Background/Context

UN Women exists to advance women’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As the lead UN entity on gender equality and secretariat of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women shift laws, institutions, social behaviours and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world. UN Women’s partnerships with governments, women’s movements and the private sector coupled with its coordination of the broader United Nations translate progress into lasting changes.

In Türkiye, in line with its global Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and Country Strategic Note (2022-2025), and the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Turkey (UNSDCF) (2021-2025), UN Women works towards the overarching goal of “Women and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Türkiye”. UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction. In line with its coordination mandate, UN Women promotes coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through joint programmatic and advocacy actions and initiatives, standardized tools and guidance and services to strengthen the relevant capacities of the UN system. 

Towards these goals, UN Women implements programmes and projects that aim to advance gender equality, improve women’s access to opportunities, rights, and services in political, social, and economic life, and combat gender stereotypes, discrimination, and violence, as required by international and national legal and policy commitments. UN Women collaborates with numerous partners – central and local level government authorities, civil society organizations, including women’s organizations and platforms, academia, private sector companies, and other UN agencies. It commits itself to the Leave No One Behind principle, by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women face in accessing their rights and to promote them as agents of change. UN Women Türkiye has been at the forefront of support for Türkiye’s continuous commitment to implement international norms and standards on women’s rights, and the enhancement and implementation of relevant national legal and policy frameworks. The Country Office has been operational in Türkiye since 2012. 

In the area of ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) and other harmful practices, UN Women supports enhancing services on VAWG prevention and protection through strengthened capacities of institutions, improved data management, better coordination, and empowerment of women and girls who are at risk of and/or are survivors of violence. Furthermore, to address the underlying root causes of VAWG and harmful practices, UN Women Türkiye works towards favorable social norms, attitudes, and behaviors at the individual, community, and institutional levels that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. Currently, UN Women in Türkiye has a diverse and growing portfolio on Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) which is led by a Programme Specialist, under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Director and the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director.

Within the scope of “HER RIGHTS: Supporting Technical Capacities of Lawyers on Women’s Rights for Gender-Responsive Provision of Legal Services”  Project, funded by the Government of the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, UN Women aims to develop self-paced online training modules for lawyers and trainee lawyers across the country, for their access on the Learning Management System of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA). The project aims to establish an in-service training standard on ending violence against women and girls for lawyers and trainee lawyers engaged in legal aid and private practices. The project is structured under the following results framework, and a singular activity:

Outcome 1: Women and girls have improved and equal access to resources, and rights, and enjoy a life without violence and discrimination.

Output 1.1: Service providers have strengthened capacities to deliver quality and coordinated essential services, hold perpetrators accountable and implement legislation on ending violence against women. 

Activity 1.1.1: Produce online training modules on women's access to justice, with an emphasis on combating violence against women and girls in line with international and national normative frameworks, to be reflected in the Union of Turkish Bar Associations Learning Management System (UTBA LMS), targeting lawyers and trainee lawyers registered in bar associations across Türkiye.

To this end, UN Women seeks to engage a National Consultant Human Rights Law and Law No. 6284  to contribute to the development of training module content, with a particular emphasis on human rights law obligations related to EVAW. The Consultant will collaborate closely with other national consultants, the UN Women team, UTBA, and relevant service providers to formulate, refine, and finalize the module content.

Under the overall supervision of the Programme Specialist, with technical guidance from the Programme Analyst and administrative support from the Programme Support Consultant, the Consultant will work in close coordination with UTBA and the broader Project team, which includes consultants and service providers. The Consultant will provide technical expertise in the design and implementation of the modules, ensuring alignment with international human rights standards and national legal frameworks, particularly Law No. 6284 to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Women and Girls.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

1. Draft content on international human rights law applicable to Türkiye in the field of ending violence against women and girls and Law No. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence against Women

• Develop written training content tailored for lawyers and trainee lawyers, focusing on human rights law obligations relating to EVAWG in Türkiye
• Reference in the content, to key legal instruments including but not limited to:
  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 
  • General Recommendations of the CEDAW Committee 
  • Law No. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women 
  • General principles of law, and ethical principles applicable to EVAWG efforts and the legal profession.
• Based on the developed content, prepare evaluation and assessment questions to measure the learning outcomes of the modules.

2. Provide technical support to the Project to ensure human rights obligations are streamlined across all modules

• Participate in consultations with national consultants, the Project Team, and, where necessary, UTBA to ensure that key human rights learning objectives are consistently integrated across all modules.
• Offer expert input to align module contents with international human rights standards and national legal frameworks.

3. Ensuring Quality Assurance of Content Conversion

• Collaborate with service providers responsible for transferring the written content into the UTBA Learning Management System (LMS). 
• Review and validate the conversion of written materials and assessments into self-paced e-learning modules, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and pedagogical quality.

Payments will be made on a monthly basis, based on the provision of timesheets and supporting deliverables approved by the UN Women Programme Specialist, who shall confirm Consultant’s work is completed and eligible for payment. The total duration of the contract is 20 working days until 30 April 2026.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based assignment with no travel arrangements foreseen.

Mandatory Training Courses:

The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor.

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:

• Demonstrated expertise in international human rights law, particularly in relation to ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) and women’s access to justice. 
• Proven experience in designing and developing training content, including legal modules and evaluation tools, targeting legal professionals such as lawyers and trainee lawyers. 
• Strong knowledge of Türkiye’s normative and operational frameworks on EVAWG, including Law No. 6284 to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Women. 
• Experience in developing knowledge products, such as online training modules or self-paced e-learning content, with attention to pedagogical quality and human rights integration. 
• Excellent analytical and writing, and content validation skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise, and technically sound documents. 
• Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government institutions, civil society organizations, professional associations (e.g., UTBA), and service providers. 

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• A first-level university degree in law is required.
• Advanced (master’s) degree in human rights law, public law, human rights law or gender studies, or a relevant field is required.
• A first-level university degree in law, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years of demonstrated professional and/or academic research experience in the area of women’s access to justice in the context of violence against women and girls is required with a Master’s degree.
  With a Bachelor’s degree, 4 years of relevant experience is required.
• Proven experience in developing and/or facilitating trainings, seminars, or workshops, including the design of learning evaluation tools, relating to legal responses to violence against women is highly desirable. This should include a focus on human rights law and Law No. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women, targeting legal professionals or related fields.
• Experience in developing knowledge products, such as online training modules on ending violence against women and girls is highly desirable
• Demonstrated experience in collaborating with government or civil society stakeholders engaged in the justice sector or relevant fields, to strengthen women’s access to justice in the context of violence against women is desirable
• Experience in the usage of computers and Office software backages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required.
• Previous experience of working under a Project led by United Nations entities/agencies or the Union of Turkish Bar Associations is an asset. 

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Turkish is required.

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.