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. 

Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

In Viet Nam, UN Women contributes to the development objectives of Viet Nam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan and the National Strategy for Gender Equality. Its Country Strategy Note for 2022-2026 is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF) 2022-2026 and upcoming CF 2027-2031 and is focused on supporting Viet Nam’s fulfilment of Gender Equality commitments under The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the promise of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to “leave no one behind”. The key priorities of UN Women in the 2022-2026 period are: 

  1. By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will benefit from and contribute to safer and cleaner environment resulting from Viet Nam’s effective and gender responsive mitigation and adaptation to climate change, disaster risk reduction and resilience building, promotion of circular economy, the provision of clean and renewable energy, and the sustainable management of natural resources. 
  2. By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will contribute to and benefit equitably from more sustainable, inclusive and gender-responsive economic transformation based on innovation, entrepreneurship, enhanced productivity, competitiveness, and decent work; 
  3. By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will have benefited from and have contributed to a more just, safe and inclusive society based on improved governance, more responsive institutions, strengthened rule of law and the protection of and respect for human rights, gender equality, and freedom from all forms of violence and discrimination in line with international standards. 

UN Women upcoming SN 2027-2030’s priorities are:

SN Outcome 1 (CF Outcome 2): By 2031, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, are empowered to shape and benefit from a more inclusive, sustainable and gender-responsive economy driven by green transformation, industrialisation, innovation, productivity and decent work.

SN Outcome 2 (CF Outcome 4) : By 2031, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, benefit from and contribute to a more just, safe and inclusive society based on good governance, more responsive institutions, strengthened rule of law, and the protection of and respect for human rights, gender equality and freedom from all forms of violence and discrimination, in line with Viet Nam’s international commitments.

The demographic transition in Vietnam

Viet Nam is undergoing rapid population aging. In 2023, the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell below the replacement level of 2.1 for the first time, reaching 1.95, and is projected to decline further to 1.91 by 2025. At the same time, the share of the population aged 65 and above is expected to reach 11.5–12% by 2030 and could exceed 20% by 2045.

These demographic trends are increasing demand for childcare, older-person care, long-term care, healthcare and social protection. They require a comprehensive policy response that strengthens care services, supports families, develops a professional care workforce and ensures the sustainability of social protection systems. They also present an opportunity to establish a comprehensive, gender-responsive care system that addresses the needs of care recipients while supporting the rights, well-being and economic security of unpaid and paid care workers.

Gender inequalities in unpaid and paid care work

Care for children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and vulnerable populations is a right and a shared responsibility. It is essential for families, societies, and economies to function and thrive. Yet, globally and in the Asia-Pacific region, women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. This inequality hinders women’s full participation in the labor market, contributes to economic insecurity, and perpetuates gender disparities. This results in women and girls having less time available for pursuing opportunities in education, employment, entrepreneurship or other economic activities, or for thriving as leaders in economic and political spheres. 

In Viet Nam, the 2022 Time Use Survey shows that women spend more time (3 hours) than men (1 hour 42 minutes) to do housework every day. 45% of women are involved in household care work, while only 24% of men are involved.[1] Women’s disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care work continues to be cited as a barrier to their labour force participation, career progression, and business development[2]. Care responsibility is also the most critical cause for women’s career breaks, and this leads to pension contribution breaks, slower career advancement and less social protection at retirement.  This impacts women’s reproductive choices, more so in a context of rapid economic growth. This needs to be considered carefully in developing the Population Law.

At the same time, growing demand for care creates opportunities for employment, enterprise development and investment. Realizing this potential requires the professionalization of paid care work through occupational and competency standards, training and certification systems, decent working conditions and sustainable financing. It also requires measures to expand women’s employment and entrepreneurship in the care sector while encouraging men’s participation in care occupations and unpaid care responsibilities.

National and regional policy commitments

Viet Nam’s efforts to strengthen its care system are supported by national, regional and international commitments. Sustainable Development Goal Target 5.4 call for “recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibilities within the households and the family as nationally appropriate”. 

Viet Nam’s Roadmap for implementing Viet Nam's sustainable development goals to 2030[3], including Target 5.4 on "Ensuring equality in housework and family care; recognition of unpaid care and domestic work; increase public services, infrastructure and social protection policies, family support services and childcare." Viet Nam’s National Strategy on Gender Equality 2021-2030 includes a target “to reduce the average number of hours spent by women in unpaid housework and family care work, as compared to that of men, to 1.7 times by 2025 and 1.4 times by 2030”.

At the regional level, the 2024 ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening the Care Economy and Resilience Towards the Post-2025 ASEAN Community declare the commitment of ASEAN to strengthening the care economy and fostering resilience towards the post-2025 ASEAN Community. It acknowledge that  developing comprehensive care systems requires the recognition, reduction, redistribution, reward and representation of care work more equitably between women and men, as well as among states, communities, the market and families, which is critical to unleashing opportunities for women’s economic and political participation and empowerment, as well as the opportunities for education and personal growth of girls, which will directly contribute to inclusive growth and human development in the region. The Declaration’s Article 5 calls ASEAN member states to IMPLEMENT care economy initiatives, based on the national context of each ASEAN Member State, that support unpaid and paid care workers in both the public and private sectors, and in both the formal and informal economies, including through legislations, policies and programmes as well as care responsive statistical systems, gender-responsive planning and budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation”. 

These frameworks provide a strong basis for developing a gender-responsive care system in which responsibilities are shared more equitably between women and men and among families, the State, communities and the private sector.

UN Women’s support for transforming care systems in Viet Nam

UN Women promotes a comprehensive approach to care based on the “5Rs”: recognizing, reducing and redistributing unpaid care work and rewarding and representing paid care workers. Its approach combines policy reform, evidence generation, investment in quality care services, professionalization of the care workforce, changes in discriminatory social norms, and promotion of women’s economic empowerment in the care sector.                                                                                                                             

During 2023-2025, UN Women and the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs (ILSSA) conducted the stakeholder mapping and assessment in the area of unpaid care and care sector in Viet Nam. This work identified opportunities, challenges, and needs on how to tackle better the unpaid care, and address gender issues in employment in the paid care work sector. 

UN Women has collaborated with the Viet Nam Women Entrepreneurs Council of Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to work with 90 private sector companies to promote gender responsive business and family friendly practices as an approach to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work for employees and promote gender responsive business, reaching 60 paid care service providers in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh city. 

In Da Nang, UN Women supported Women’s Union to conduct research on the current state and needs for care, care service providers, and the service provision capacity of care service providers in Da Nang city. The research was accompanied by awareness raising and capacity development reaching 120 officials and leaders of related public sector’s entities in Da Nang city. Building on this work, UN Women and the Da Nang Women’s Union are implementing a partnership to advance Da Nang’s commitments to becoming a caring city, linked to UN Women’s regional TransformCare and Caring Cities initiatives.

Emerging areas of policy and programme support

The Population Law, adopted by the National Assembly in December 2025, includes several gender- and care-responsive measures to address declining fertility and population ageing, with technical support and advocacy from UN Women and its partners. Chapter IV on adaptation to population ageing provides for the development of services for older persons, the sharing of caregiving responsibilities among families, the State and society, and the development of a professional older-person care workforce. These provisions provide an important foundation for integrating gender equality and care considerations into the Law’s implementing regulations, policies and programmes.

In January 2026, Population Department (Ministry of Health) sent a letter to UN Women request for further support on the development of a decree guiding the implementation of the Population Law, and other activities related to the dissemination and implementation of the articles in the Law, focusing on pilot different care services model for older persons, development of an official occupational codes and training code for professional elderly care workers, as well the development of standard training curriculum for professional elderly care workers.

In 2026, the Ministry of Health proposed amending the Law on the Elderly. In this context, the Department of Social Assistance under the Ministry of Health requested UN Women’s technical support to mainstream gender equality and care considerations throughout the amendment process. This includes promoting provisions that support the development of a gender-responsive care system; recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work; professionalize paid care work and promote decent working conditions for care workers; and expand women’s employment, entrepreneurship and other economic opportunities in the care sector.

At the same time, at provincial level, UN Women have singed a partner agreement with Da Nang Women’s Union to implement initiatives to advocate for Da Nang’s commitments on the development of a caring city. This initiative is closely linked with UN Women regional programme on TransformCare and Caring City. 

At subnational level, UN Women plans to collaborate with Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health and Women’s Union to strengthen the city’s gender-responsive care system and promote its development as a caring city. The proposed cooperation will focus on: 

  • generating evidence on current and future care needs, demand and supply;
  • strengthening care-related data systems for evidence-based planning and monitoring;
  • supporting gender-responsive care policies, financing mechanisms and investment strategies;
  • professionalizing the care workforce and promoting decent care employment;
  • developing and scaling up quality, affordable, accessible and gender-responsive care service models, including community-based and public-private partnership approaches;
  • promoting women’s employment and entrepreneurship in the care sector; and

Viet Nam’s hosting of the APEC Women and the Economy Forum in 2027 presents an additional opportunity to advance regional dialogue and cooperation on the care economy. The Gender and Youth Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs has approached UN Women for support in conceptualizing and planning the Forum and has expressed interest in positioning the care economy as a central pillar of its agenda. The preparatory process is expected to involve relevant ministries, government agencies, private sector representatives, academia, development partners and other stakeholders. Its outcomes will inform the conceptualization and agenda of the APEC Women and the Economy Forum and related ministerial events in 2027.transforming social norms and promoting the equitable sharing of care responsibilities.

The expansion of UN Women’s care economy portfolio requires flexible and timely national expertise across several interconnected areas, including policy analysis and technical advice, capacity-building support, research and knowledge generation, stakeholder coordination, and linkages with regional and global care initiatives.

UN Women Viet Nam therefore intends to engage a national consultant under a retainer contract to provide demand-driven technical and coordination support for advancing the care economy agenda in Viet Nam. Assignments may relate to implementation of the Population Law; amendment of the Law on the Elderly; national and subnational care policies and programmes; caring-city initiatives in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City; preparations for the 2027 APEC Women and the Economy Forum; and other relevant care-related initiatives.

Specific assignments, deliverables, timelines and levels of effort will be agreed upon through individual work requests based on UN Women’s needs and subject to the consultant’s availability.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager for Women’s Economic Empowerment, and in close collaboration with the Programme Management Specialist and other relevant UN Women personnel, the consultant will provide demand-driven technical support to advance the care economy agenda in Viet Nam.

This is a retainer contract under which assignments will be offered based on UN Women’s needs and subject to the consultant’s availability. The specific scope of work, deliverables, timelines and level of effort for each assignment will be agreed upon through individual work requests. The consultancy will cover the following three main areas:

A. Policy analysis and technical advice on care

  • Provide evidence-based policy analysis and technical advice to integrate gender-responsive care considerations into relevant laws, policies, strategies, programmes and implementation processes at national and subnational levels.
  • Review and provide substantive inputs and recommendations on legal and policy documents, strategies, guidelines, programmes and other technical materials related to unpaid care and domestic work, paid care services, care employment, long-term care, childcare and the broader care economy.
  • Support the development and implementation of gender-responsive policies and programmes that recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work and promote the reward and representation of paid care workers.
  • Provide technical support for policy dialogues, consultations, technical meetings and regional or international processes related to care, including relevant APEC Women and the Economy Forum processes.
  • Advise UN Women and its partners on relevant international standards, normative frameworks, emerging policy issues and good practices concerning gender-responsive, accessible and sustainable care systems.
  • Provide care-related technical inputs to UN Women’s programme development, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts, including concept notes, project proposals, presentations and advocacy materials.

2. Capacity-building support on care

  • Assess capacity-development needs and contribute to the design of capacity-building strategies and activities on gender-responsive care policies, systems and services.
  • Develop training programmes, agendas, curricula, presentations, facilitation materials, practical tools and other learning resources related to unpaid and paid care work and the broader care economy.
  • Deliver or co-facilitate training workshops, technical sessions, consultations, policy dialogues and learning events on care at national and subnational levels.
  • Support knowledge exchange, peer learning and partnership-building on care among government agencies, UN entities, development partners, private sector actors, research institutions and civil society organizations.
  • Support UN Women’s engagement with national and subnational partners on care-related initiatives, including the development and implementation of local care models and gender-responsive care services.
  • Document the results of capacity-building and stakeholder-engagement activities, including lessons learned, good practices and recommendations for strengthening care policies, systems and services.

3. Research and knowledge generation on care

  • Conduct research, desk reviews, evidence mapping, data analysis and other knowledge-generation activities related to unpaid care and domestic work, paid care services, care employment, long-term care, childcare and the broader care economy.
  • Develop research methodologies, analytical frameworks, data-collection tools and terms of reference, and provide technical support for care-related studies, assessments and evaluations commissioned or supported by UN Women.
  • Prepare or contribute to analytical papers, research reports, policy briefs, technical notes, case studies, presentations and other knowledge products on care.
  • Review and synthesize national and international evidence, experiences and good practices on care systems to inform policy advocacy, programme design, capacity-building and partnership development.
  • Support the dissemination and application of care-related research findings and knowledge products through consultations, policy dialogues, learning events and other appropriate channels. Across these three areas, the consultant may also provide related coordination, stakeholder engagement, documentation and follow-up support. The consultant will undertake other relevant care-related assignments, as agreed with UN Women through specific work requests.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultancy is due to start on December 2026 and end on 31 December 2029.
This is a home-based consultancy with minimal requirement to present in person at the UN Women Office in Viet Nam (VCO) for meetings (schedule to be agreed later with supervisor) and international travel. The consultant is required to undertake regular update meetings with the Programme Manager on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Country Representative. 
Work related travel of UN Women’s consultants are considered as official mission and will be arranged by UN Women, in line with UN Women’s Consultant Contract Policy, UN Women Duty Travel Policy and UN-EU cost norm.


The total number of working days allocated under this retainer contract shall not exceed 300 working days during the three-year contract period. UN Women does not guarantee that the full 300 working days will be utilized. Services will be requested and purchased as needed during the term of the Agreement. The consultant will be engaged under a retainer contract, which facilitates direct engagement depending on organizational needs and consultant availability during the contract period. Services will be requested on an as-needed basis and paid at the pre-agreed daily rate.


The expected number of working days for each assignment/deliverable will be agreed between UN Women and the consultant on a case-by-case basis.


UN Women will not be committed to purchasing any minimum quantity of services, and purchases will only be made where there is an actual requirement and upon issuance of a Purchase Order under this contract. UN Women shall not be liable for any cost in the event that no purchases are made under this retainer contract.

Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of a deliverable or as agreed between the consultant and UN Women. 

 

[3] Decision No. 622/QD-TTg dated May 10, 2017 of the Prime Minister approving the National Action Plan to implement the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

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:

  • Strong knowledge of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and the care economy, including relevant international and regional frameworks.
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate gender and care considerations into laws, policies and programmes.
  • Strong analytical and research skills, with the ability to translate evidence into practical policy recommendations.
  • Excellent drafting, editing, presentation, advisory and facilitation skills.
  • Strong planning, coordination, communication and stakeholder-engagement skills.
  •  Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed deadlines.

Education and Certification:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in Economics with specialization in Gender or Public Policy is required. 

Experience:

  • At least 15 years of professional experience in social protection, economics or public policy, with a focus on gender mainstreaming
  • At least 10 years' work experience in policy advocacy for gender equality and the empowerment of women, experience in mainstreaming gender and care consideration into laws and policies is an advantage 
  • Demonstrated experience in conducting research and policy analysis and preparing high-quality analytical reports, policy papers and policy briefs on gender equality, social protection or the care economy.
  • Demonstrable experience in workshop facilitation and training involving government officials and private sector stakeholders are required
  • Excellent analytical and writing skills in English.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required.

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.


 

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