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 Papua New Guinea is implementing Women Make the Change (WMC) Phase II, which aims to strengthen women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in political leadership and decision-making at national and sub-national levels with key Government Departments and UNDP. The programme responds to persistent structural, cultural, and social norms that limit women’s leadership, political participation, and public decision-making. 

 The WMC program has four (4) Key Outcomes: 

1. A cadre of diverse and capable women political leaders are developed, and their organising bodies are strengthened and visible at national and sub national levels
2. Laws and policy frameworks are strengthened, advocated for and implemented to promote gender balance in political decision-making bodies
3. Women candidates and coalitions are visible in the run up to 2027 elections and women are perceived as equally legitimate and effective leaders as men 
4. Capacities of key women’s rights institutions and political bodies are strengthened, and women are promoted as leaders in gender sensitive political institutions

UN Women requires a National Consultant to support the implementation of outcome 3 specifically on the key result areas 3.2.

Activity Result 3.2: Organise community dialogues with CSOs to build commitment at grassroots levels to women’s leadership and participation in decision-making. 

The consultant will lead the design and implementation of community dialogues and coordinate with UN Women communications partners and local CSOs as needed to shift attitudes, strengthen allies, and foster locally driven demand for women’s leadership. This consultancy directly contributes to WMC Phase II Outcome 3 and Output 3.2 by strengthening grassroots-level support for women’s political leadership and shifting discriminatory social norms in preparation for the 2027 National Elections.

Reporting

The consultant will report to the Deputy Country Representative but work in close collaboration with Women make Change Project team. He/she will work with selected community facilitators to manage the implementation of community dialogues showcasing the value and importance of women’s political participation and leadership in Papua New Guinea.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

The consultant will undertake the following tasks: 

A. Inception Report

• Develop a community dialogue methodology aligned to:
  • UN Women’s rights-based and gender-transformative approaches,
  • Conflict-sensitive and culturally responsive facilitation,
  • Inclusion of women, men, youth, traditional leaders, faith-based actors, and local authorities.
• Submit an Inception Report outlining:
  • Dialogue objectives and theory of change,
  • Needs Assessment,
  • Dialogue design and facilitation tools,
  • Identification of community facilitators per site
  • Risk analysis and mitigation measures,
  • Detailed workplan aligned to the 7-month contract period.

B. Implementation of Community Dialogues in selected sites

• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate a TOT with the selected community facilitators using the toolkit developed in WMC phase 1, conduct four (4) community dialogues in selected sites based on previous elections results or needs assessment. Site selection will be guided by the following criteria:
  • Communities where women candidates demonstrated strong performance or emerging leadership potential.
  • Newly created electorates requiring early norm-setting and civic engagement.
  • Areas with strong customary, faith-based, or community influence on leadership acceptance.
  • Locations where gender norms remain a significant barrier to women’s participation.
  • Organise one national dialogue where results are presented to UN Women and stakeholders.
• Work with UN Women and local partners to ensure:
  • Balanced and inclusive participation. At minimum, the dialogues should aim for
    • At least 50% participation by women.
    • Active inclusion of youth and first-time voters.
    • Engagement of traditional leaders, faith-based actors, and male allies.
    • Separate women-only reflection spaces where culturally appropriate.
  • Safe spaces for dialogue, particularly for women and marginalised groups,
  • Engagement of key community influencers and decision-makers.
• Facilitate discussions that:
  • Challenge harmful gender norms,
  • Promote positive narratives on women’s leadership,
  • Identify community-driven solutions to barriers facing women leaders.

C. Documentation and Knowledge Generation

• Prepare separate dialogue reports, each documenting:
  • Key discussion themes and perspectives,
  • Community attitudes toward women’s leadership,
  • Identified barriers and enabling factors,
  • Practical recommendations at community and sub-national levels.
• The consultant will integrate basic perception and attitude tracking tools (pre/post dialogue reflections) aligned with WMC Phase II monitoring frameworks, and document evidence of norm change, community commitments, and locally driven solutions.
• Produce a National Synthesis Report that:
  • Consolidates findings across sites,
  • Identifies cross-cutting trends and region-specific dynamics,
  • Provides actionable recommendations to inform WMC Phase II programming, advocacy, and policy engagement.

D. Reporting and Programme Support

• Provide regular progress updates to UN Women.
• Participate in programme review and reflection meetings as required.
• Ensure all deliverables are aligned with UN Women quality standards and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate closely with provincial administrations, Community Governments, CSOs, churches, and local women’s networks to ensure legitimacy, participation, and follow-up of dialogue outcomes.

Deliverables

E. Safeguarding / PSEA / Do No Harm Clause The consultant must adhere to UN Women’s safeguarding policies, including Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and ensure all dialogues are conducted using a survivor-centred, culturally respectful, and conflict-sensitive approach. Safe spaces must be ensured, particularly for women, youth, and marginalised participants.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultant will be based in Port Moresby with required travel to selected locations outside of Port Moresby. UN Women will cover the costs of the travel and DSA outside of Port Moresby.

UN Women will cover the costs of the TOT, four community dialogues in selected sites, the national dialogue and associated costs of community facilitators including travel, DSA and facilitation fees. 

All materials, reports, datasets, participant outputs, and knowledge products developed under this consultancy remain the intellectual property of UN Women. No materials may be shared externally or published without prior written approval from UN Women. 

UN women will provide an office space for the consultant within the UN Women office at Kina Haus, Level 4. The consultant is expected to work in the office 3 days a week. He/she will have access to printing and the necessary documents including wifi. 

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 sound knowledge of development issues in Papua New Guinea;
• Excellent communication and partnering skills to ensure effective and harmonious working relationships with key stakeholders
• Experienced in facilitating community dialogues
• Proven experience in Results-based management

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in communications, journalism, business or public administration, sustainable development, social sciences, education or related area.
• A first-level university degree in combination with 5 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 
• Community Facilitation certification would be an added advantage
• A [project/programme management] certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
• At least 5 years of experience of relevant work is required; 
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating community dialogues, participatory methodologies, and gender-transformative programming in PNG or comparable contexts.”
• Experience in designing and leading communication strategies in human development, including on gender equality and governance, specifically in Papua New Guinea; 
• Demonstrated knowledge of existing networks and stakeholders in target areas relevant to this assignment; 
• Experience engaging local stakeholders, including CSOs, local/government leaders and authorities; 
• Established relationships with media partners (print, radio and television) in Papua New Guinea; 
• Previous experience working on gender equality in Papua New Guinea is desirable; 
• UN experience is an added advantage. 

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Tok Pidgin 

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.