National consultant on Preparing Recommendations to Amend the Concept of Family and Gender Policy of Kazakhstan until 2030, UN Women Kazakhstan
UN Women
Consultancy Locallly Recruited 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.
As part of its strategic cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan, in 2025 UN Women successfully finalized the implementation of the Tied Grant “Assisting Kazakhstan in the Implementation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy in Terms of Ensuring Gender Equality and Empowering All Women and Girls in Kazakhstan, as well as Overcoming the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis” for the period 2022–2024 (Tied Grant). The first phase of Tied Grant focused on improving women’s representation at decision making level, reducing the gender pay gap, and enhancing women’s economic participation. It successfully strengthened government capacity on advancing gender equality and integrating international standards, promoted initiatives such as gender-sensitive legislation, developed academic programme on Gender studies and raised public awareness about the Family and Gender policy in Kazakhstan. Building on the results achieved during phase one, it also highlighted the need for further capacity-building of national partners, sustained results, and improved.
In 2025 UN Women Kazakhstan with support of the National Commission for Women Affairs and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information started implementation of a new project for 2025–2027: “Promoting the Improvement of Legal Protection for Women, Strengthening Gender Equality, and Ensuring Full Participation of Women in the Socio-Political Life of the Country.”
This new project draws on lessons learned to drive long-term change for the empowerment of women and girls in Kazakhstan. It provides support to address key challenges such as the need for more coordinated capacity-building, greater integration of gender perspectives into budgeting and policy processes, and increased consistency in applying gender considerations across the legislative framework. It also identifies opportunities to strengthen the role of the National Commission, improve monitoring and evaluation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2030, enhance media coverage of gender equality issues, and further support to women’s political participation and professional development in Kazakhstan.
The project is aligned with national priorities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development specifically SDGs 5, 16, and 17 and supports the implementation of Kazakhstan’s Family and Gender Policy Concept until 2030. It also contributes directly to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026–2029, particularly Priority 1: promoting inclusive, accountable, and gender-responsive governance.
As part of the project, and in close collaboration with key national partners the National Commission on Women’s Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Informationof the Republic of Kazakhstan, an agreement was reached to establish the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Knowledge Centre (“GEWE Knowledge Centre”) in Almaty, serving as a national hub for capacity building, policy dialogue, and evidence-based action on gender equality.
The GEWE Knowledge Centre will serve as a hub for capacity development, research, dissemination of best practices, and knowledge-sharing. It will ensure the long-term continuity of project activities by equipping stakeholders with the tools and resources necessary to sustain momentum in advancing gender equality. Institutionalizing gender-responsive budgeting and embedding gender equality policies within national and regional frameworks will promote equitable governance, improve resource allocation, and drive systemic, long-term policy change.
The Government of Kazakhstan is in the process of updating the Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030 to ensure alignment with national priorities, international standards, and regional/global trends in gender equality and family policy. In this context, UN Women, in cooperation with national partners, seeks the services of a qualified national consultant to develop recommendations to amend the Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030, with a particular focus on clarifying the roles and responsibilities of government bodies in its implementation. The assignment includes preparation of analytical data and an evidence-based brief for national partners on current and emerging trends in the national, regional, and global gender equality agenda to ensure that the Concept reflects international best practices and responds effectively to Kazakhstan’s policy priorities.
Objective
The National consultant will prepare recommendations to amend and update the Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030, with a focus on:
1. Clarifying the institutional roles and responsibilities of government bodies in its implementation;
2. Updating gender equality indicators and aligning them with international standards and best practices;
3. Analyzing lessons learned from the implementation of the Concept in previous years;
4. Ensuring the document reflects current national priorities, societal tendencies, and emerging challenges;
5. Preparing analytical data and an evidence-based brief for national partners on national, regional, and global trends in the gender equality agenda.
6. Prepare and submit a final analytical report (including methodology, findings, recommendations, and lessons learned), developed in collaboration with and validated by the International Consultant and UN Women.
The updated Concept should serve as a practical, forward-looking framework that incorporates lessons from past implementation, integrates internationally recognized approaches, and ensures relevance to Kazakhstan’s evolving socio-economic and policy context.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
The tasks for national consultant will include the following:
1. Review and Analysis
o Review the current Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030, related legislation, strategies, and reports.
o Analyze the institutional framework, mandates of government bodies, and the role of gender focal points in implementation.
o Assess lessons learned, achievements, and challenges from the implementation of the Concept in previous years.
2. Preparation of Recommendations
o Develop recommendations to amend and update the Concept, with a clear delineation of institutional roles and responsibilities of national and local government bodies.
o Integrate international best practices and standards on gender equality into the Concept.
o Update and propose a set of measurable gender equality indicators aligned with national priorities and international commitments (e.g., SDGs, CEDAW, Beijing Platform, OECD standards).
3. Evidence-Based Analysis
o Prepare an analytical brief with relevant data and evidence for national partners on current and emerging trends in family policy and gender equality at the national, regional, and global levels.
o Identify priority areas for policy response, including evolving societal tendencies and challenges (e.g., demographic trends, digitalization, care economy, gender-based violence, civic space).
4. Consultations and Validation
o Facilitate consultations with key government bodies, civil society, academia, and development partners to validate proposed amendments.
o Incorporate stakeholder feedback into the draft recommendations
5. Final Deliverables
Final Analytical Report in Russian with appendices, incorporating feedback from steakholders, draft amendments to the Concept with proposed institutional roles and indicators; Evidence-based analytical brief; Report on lessons learned from the previous implementation period; Final revised recommendations reflecting stakeholder feedback. Updating the Action Plan for the implementation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2030, considering completed projects and recent trends. Revising the target indicators of the Concept to ensure their alignment with the SDGs and WEF indicators.
Competencies :
Core Values:
Core Competencies:
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:
Education and Certification:
• A minimum of a master's degree or equivalent in social sciences, humanities, economics, human resource management, law, or related fields.
Experience:
• At least 7 years of experience in development and implementation of the policies and programmes in the field of Gender and family policy, and preparation of the relevant Concepts and normative documents
• Experience working with Government bodies and UN agencies or other international organizations (provide copies of supporting materials or links to websites with documents)
Functional skills:
Very strong qualitative and analytical skills; experience in analyzing current concept of Family and Demographic policy of Kazakhstan until 2030 (provide copies of supporting documents, such as electronica copies prepared analytical documents and concept notes, research etc.).
Languages:
• Excellent written and spoken Kazakh and Russian is mandatory.
• Working knowledge of English will be an asset.
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.
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