I. 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.ย
UN Women in Kyrgyzstan is a strong advocate for improving the lives of women and girls in the country. Building on the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, we are working to enhance women's leadership; the elimination of violence against women; involving women in all aspects of decision making; economic empowerment of women, promote women participation in Women, Peace and Security agenda, eliminating stigma and discrimination against HIV positive women and girls.ย ย
UN Women in Kyrgyzstan prioritizes initiatives and programs in areas fundamental to achieving equality for women and finding ways of progress for both women and men. At the moment, the UN Women Country office continues implementing the HIV program with the financial support of UNAIDS Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF) for 2024-25. The project has three priority objectives: 1) Community engagement and capacity building - to support those partners, women-led initiatives, girls, and women, and other key population groups living with HIV, with whom UN Women CO have been working over the past 3 years. 2)ย Partnership with the government and their ownership in the future โ to enhance the capacity of local and national governmental agencies in understanding gender aspects and addressing HIV challenges through collaborative activities. 3) Sensitizing religious leadership on HIV and gender โ by promoting gender and HIV nexus within the religious leadership.ย ย
As part of this project, UN Women is preparing to provide expert support in promoting gender perspectives in the new National Programme to overcome HIV infection and blood-borne viral hepatitis for 2025โ2030 using the UNAIDS Gender Assessment Tool (GAT). For that purposes UN Women is seeking a Gender Expert to identify the needs of diverse groups in the context of HIV and provide strategic recommendations for National Programme development process and to leverage political commitment to address these needs. The Gender Expert will provide crucial support in determining the gender related gaps in the HIV response, thereby aiding in the identification of key barriers and strategic recommendations for effective response to HIV epidemic in Kyrgyzstan. The Gender Expert will support the Working Group established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic to develop the National Programme.ย ย
The Gender Expert will be responsible for conducting gender analysis and ensuring the integration of gender perspectives throughout the National Programme. Working alongside five core experts, additional independent consultants, and representatives from key population groups, the expert will actively participate in regular Working Group meetings and discussions.ย ย
The expertโs inputs will feed into key components of the National Programme, including the draft National Programme, Plan of Activities, Monitoring and Evaluation Indicator Matrix, and Programme Budget. The initial draft will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by 30 July 2025, with finalization of the Programme anticipated by 30 October 2025. Ultimately, the Programme aims to promote institutional accountability and support inclusive, equitable, and rights-based responses to HIV and viral hepatitis in Kyrgyzstan.ย
About the UNAIDS Gender Assessment Tool (GAT)ย ย
The GAT is a structured set of guidelines and questions that can be used to guide and support the process of analyzing to what extent national responses to HIVโin both generalized and concentrated epidemicsโconsider the critical goal of gender equality. UNAIDS developed the GAT by convening an expert reference group comprising members from around the globe and from government, United Nations agencies and civil society organizations to guide its development. A planned, systematic and deliberate set of steps and processes, the GAT examines and questions the status of the HIV response (plans and actions undertaken by national governments to address HIV) specifically referring to its gender dimensions: the socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes of a given society consider what is appropriate for women and men, including members of key population groups. The GAT enables users to learn the extent to which the national response recognizes gender inequality as a key determinant of the trajectory of the HIV epidemic and then acts based on that recognition. This will help to ensure that the national HIV response has gender equality as a goal.ย ย ย
II. Deliverables:
Under direct supervision, overall guidance and in close coordination of the National Programme Officer the Gender Expert will perform, but will not necessarily be limited, to the following tasks:ย ย
1.Conduct Gender Analysisย
Consultant will be expected to closely familiarize with the GAT and related materials.ย ย Carry out a gender analysis of the HIV/AIDS landscape in Kyrgyzstan through desk review and conducting key informant 5-10 interviews and 2 focus group discussions.ย ย Present the gender analysis findings to the Working Group to inform the National Programme, ensuring it reflects the lived realities of women and girls living with HIV;ย2. Suggest on gender-responsive inputsย
Develop concrete gender-responsive recommendations, indicators, and budget inputs for the National Programme to overcome HIV infection and blood-borne viral hepatitis for 2025-2030, ensuring alignment with international standards and best practices.ย ย3. Facilitate Stakeholder Consultationsย
Participate and contribute to discussions during the regular meetings of the Working Group at the Republican AIDS Coordination Center premises.ย ย Support inclusion of and facilitation of consultations with women living with/affected by HIV and other key population groups to ensure their voices are meaningfully reflected in the National Programme.ย ย4. Capacity Building & Technical Supportย
Provide technical support and training sessions for government stakeholders and Working Group members on integrating gender equality in HIV-related policies and programming.ย ย5. Reporting and Follow-upย
Provide regular updates to UN Women and support the monitoring of how gender considerations are reflected in the evolving drafts of the National Programme.ย Draft and submit a final report on carried out work and present the analysis on the extent of inclusion of gender aspects into priorities/activities/indicators/budget of the National Programme.ยThrough the engagement of the Gender Expert, UN Women anticipates that the National Programme to overcome HIV infection and blood-borne viral hepatitis for 2025โ2030 will be gender-sensitive. The Programme should effectively address the specific needs and challenges faced by women affected by HIV/AIDS, and ensure equitable access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support services. It is expected that gender equality principles will be systematically integrated into all components of the National Programme - objectives, priorities, activities, indicators, and budget โ ensuring that no women affected by HUV/AIDS is left behind.ย ย Deliverable Expected completion time (due day)ย Payment Schedule (optional) A report of the gender assessment with data collected (desk review, key informantsโ interviews and focus group discussions)ย 30 July 2025ย ย 50 %ย
A summary report on carried out work and the overview of gender perspectives of the National Programme 2025-2030:
Chapter on consultations conducted Chapter on capacity building activities Chapter on mainstreaming gender aspects into the National Programme by components (objectives, priorities, activities, indicators, and budget) 31 October 2025ย 50 %Consultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy requiring visits to the Republican AIDS Coordinating Center to attend the regular meetings of a Working Group.ย
UN Women CO will facilitate travel arrangements (national) and provide DSA as per actual cost, based on a mutually agreed travel plan. Any travel and related costs will be covered separately by the Hiring Unit via UNALL.
III. 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 visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
Technical credibility in gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive programming and planning;ย Expertise and knowledge in gender aspects of HIV epidemic and country context, including the normative framework, HIV/AIDS system-wide prevention and response efforts, and the specific needs of key population groups.ย Strong interpersonal and communication skills, negotiations and partnership building.IV. Required Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
Advanced degree (Masterโs or equivalent) in gender studies, public health, social sciences, development studies, or related fields.ยExperience:ย
Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in gender equality, HIV/AIDS programming, or public health and/or relevant experience in promoting the rights of women living with HIV (WLWH) to overcome stigma and discrimination and the empowerment of WLWH.ย Experience and substantial knowledge of global health policy, health funding, gender budgeting and universal health coverage, as well as knowledge in sexual and reproductive health are an advantage.ย Demonstrated expertise in mainstreaming gender through strong communication and coordination work with state and non-state partners and various stakeholders.ยLanguages:
Fluency in Russian and Kyrgyz is required. Knowledge English any other UN official language is an asset.V. How to Apply:ย
Personal CV or P11 (P11 canย be downloaded from:ย https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.docย ) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) As part of the application, candidates are also encouraged to provide a link to, or a copy of, a publication, report, campaign, presentation, or other material to which they have contributed that demonstrates their work in advancing gender equality or supporting gender mainstreaming efforts.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,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย 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 toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย 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.
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