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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

In Liberia, UN Women works to advance gender-sensitive laws and policies, raise awareness about women’s equal participation in politics and public life, strengthen the capacities of institutions, women leaders and aspirants, and support efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women in elections and politics. Part of this work is undertaken through the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP), funded by the European Union, the Embassy of Ireland, and the Embassy of Sweden. LESP is managed and coordinated by UNDP and implemented in partnership with UN Women, the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy (NIMD), and the National Elections Commission (NEC) as the primary national partner. The project promotes a more inclusive and accountable democracy by strengthening the electoral cycle, increasing the participation of women and marginalized groups, and improving legislative oversight. 

Since 2020, the LESP has supported efforts to integrate gender and social inclusion into electoral processes. This has included promoting gender-sensitive laws and policies, improving perceptions of women in politics, strengthening the capacity of women candidates, supporting initiatives to prevent and respond to Violence Against Women in Elections and Politics, and promoting the inclusion of youth and persons with disabilities. These efforts have engaged NEC, legislators, civil society organizations, political parties, media and security sector.   

The NEC is now planning to develop a broad corpus of recommendations on the legal framework for elections as part of a broader national legal reform process, including a review of electoral laws and regulations, in line with recommendations from election observation missions, and also to undertake some internal institutional reforms. To complement and contribute to this effort, under LESP, a dedicated legal analysis from a gender and inclusion perspective is planned, also covering selected policies and guidelines. The analysis will cover women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups, including special voting categories, and will generate evidence and practical recommendations to ensure that the reform process addresses existing barriers to equal participation and aligns Liberia’s electoral framework with regional and international commitments. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the inclusiveness and accountability of Liberia’s electoral processes and institutions. 

 The assessment will be guided by Liberia’s commitments under international and regional instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979), the Maputo Protocol (2003), the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2006), the Sustainable Development Goals (2015), the African Union’s Agenda 2063,  among others and other relevant national instruments. Closely working with NEC, UN Women, and UNDP, the National Consultant will support this process by providing contextual relevance, engaging local stakeholders, and offering technical and coordination support to the International Consultant throughout the assignment. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work 

Under the supervision of UN Women Liberia, and working under the guidance of the International Lead Consultant, and in close coordination with NEC and UNDP, the National Consultant will: 

• Collect and compile electoral laws, regulations, guidelines, codes of conduct, and institutional documents for review. 
• Provide contextual insights on the practical application of laws and regulations within Liberia’s electoral system. 
• Liaise with NEC, civil society, political parties, youth and disability groups, and other stakeholders to arrange meetings and consultations. 
• Co-facilitate and follow up on stakeholder consultations, workshops, and validation meetings, ensuring local perspectives and commitments are captured and acted upon. 
• Document discussions, prepare summaries, and capture local perspectives to inform the analysis. 
• Contribute to drafting by preparing background notes, synthesizing national inputs, and making sure the Liberian context is fully reflected in the reports prepared by the International Consultant. 
• Support the finalization of reports by integrating national-level feedback and coordinating inputs from stakeholders. 

The National Consultant will work with the International Consultant in reviewing the following documents: 

Legislation 

• New Elections Law (1996, as amended 2014) 

NEC regulations and other electoral process framework documents 

• Political Parties Candidates Registration Regulations (2022) 
• General Elections Regulations 
• Campaign Regulations and Guidelines (Finance, Regulations on Campaign and Challenges) (2021 & 2023) 
• Voter’s Roll Update Regulations 
• Regulations on Polling and Counting 
• Voter’s Registration Regulations (2022) 
• Code of Conduct for Political Parties 
• Code of Conduct for Observers 
• Code of Conduct for Media 
• Hearing Procedures (2022) 
• Political Parties, Coalitions, Alliances, and Independent Candidates’ Regulations (2022) 
• Guidelines and Code of Conduct for Observers (Local and International) 

Institutional management documents, including civic and voter education 

• Code of Conduct for NEC Personnel 
• Human Resource Manual 
• Guidelines for NGOs’ Involvement in CVE 
• Civic and Voter Education Manual, and materials (fliers and video’s etc) 
• NEC draft Strategic Plan      

            Institutional Arrangement 

The consultant will report to and work under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, Women Political Participation, in close collaboration with the UN Women Liberia Country Office, UNDP (under the Liberia Electoral Support Project), and relevant national stakeholders including the National Elections Commission of Liberia. 

 Duration of the Work  

 The duration of this assignment will be for up to 45 days within a 5-month work assignment, tentatively from 15 November 2025 to 14 April 2026.  The estimated number of days is a guideline only and does not determine the assignment completion. Completion and payment depend solely on the submission and approval of deliverables by the UN Women designated official. 

 Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel 

 This consultancy will be home-based in Monrovia, Liberia. The consultant will engage in regular meetings with NEC, UN Women, UNDP, and other stakeholders within Monrovia as required, and will provide support during the two missions of the International Consultant in Monrovia. 

 Performance Evaluation 

 The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. 

 Financial Arrangement 

Payments will be disbursed to the consultant on a deliverable-based arrangement aligned to the “Expected Deliverables” of section of the ToR and certification by the Programme Specialist, Women Political Participation that services have been satisfactorily performed.         

             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: 

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.