, inadequate survivor-centered services, and limited institutional capacity among justice and protection actors.
These challenges are compounded by the coexistence of statutory, customary, and religious legal systems, which often contain inconsistencies and discriminatory provisions. For example, laws such as the Law of Marriage Act (1971), customary inheritance laws, and aspects of citizenship and property legislation contain provisions that disadvantage women and girls. Additionally, socio-cultural norms, limited legal awareness, high costs of legal services, weak institutional capacity, and geographical barriers further restrict women’s ability to seek and obtain justice.
Gender-based violence (GBV), including domestic violence, sexual violence, and harmful practices, remains widespread in Tanzania and is both a cause and consequence of women’s limited access to justice. Survivors often face significant obstacles in reporting cases, navigating the justice system, and obtaining redress. Strengthening access to justice is therefore a critical pillar in addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) and ensuring accountability. Within this context, UN Women in collaboration with the European Union is implementing a Programme, “Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) in Zanzibar Programme”, which includes a Women’s Access to Justice component, to strengthen gender-responsive legal frameworks, enhance institutional capacity, and improve women’s ability to claim their rights.
To support effective programme delivery, UN Women seeks to engage a National Consultant to provide technical, programmatic, and coordination support to the Women’s Access to Justice portfolio, ensuring high-quality implementation, monitoring, partnerships, and knowledge generation and ensuring strong synergies between Access to Justice, Leadership and EVAWG strategies to enhance overall impact and cohesion.
Under the direct supervision of the EVAW Programme Specialist, she/he works in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations teams in Tanzania, UN Women HQ and Regional Office, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Mainland, women caucuses of Parliament in Mainland and Zanzibar, Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children in Mainland and Zanzibar, Presidents Office Constitution, Legal Affairs, Public Service and Good Governance, Government officials, UN academia and civil society organizations, ensuring successful UN Women Programme implementation and achievement of planned results under portfolio.
II.Objectives of the Assignment
The overall objective of this consultancy is to provide technical and programmatic support to the design, implementation, monitoring, and coordination of Women’s Access to Justice interventions under the EVAW Programme.
Specific objectives include:
Support the review, adoption, and implementation of laws and policies to promote women’s rights and gender equality including on ending violence against women and girls, and leadership, while ensuring alignment with international and regional human rights standards and commitments on gender equality, women’s rights, and access to justice.
Provide technical support to justice sector partners to roll out key gender responsive justice tools, including the Zanzibar Gender Bench Book, Judicial Sentencing Guidelines at the district level. Provide technical support to strengthen the accessibility and availability of survivor-centered services for women affected by violence including improved coordination of referral systems and multi-sectoral service delivery.
Provide technical support to strengthen coordination, functionality and effectiveness of the Women Justice Forum and other coordination mechanisms to improve access to justice for women and girls.
Support partners on the implementation of programmes aimed at strengthening women’s leadership, participation and representation in decision-making at all levels, including in the justice sector.
III.Key Responsibilities
In close coordination with the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs, Public Service and Good Governance (MCLPSGG) and the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs, the consultant will contribute to UN Women’s positioning on access to justice in the context of ending VAWG with development partners and inter-agency groups; and women’s participation in gender transformative leadership in public and private sectors.
IV.Expected Deliverables
Zanzibar Gender Bench Book and Judicial Sentencing Guidelines are launched and disseminated to the key justice actors in all districts in Zanzibar and 20 District Magistrates in the Mainland.
Gender sensitive education-related laws compiled for dissemination to the public in Zanzibar.
Women Justice Forum in Zanzibar coordination meetings are conducted quarterly.
Anti-GBV Bill in Zanzibar incorporates inputs from women's rights organizations.
Compilation of documentation of best practices on legal aid in the context of ending violence against women and girls.
Gender responsive leadership strategies adopted by the selected public institutions are being implemented.
Legal aid actors, including paralegals, are accessible through the use of legal aid free hotline online services.
Duration of the Work
The duration of this assignment will be six months, tentatively from completion, and payment will depend on the submission and approval of deliverables by the UN Women EVAW Programme Specialist.
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This consultancy will be full-time, home-based with occasional office attendance in Unguja Office. The Consultant may be required to undertake Official Business Mission in Pemba, as necessary to undertake field-based support.
The assignment will support the implementation of the National Action Plans to EVAWG across both Mainland and Zanzibar and align with the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs (MoCLA)-based EVAWG response priorities and related national coordination mechanisms.
Performance Evaluation
The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.
Financial Arrangement
Payments will be disbursed to the consultant on a deliverable-based arrangement aligned to the “Expected Deliverables” of the section of the TOR and certification by the EVAW Programme Specialist that services have been satisfactorily performed.
III. Competencies
Core Values:
Respect for Diversity
Integrity
Professionalism
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 Core Values and Competencies:
https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values
FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:
Excellent Programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills.
Excellent knowledge of Results-Based Management.
Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
Excellent technical knowledge of legislation, constitutional review/reforms and legal aid.
Good knowledge of the rule of law and access to justice issues.
Good knowledge of gender equality and governance.
Ability to advocate and provide high-quality policy advice to government and other stakeholders in the context of legal and policy analysis and stakeholder coordination
IV. Required Qualifications
Education
Master’s degree or equivalent in Law, Human Rights, Political or Social Science, International Development Studies, Gender/Women’s Studies or a related field is required.
Professional Experience
At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in development Programme/projects implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building.
Experience in Governance and Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment or Women’s Human Rights issues with focus on legislation, constitutional review/reforms and access to justice and other EVAWG-related programs.
Experience in establishing strategic partnerships among international organizations, national governments, academia, and CSOs in the field of gender and human rights preferably in promoting gender justice and EVAWG work.
Experience in working with justice actors and advocates including coordinating and liaising with government agencies, UN agencies, donors, academia, CSOs especially in the area of Governance and Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment or Women’s Human Rights issues.
Experience working in the UN System is an asset.
Languages:
•Fluency in English and Swahili is required.