Background:

The Central Asian Alliance to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV) (hereafter – Alliance) was established in June 2023 under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative as a regional platform uniting state and non-state actors from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Alliance brings together government institutions, civil society organizations, including youth, gender-based violence (GBV) experts, and media to advance coordinated, gender-transformative action to prevent and respond to GBV. It supports the implementation of national and international commitments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and global commitments emerging from the Generation Equality Forum, and the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 while addressing persistent gaps in GBV prevention and response across the region.

Building on the achievements of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme for Central Asia and Afghanistan, which concluded in December 2023, the Alliance consolidates progress made in legal reform, institutional capacity-building, data collection, addressing social norms, and the strengthening of women’s movements. The Alliance serves as an inclusive space for dialogue, shared learning, and accountability, ensuring that the voices of civil society and survivors inform policy and practice. Its participatory model reflects a commitment to addressing intersecting forms of discrimination and ensuring that regional cooperation translates into tangible improvements and life free from violence for women and girls in Central Asia.

At the Alliance’s Annual Forum in December 2025, discussions highlighted a continued need for responsible and ethical GBV communication in the region. While initiatives like UNESCO and UN Women’s 2019 Handbook on Gender-Sensitive Journalism: Covering Violence in Media and IWPR’s Gender-Sensitive Journalism project have made strides, gaps remain in region-specific, comprehensive training. These courses, though valuable, are often limited in reach and do not fully address the evolving challenges of digital and social media in GBV reporting. There is a pressing need to refresh and expand gender-sensitive journalism education, particularly to address the rise of online harassment, the role of social media in perpetuating GBV, and emerging forms of technology-facilitated violence.

GBV remains a critical issue in Central Asia, approximately one in five women aged 15-49 has experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner over her lifetime (19.5%) (According to UN Women calculations using WHO. 2025. The Global Health Observatory). Deep-rooted patriarchal norms, gender inequality, and insufficient legal frameworks contribute to this high GBV prevalence. Despite the widespread impact of GBV, it is often seen as an individual problem, rather than a societal issue, hindering broad social change.

In this context, strengthening media capacity has been identified as a key priority for shaping public attitudes toward GBV. However, many journalists in the region still struggle to report on GBV ethically and sensitively, often relying on sensationalism, victim-blaming, and stigmatizing language. Such practices not only exacerbate trauma for survivors but also normalize violence in society. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness and build the capacity of journalists across Central Asia to report on GBV in a responsible and professional manner.

The goal of the media project is not to simply add another module on gender-sensitive journalism, but to develop sustainable, region-specific resources that will be integrated into the daily practices of journalists, editors, media outlets, and content creators. These resources will ensure that responsible GBV reporting becomes an entrenched editorial standard in Central Asia, contributing to lasting change in how GBV is portrayed in the media and fostering broader societal shifts toward gender equality and the eradication of violence against women.

Goal: Under the overall guidance of the Central Asian Alliance EGBV Coordinator and UN Women Kazakhstan, the National Consultant will provide expertise in media, gender equality, and GBV reporting to ensure the development of effective, region-specific resources and implement specific GBV related media initiatives in Central Asian countries. The consultant will play a key role in developing the Terms of Reference (TORs) for media training (TOT) and video course for journalists and media creators, analyzing vendors shortlisted through the RFP process and recommending potential vendors, monitoring implementation of the media training programmes for journalists and influencers, knowledge products development (video course for content creators in media), and supporting media campaign (HeForShe).  These resources will be designed with a focus on long-term impact and sustainability, contributing to lasting improvements in how GBV is communicated across the region. Organistion of capacity building interventions, the development and dissemination of knowledge products will be closely coordinated with the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Knowledge Centre based in Almaty. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Within the assignment, the National Consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

• Collaborate with the Central Asian Alliance EGBV (project team) and UN Women country offices in the region to develop two separate Terms of Reference (TORs) for key activities within the project. These include:
• The development and implementation of a Training of Trainers program focused on the ethical, accurate, and sensitive coverage of gender-based violence (GBV) for journalists and content creators in media in the Central Asian countries.
• The development and production of a digital video online course, which will serve as a comprehensive guide for journalists and social media creators, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to report on GBV in an ethical, accurate, and responsible manner.
• Support in identifying and engaging key stakeholders/beneficiaries of the training such as journalists, media outlets, and civil society organizations from at least 2 Central Asian countries to ensure their broad participation.
• Assist in organizing training events, including selecting trainers, vendors, venues, and ensuring the hybrid delivery model for broader participation. And assist in the preparation of content that reflects local context while maintaining global best practices in GBV reporting.
• Assist in the procurement process, including preparing documents, analyzing vendors, providing recommendations for potential vendors and supporting the selection of service providers and trainers.
• Work with the project team to establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess training effectiveness and knowledge product impact.
• Help create a network and feedback mechanisms to continuously improve training and provide strategic recommendations to ensure the sustainability of training programs. These may include integration of training materials and approaches into media organisations’ daily      practices, into newsrooms’ rules and standards, mentoring programs, educational modules for colleges etc, if required. 
• Compile a final report assessing the training impact and recommending future steps for continued development of gender-sensitive journalism in the region.
• Ensure all materials adhere to UN Women’s procurement policies and communication guidelines.
• Support the #HeForShe campaign in the Alliance’s/UN Women social media with a number of publications and interviews, develop a plan of on further activities, assist in adopting the HQ tools on HeForShe for the countries of Central Asia, work with Central Asian colleagues on finding the #heforshe advocates. 
• The conceptualization of a regional media awards program to recognize journalists and media outlets for their outstanding, ethical, and sensitive coverage of GBV. This activity will be subject to consideration based on time constraints and other project priorities and resources. 

Expected Outcome:

The successful completion of these deliverables will result in the development of a comprehensive Training of Trainers program and digital video course on gender-sensitive journalism, ensuring broad participation and alignment with project objectives. This will lead to the integration of responsible GBV reporting practices into media organizations across Central Asia, with sustainable mechanisms for ongoing development. Additionally, the creation of a knowledge-sharing network and strategic recommendations will ensure long-term impact, strengthening the capacity of media professionals to contribute to the eradication of gender-based violence in the region. Additionally, HeForShe Central Asia communication campaign will be continued and supported in Alliance social media.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy with regular meetings in the office when required and potential travel within the Central Asian region as part of the assignment.

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:

• Strong understanding of gender-based violence issues, its societal impact, and best practices for ethical media coverage, especially in the Central Asian context.
• Proven experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating training programs, particularly on sensitive topics like GBV, with a focus on media professionals.
• Ability to plan, organize, and manage multiple activities and stakeholders, ensuring timely delivery of results while maintaining high-quality standards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop clear reports, strategic recommendations, and presentations for diverse audiences.
• Ability to think strategically, develop long-term plans, and identify innovative solutions to challenges related to media coverage of GBV and training sustainability.
• Demonstrate integrity, fairness, and adherence to UN values and ethical standards. 
• Proven competencies in coordination, planning and effective teamwork

Education:

Advanced university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in Journalism, Media Studies, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, International Development, or a related field.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7+ years of proven experience in media and journalism, with a focus on gender-sensitive reporting, gender equality, and gender-based violence (GBV) issues.
• Experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating training programs for journalists and media professionals, particularly in regions with diverse and sensitive cultural contexts.
• Proven ability to develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks for training programs and knowledge products.
• Familiarity with gender equality issues in Central Asia and an understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, and political context of the region is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, civil society organizations and international organizations on gender equality issues, particularly in Central Asia or similar regional contexts.
• Strong knowledge of international and regional frameworks related to gender equality and GBV, including CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, and Generation Equality Commitments.
• Experience in advocacy and strategic communications related to GBV or gender equality in the media.
• Experience in engaging men and boys as allies in gender equality initiatives will be considered a strong advantage. 

Languages:

Fluency in written and spoken Russian and English.

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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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.