Background:

UN Women (UNW), 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level. 

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

•      Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.

•      Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.

•      Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction. 

Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is a core thematic area of UN Women’s mandate. Grounded in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and nine subsequent WPS resolutions, the WPS agenda recognizes the gendered impacts of conflict and peacebuilding processes. Structured around the pillars of participation, prevention, protection, and relief and recovery, the agenda emphasizes women’s critical roles in conflict prevention and resolution, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian action, and post-conflict recovery and reconstruction.

UN Member States bear the primary responsibility for implementing the WPS agenda and are encouraged to do so through National Action Plans (NAPs) or comparable national strategies. The State of Palestine has demonstrated strong commitment to the WPS agenda through the adoption and implementation of its First National Action Plan (2017–2019) and Second National Action Plan (2020–2024, extended to 2025) on UNSCR 1325. These plans sought to advance gender equality, protect women’s rights in situations of conflict and occupation, and promote women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace and security processes.

The State of Palestine—under the leadership of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA)—has developed the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP III) for the period 2026–2028. NAP III builds on the achievements and lessons learned from previous plans and responds to the evolving political, humanitarian, and protection context affecting Palestinian women and girls. It places particular emphasis on relief and early recovery as urgent entry points, while maintaining strong linkages with the pillars of prevention, protection, participation, and accountability.

MoWA plays a central role in leading and coordinating the development and implementation of NAP III and serves as Chair of the Higher National Committee (HNC) for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325, which brings together relevant government institutions, media actors, women-led organizations (WLOs), women’s rights organizations (WROs), and civil society partners. 

The Third NAP builds substantively on the Second NAP’s focus on protection, participation, accountability, and recovery, while deepening attention to the differentiated and disproportionate impacts of occupation, conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crisis on Palestinian women and girls. It further reinforces national commitments to women’s leadership, decision‑making, conflict prevention, and recovery processes, supported by a results-based framework and measurable indicators.

UN Women plays a key role in supporting the Government of Palestine in the development, resourcing, implementation, and monitoring of the National Action Plan. This includes providing technical assistance, supporting institutional capacity-building, strengthening coordination mechanisms, generating gender-responsive conflict and humanitarian data, facilitating stakeholder dialogue, and advancing policy advocacy aligned with WPS priorities. 

In response to this, UN Women Palestine seeks to engage a national consultant to develop a comprehensive, results-based Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework and associated measurement tools to support the systematic implementation, monitoring, reporting, and learning of the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP III) 2026–2028.

While NAP III articulates a comprehensive results framework and strategic objectives, its effective implementation requires a coherent and operational Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system. Such a system is critical to tracking progress, ensuring accountability to affected populations, strengthening evidence-based decision-making, and fulfilling national and international reporting obligations.

The consultant will be reporting to UN Women Programme Management Specialist. Moreover, the consultant will work closely with the MoWA. The consultant will provide regular progress updates and highlight any challenges encountered during the process. The final deliverables will be presented for review and approval before being finalized. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of work:

The consultant will support the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), in the design and operationalization of a robust, results‑based Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and learning (MEAL) framework and measurement tools for the implementation of the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP III). This aims at strengthening tracking, monitoring progress towards the intended results of the intervention at the aimed quality, ensure accountability to affected populations, with focus on women and girls during implementation, as well as capture any emerging issues that require adapting the design of the intervention and enhance the learning practices, ensuring the achievement of the aspired impact. The MEAL framework and corresponding data collection tools will also pave the way for documenting the intervention’s key achievements, focusing on sex and age disaggregated reach data, lessons learnt, and stories of impact. Designing the MEAL framework will be in consultation with UN Women and the MoWA and in line with the national corresponding priorities and plans. The scope of work will include the following components:

1. Desk Review and Analytical Assessment

• Review the results framework, indicators, and theory of change of NAP III, with reference to its five pillars and strategic objectives and provide any needed modifications where needed
• Collect, analyze and assess lessons learned, gaps, and good practices from the monitoring and reporting processes of NAP I (2017–2019) and NAP II (2020–2024, extended to 2025).
• Analyze relevant national policies, institutional mandates, and existing monitoring systems related to WPS implementation.
• Review relevant international frameworks, guidance, and best practices on WPS monitoring, results‑based management, and accountability (including UNSCR 1325, CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30, SDGs, and humanitarian monitoring standards).

2. Development of the MEAL Framework for NAP III

• Design a comprehensive, results‑based MEAL framework aligned with NAP III, including: 
  • Results: Outcomes, outputs and corresponding indicators, definitions, calculation approach as well as baseline , and targets values;
  • Ensure indicators capture progress towards achievements, high quality to implementation, as well as accountability to women and girls;
  • Clear means of verification and data sources;
  • Defined roles and institutional responsibilities across government and partner entities and frequency of data collection per indicator.
• Develop an institutional monitoring matrix to support implementation of the MEAL framework, outlining partner-specific indicators, reporting responsibilities, means of verification, and monitoring frequency across relevant national stakeholders. 
• Ensure the MEAL framework reflects a mandate-based monitoring architecture, aligned with the institutional roles and comparative advantages of national actors involved in NAP III implementation, including members of the Higher National Committee and the national UNSCR 1325 team, to strengthen accountability, coordination, and reporting quality. 
•  Ensure that indicators are SMART, context‑sensitive, and feasible within humanitarian, early recovery, and protracted crisis settings, as well as gender-sensitive.
• Integrate risk analysis and key assumptions relevant to the implementation context.

3. Development of Measurement and Data Collection Tools

• Develop standardized quantitative and qualitative data collection tools to support systematic monitoring and evaluation of NAP III implementation, including: 
  • Administrative and SADD data reporting templates;
  • Survey applications (pre-post assessments, baseline-endline, satisfaction surveys);
  • Key informant interview (KII) and focus group discussion (FGD) guides;
  • Community‑based monitoring and feedback tools, where relevant, ensuring accountability to affected communities;
  • Learning tools guide (quarter and annual review, learning and dissemination sessions) and establish a learning log;
  • a MEAL Calendar of Events Marking the key milestones for data collection, learning &dissemination sessions, and reporting. 
• Ensure all tools are adaptable to low‑connectivity, displacement, and emergency contexts, including offline options.
• Integrate sex‑, age‑, disability‑, and location‑disaggregated data (SADD) across all tools, in line with national and international standards.

4. Alignment with National and International Reporting Frameworks

• Align the MEAL framework with national data systems and statistical processes, including those of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), as well as relevant national platforms such as the National Referral System and the GBVO Observatory.
• Ensure coherence with international reporting obligations, including UNSCR 1325, CEDAW, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and relevant humanitarian and protection frameworks, as well as UN Women and GiHA publications.
• Strengthen coherence with national gender-responsive planning, monitoring, and accountability frameworks, ensuring alignment with existing institutional processes and data flows. 
• Strengthen linkages between administrative data, statistical data, and community‑based evidence to support integrated and comprehensive reporting.

5. Validation and Finalization

• Facilitate technical validation processes with key national stakeholders, including MoWA, HNC members, and relevant partners.
• Incorporate feedback to ensure the MEAL framework and tools are institutionally relevant, operational, and user‑friendly.
• Finalize the MEAL framework, tools, and accompanying guidance for implementation.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based local consultancy, based in the West Bank. The consultant will coordinate closely with UN Women and MoWA throughout the assignment. During the assignment the consultant should take into consideration traveling to MoWA, HNC and NC members, and between West Bank cities, meeting relevant stakeholders. Data collection and consultations with stakeholders in Gaza and Jerusalem can be conducted using online methods.

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:

• Good knowledge of programme formulation and implementation and Results Based Management 
• Good knowledge of monitoring and evaluation, evaluation design, data collection and analysis, and reporting 
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports 
• Good analytical and report writing skills
• Knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification: 

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Political or Social Science, Economics, Business administration, International Development Studies, Gender/Women's Studies is 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.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in monitoring and reporting of development projects/ programmes is required. 
• Demonstrated experience developing M&E frameworks and data collection tools is required.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting assessments, research, MEAL activities with direct beneficiaries is required.
• Strong familiarity with Women, Peace and Security agendas and UNSCR 1325.
• Experience working with government institutions is desirable.
• Experience in using digital data collection applications like KOBO is desirable. 
• Excellent and verbal written communication skills is desired. 
• Experience in the United Nations systems in desirable. 
• Field experience is desirable. 
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required. 
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Languages:

Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

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.