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.

Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs), as the principal actors in electoral administration, play a critical role in preventing, mitigating, and responding to Violence Against Women in Elections (VAWiE) throughout the electoral cycle. Their influence is pivotal in shaping credibility, security, and inclusivity of elections, particularly in fostering a safe environment for women’s participation. Internationally, EMBs are recognized for their potential to lead efforts against VAWiE, and strengthening their capacity, accountability, and gender-sensitive approaches is essential to ensure women’s full and safe participation in democratic processes. In Ethiopia, despite constitutional and legal efforts to promote gender equality, women continue to face systemic barriers and psychological violence before and during elections, including intimidation and coercion, undermining their equal participation. 

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is committed to preventing and responding to VAWiE. It is in line with this commitment that the board, with the support of UN Women and UNDP commissioned a study that revealed infrastructural and procedural gaps during the 6^th national election, such as unfriendly polling stations and inadequate female security presence, that exposed women, especially those with disabilities or caregiving responsibilities, to heightened risks. Although the country’s legal frameworks recognize certain forms of VAWiE, enforcement and public awareness remain limited. The Grievance Hearing Mechanism (GHM) established by NEBE was underutilized, largely due to insufficient training, limited survivor awareness, and low public trust in justice systems. Political parties and the media also fell short in proactively addressing VAWiE. In response, the study developed a comprehensive action plan aligned with the electoral cycle, covering the pre-election, election day, and post-election phases, to guide NEBE in addressing the identified gaps

The action plan outlines specific actions categorized by thematic areas of intervention (capacity building and awareness promotion, data and stastics, policy and legislative reform, systems for response and accountability etc), detailing the issues identified within each theme, the responsible bodies, timeframes, indicators, and recommended measures to be undertaken. One of the action points of the action plan has been for NEBE to put in place a prevention and response mechanism. 

To respond to this action point, NEBE with the support of UN Women and UNDP, is planning to set up a multi-stakeholder referral linkage mechanism connecting the Board with security, justice, civil society, CSOs, government offices, security actors, service providers and other key actors to enhance coordination, accountability and timely response to incidents of VAWiE. This TOR is developed to engage a consultant or a team of consultants to undertake a range of tasks that support NEBE’s efforts to establish a functional mechanism ahead of Ethiopia’s 7^th national election. The consultancy will build on the extensive foundation of governmental and non-governmental responses to gender-based violence in Ethiopia, including existing gender based violence or violence against women (GBV/VAW) referral pathways, standard operating procedures (SOPs), shelters, and case-management guidelines. The overall effort is expected to ensure that these mechanisms are effectively utilized and adapted to prevent and respond to election-related gender-based violence during the pre-election period, enabling timely, survivor-centered, and coordinated interventions. 

The main objective of the consultancy is to contribute to strengthening the institutional capacity of the NEBE to prevent and respond to VAWiE. Specifically, it aims to contribute to setting up a coordination mechanism among electoral, security, justice, and women’s rights institutions to ensure effective referral and case management of VAWiE incidents, and to establish functional reporting, referral, and grievance redress mechanisms within NEBE’s systems.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES/ Scope of the Work 

Under the overall guidance of the Women in Leadership and Governance (WILG) Team Lead and NEBE Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) department, the consultant (s) is expected to:

• Conduct rapid mapping of existing VAW/VAWiE national referral pathways, SOPs, guidelines and coordination mechanisms, as well as relevant legal and institutional frameworks, identify gaps and provide recommendations.
• Adapt and harmonize existing tools and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the prevention, reporting, and referral of VAWiE, ensuring full alignment with NEBE’s grievance redress mechanisms and call center systems.
• Develop or adapt monitoring and accountability tools to enable systematic tracking and follow-up of VAWiE cases.
• Integrate the adapted mechanisms into NEBE’s standard operating procedures, training manuals, and call center protocols.
• Deliver targeted trainings to NEBE staff, grievance officers, and regional coordinators on the use of the adapted tools.

DELIVERABLE

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: 

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments
• Strong knowledge of women peace and security agenda
• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women empowerment principles and normative frameworks  
• Strong adult learning and training facilitation skills  
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats on the areas of peace and security in Ethiopia and incorporate lessons in capacity building sessions

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Law, Gender Studies, Political Science, Human Rights, Governance, or related Social Sciences.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 
• Specialized training or certification in gender-based violence prevention and response, election management, or human rights protection is an asset.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the areas of gender equality, governance, or electoral support, including experience with violence against women (VAW) prevention and response mechanisms.
• Proven experience in developing or adapting institutional SOPs, referral pathways, or coordination frameworks related to GBV/VAW.
• Demonstrated experience supporting electoral management bodies (EMBs) or governance institutions on gender mainstreaming, grievance redress, or protection frameworks.
• Experience conducting capacity-building and training for government or independent institutions.
• Familiarity with Ethiopia’s legal, policy, and institutional frameworks on gender equality, GBV response, and the electoral process.
• Strong presentation, training facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience with UN organizations is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in Amharic and English is required. 
• Working knowledge of other UN languages is 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.

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.