Consultant - Digital and AI Safety for Women Entrepreneurs

The consultant shall commit to performing the tasks stated above with high integrity and dedication to delivering the outputs as per plan. He/she shall be professionally accountable to Economic Affairs Officer, SRO-SSWA. Within the overall parameters set out in this agreement, the Consultant will work according to the agreed ToR.

Remotely

5.5 months

Under the supervision of the Economic Affairs Officer responsible for the women’s entrepreneurship programme at SRO-SSWA, the consultant will develop practical training materials, prepare policy recommendations and deliver training on the safe use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). The assignment will begin with women entrepreneurs in India. Its core materials will be designed for later adaptation across South Asia. The consultant will undertake the following tasks: 1. Review programme materials and consult women entrepreneurs, trainers and relevant institutions to identify priority safety risks in everyday business use of digital platforms, e-commerce, digital payments and AI tools. 2. Develop and test a plain-language training manual that helps women use these tools to promote their businesses while protecting their money, business information, personal safety and families. 3. Prepare evidence-based policy recommendations for a safer and more inclusive digital and AI environment for women entrepreneurs, drawing on the India pilot and selected South Asian experience. 4. Deliver practical workshop sessions, introduce the manual to participants and trainers, and revise the materials using feedback and learning assessments. 5. Submit all agreed outputs, source files and supporting evidence to the Economic Affairs Officer in charge of the women’s entrepreneurship programme at SRO-SSWA. The following are the activities and engagements for the consultant: All month references are measured from the contract start date. The scope below provides for three training engagements: two workshops in India and one regional session. Workshop dates and formats will be confirmed in the inception plan. Output 1 Inception report By the end of Month 1, submit an inception report of approximately 6–8 pages, excluding annexes, to outline the proposed methodology and analysis. The inception report should include a review of relevant literature available from ESCAP, UN and governments and other institutions in India and South Asia and a list of government institutions and women entrepreneurs in India and representatives of training partners, women’s business networks and relevant digital safety institutions to consult in the needs assessment. Output 2 Needs assessment and Draft training manual and teaching materials Undertake consultations with identified stakeholders to understand the needs of women entrepreneurs and the eco-system of institutions and partners and their potential roles in the support process. The needs assessment report will set out priority learning needs, common business risks, the manual outline, consultation findings, proposed learning assessments and a workplan. It will identify two additional South Asian countries for a focused desk review, selected with ESCAP, and explain which elements require country-specific adaptation. By the end of Month 3, submit a complete draft manual in English, normally 30–40 pages excluding annexes, with a companion slide deck and facilitator notes. Keep modules short, illustrated and suitable for smartphone reading and low-cost printing. Provide step-by-step actions, realistic business examples, checklists, practice exercises and a brief glossary. Avoid technical language and explain essential terms when first used. The manual will cover the following content: • Safe business use of AI: drafting product descriptions, marketing content, translations and customer messages; checking facts and outputs; protecting customer and business information; recognising bias and misleading content; and respecting consent and intellectual property. • Account and device protection: strong passwords or passkeys, multi-factor authentication, recovery options, updates, backups, app permissions and safer use of shared devices. Explain how to separate business and family information where possible. • Safer e-commerce and payments: checking buyers, suppliers and platform messages; recognising fake orders, payment screenshots, refund requests, phishing links, QR-code and UPI fraud; and using official payment and platform support channels. • AI-enabled deception and personal safety: impersonation, cloned voices, deepfake images or videos, fake AI services, harassment and threats involving family members. Teach independent verification and safe reporting rather than relying on visual clues alone. • Responding to an incident: stopping further payments or disclosure, contacting the bank or payment provider promptly, securing accounts, preserving evidence safely and using verified reporting channels. Include a short action card and explain that reporting does not guarantee recovery of funds. Use fictional data and safe demonstrations. Do not request passwords, one-time passcodes, live bank details or sensitive customer records. Include India-specific official reporting guidance in a clearly marked annex, with verification dates. Provide a reusable country annex structure so that Indian procedures are not presented as regional rules. Output 3 Tested manual and finalized training package By the end of Month 4, test the draft with women entrepreneurs with varied levels of digital experience and trainers. Participants may include people consulted for Output 1. Use practical scenarios to check whether participants can recognise risks and follow protective steps. Submit anonymised findings, a summary of changes and a response to ESCAP’s comments. Deliver the revised manual, participant checklists, incident action card, facilitator notes, slides and short pre- and post-session assessments. Include at least one exercise per module and guidance on local-language delivery and accessibility. Translation is outside the proposed scope; editable files must support later translation. ESCAP’s acceptance will depend on accuracy, usability, completeness and incorporation of agreed revisions. Output 4 Policy recommendations for a safer digital and AI environment By the end of Month 5, submit a policy paper of approximately 12–15 pages, excluding references, and a two-page policy brief. Draw on consultations, the India pilot and the focused desk review of two additional South Asian countries. Distinguish findings supported by evidence from issues requiring further investigation. Do not generalise India’s experience to the whole subregion. Assess gaps in prevention, accessible reporting, redress and institutional support. Address data protection, AI-enabled fraud, online harassment, platform and payment-provider responsibilities, digital literacy and support for small and informal women-led businesses. Verify relevant laws and policies against official sources and distinguish measures in force from proposals or measures awaiting implementation. Present a practical action matrix identifying each recommendation, its evidence base, proposed lead institution, partners, priority, indicative resource needs and progress indicator. Separate near-term operational measures from longer-term policy options. Identify opportunities for regional peer learning. Recommendations should support safe participation and avoid unnecessary costs or barriers for women-led enterprises. Incorporate ESCAP’s comments before final submission. Output 5 Training delivery and workshop reports Deliver two workshops in India and one regional session. Plan for at least three hours of facilitated teaching and exercises at each India workshop and a 90-minute regional session. ESCAP will arrange participants, venues, connectivity and local-language support, as required. The regional session will present lessons from India and explain how to adapt the materials. Tailor each session to the participants’ business activities and digital confidence. Introduce and share the manual, demonstrate safe routines and help local trainers reuse the materials. Submit a short report within ten working days of each engagement, including the agenda, materials used, assessment results and recommended changes. Report learning results with their limitations; do not attribute changes in income or fraud losses to a short training session. Output 6 Final package and handover By the end of the consultancy, submit the final manual and teaching materials updated after the workshops, the final policy paper and brief, and a short completion report. Provide an adaptation guide covering language, payment systems, relevant laws, reporting channels and referral services. Include a dated source register and instructions for updating information that may change. Supply editable Word and PowerPoint source files, accessible PDFs and any original illustrations or other assets needed for reuse. All outputs must contain clear references, respect third-party rights and be ready for ESCAP review and subsequent publication clearance. ESCAP will provide consolidated comments. The consultant will submit revisions based on the received comments. The inception plan will allow for these review periods. Changes to deliverables, fees or the contract end date require written agreement under applicable contract procedures. Workshop rescheduling will be addressed promptly through an agreed revised schedule.

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, digital policy or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in a relevant field, combined with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in cybersecurity, digital safety or closely related work is required.Experience preparing evidence-based policy analysis or recommendations on digital safety, cybersecurity, AI governance or a closely related field. An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, digital policy or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in a relevant field, combined with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Practical experience addressing online fraud, privacy, account security and risks arising from the use or misuse of AI, including generative AI. Experience designing plain-language training materials and delivering participatory digital safety training for non-technical audiences. Experience supporting women entrepreneurs or women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the use of e-commerce, social commerce or digital payments. Professional experience in South Asia, including India, and demonstrated knowledge of the region’s digital business environment and gender-related barriers to safe digital participation. Relevant assignments in at least two South Asian countries; work with rural, home-based or informal enterprises; and experience with the UN or other international development organizations.

Fluency in English, both written and oral, is required. Working knowledge of Hindi or another South Asian language is desirable.

Consultancy fee: USD 20,000 (payable upon acceptance of above-mentioned deliverables) Payment schedule: •10% upon acceptance of Deliverable 1 •25% upon acceptance of Deliverable 2 •20% upon acceptance of Deliverable 3 •15% upon acceptance of Deliverable 4 •15% upon acceptance of Deliverable 5 •15% upon acceptance of final package and completed handover

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.