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’s India Country Office works towards promoting women’s leadership in governance and participation in intergovernmental processes, UN interagency coordination, women’s economic empowerment and ending violence against women and girls.

Under its comprehensive and unique mandate of normative support and coordination, UN Women is expected to provide strong and coherent leadership in support of countries’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society, the nodal government agency, private sector and other relevant actors.

The Intergovernmental Processes and Coordination Division is UN Women’s interface with intergovernmental bodies, including the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, the G20, as well as with other intergovernmental processes and events.

UN Women India operates in coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) in India and supports the work of the UN Country Team in its engagement with the Government of India as defined by the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2023-27). The UNRCO coordinates activities related to common programming including Agenda 2030, joint programming activities and development coordination work. This is done in conformity with the objectives and priorities of the Government and the mandates and objectives of the United Nations agencies in India.

India has assumed the Presidency of BRICS-2026. UN Women is supporting the BRICS Women Working Group and BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), in providing technical policy inputs across the identified priority areas under the Indian presidency of BRICS.

In this context, UN Women, India Office is looking to hire technical experts by way of deputing specialized resources to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The Consultants must be experts in handling multilateral issues, gender issues and organization of International Conferences. The Technical Consultants will be placed in the Ministry of Women and Child Development.  They will directly report to the Additional Secretary, MWCD under the overall supervision of UN Women. The Technical Consultants will also meet with UN Women once a fortnight or as required to discuss the work plan, progress of the assignment and related details.

Roles and Responsibilities

Working under the direct supervision of UN Women Country Programme Manager, Inter Government Processes and the MWCD BRICS Cell, the Technical Consultants will work closely to ensure the successful execution of the women's track for India's BRICS-2026 Presidency.

Summary of Key Functions :

• Engage with stakeholders towards strengthening attention to gender perspectives in intergovernmental work, including through gathering information, identifying challenges and creating opportunities for MWCD to help advance the global normative framework for gender equality;
• Support the smooth functioning of intergovernmental processes, including through overseeing reporting processes and providing advice to, and sharing institutional knowledge on intergovernmental procedures and working methods;
• Supports creation of strategic partnerships & initiatives on advancing Agenda 2030 at MWCD;
• Supports & conducts research and analysis as required.

Technical Advice and Strategic Support to India’s BRICS Presidency to further Align the ‘Women-led Development’ agenda with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focusing on Goal 5:

• Provide technical advice on international cooperation under BRICS for sustainable development, with focused inclusion of Goal 5 on Gender Equality;
• Develop concept notes, issue notes, background documents, scoping notes on themes and key priorities in thematic areas prioritized for India’s BRICS presidency;
• Support in organizing Working Group meetings; prepare presentations, interventions, position papers, as guided by the BRICS Cell.

Strategic Thinking and Coordination to Strengthen MWCD’s Strategic Engagement with the BRICS:

• Support MWCD’s engagement with the BRICS secretariat by contributing to the design of a strategic approach to embed the Decade of Action in the BRICS work to further accelerate global progress towards the SDGs.
• Support preparation of draft outcome documents for the BRICS meetings, including mainstreaming of gender and inclusion perspective; support the negotiation process, including live drafting of document during negotiations.
• Engage in policy resource and support preparation ahead of BRICS meetings and relevant working group meetings.
• Provide substantive information and coordinate stakeholder engagement in key areas of the BRICS priorities, including women-led development, leadership and decision-making, and other related areas.
• Provide support to coordinate with various Line Ministries/Departments of Government of India, Think Tanks, International Organizations, including UN and BRICS Member States and Invitees.
• Draft meeting records and coordinate with BRICS Member States, as guided by the BRICS Cell of MWCD. 
• Keep track of the state of play on issues discussed in BRICS Working Group and to work towards proposals that would garner consensus in BRICS.
• Support the smooth functioning of intergovernmental processes, including through overseeing reporting processes and providing advice to, and sharing institutional knowledge with the BRICS Secretariat.

Research and Analysis:

• Analysis of documents/references from different departments from a gender perspective.
• Undertake research and documentation work for the BRICS, in the run up to and during India’s BRICS presidency, including assessing key issues, country positions.

Any other duties assigned by the Direct Supervisor in MWCD and UN Women.

Key Deliverables / Payment Terms:

• Substantive positioning of the Ministry of Women and Child Development within BRICS processes, working groups and outcomes.
• Background papers / research papers /fact sheets on BRICS as required.
• Monthly reporting as per UN Women procedures / norms.

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:

• Demonstrates commitment to mission, vision and values of UN Women;
• Strong knowledge, and experience of working on intergovernmental and normative processes; especially globally, and nationally;
• Demonstrated ability to analyze policy and strategies from a gender perspective;
• Produces qualitative, accurate outputs with considerable attention to detail in a timely manner;
• Manages complexities, shifting priorities, and is able to work effectively without constant supervision;
• Maintains constructive, effective business relationships with clients and partners;
• Adheres to deadlines and follows up on time-bound issues;
• Maintains diplomacy, tact and strict confidentiality with internal and external partners and clients;
• Strong interpersonal and communication (verbal, listening, writing) skills;
• Organization skills (time management, efficient administration, multi-tasking and fast-paced);
• Ability to work under pressure within strict deadlines;
• Ability to adapt quickly to work demands, and changing deadlines;
• Willingness to “inter-change” work functions with other staff within the Unit, when required.

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Social Sciences/Economics/Development Studies/ Gender Studies/ Political Science/International Relations/International Law/Public Administration from a reputed Indian/International university.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services and hands-on experience, preferably with the Government, in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Experience of working for the Government and/ or United Nations in support of normative intergovernmental processes is an advantage.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and in handling web-based management systems.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Hindi. 

Application:

Interested applicants should apply to this announcement through UN Women jobs site: 

Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters

UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria: The evaluation process for selection of the candidate will be based on the following assessment:

• Portfolio/work samples – 60 Points
• Interview- 40 Points

Please Note:

• For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
• Consultants are required to submit doctor's certificate to state fitness to work and travel for this assignment.
• Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.
• This is a full-time assignment. The consultant is expected to disclose any outside activity and shall not be permitted to take up any outside work during this assignment.
• Please note that during the course of this assignment, the Terms of Reference may be amended by UN Women. 

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.