Background:

UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, is an active advocate and advocate for the interests of women and girls at the global level. UN Women assists UN Member States in setting international norms and standards for achieving gender equality and collaborates with governments and civil society in developing laws, policies, programs and services necessary to implement these standards. 

UN Women actively promotes the equal participation of women in all spheres of life, focusing on five priority areas of action: strengthening women's leadership and participation in society; elimination of violence against women; involvement of women in solving the whole range of issues of ensuring peace and security; empowering women in the economy; ensuring the central role of gender equality in national development planning and budgeting processes. UN Women also coordinates work to promote gender equality throughout the UN system. 

In 2025, UN Women in Kazakhstan, with the support of the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information, launched a new project for 2025–2027: "Promoting increased legal protection for women, strengthening gender equality, and ensuring women's full participation in the socio-political life of the country." 

The new project builds on existing achievements and aims to achieve long-term change in the empowerment of women and girls in Kazakhstan. It includes coordinated capacity building for national partners, deeper integration of gender considerations into budgeting and policymaking, and consistent application of a gender approach in legislation. The project includes measures to strengthen the role of the National Commission, improve monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2030, enhance media coverage of gender equality issues, and support women's political participation and professional development. 

As part of the project, in close collaboration with key national partners-the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan-an agreement was reached to establish a Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Knowledge Center (GEWE Knowledge Center) in Almaty. 

The Center will become a national platform for capacity building, policy dialogue, and evidence-based implementation. It will serve as a hub for capacity development, research, dissemination of best practices, and knowledge sharing. The Center's activities will ensure the long-term sustainability of project initiatives by providing stakeholders with the necessary tools and resources to maintain momentum in advancing gender equality. Institutionalizing gender-responsive budgeting and integrating gender equality policies into national and regional strategies will promote equitable governance, improved resource allocation, and systemic, long-term policy change.

Kazakhstan has demonstrated notable progress in advancing gender equality and institutional frameworks supporting women’s rights. However, women remain underrepresented in political decision-making processes, especially at the national level. According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2025, Kazakhstan ranks 92nd out of 148 countries, with political empowerment identified as one of the weakest areas. Women’s representation in Parliament and senior executive positions remains limited, and structural barriers continue to affect women’s participation in politics.

In the context of the upcoming Parliamentary elections in 2026, and ongoing institutional and electoral reforms, there is a critical need to provide targeted, practical, and high-quality training to women who are being considered for inclusion in party lists and nomination as candidates.

To respond to this need, UN Women, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and with the support of the National Commission on Women Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, plans to organize Women Political Leadership Intensive Trainings in Astana and Almaty.

These trainings are designed to provide hands-on, simulation-based, and results-oriented capacity development, focusing on real campaign skills and electoral readiness based on UN Women’s methodological guideline for women candidates. 

Given the importance of ensuring high-quality delivery and integration of international best practices, UN Women seeks to engage an International Consultant with demonstrated experience in women’s political participation programmes and election campaign training.

Objective

The overall objective of the assignment is to provide high-quality, practice-oriented training to strengthen the leadership, communication, and campaign skills of women candidates, enabling their effective participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Learning outcomes expected: 

• Enhance participants’ ability to design and implement effective election campaigns 
• Strengthen political communication, messaging, and public speaking skills 
• Build confidence and leadership capacity among women candidates 
• Introduce international best practices and successful strategies for increasing women’s political representation 
• Ensure that participants gain practical, applicable skills through simulation-based learning

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Programme Specialist and Project Manager, the international consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

• Using UN Women’s methodlogical guideline for women candidates, design a comprehensive training package, including adapted agenda, presentations, handouts, and practical exercises tailored to women candidates nominated by political parties.
• Facilitate two 3-day intensive trainings in Astana (13-15 May 2026) and Almaty (18-20 May 2026) for up to 60 women participants overall, focusing on strengthening leadership, communication, and campaign skills.
• Introduce practical tools, simulation exercises, and case studies, including mock debates, public speaking exercises, and campaign planning simulations to support the application of knowledge in real electoral contexts.
• Integrate international best practices and comparative experiences from countries that have successfully increased women’s political representation, and adapt them to the Kazakhstan context.
• Provide expert advice and recommendations on strengthening women’s participation in political processes and improving training approaches based on lessons learned during the sessions.
• Ensure mentoring support for training participants, engaging graduates of previously conducted Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes from the regions, in advance of an official start of the election campaign.
• Prepare a high-quality training package in compliance with UN Women branding guidelines (training concept note, presentations, training materials, and other relevant knowledge products) for further use and dissemination.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

International consultant is expected to work remotely and conduct 3-days training in Astana and 3-days training in Almaty. All expenses related to travel will be included in the contract sum. 

UN Women support to the international consultant:

UN Women Kazakhstan, within its capabilities, will provide support to an international consultant to facilitate communication within the project. International consultant will work under the direct supervision of UN Women Kazakhstan Programme Specialist and Project manager. Final report should be submitted in Russian.

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: 

Education and Certification:

• University Degree in political science and international relations, education and pedagogy, law/jurisprudence, gender studies, economic/social sciences or interdisciplinary fields.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience in the field of politics, women’s political participation and/or gender equality.
• Experience in conducting seminars/trainings on women’s political participation, election campaign training, leadership development programmes.
• Proven experience working with UN agencies, governments, or international organizations is an asset.

Languages:

• Excellent written and spoken Russian is mandatory.
• Working knowledge of English will be 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.