National Consultant - Baseline Profiling and Capacity Needs Assessment

Background/Context

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As the lead United Nations agency on gender equality, UN Women works to eliminate discrimination against women and girls; empower women; and achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. In Tanzania, UN Women works closely with the Government of Tanzania, civil society organizations, development partners, and communities to advance women's leadership and participation, women economic empowerment , end violence against women and girls, strengthen gender-responsive governance systems, and promote women's meaningful engagement in peace and security processes.

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, established through United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions, recognizes the critical role of women in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, humanitarian action, and recovery. For Tanzania, UN Women has partnered with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups (Mainland), the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (Zanzibar), and other stakeholders to advance the WPS agenda and strengthen institutional frameworks that promote women's participation, leadership, protection, and access to decision-making in peace and security processes. These efforts culminated in the development of Tanzania's first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (TNAP-WPS) 2025-2029, which provides the national framework for advancing gender-responsive peace, security, and resilience interventions across the country.

The United Republic of Tanzania adopted its first TNAP WPS through official launch in August 2025, outlining national priorities across the four WPS pillars: Prevention, Participation, Protection, and Relief & Recovery. The TNAP identifies eight priority regions Kigoma, Mtwara, Lindi, Arusha, Mara, Tanga, Unguja Mjini, and Pemba Kusini where implementation will begin due to contextual vulnerabilities, humanitarian pressures, cross border dynamics, and opportunities for strengthening localized peace and security mechanisms.

To accelerate implementation, the Government validated a One-Year Implementation Plan (2025–2026) designed to kick start operationalization of the TNAP in these regions. The plan focuses on interventions requiring strengthened institutional capacity, gender responsive systems, coordinated WPS structures, and improved linkages between national and local actors. Lessons generated during this first year will inform the progressive roll out of TNAP WPS implementation across the rest of the country.

Localization of the TNAP-WPS aligns with national development and governance frameworks, including FYDP IV, which prioritizes human capital development, gender equality, social cohesion, and resilient governance systems, and DIRA 2050, which envisions a peaceful, secure, and inclusive Tanzania built on strong institutions and equitable participation. In Tanzania Mainland, implementation of the TNAP-WPS will also be aligned with the emerging Jamii Agenda 2050, which emphasizes inclusive interventions, meaningful community participation, and effective use of resources to strengthen social welfare, social cohesion, and community resilience. The integrated baseline profiling and capacity needs assessment is therefore an opportunity to examine the extent to which the TNAP-WPS, Jamii Agenda 2050, and other relevant national frameworks are reflected within regional and local planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms, while identifying opportunities to strengthen coherence and synergies across these initiatives. 

This assessment is funded by the Embassy of Ireland through the Joint Initiative to Strengthen National and Development Partners' Gender Equality Coordination Mechanisms, which supports enhanced implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of Tanzania's national gender equality commitments, including the National Gender and Women Development Policy, the Tanzania Generation Equality Platform (TGEP), the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC II), and the TNAP-WPS. As part of this support, the Joint Initiative is financing integrated baseline profiling and capacity needs assessment to generate evidence for effective localization and operationalization of the TNAP-WPS.

To support effective implementation  , UN Women in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups (Mainland), the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (Zanzibar), and intends to engage  a qualified consultant to conduct an integrated baseline profiling and capacity needs assessment across the eight priority regions. This combined assignment will generate  a comprehensive picture of the current WPS landscape, institutional readiness, community structures, gender responsive systems, and coordination mechanisms, while identifying gaps and proposing actionable capacity strengthening strategies.

Organizational setting, reporting and collaborators.

The consultant will be reporting to Programme manager  and will be supported by Programme Analyst who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Supervisory Arrangements

The consultant will report to UN Women Tanzania, with technical oversight provided by the WPS National Technical committee and relevant ministries. UN Women and government partners will provide background documents, facilitate access to stakeholders, and support field coordination throughout the assignment. Travel to the eight priority regions may be required and will be subject to approval by UN Women. The consultant’s performance will be assessed based on timeliness, quality of deliverables, analytical rigor, stakeholder engagement, and clarity of reporting.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

General objectives of the assignment

To conduct a combined baseline profiling and capacity needs assessment of institutions, actors, systems, and community structures responsible for implementing the TNAP‑WPS in priority regions, and to produce actionable recommendations and a capacity‑strengthening plan that supports effective localization and sustained implementation of the WPS agenda.

• Specific Objectives
• Baseline Profiling Objectives

1. Establish baseline data on WPS‑related structures, systems, actors, and interventions in the eight priority regions. 
2. Document existing peacebuilding, protection, humanitarian, and gender‑equality mechanisms at regional, district, ward, village/shehia levels. 
3. Map WPS actors, networks, committees, peace clubs, security organs, and community structures. 
4. Identify contextual factors, conflict drivers, protection risks, and gender‑specific vulnerabilities relevant to TNAP‑WPS implementation.

• Capacity Needs Assessment Objectives

1. Assesses institutional, technical, human resource, coordination, and operational capacities of WPS‑related structures. 
2. Identify gaps in knowledge, skills, systems, tools, and resources required to implement TNAP‑WPS activities. 
3. Assess gender mainstreaming capacity within security organs, LGAs, humanitarian response structures, and community protection mechanisms. 
4. Propose a capacity‑building plan including training modules, institutional strengthening measures, coordination mechanisms, and resource requirements. 

5. Provide recommendations for integrating WPS into local development plans, sectoral strategies, and LGA operational systems, aligned with FYDP IV and DIRA 2050.

   Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will work closely with UN Women, the WPS National Steering Committee, regional authorities, and local government structures in the eight priority regions.

1. Document Review

1. TNAP‑WPS and One‑Year Implementation Plan
2. Regional security profiles
3. LGA development plans
4. Gender policies and guidelines
5. Existing WPS initiatives
6. Regional development of blueprints and relevant sectoral plans at the regional level.
7. Training curricula, SOPs, and tools used by peace and security structures

2. Baseline Profiling

1. Map WPS actors, networks, committees, peace clubs, security organs, humanitarian actors, and community structures.
2. Document existing systems, coordination mechanisms, gender desks, peace committees, and protection services.
3. Profile contextual risks, conflict dynamics, cross‑border issues, SGBV trends, and humanitarian pressures.
4. Establish baseline indicators aligned with TNAP‑WPS results framework.

3. Institutional Capacity Assessment

1. Assess the capacity of regional and district security committees to coordinate and implement WPS‑related interventions, including their operational structures, mandates, and existing mechanisms for conflict prevention, early warning, and response.
2. Examine the functionality and effectiveness of gender desks within the police and Local Government Authorities (LGAs), with emphasis on case management, survivor‑centred approaches, referral pathways, and linkages with justice and protection systems.
3. Review the establishment, activities, and sustainability of peace clubs in schools, including their contribution to peace education, youth engagement, early warning, and community cohesion.
4. Assess the institutional strength, outreach, and coordination capacity of women’s networks including AWLN, TPF‑NET, SHIVYAWATA, NACOPHA, Sisters Without Borders, and others  operating within the priority regions and evaluate their role in advancing WPS commitments.
5. Evaluate the role and influence of religious and traditional leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs), women’s rights organizations (WROs), refugee‑hosting institutions in Kigoma, disaster management committees, and border management and migration centers in promoting gender‑responsive peacebuilding, conflict mediation, humanitarian response, and protection of women and girls, including their operational readiness and coordination with national and regional structures.
6. Review and analyze Regional Development Plans and relevant district and local government plans in the priority regions to assess the extent to which WPS priorities are integrated into subnational development planning.

4. Stakeholder Consultations

1. Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and technical consultations with Regional Commissioners and Local Government Authorities to assess institutional readiness, coordination gaps, and the overall enabling environment for localized WPS implementation.
2. Engage security organs including the police, Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), prisons, and immigration services to examine their mandates, operational roles, and gender‑responsive capacities in advancing TNAP‑WPS priorities across prevention, protection, and response functions.
3. Consult community leaders to capture local perspectives on conflict drivers, protection risks, social norms, and community‑based peace-building mechanisms that influence WPS outcomes at grassroots level.
4. Engage women’s rights organizations and youth groups to document their contributions, challenges, and opportunities for strengthening inclusive participation, early warning, peacebuilding, and community resilience within WPS structures.
5. Consult humanitarian actors and peacebuilding committees to assess coordination mechanisms, protection services, gender‑responsive humanitarian capacities, and operational gaps affecting localized implementation of the WPS agenda.

5. Skills and Knowledge Gap Analysis

1. Assess gaps in gender mainstreaming across institutions at the regional level responsible for WPS implementation, including limitations in gender‑responsive planning, budgeting, analysis, and service delivery, and the extent to which staff understand and apply gender principles in their daily functions.
2. Identify gaps in conflict prevention capacities, including weaknesses in early warning systems, mediation and negotiation skills, community‑based conflict resolution approaches, and the ability of institutions to anticipate, analyze, and respond to emerging risks.
3. Examine gaps in Sexual and Gender‑Based Violence (SGBV) response capacities, focusing on survivor‑centered approaches, referral pathways, case management, coordination with justice and health systems, and the availability of trained personnel and appropriate tools.
4. Assess knowledge and skills gaps in peacebuilding, humanitarian response, leadership, and WPS coordination, including inclusive dialogue facilitation, social cohesion promotion, protection‑focused humanitarian action, women’s leadership in peace and security structures, and institutional capacities for reporting, monitoring, and alignment with TNAP‑WPS priorities.

6. Capacity‑Building Strategy Development

1. Develop training modules aligned with TNAP‑WPS priorities, addressing identified gaps in gender mainstreaming, conflict prevention, protection, peacebuilding, and humanitarian response.
2. Recommend institutional strengthening measures to enhance coordination, accountability, and operational effectiveness of WPS‑related structures at national and sub‑national levels.
3. Propose coordination and reporting mechanisms that improve linkages between regional, district, ward, and community‑level WPS actors, ensuring alignment with national frameworks.
4. Identify resource requirements, potential partners, and opportunities for leveraging existing programmes to support sustainable capacity‑building and long‑term institutional strengthening.

5. S/N	Deliverable	Timeline)
   1	Draft inception report (workplan, methodology, tools, stakeholder map)	7 Days
   2	Final inception report (validated tools, sampling, analytical framework)	3 Days
   3	Zero draft baseline & capacity assessment report	18 Days
   4	First draft & stakeholder presentation	5 Days
   5	Final report & capacity‑building plan	7 Days

   Competencies 
   Core Values: 

   • Respect for Diversity
   • Integrity
   • Professionalism
     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 Core Values and Competencies:  
     https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 
     
     IV. Required Qualifications

   Education and Certification:
   The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:
   •     Advanced degree in gender studies, peace and security, international development, political science, or related field. Masters is an added advantage.

   Experience:

   • Minimum 5 years’ experience in gender, peacebuilding, security reform, or humanitarian programming.
   • Proven experience conducting capacity assessments, institutional analysis, or WPS related research.
   • Strong understanding of Tanzania’s governance, security, and gender equality landscape.
   • Experience working with security organs, LGAs, CSOs, and women’s networks.
   • Excellent skills in qualitative and quantitative research.
   • Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
   • 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.)

   Languages:
   Fluency in English and Kiswahili including excellent verbal and written communication skills required