International Consultant to develop programme strategy and project document on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE)

Background

UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has been created to accelerate up the process of meeting the needs of women and girls across the world. As a part of the UN reform agenda, it brings together resources and mandates which will subsequently have a lasting impact on the whole community.The economic status of women in Tajikistan is characterized by gaps in economic activity, sectoral and occupational segregation, earnings disparities, and significant differences in the entrepreneurial activities. Women are disproportionately present in the in low-paid, low productivity works, as well as in the informal sector of the labor market. Unfavourable position is furthered with the employment and economic opportunities of women being restricted by significant gender disparity in education, in access to financial and economic resources, by their marital status, property rights, the patriarchal values, and the dire economic situation.

Participatory consultations with women entrepreneurs from Tajikistan and Afghanistan during a Women Business Forum[1] demonstrated a high potential for cooperation and exchange among women entrepreneurs, in particularly in handicrafts and carpet production; and uncovered joint challenges, such as low product quality, small scale production, undeveloped value chain, challenges in marketing, product placement and branding of products. 

With the Government of Tajikistan declaring the economic empowerment of women as the priority, and with high attention being placed by Government and donors, on the regional cooperation with the neighbouring countries, a space for programming on women income generation and entrepreneurial activities expanded. Furthermore, The Government of Tajikistan declared 2018, as the Year of Tourism and Folk Crafts in Tajikistan.Cross-border regional economic and trade cooperation is also identified by the government and development partners as an area with a potential for high impact on women income generation and with a possibility for joint programming. 

[1] Organized by the Government of Tajikistan, April 6-7, 2018 with UN Women Tajikistan support

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the UN Women Gender Specialist, the Consultant should develop a programme strategy and project document based on the identified priority actions and in line with Tajikistan and Afghanistan national commitments on gender equality and women economic empowerment (WEE). The consultant is expected to conduct the following:

-  Undertake analysis of the economic environment and the states’ policies and initiatives that provide suggestions for women’s economic empowerment interventions;

-  Undertake an assessment/mapping of WEE related programmatic interventions by development partners to define positive practices and lessons leant;

-  Document three to five identified examples of initiatives successful in their achievements of WEE per country;

-  Identify areas for support and interventions within the WEE area for UN Women in compliance with its corporate programming approach and flagship programme initiatives in WEE area, previous experience in Tajikistan and Afghanistan and comparative advantages;

-  Advise UN Women on the best approaches to transition to WEE related programmatic work focused on transformative changes and supporting WEE related SDGs implementation, based on Theory of Change and SWOT analysis;

-  Develop WEE related programme strategy for UN Women;

-  Develop a project document for WEE at the cross-borders in UN Women format (including a Results and Resources Framework Matrix to reflect planned outcomes, outputs and activities and related indicators and suggested budget), taking into considerations inputs from UN Women, based on the consultations with key stakeholders and results of the conducted assessment/ mapping;

-  Advise on a partnership and fundraising strategy.

To implement the planned tasks, the Consultant is expected to travel to Tajikistan and Afghanistan – at least 5 days in each country.

Competencies

Core Values:

-          Respect for Diversity

-          Integrity

-          Professionalism

Core Competencies:

-          Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues

-          Accountability

-          Creative Problem Solving

-          Effective Communication

-          Inclusive Collaboration

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

-          Programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;

-          Ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;

-          Good knowledge of technical area;

-          Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail.

Required Skills and Experience

-          Advanced degree (Masters) in humanities, economics and gender studies, social sciences, development and international relations or a related field;

-          5 years of practical experience in WEE area;

-          5 years of experience in development of programmes/projects in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment;

-          Experience in partnership building and knowledge management;

-          Experience with the UN system or international organization is considered an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English (written and oral) required.

Tajik and Russian language may be considered as an asset.