Background/Context
Climate finance is increasingly important across Asia and the Pacific, a region facing rising climate risks while pursuing development, energy transition and resilience goals. Governments and other actors draw on domestic public budgets, international climate funds, development finance, private investment and financial markets to support mitigation and adaptation. However, the availability of finance does not always translate into resources reaching the countries, sectors and communities that need them most. Barriers include limited fiscal space, gaps in project preparation and institutional capacity, difficulties accessing international funds, and challenges in mobilizing private investment for adaptation and locally led initiatives.
These challenges have gender dimensions. Women’s access to finance, assets, markets and decision-making remains unequal, while women-led enterprises and organizations often face barriers in accessing financial products and investment. Although gender equality is increasingly recognized in climate policies and funding frameworks, commitments are not always carried through into financing decisions, implementation and measurement of results. Strengthening gender-responsive climate finance therefore requires attention to the full financing cycle, from policy priorities and resource allocation to financial instruments, delivery mechanisms, participation and accountability.
To help address these gaps, UNDP, UN Women and UNEP jointly convene the Gender and Climate Finance Collective (Collective), a regional practitioners’ platform bringing together institutions working across climate finance, gender equality, financial markets, research, policy, civil society and implementation in Asia and the Pacific. The Collective, aligned with the Belem Gender Action Plan, enables members to exchange practical knowledge and good practices, identify opportunities for collaboration, and advance approaches that strengthen the design and implementation of gender-responsive climate finance.
The Collective has built an active foundation through member participation, regional webinars, bilateral consultations, case studies and an open resource hub. Consultations point to the value of a combining collective exchanges across the membership; thematic collaboration around shared financing and implementation challenges; and selective targeted support to member-led institutional, national and subnational processes. Members have also emphasized the importance of focusing on implementation, domestic and subnational financing pathways, practical peer exchange, and concise, usable knowledge products.
Building on this foundation and members’ expressed priorities, the GCFC is seeking to strengthen opportunities for practical collaboration across the network. UN Women, in coordination with UNDP and UNEP as co-chairs, therefore seeks an international consultant to serve as the Collective’s focal point and support its coordination, member engagement, thematic collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
Under the supervision of the designated co-convenors, the Consultant will serve as the focal point and support implementation of the 2026-2027 Member Engagement Strategy. The Consultant will coordinate the secretariat function, support member engagement and communications, facilitate thematic collaboration, and coordinate knowledge management and dissemination.
In light of this, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:
- GCFC Secretariat Coordination and Member Engagement
- Coordinate implementation of the annual GCFC workplan, activity calendar and engagement strategy, and the three-layer engagement model (Collective, Thematic, Targeted Bilateral).
- Serve as the day-to-day focal point for GCFC members and maintain active engagement across the network.
- Prepare and support quarterly member meetings and regular co-convenor meetings, including agendas, background materials, notes and follow-up.
- Support periodic reviews of member engagement, priorities and future direction of the Collective
- Facilitate selected member-led national or subnational exchanges where there is clear demand and a defined contribution from the GCFC. Such support will be time-bound and will complement, not replace, the responsibilities of country offices and implementing institutions.
- Maintain a simple member engagement and action tracker, including agreed follow-up, collaboration interests and emerging opportunities.
- Thematic Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships
- Coordinate priority thematic collaboration tracks identified in the engagement strategy.
- Identify opportunities for collaboration among members, connecting institutions working on shared gender and climate finance challenges and connect GCFC with relevant regional and global processes
- Plan and coordinate up to four (4) regional webinars, technical dialogues or peer-learning activities on priority issues in gender-responsive climate finance
- Develop up to four (4) practical technical resources that respond to identified needs of GCFC members and partners and support the operationalisation of gender-responsive climate finance. Resources may include guidance notes, checklists, or decision-support tools.
- Provide targeted technical and coordination support to member priorities, including short technical review, evidence curation, follow-up discussions and introductions.
- Content Development, Communications, and Knowledge Dissemination
- Develop and implement a communications and knowledge management plan aligned with the engagement strategy.
- Develop key messages, member-spotlight stories, and strategic content.
- Translate complex technical content on climate finance and gender into accessible and engaging products (e.g., blogs, social media content, event summaries, briefing notes) for diverse audiences.
- Maintain and curate all GCFC digital platforms, including the resource hub, ensuring content is regularly updated with member resources, case studies, and knowledge products.
- Provide substantive content for event and product dissemination, coordinating with co-convenor’s communications focal points.
- Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Adaptive Management
- Monitor progress against the agreed workplan and results framework, tracking member participation, follow-up actions, collaboration generated and uptake of selected knowledge products.
- Prepare concise progress updates, learning reviews, and annual reporting for the co-chairs, documenting implementation progress, member engagement, emerging results, lessons and recommendations
- Identify potential partnership and resource mobilization opportunities for consideration by the co-convenors.
Additional Related Assignments
The Consultant may be requested to undertake other tasks directly related to the objectives of this assignment and the agreed priorities of the Collective. Such tasks may include research, technical review, communications, facilitation, knowledge documentation, support to relevant regional or global processes, or follow-up on emerging member and country-level opportunities. Any additional assignment will be agreed in advance, accommodated within the approved number of working days and available resources.
Based on the revised responsibilities, the deliverables should reflect the consultant’s coordination and technical role, while keeping communications production focused on substantive content and coordination with agency communications teams.
In consultation with the designated UN Women supervisor and GCFC co-convenor focal points, the Consultant will submit regular progress updates and complete the following deliverables:
[AG1]I think this section is quite heavy on comms responsibilities, “Develop key messages, member-spotlight stories, and strategic content that positions GCFC as a leading regional platform.” or “lead all communications and outreach for webinars and events, including promotion...” This would require more strategic comms/ social media, digital platform management capacity which I doubt we will get. I suggest we downgrade comms related work and have this person manage an intern/ UNV to help him/ her do the campaigns, repository mngt, etc. This specific consultant can still do the key messages, technical summaries, draft text, make knowledge products, etc.
[AG2]Suggested responsibilities:
C. Knowledge Management, Evidence Capture and Dissemination
Develop and implement a practical GCFC communications and knowledge management plan aligned with the annual workplan and thematic priorities.
Translate complex technical content on gender-responsive climate finance into concise and accessible knowledge products, briefing notes, learning summaries and practitioner-oriented materials.
Maintain and curate the GCFC resource hub, including relevant member resources, case studies, tools and knowledge products.
Provide substantive inputs for dissemination of GCFC events and knowledge products and coordinate with co-chair communications focal points
| Deliverable | Expected completion time |
| 1. Inception package: An agreed workplan and activity calendar for the assignment, an updated member and stakeholder mapping, an engagement approach based on the Collective, Thematic and Targeted Bilateral support, and a practical communications and knowledge management plan. The package will include a simple framework for tracking participation, follow-up, collaboration and uptake of selected knowledge products. | 31 December 2026 |
| 2. Secretariat coordination and member engagement: Coordination support for quarterly GCFC member meetings and regular co-convenor meetings, including agendas, background materials, meeting notes and follow-up. The Consultant will maintain the member engagement and action tracker and provide periodic updates on member priorities, collaboration interests and emerging opportunities. | 28 February 2027 |
| 3. Thematic collaboration and peer learning: Coordination of priority thematic collaboration tracks identified by the co-convenors and members, including follow-up on agreed actions. The Consultant will plan and coordinate up to four regional webinars, technical dialogues or peer-learning activities on agreed topics, and prepare concise summaries of key discussions, learning and follow-up. | 30 April 2027 |
| 4. Technical resources and targeted support: Development of up to four practical technical resources responding to agreed member needs, such as guidance notes, checklists or decision-support tools. The Consultant will also provide targeted technical and coordination support to selected member priorities, which may include short document reviews, evidence curation, follow-up discussions and introductions. | 30 June 2026 |
| 5. Knowledge management and dissemination: Regular curation of the GCFC resource hub with relevant member resources, case studies, tools and knowledge products. The Consultant will prepare substantive content for dissemination, such as key messages, member stories, briefing notes, event summaries and draft communications text, and coordinate with co-convenor communications focal points on publication and outreach. | 31 August 2027 |
| 6. Progress updates and learning review: Concise progress updates for the co-convenors on implementation of the workplan, member participation, follow-up actions, collaboration generated and uptake of selected knowledge products. A learning review will identify emerging results, lessons and any recommendations for adapting the engagement approach. | 31 October 2027 |
| 7. Final synthesis and handover: An end-of-assignment report summarizing delivery against the agreed workplan, member engagement and collaboration, knowledge products and dissemination, lessons learned, partnership opportunities and recommendations for the next phase of GCFC work. The Consultant will provide an organized handover of trackers, materials and relevant documentation. | 30 November 2027 |
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
The consultancy will be home-based for a period of 12 months, with an indicative level of effort of up to 85 working days. The distribution of working days will be agreed through the inception workplan and may vary across months depending on the timing of meetings, thematic activities, knowledge products and member support.
As part of this assignment, official travel within the Asia-Pacific region may be required. Any travel will be subject to prior approval and managed in accordance with UN Women travel policy. Travel costs will be covered separately from the consultancy fee unless otherwise specified in the contract.
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
- Strong technical knowledge of gender-responsive climate finance, sustainable finance, climate policy, and gender equality.
- Demonstrated ability to build, convene, and sustain multi-stakeholder networks, partnerships, and communities of practice.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation, diplomacy, and relationship management skills, with the ability to work effectively across UN entities, governments, financial institutions, civil society, research organizations, and development partners.
- Strong analytical, synthesis, advisory, and communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical issues into practical solutions and knowledge products.
- Proven experience in knowledge management, learning, and dissemination.
- Ability to identify strategic opportunities, broker collaboration, and drive collective action.
- Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple workstreams independently in a multicultural and multi-agency environment.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
Education and Certification
- Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, finance, climate change, environmental policy, gender studies, international development, public policy, knowledge management or another relevant field.
- A first-level university degree in a relevant field, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
Experience
- At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in climate finance, sustainable finance, climate policy, gender equality, international development or a related field.
- Required: Demonstrated experience in gender-responsive climate finance or in integrating gender equality and social inclusion into climate finance policies, programmes, financial mechanisms or implementation.
- Required: Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives, networks, communities of practice or secretariat functions, including engaging stakeholders and following up on agreed actions.
- Required: Experience organizing and facilitating meetings, webinars, consultations or peer-learning activities with diverse stakeholders.
- Required: Demonstrated ability to research, analyse and translate technical information into clear, practical written outputs, such as briefing notes, case studies, learning summaries or guidance materials.
- Required: Experience tracking activities and documenting progress, results or lessons to inform reporting and future work.
- Desired: Experience supporting country-level or subnational climate finance, public finance, financial-sector or implementation processes.
- Required: Knowledge of gender equality and climate finance issues in Asia and the Pacific.
- Required: Experience working in inter-agency or multi-stakeholder contexts, including with the United Nations or other international organizations.
Language
- Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
- Knowledge of another language spoken in the Asia-Pacific region and/or another UN language is an asset.