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.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a protracted war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), significantly exacerbating a humanitarian catastrophe across the country. The conflict has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 30 million people in need of urgent assistance, widespread food insecurity, destruction of health systems, and severe protection risks for women and girls. More than 10.5 million people have been internally displaced and millions more have fled to neighboring countries. Women and girls face heightened risks from gender-based violence, barriers to essential services, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health care due to the breakdown of health systems. Humanitarian operations continue to struggle with severe underfunding, leading to gaps in life-saving services and protection mechanisms.

The ongoing conflict, including mass displacement, attacks on infrastructure and essential services, and increased sexual and gender-based violence, continues to undermine civilian safety and dignity. Women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding and political processes remain critical yet challenging priorities in the face of entrenched hostilities and limited formal inclusion in peace negotiations.

1. UN WOMEN SUPPORT TO SUDANESE WOMEN 

UN Women’s engagement in Sudan has combined humanitarian support for women and girls with strategic efforts to promote the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, in line with UNSCR 1325 and related resolutions

In response to the crisis, UN Women has supported research, advocacy, and multi-stakeholder dialogues to elevate women’s voices in national and regional policy spaces. In partnership with IGAD and the African Union, UN Women co-organized the Kampala Conference in October 2023, which brought together a wide representation of women’s groups to articulate priorities for peace and security. The conference produced the Kampala Feminist Declaration, which continues to inform advocacy and policy dialogue. UN Women has also supported women’s participation in regional WPS forums and coordinated workshops with UN and civil society partners to enhance coordination among women’s initiatives and political leaders.

UN Women facilitated the establishment of the Peace for Sudan group a coalition of women’s organizations inside and outside Sudan to unify voices around peace demands and gender-responsive peacebuilding. Despite ongoing conflict, women’s networks remain active in advocacy, service delivery, protection responses, and community resilience.

These efforts underscore the critical role of women’s leadership in humanitarian responses and peacebuilding, even as formal peace negotiations continue to exclude meaningful women’s participation.

UN Women seeks to recruit a Senior WPS Expert to build on these efforts by strengthening strategic support to the Peace for Sudan movement, consolidating women’s priorities for peace, linking women leaders with regional peace processes, and amplifying their advocacy in line with UNSCR 1325. This role will contribute to ensuring that women’s perspectives are integrated into peace initiatives and national and regional decision-making processes.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of the WPS programme Specialist and the day-to-day support from the National Program Analyst, the WPS Expert shall perform the following tasks: 

Technical Assistance 

• Establish a group of women mediators based on specific criteria and provide a series of training sessions on political analysis, stakeholder mapping, mediation, and negotiation. Link them with FemWise and other female mediators’ networks and support their recognition within the African Union (AU) and IGAD.
• Support a pool of WPS experts (political, security, humanitarian, legal, and advocacy) and provide opportunities for producing gender-sensitive analysis and policy papers.
• Provide technical support to women-led peace initiatives and national peacebuilding platforms to ensure gender-responsive and inclusive approaches, including technical guidance on WPS principles.
• Support women’s groups to produce policy briefs and political analysis related to peace and security, ensuring alignment with UNSCR 1325.
• Facilitate alliance-building between Sudanese women’s groups and regional women’s coalitions in neighboring countries to strengthen coordinated advocacy.
• Strengthen strategic partnerships between UN Women, UN agencies, AU, and IGAD, in coordination with UN Women regional office and HQ.
• Facilitate UN Women workshops and strategic events, including design and methodology, to support women’s advocacy and WPS engagement.
• Monitor and report on political and peace developments affecting women and peacebuilding, providing regular updates to inform prioritization of actions.
• Review and align strategic documents and advocacy messages with UNSCR 1325 and WPS principles.
• Provide technical support and training to stakeholders on gender-sensitive approaches to peace processes and feminist advocacy.

• Support UN Women promotion of UNSCR 1325 initiatives, and advocate for gender equality in peace and security frameworks in Sudan.

  Communication, Advocacy and Partnership 

• Identify and support strategic advocacy platforms to amplify women’s participation and influence in peace and security decision-making.
• Organize meetings between women peace advocates and Peace for Sudan members to engage regional and international actors, aiming to create dialogue platforms for discussing challenges and strengthening coordinated action.
• Support development of advocacy materials, including policy papers, statements, speeches, and communication products, on WPS priorities.
• Strengthen coordination and partnerships with stakeholders, CSOs, women’s groups and organizations, and regional and international actors to foster integrated approaches to WPS.
• Liaise with key stakeholders to strengthen strategic partnerships and increase women’s meaningful participation in peace processes.
• Facilitate regular dialogues and consultations among women’s groups to unify messages and advocacy strategies.

        Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

        This is a home-based consultancy

       Required Qualifications:

       Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in law, Human Rights, or Gender Studies or relevant field is required.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant discipline from a recognized University with the required work experience, plus two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and in complex environments.

       Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national partners, preferably related to Women, Peace and Security
• Experience working on inclusive politics in a fragile context, with demonstrated ability to deliver.
• Technical expertise and experience in programme/project design and implementation required, and experience in delivering gender sensitive training.
• Relevant experience from a conflict setting preferred with strong knowledge of Sudan context. 
• Strong analytical and research skills with ability to produce quality reports.
• Experience working with women’s groups and organizations in Sudan.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

      Skill:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong coordination, facilitation, and negotiation skils

        Languages:

           Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

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: 

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.