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.

In Uzbekistan, in line with its global Strategic Plan 2026–2029, UN Women works towards the overarching goal that “women and girls, including those at greatest risk of being left behind, fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence, and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Uzbekistan.” UN Women operates in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action, and disaster risk reduction. In line with its coordination mandate, UN Women promotes coherence and coordination across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through joint programming and advocacy, as well as standardized tools, guidance, and services to strengthen the capacities of the UN system.

To strengthen the visibility and positioning of the Office’s work and advance UN Women’s mandate, UN Women seeks to engage a National Communications Consultant to provide integrated communications support at both strategic and operational levels.

The Consultant is expected to support the planning, development, and implementation of communication, advocacy, and visibility initiatives across all areas of work. This includes, but is not limited to, thematic portfolios such as women’s economic empowerment, addressing harmful social norms and gender stereotypes, as well as gender-responsive budgeting. The Consultant will contribute to strengthening the visibility, consistency, and strategic positioning of UN Women’s work in Uzbekistan by translating programme results, research findings, policy engagement, and partnership initiatives into clear, accessible, and impactful communication products tailored to diverse audiences.

The assignment requires the ability to bridge technical programme content and strategic communications, ensuring alignment with UN Women branding guidelines, donor visibility requirements, and corporate communication standards, while applying innovative and creative approaches to effectively communicate results and impact.

III Scope of Work / Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Programme Communications and Advocacy Support

• Contribute to the design and implementation of communication strategies supporting programme interventions across women’s economic empowerment, care economy, gender data, social norms transformation, and other emerging priorities.
• Develop clear and compelling messaging that advances policy advocacy, partnership engagement, and public outreach objectives.
• 2. Partnerships and Private Sector Visibility
• Support implementing the communication strategy of the project in line with the visibility rules of UN Women and European Delegation. 
• Assist in promoting initiatives that strengthen gender-responsive workplace policies and women’s entrepreneurship through targeted visibility materials and outreach efforts.
• Strengthen engagement with key national-level media stakeholders to enhance the capacity of media professionals to produce and disseminate gender-equitable and inclusive content.
• Assist in developing and implementing innovative communication initiatives—such as strategic partnerships with advertising agencies, social media companies, celebrities, non-traditional stakeholders. 
• Contribute to communication initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, and addressing harmful social norms, including joint initiatives implemented with UN and national partners, as well as UN Women global and regional initiatives. 
• Support digital engagement and public-facing communication aligned with national and global advocacy campaigns.
• Support communication planning and visibility for programme launches, policy dialogues, high-level engagements, and partnership events.
• Develop related communication materials and post-event outputs to ensure sustained advocacy impact.
• Monitor and analyse print and social media and provide analysis to UN Women Uzbekistan
• Organize and conduct training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate. 
• Upload information to knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, resources. 
• Contribute to the communications and advocacy related parts of the corporate plans and reports. 
• Contribute to relevant global and regional communities of practice.
• 3. Campaigns and Social Norms Transformation Initiatives
• 4. Events and Public Engagement
• 5. Facilitate knowledge building and sharing 
•  6. Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor

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:

•      Experience in communications, advocacy, media relations, marketing.

•      Ability to effectively engage and coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders, including line ministries, CSOs, financial institutions, business associations, chambers of commerce, training providers, employers, and women’s organizations.

•      Ability to work independently and under tight deadlines.

•              Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Uzbek (Russian as an asset).

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, social science, project management, literature or arts, or a related field is required.

• A master’s degree in the same or related field is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 3 years of progressively responsible work experience management of communications, media relations or marketing.
• Experience in the content development and use of social media. 
• Experience in development of online and offline advocacy materials  
• Experience in media relations is an asset; 
• Knowledge in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment is an asset 
• Minimum 2 years of experience in similar EU and /or UN projects is an asset 

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Uzbek is required (Russian is an asset)
• Knowledge of any other UN official language is 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.