UN Women, National Consultant on Women’s Economic Empowerment, Kyrgyzstan

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 Country Office in the Kyrgyz Republic was established in 2012 to support the Government and other national stakeholders in implementing international and national commitments on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Guided by the UN Women Strategic Plan and the Country Strategic Note and operating within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023–2027, the National Gender Equality Strategy until 2030, and the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325, the Country Office leverages its triple mandate of normative support, UN system coordination and operational activities to deliver coherent and impactful results.

UN Women Kyrgyzstan implements a programme that promotes women’s leadership and meaningful participation in all spheres of public and private life; eliminates all forms of violence against women and girls; advances women’s full, equal and effective participation in the peace and security agenda and in all aspects of decision-making; strengthens financing for gender equality; and expands women’s economic empowerment. The Country Office also prioritizes gender-responsive humanitarian action, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and increasingly applies innovation and systems approaches in line with the SDG transformation agenda. UN Women Kyrgyzstan works as a learning and knowledge-sharing organization and promotes an open, collaborative spirit with partners, ensuring synergies across programme interventions, fostering strong and inclusive partnerships, and maintaining a client-focused, results-oriented approach fully consistent with UN Women policies, rules and procedures.

Reporting to WEE/Partnerships Specialist the National Consultant contributes to the effective management of UN Women programmes in the CO by providing substantive inputs to programme implementation, monitoring and reporting as part of the WEE portfolio. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of the WEE and Partnerships Specialist and in close coordination with the UN Women team and project partners, the consultant will support the implementation of activities under the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) portfolio, with particular focus on the implementation of the project “Strengthening Women’s Economic Empowerment through Digital Skills, Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion in the Kyrgyz Republic.”

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Support implementation of the project activities 

•             Assist with preparing activity plans, participant lists, agendas, background materials, and other documents required for project activities.

•             Assist in maintaining regular communication with participants, partners and service providers to support the implementation of planned activities. 

•             Assist with follow-up with participants and partners, including sharing information, confirming participation and collecting required inputs, as requested by the supervisor. 

•             Support the identification and engagement of women entrepreneurs for communications and visibility purposes, including collecting stories, coordinating photo/video opportunities and obtaining relevant inputs and consent.

Support the organization of WEE events

•             Assist in the planning and organization of WEE events, including the WEE high-level event, under the guidance of the WEE Specialist 

•             Support the preparation of event programmes, agendas, speaker and participant lists, invitations and other event-related materials. 

•             Assist with logistical and operational arrangements for WEE events, including venue arrangements, participant registration, materials, branding and visibility, in coordination with relevant colleagues. 

•             Support communication and follow-up with speakers, partners and participants before, during and after the WEE events, as requested by the team. 

•             Assist in preparing and compiling key messages, presentations, talking points and other materials for WEE events. 

•             Assist with outreach and follow-up with existing UN Women partners, including government institutions, financial institutions, private sector actors, development partners, business associations and civil society organisations through preparing the letters, compiling the briefing notes and other relevant documents; 

•             Support the collection and organisation of partner inputs and information related to their participation in WEE activities and events. 

•             Assist in organising network events for women entrepreneurs and financial institutions and partners

Support monitoring and documentation

•             Maintain and update activity and participant records and assist with organising information on project activities and progress against agreed plans and targets. 

•             Assist with the collection, compilation and organisation of data, participant feedback, list of participants, success stories and other information required for documentation of the project progress

• Support the documentation of lessons learned, good practices and results from project activities and events. 
• Assist in preparing progress updates, presentations, tables and other materials as required by the supervisor 

Support communications and visibility of the WEE projects and interventions 

• Support the collection and organization of photographs, participant stories, partner inputs and other content for project documentation 
• Support the application of UN Women visibility and branding requirements in relevant events, ensuring the availability of the banner and other visibility materials when required

Other programme support

•             Provide administrative support to the team as required for timely implementation of activities.

•             Participate in relevant meetings and coordination discussions and support follow-up on agreed action points.

•             Undertake other related tasks within the scope of the consultancy, as assigned by the supervisor.

•             Provide support in translating speeches, documents and other relevant documents and events related to WEE 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The assignment will be conducted primarily on an office-based basis. Any changes to the agreed working arrangements will be discussed and agreed upon in advance with the supervisor. Travels, if required, will be discussed and arranged separately and will be subject to applicable UN Women procedures and budget availability.

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:

• Project and activity coordination 
• Event and logistics management
• Stakeholder communication and engagement
• Information management and documentation
• Basic monitoring and reporting support

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.