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. 

Zimbabwe seeks to become an upper middle-income country by 2030. The attainment of gender equality and women’s rights as afforded to all female citizens in the Constitution is critical for Zimbabwe’s attainment of the Vision 2030 goals. The Vision is based on the Transitional Stabilization Programme (October 2018 to December 2020) and two successive five-year National Development Strategies (NDSs), the first of which has been developed, and NDS 2, which includes gender as a priority within the Social Development, Gender and Social Protection Thematic Priority Area.

The country has signed and ratified the major international and regional gender equality and women’s right commitments. These include the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the 1995 Beijing Declaration and the Beijing Platform for Action, the Protocol to the African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development, among others. 

Closing the political, economic, and socio-economic inequalities between females and males, however, remains one of the country’s major development challenges. The country’s gender inequalities also are situated and compounded by a multi-hazard humanitarian environment and uneven economic reforms. In 2020, the country joined the global community in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the global El Nino have pushed the country further into prolonged droughts and in April 2024, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency as the drought was declared a National Disaster. The country also issued the Drought Flash Appeal (March 2024-March 2025) requesting US$351 million from humanitarian partners to target close to three million people in need.

Zimbabwe has managed to close gender disparities in education, but a slightly higher proportion of females (27% compared to 23.1% males) continue to leave school due to gender stereotypes and norms that encourage females to marry, unplanned pregnancies leading to marriage and poverty in rural homes where the education of boys is favoured over that of girls. Gender stereotypes and norms also lead to more women who attend tertiary institutions to choose fields of studies that provide career options that balance their responsibilities between jobs and a family.

Agriculture continues to be one of the mainstays of the country’s economy and the 2019 Labour Force Survey shows 11,235,467 in the sector comprising of 56.9% females and 43.01% males. A ZimStat survey to measure SDG 5.a.1 (Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land by sex) shows about 45% of the population in agriculture have ownership or secure rights over agricultural land with women constituting a smaller proportion (44.9 percent) than males (45.9 percent), and women constitute more than half (56.4 percent) of the owners or right-bearers of agricultural land. However, in terms of agricultural labour, gender disparities emerge with more women in the agricultural sector being in vulnerable employment. Women constitute about 81% of contributing family workers in the sector and females are only 38% of the employees in paid employment in agriculture.

Gender‑based violence (GBV) and harmful practices remain widespread. According to 2023/24 ZDHS, 30% of women aged 15–49 had experienced physical or sexual violence, with intimate partner violence higher in rural areas (32%) than urban (22%). Gender inequality, harmful norms, poverty, and climate shocks continue to fuel vulnerabilities, limiting women and girls’ autonomy and access to justice. HIV prevalence among adults (15–49) declined from 12.69% in 2019 to 10.49% in 2023 but remains higher among females (14.4%) than males (8.7%). Adolescents and youth face high unmet need for contraception (14.6%), teenage pregnancy (23%), early marriage (33.2% of women aged 20–49 married by 18), and disproportionate HIV vulnerability, with young women nearly twice as affected as young men (4.7% vs. 2.6%).      

In June 2025, UN Women and three UN agencies (UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF) began implementation of a new UN Joint Programme entitled: Sustaining the Gains: Strengthening Accountability to Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in Zimbabwe which builds on several achievements of the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative (2019-2023). The new UN Joint Programme will directly contribute to the implementation of Zimbabwe’s High-Level Political Compact on Ending Gender-Based Violence & Harmful Practices (HLPC) (2021-2030). The programme also will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 and continue to build on the comprehensive model approach of the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative with a specific focus on strengthening gender equality and women’s rights accountability systems and mechanisms.

The Consultant will be reporting to the UN Women Deputy Country Representative and will be supported by the UN Women Joint Programme Coordinator and the Inter-Agency Programme Team. The UN Women Zimbabwe Deputy Country Representative will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

UN Women as the Convening and Administrative Agency of the new programme seeks to recruit an individual consultant (national) to conduct the Baseline Survey for the Sustaining the Gains Joint Programme. The Baseline Survey will help to  (1) establish both qualitative and quantitative Key Markers of Success for the Joint Programme, (2) provide an independent analysis of the Programme’s Theory of Change and Results Framework as outlined in the Description of Action (DoA) to assist with further refinement of the baselines and targets, and (3) provide qualitative knowledge and information to the Joint Programme inter-agency team on strategic and emerging issues to be considered during the implementation of the programme’s interventions.

The Baseline Survey for the Sustaining the Gains Joint Programme will provide baseline information to bridge the data/information gaps in the programme’s Results Framework and to establish a baseline for the agreed indicators as needed.

The specific objectives of the survey are:

• To support an independent analysis of the Theory of Change (ToC) and Results Framework and provide information for the confirmation and/or refinement of the milestones and targets in the programme’s Results Framework
• To identify the Key Markers of Success that can emanate from the programme’s interventions
• To assess the potential impact of the programme’s interventions on strengthening gender equality accountability mechanisms and systems in Zimbabwe
• To identify potential constraints and opportunities for the sustainability of the Joint Programme’s initiatives by different stakeholders

Proposed guiding key questions for the purpose of this study include:

1. What key mechanisms currently exist that ensure accountability to gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment in Zimbabwe? Which of these mechanisms are functional? What specific outcomes have these mechanisms achieved in the past five years?
2. How can the implementation by Government of the High-Level Political Compact on Ending Gender-Based Violence & Harmful Practices (2021-2030) strengthen the country’s accountability to gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment? What role does civil society play in the implementation of the HLPC?
3. Which officials in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and at what level, have the authority for the advancement of gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment, in their Terms of Reference and/or Performance Indicators?
4. How do officials at all levels in the MDAs become knowledgeable of Zimbabwe’s national, regional and international gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment commitments.
5. What are the key constraints to accountability to gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment in Zimbabwe’s public, private and civil society sectors?

Deliverables

The National Consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

• An inception report that provides the approach and methodology to be used by the consultant to undertake the assignment in accordance with the objectives of the study. The inception report should include the tools to be used (where relevant), targeted stakeholders/groups to be surveyed and/or interviewed and a detailed workplan.
• Conducting the surveys, interviews, consultations as per the agreed methodology for gathering quantitative and qualitative information
• Interactions with and presentations to the Sustaining the Gains Inter-Agency Joint Programme Team, coordinated by UN Women, Joint Programme Inter-Ministerial Coordination Mechanism, Programme Steering Committee
• Final approved Baseline Study Report and prepared PowerPoint Presentations

Consultancy reports should be provided in both print and electronic versions in English, along with a detailed description of the fulfilled tasks according to the Terms of Reference and deliverables to be submitted. Analytical documents, reports and other materials developed by experts should be submitted as justification for payment.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. The consultant is expected to work remotely using her/his own computer and office facilities and supplies but may access UN Women’s office whenever required within the scope of this assignment.

This assignment requires no official travel.

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 background and skills in Monitoring & Evaluation, with a specific focus on programmes involving multiple implementers, stakeholders and partners
• Strong qualitative research methodology skills
• Gender analysis skills
• Strong facilitation skills
• Knowledge of gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment issues in various sectors

IV. Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

•     Advanced university degrees (master’s or higher) in gender & development, social science research methods, monitoring & evaluation or related disciplines are 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.
•     A Monitoring & Evaluation certification would be an added advantage

Experience:

•     At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience that combines Monitoring & Evaluation, research and knowledge generation in the areas of gender and development, gender equality and/or women’s empowerment.
•     Demonstrate experience in facilitating consultations with a diversity of stakeholders on gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment issues at national level
•     Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
•     Excellent English communication and writing skills; (Samples of previous work will be required.)
•     Demonstrate knowledge -in gender equality and women’s empowerment issues within Zimbabwe’s political, economic, cultural, development and social contexts
 

Languages:
•     Fluency in English is required.
•     Knowledge and fluency in Shona or Ndebele are an asset.
 

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.