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 Ukraine, UN Women supports the Government and civil society in advancing gender equality and implementing national and international commitments, including the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda. Its work focuses on four priority areas: (1) Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action; (2) Ending Violence against Women and Girls; (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment; and (4) Governance and Participation in Public Life. UN Women also contributes to the integration of gender equality across the United Nations system in Ukraine.

UN Women’s Strategic Note (2025–2029) is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Ukraine and supports national priorities across humanitarian response, early recovery, and long-term reconstruction, with a focus on the humanitarian–development–peace nexus.

Recovery, reconstruction and reform are the key next steps for Ukraine. These are going to be massive endeavors costing hundreds of billions of USD. In March 2026, according to the Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment: February 2022 - December 2025 (RDNA/5), the WB, EU and UN estimated the cost for reconstruction and recovery at a staggering US195.1 billion dollars. 

The Government of Ukraine leads recovery efforts, coordinated by the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development (Ministry for Restoration), with implementation support from the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development and other partners. Key priorities include housing, energy resilience, critical and social infrastructure, humanitarian demining, and economic recovery, alongside continued decentralization reforms.

Ukraine continues to advance its legal and policy framework on regional development and recovery in line with decentralization reform and EU integration commitments. Recent normative updates include revisions to the State Regional Development Strategy and its implementation mechanisms, as well as ongoing development of legislation regulating community-based recovery, spatial planning, and public investment management. The Government is also strengthening digital governance systems (including recovery management platforms) and introducing new approaches to municipal statistics and monitoring aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. These reforms aim to enhance transparency, accountability, and coordination across levels of governance; however, further efforts are required to systematically integrate gender equality and human rights standards into emerging legislation and regulatory frameworks to ensure inclusive and equitable recovery outcomes.

The impacts of the war are gendered and disproportionately affect women, particularly as internally displaced persons, refugees, and heads of households. Women face increased risks of gender-based violence and barriers to accessing livelihoods, services, and social protection, while also playing a central role in community resilience and recovery.

Ensuring gender-responsive and inclusive recovery requires systematic integration of gender equality and human rights across all recovery and governance processes. UN Women prioritizes support to national and local authorities, as well as women’s civil society organizations, to strengthen gender-responsive governance, planning, and budgeting, and to promote women’s participation in decision-making.

In this context, UN Women Ukraine seeks to engage a National Consultant to provide legal and regulatory expertise to ensure that gender equality and human rights are effectively integrated into decentralization reforms, regional and local development and recovery-related legal and policy frameworks.

Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities 

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative and direct supervision by the Programme Specialist (Governance), the National Consultant will provide legal and policy advice for gender and human rights mainstreaming of legislation and policy framework within decentralization reform, regional and local development as well as gender-responsive recovery at all levels. The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks:

1. Gender Analysis of Legal Frameworks
   Conduct regular screening of draft and existing legislation and regulatory acts related to decentralization, local self-government, regional and local development, and recovery processes, developed by the Government of Ukraine (including key line ministries), the Parliament of Ukraine (relevant committees), and the Inter-Factional Union “Equal Opportunities,” ensuring alignment with international and national frameworks.
2.  Development of Gender-Responsive Legal Recommendations
   Prepare evidence-based, gender-responsive recommendations and legal inputs to draft laws, amendments, and policy frameworks to ensure compliance with international commitments (CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action, SDGs, UPR, UN human rights treaties) and alignment with the EU acquis.
3. Advisory Support on Strategies and Planning
   Provide legal and policy advice on integrating gender equality and human rights into national, sectorial, regional and local development and recovery strategies, programmes and plans ensuring alignment with gender equality and women’s empowerment national legislation, and international standards, as well as with EU Gender Equality Acquis.
4. Policy Advocacy and Legal Harmonization
   Support advocacy efforts and provide expert inputs for harmonizing national and sectoral legislation and policies with international gender equality and human rights standards, including in the context of EU accession.
5. Technical Support to Working Groups
   Provide legal expertise and analytical inputs to inter-agency and multi-stakeholder working groups on decentralization, regional development, and recovery, ensuring integration of gender equality and human rights considerations.
6. Capacity Building
   Design and deliver targeted capacity-building activities for the Ministry for Restoration and key stakeholders on gender mainstreaming in legislation and policy development.
7. Good Practices and Knowledge Sharing
   Identify, analyze, and document international and national good practices on gender-responsive legal frameworks for decentralization and recovery, and facilitate their application in the Ukrainian context.
8. Stakeholder Engagement
   Participate in consultations, coordination meetings, and expert discussions with national gender equality mechanisms, government institutions, development partners, CSOs, and local authorities to advance gender-responsive legal reforms.
9. Knowledge Products and Reporting
   Contribute to the development of analytical papers, policy briefs, presentations, tools, and donor reports related to gender-responsive legal frameworks for recovery and decentralization.
10. Gender Integration in Digital Recovery Tools
    Provide legal expertise to ensure integration of gender equality and human rights standards into digital recovery and planning tools (e.g., DREAM ecosystem, GIS-based systems, and other government platforms).
11. Application of Gender Mainstreaming Tools
    Advise stakeholders on the application of key gender mainstreaming tools (including gender analysis, gender-responsive budgeting, and impact assessment) in local governance, planning, and recovery processes.
12. Support to Development Partners
    Contribute to strengthening the capacity of development partners (UN agencies, donors, and technical assistance projects) to apply gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches in local governance, recovery, and reform initiatives.

The planned reporting schedule includes the following anticipated timelines and tasks:

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:

1. Analytical Skills: analyzes regional/local policies, including the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) and State Regional Development Strategy, to identify gender gaps and inform gender responsive governance and recovery.
2. Policy and Budget Integration: Integrates gender equality into regional and local development, recovery plans, and budgets, ensuring alignment with decentralization reform, SRDS, and EU acquis.
3. Capacity Building: 
   delivers practical training for oblasts and hromadas, supporting implementation in recovery and EU integration contexts.
4. Stakeholder Engagement: engages authorities and civil society to advance gender-responsive decentralization and recovery in line with RDNA and EU integration priorities.
5. Results-Based Planning and Accountability: links budgets to gender results and tracks gender equality and inclusion integration in programmes aligned with SRDS and recovery frameworks.
6. Communication: communicates gender responsive budgeting and planning and recovery priorities clearly through concise reports and guidance for sub-national stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

Qualifications Education:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in law, gender studies or similar.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) in the field of human rights and/or gender equality, governance and public administration, civil service or other related fields. 
• Proven experience in providing legal support and policy advice to the government institutions at the national, regional and local on mainstream human rights and gender equality, including to the regional development and recovery.
• Proven understanding of human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and national and international GEWE commitments in Ukraine, including EU gender equality acquis. 
• Experience of participation in high-level dialogues, consultations, including with the members of parliament, government, etc.
• Previous professional experience with development agencies and the United Nations would be considered an asset. 

Languages and other skills: 

• Working level of verbal and written English and fluency in verbal and written Ukrainian is required.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

• This is a home-based consultancy, with occasional duty travel and partial presence at the UN Women Ukraine office and at partner institutions, as required.
• As part of the assignment, the consultant may be required to undertake up to five official trips to target regions and hromadas (locations and schedule to be confirmed).

UN Women will cover all official travel-related expenses in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations, including transportation, per diem, and accommodation, as applicable.

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.