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.

Gender inequality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is severe, with the country ranked 169 out of 170 globally. Women and girls face high rates of gender-based violence (GBV) and low literacy levels. The DHS 2016-2018 indicates that 54% of women have experienced GBV in the past year, and nearly 23% of women aged 15-49 have no formal education. Structural barriers, cultural norms, and weak protection systems worsen the situation. Tribal conflicts, sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV), and small arms proliferation, especially in the Highlands, increase violence. Despite policies to reduce discrimination, comprehensive strategies are urgently needed to address these issues and achieve gender equality. Additionally, ongoing conflicts have displaced communities, further exacerbating GBV incidents. The persistence of these challenges highlights the critical need for targeted interventions to promote social stability and human rights and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly 05 on gender equality, 10 Reduce Inequality and 16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions.

Building on the gains of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), UN Women, UNFPA and UNOPS (Agencies) have commenced implementation of a joint initiative entitled “Soim Wokabout: Gender-Based Violence Referral Pathways Programme”, financed under the Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI Global Europe). The joint programme aims to reduce the incidence of GBV in communities in target provinces, including in and out of schools (Eastern Highlands and the National Capital District). This will capitalize on existing programmes addressing specific forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHRs) while supporting prevention and protection efforts for GBV survivors, strengthening access to justice, and ending violence against women and girls at national, provincial, district, and community levels. It seeks to scale up effective integrated approaches to deliver quality coordinated services, strengthen referral pathways, mobilize communities and networks to address harmful gender and social norms fuelling GBV and SARV and promote implementation of laws and policies to reduce GBV and SARV while mobilizing national, provincial and community leadership on the programme’s investments to enhance sustainability.

The joint programme’s specific objectives are: 1. To increase access of women, men, girls and boys in all their diversity, experiencing gender-based violence, to essential quality services, protection and justice. 2. To improve advocacy and agency of civil society organizations, women’s rights organisations, social movements and communities to end gender-based violence (GBV). 3. To make more effective the engagement of community leaders, male advocates and influential groups and actors in society in changing discriminatory social norms, gender stereotypes, GBV and harmful practices.

Under the third objective of the Soim Wokabaut Program, UN Women is implementing a youth-led initiative titled the “Sanap Wantaim Campaign”. The campaign empowers young people and communities to promote positive behaviour change, prevent GBV, and enhance safety in communities and public spaces. The young people use a standard toolkit on Behavior Change Communication (BCC) as guidance to conduct programs and awareness sessions in communities and public space under the campaign.

Based on this background, UN Women seeks to engage a National Consultant (Technical Reviewer) to work closely with the Soim Wokabout Programme Manager and the Advocacy Specialist with overall guidance and supervision of the Programme Head (Deputy Country Representative). The Consultant will provide technical expertise to ensure the BCC toolkit is aligned with relevant standards, remains consistent with the programme’s objectives, and upholds gender equality and human rights principles.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work 

Under the overall guidance of the Programme Manager (Deputy Country Representative) and direct supervision of the Soim Wokabaut Project Manager, the National Consultant will work closely with the Project Assistant and Advocacy Specialist. The consultant will be responsible for reviewing, validating, aligning, and providing technical recommendations on the revised Sanap Wantaim Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Toolkit to ensure quality, coherence, and alignment with programme objectives and gender equality principles.

Deliverables
1. Review and revise training content for the Sanap Wantaim Behavior Change Communication Toolkit. The Consultant will review and revise the toolkit to ensure alignment with evidence-based best practices of behavior change. This will include:
• Content review – assessing the clarity, accuracy and completeness of toolkit content.
• Revise the facilitation guide – Refining the facilitation guide to complement to the toolkit and support facilitators in effective delivery Methodology
• Desk review of the BCC manual, facilitation guide and related reference documents

2. Validate and finalize toolkit ready for dissemination The Consultant will support the validation and finalization of the toolkit to ensure it is technically sound, aligned with current realities, and ready for use. This will include:
• Technical validation – verifying that all guidance, approaches and processes are evidence-based and contextually relevant
• Recommendations – providing clear, actionable recommendations for strengthening the toolkit
• Final validation – confirming that the revised toolkit meets agreed quality standards and programme requirements. Methodology
• Consultations with the UN Women programme team, Sanap Wantaim Technical Team and key stakeholders as required
• Hold a workshop for an iterative review, feedback and validation process

3. Rationale and summary of amendments
• Present the draft report to UN Women
• Final report with all deliverables submitted to UN Women

Deliverable Expected completion time (due day) Payment Schedule 
1. Review and revise training content for the Sanap Wantaim Behavior Change Communication Toolkit, due10th March 2026 (25%)
2. Validate and finalize toolkit ready for dissemination, due 09 April 2026 (50%)
3. Final Report including all inputs from stakeholders and UN Women, due 30 April 2026 (25%)
- Summary of rationale and summary of amendments;
- Recommendations.  

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel 

The assignment requires an intermittent presence on UN Women premises and therefore is both an office-based consultancy and a home-based consultancy. This assignment is based in Port Moresby with expected travel to the field. The consultant will be required to travel to the field to facilitate validation workshops with key stakeholders such as the civil society, churches, youths and women’s networks as well as the government officials. The duration of these intermittent visits to the field will be a maximum of five days.

III. 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:

• Technical credibility in content development: Ability to assess and validate technical accuracy and relevance of toolkits and guides in line with international standards and organizational policies
• Quality assurance and attention to detail: Strong skills in reviewing, editing, and ensuring clarity, consistency, and usability of technical documents
• Analytical and problem-solving skills: Capacity to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and propose practical improvements for better functionality and user experience
• Knowledge of Gender-Responsive Programming: Understanding of gender equality principles and ability to integrate them into technical content
• Stakeholder engagement and communication: Ability to liaise effectively with the project teams and subject matter experts to incorporate feedback and ensure alignment
• Commitment to continuous improvement: Proactive approach to enhancing processes, tools, and methodologies for toolkit development and validation

IV. Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender Studies, Development, Education or a related field is required.
• 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 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in technical writing, content validation, and quality assurance
• Experience and familiarity with gender-responsive programming and UN Standards
• Previous experience in designing and delivering training and/or mentoring programmes on gender equality and gender mainstreaming.
• Familiarity with country and regional context on gender equality is considered an asset
• Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results
• Excellent English communication and writing skills
• Evidence of publication (at least 2 samples of previous work)

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Tok Pisin 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:

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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.