International Consultant to Provide Strategic Advisory Support on EU Gender Equality Acquis, Kyiv, Ukraine, SSA

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 work in Ukraine focuses on supporting the government and civil society in advancing gender equality and implementation of the national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions identified by UN Women Ukraine Strategic Note 2025-2029 to support and complement Ukraine’s response to the ongoing war and its devastating impact on women and girls. It aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Framework for Ukraine and UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan 2022-2025. 

UN Women's activities in Ukraine are focused on three key thematic areas: Women, peace, security, and gender-based violence, as well as gender-responsive governance, including gender-sensitive recovery and European integration and humanitarian assistance and coordination. UN Women in Ukraine provides technical support for developing and implementing national gender equality commitments, including laws, policies and budgets, advocacy, social mobilization, and capacity-building activities to government authorities at all levels, human rights institutions, women's initiative groups, civil society organizations, and the private sector. 

Ukraine has made a range of efforts for European integration, starting from an Association Agreement which was negotiated in 2007-2011 and initiated in 2012. The EU and Ukraine signed the Association Agreement in 2014. Provisional application of important parts of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement began on 1 November 2014: on the respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law; political dialogue and reform; justice, freedom and security; economic and financial cooperation. In 2019, Ukraine incorporated European and Euro-Atlantic integration into its Constitution as a strategic course. 

On 23 June 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the immediate granting of candidate status for EU membership to Ukraine. On the same day, the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the EU. On 8 November 2023, the European Commission recommended opening accession negotiations with Ukraine. On 14 December 2023, the European Council made a historical decision to open negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. The ensuing process of opening of the first clusters of EU Chapters requires enhanced adherence to EU requirements, which includes approximation of EU gender equality law and policy and the consistent application of gender mainstreaming across all sectors, policy areas, and levels of government. Accession negotiations are complex and require technical administrative expertise and resources for absorbing the EU Gender Equality acquis.

Capacities, processes and procedures for consistent gender mainstreaming are to be put in place across sectors and levels of governance, posing a challenge to absorbing the EU Gender Equality acquis.[1] 

The specific background of the assignment is rooted in the broader context of Ukraine's pursuit of EU integration and the challenges it faces in the process. While Ukraine has shown substantial dedication to its EU accession journey, the complexity of aligning its legislation with the EU acquis and integrating gender perspectives into policy areas poses significant hurdles.

The new EU enlargement methodology categorizes negotiation chapters into thematic clusters to streamline the accession process. All 6 clusters “Fundamental Rights”,"Internal Market", "Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth", “Green agenda and sustainable connectivity, “Resources, agriculture and cohesion” and “External relations” of the acquis  are important to achieving an accelerated Ukraine’s gender-responsive EU Integration and Recovery process. However, the process requires not only harmonizing policies and regulations within these clusters but also addressing cross-cutting issues like gender equality.

Amidst this dynamic backdrop, UN Women “Supporting Inclusive EU Accession and Recovery of Ukraine” project emerges as a pivotal catalyst, demonstrating a precedent-setting commitment to embedding inclusivity and gender equality within the accession process. UN Women Ukraine initiated the conceptualization of gender screening within specific chapters, propelling policy dialogues on gender mainstreaming. By elevating gender-relevant aspects and engendering policy dialogues, this mapping concept contributes to the overarching ambition of achieving gender parity within the accession process, thereby fostering enhanced progress.

This project ultimate outcome is to enhance protection and fulfilment of human rights and gender equality as Ukraine advances in its recovery and EU integration. Within the project, UN Women has been providing technical and expect support to improve governance at national level to advance inclusive and gender-responsive reforms towards Ukraine’s EU accession, including through improved capacities of selected relevant government institutions in priority sectors to align their policies and procedures with the EU Gender Equality Acquis.

For this, UN Women is planning to hire an International Consultant who will be supporting key national institutions through expect advice and capacity building to align policies and procedures with the EU Gender Equality Acquis; 

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative in Ukraine and direct supervision by the Programme Specialist, the International Consultant will provide support to UN Women to assist the government of Ukraine (GoU), with expert and technical support on gender mainstreaming in EU integration in close coordination with the relevant institution from the GoU, as per the given task.

The consultant will be reporting to the Programme Specialist, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

It is imperative that all reports are submitted in English and that the full set of supporting documentation is included, such as analytical briefs, meeting notes, concept notes and agendas, handouts and lists of participants, etc. The supporting documentation must be submitted in English as part of the collaborative effort with sector-specific national consultants working jointly on the task.

The assignment will include, but not be limited to, the following tasks, which have been developed in coordination with the institutions of GoU and UN Women: 

• Provide expert advice to UN Women to elaborate on the interventions within the Canada project
  • to map the needs and identify entry points for Canada project interventions on gender and human rights  mainstreaming within EU accession 
  • to have consultations with the key stakeholder.
• Provide expert, legal and policy advice in the focus areas of the Canada project, such as public administration reform, local governance, including data and statistics in line with EU acquis
  • Provide strategic advice on gender mainstreaming and practical support in gender screening in the relevant chapters of the acquis.
  • Provide comments and substantive inputs to the conceptualization and drafting of key outputs, such as analytical reports, background papers, policy briefs, summaries, and other knowledge products.
  • Represent and substantively contribute on behalf of UN Women to relevant online/offline meetings, consultations, conferences, events, and presentations with stakeholders, as requested.
• Support capacity development of the national and local governmental partners and CSOs on gender mainstreaming to EU accession
  • Develop high-quality, innovative training and guidance materials, including visual presentations (PPT) and practical guidance notes, for offline/online capacity-building activities on gender mainstreaming in the EU accession process to be conducted for national partners and  UN Women Ukraine CO staff.
  • Design and lead coaching and capacity-building session(s) for negotiating structures and other relevant stakeholders on gender mainstreaming in the EU accession process.
  • Mentor and coach national consultants as needed, to ensure coherence and alignment with project objectives, serving as a source of innovation and lessons learnt from other contexts.
• Conduct field visits, as required.
   

Assignment Deliverables:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy with the potential for up to two missions to Ukraine, subject to the security situation and on a needs basis. If requested, the consultant must be prepared to present valid SSAFE (Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environments) and IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) certificates to obtain security clearance for travel to Ukraine. UN Women Ukraine will arrange the necessary training, either in Ukraine or abroad, if the consultant has not received SSAFE and IFAK certification before. 

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:

• partnership building
• negotiation 
• commitment to continuous improvement
• business planning
• reporting

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in Law, Public Policy and Administration, Economics, International Relations, Gender Studies, Social and Humanitarian Sciences, or related fields are required. PhD is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) in the field of human rights and/or gender equality, governance and public administration, civil service or other related fields;   
• Proven experience in providing strategic advice to the government institutions on alignment of the legal framework within the EU accession process;
• Previous experience with the EU institutions and accession process will be considered an asset; 
• Experience with UN Women and other UN agencies will be considered an asset;
• Proven understanding of human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and national and international GEWE commitments in Ukraine; 
• Proven knowledge of EU acquis, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment frameworks.
• Experience with coordination and technical support of meetings and consultations with government authorities. 
• Experience in developing training materials and delivering capacity strengthening activities, related to women’s empowerment, gender mainstreaming and gender equality;
• Proven capacity to support adaptive and innovative programming that expands UN Women’s value-added, strengthens its role as a trusted institution on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and enhances organizational visibility and impact.

Languages:

• Fluency in verbal and written English is required. 
• Knowledge of any other UN official language is an asset.

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.