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.

UN Women supports UN member states as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes, and services needed to implement these standards. It stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on five priority areas: (1) increasing women’s leadership and civic and political participation; (2) ending violence against women; (3) engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes; (4) enhancing women’s economic empowerment; and (5) making gender equality central to national development planning and budgeting. UN Women coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality. 

Based on UN legislative mandates and UN Women’s Strategic Plan, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) is responsible for providing strategic program development, policy/ technical advisory services, and quality assurance support to Multi-Country Offices (MCOs) and Country Offices (COs) across the region. It undertakes or coordinates regional research and data analysis and advises on norms, policies, and strategies for achieving the internationally and regionally agreed goals related to gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. It acts as a knowledge hub at the regional level, collecting evidence on progress and emerging issues and sharing knowledge on innovative approaches and lessons learned in implementation.

 

In the context of its Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) programming, UN Women ROAP aims to establish a diverse pool of Specialists in EVAW for short-medium term consultancies to support various technical activities affiliated with EVAW programmes. This will be in a retainer pool, accessible to the ROAP, MCOs, and COs and will comprise senior-level experts in violence against women (VAW), specifically related to one or more of the areas described below, who will be called as needs arise. 

All qualified candidates with experience in one or more of the areas of expertise outlined in the Vacancy Announcement are encouraged to apply. In addition, for this specific call, there is a particular need for candidates with one or more of the following qualifications:

• Candidates with substantive knowledge, expertise, and experience in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating legislation, policies and programs on EVAW (for example, including but not limited to prevention of  VAW; technology-facilitated VAW; gender-responsive budgeting (GRB); the intersection of VAW for development and emergency contexts; ; women's economic empowerment and intersections with VAW;  and intersections with violence against children)     
• Candidates with contextual professional experience in EVAW programming in Asia and the Pacific, including with regional bodies such as ASEAN or PIFS.

The consultant will be supervised by the Regional Coordination Specialist on Gender-Based Violence Prevention, UN Women Asia and the Pacific region and supported by a Programme Associate as the point of contact on contract and payment issues. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the EVAW team, Asia and the Pacific Region.

UN Women will not be committed to purchasing any minimum quantity of the Services, and purchases will be made only if there is an actual requirement upon the issuance of a Purchase Order based on this retainer contract. UN Women shall not be liable for any cost in the event that no purchases are made under this retainer contract. 

The expected number of workdays for each deliverable will be discussed between the consultant and UN Women on a case-by-case basis. Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of a deliverable or as agreed between the consultant and UN Women. 

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the overall leadership of the Regional Coordination Specialist on Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Asia and the Pacific region, the incumbent will focus primarily on strategic and complex decision-making issues.

Tasks and deliverables

The detailed terms of reference for specific assignments will be developed by the hiring manager in consultation with selected consultants. UN Women will retain the copyright of the assignment. Each consultant will be expected to work on specific assignments as required by the relevant office within their respective expertise. 

*Note: The service will be rendered “on call” basis. UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of contract amount will be purchased during the term of the agreement. While on retainer, there is no guarantee of work, and selected consultants retain the right to decline assignments based on their availability and expertise.

The consultant may be responsible for a selection of the following, based on experience and need:

Facilitating learning and knowledge exchange

• Design, implement and facilitate learning programmes such as seminars, workshops or learning series through participatory methods designed for adult learning, focused on ending violence against women topics, online or in-person;
• Facilitating learning approaches designed for professionals working across the disciplines that address VAW, such as social welfare, police, justice, health, social protection, coordination, child protection, etc, from government and civil society;
• Prepare and use online tools for learning events, such as shared platforms for meetings, collaboration software, survey or polling software, AI tools designed to support the above, etc.;
• Draft clear and concise technical documents, including the development of quality knowledge products, written for wide audiences.

Designing programmes

• Design, implement, monitor and evaluation of programmes focused on EVAW in the contexts across Asia and the Pacific; 
• Support teams in designing programmes through technical support across the Programme development and design cycle, including through development and refinement of theories of change (ToCs) and monitoring for results. 

Drafting/reviewing legal and policy reform on VAW

• Review issues and practices in the fields of judicial systems, legal reforms, gender equality, including all forms of violence against women;
• Review laws, policies, regulations, and action plans related to all forms of VAW and women’s and girls’ rights across a range of related domains;
• Develop mechanisms for monitoring compliance and ensuring accountability to set standards in VAW;
• Provide legislation development and enforcement or prosecution services.

Prevention of VAW

• Provide comprehensive technical understanding of the prevention evidence base and entry points for undertaking prevention work along the socio-ecological model;
• Provide knowledge of root causes, risk factors, and social norms that enable violence against women;
• Promise practices and programming to prevent violence against women;
• Implement and monitor social norms change programmes;
• Provide research and evidence regarding prevention of VAW, such as the RESPECT Women: Preventing Violence against Women framework 

Technology-Facilitated VAW

• Provide technical expertise in technology-facilitated violence against women, including development of evidence-based policy recommendations, prevention strategies, and measurement frameworks, in alignment with global and regional normative standards;
• Contribute to the formulation and review of policies, strategies, guidance notes, and knowledge products on TF-VAW, including consolidation of national practices, lessons learned, and development of standardized measures and indicators;
• Support coordination, advocacy, and partnerships on TF-VAW, including inputs to inter-agency mechanisms, regional consultations and policy dialogues, engagement with technology companies and regulators on due diligence and accountability, and support to resource mobilization initiatives.

Gender Responsive Budgeting (GPB)

• Conduct national and local development finance and gender responsive planning and budgeting / or participatory planning and budgeting related to EVAW, including prevention-focused budgets;
• Design and implement GRB approaches focused on EVAW with national and sub-national systems and agencies. 
• Draft regional or multi-country GRB tools, guidance notes, or technical briefs on EVAW.

Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE)

• Program design, implementation, and monitoring in crisis contexts;
• Facilitating learning regarding gender-based violence in emergencies;
• Provide strong understanding of international frameworks and guidelines on GBViE (e.g., IASC GBV Guidelines, CEDAW, UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace, and Security);
• Support the implementation of GBV programming in humanitarian emergencies, in line with global Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, as needed;
• Conduct assessments/situational analyses to determine needs and gaps for GBV preparedness and response across the region and develop guidance for strengthening GBV response.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Monitor and evaluate VAW programs;
• Provide technical expertise in the principles of theory-based programs, developing theories of change, M&E systems, impact assessment techniques, and data management and analysis;
• Design programs and implementing Results Based Management approaches;
• Develop Terms of Reference for various methods of evaluating and reviewing EVAW programmes; 
• Provide understanding of ethics related to safe and ethical data management, monitoring and evaluation;
• Provide best practice approaches in program evaluation and social research methods, including qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis and the GERAAS criteria established by UN Women.

Cooperation with Women’s Movements

• Provide strong understanding of gender equality and women's empowerment, especially related to community mobilization and movement building/strengthening;
• Facilitate high-level events with government representatives, Women’s Rights Organizations, CSOs (Civil Society Organizations), and a diverse range of actors;
• Build strong partnerships with civil society organizations;
• Work with civil society around VAW, including, for example, through coordination, developing advocacy strategies, capacity building, mapping exercises, gap analyses, etc.;
• Support organizational capacity strengthening of CSOs and feministic CSO’s networks on VAW.

Communications/Advocacy on EVAW

• Provide extensive proven record in advocacy, policy, campaign, strategic management related to EVAW;
• Provide good analytical and documentation/report writing and visualization skills;
• Provide strong expertise in strategic communications, public relations, behavioral campaigns, and social media management as well as media relations;
• Provide various methods of monitoring and evaluating communications outreach and advocacy campaigns, including through digital means; 
• Providing graphic and motion design software such as Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, InDesign Illustrator, and After Effects would be an asset.

Other skill areas not noted specifically above that are relevant to preventing or responding to VAW through evidence building, programming, policymaking, and coordinated approaches among diverse actors.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.  Contract duration is from 19 January 2026 to 31 January 2029 (Maximum 100 days of assignment period; UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of 100 days. The service will be purchased during the term of the Agreement). The consultant will be engaged under a retainer contract, which facilitates direct engagement of the consultant depending on need and availability within the contract period for a pre-agreed fee. As part of this assignment, there may be travel related to an evaluation, which will be paid for separately in accordance with UN Women’s travel policy. 

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:

• Proven technical competencies in working around ending violence against women/girls;
• Demonstrated experience in implementing programs on gender equality and VAW; and in formulating result-oriented programs, monitoring of programs based on indicators and quality reporting;
• Proven organizational experience in building strategic partnerships in countries with government agencies, women-led organizations, CSOs, and other non-traditional partners;
• Demonstrated experience developing quality research methodologies involving multiple country consultations and extensive desktop review;
• Previous work experience in countries in Asia and the Pacific is a strong advantage;
• Strong research, writing, and analysis skills in the subject area are required. 
• Excellent knowledge of Results-Based Management.
• Knowledge of women’s human rights instruments (international and national) is required. 

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in a field of relevance for EVAW (in social sciences, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Management, Public Policy, Social Work 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;

Experience:

• At least 10 years of professional experience working in one or more of the following areas: legal and policy reform and drafting, VAW and Data, VAW and networking and advocacy, gender-based violence (GBV), public policy analysis/development, strategic and action planning, gender-responsive budgeting, data collection and data analysis, and gender equality/women empowerment training
• Experience in EVAW with at least 3 written works/ briefs/ products developed and endorsed in EVAW is required
• Experience in developing and delivering training programs, toolkits, evaluation, and monitoring matrices, and mentoring on VAW is required 

• Experience working in contexts in Asia and the Pacific is preferred.

Languages:

Fluency in English 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.