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.
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. Placing womenโs rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations systemโs 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 Statesโ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.
Following the violent conflict that erupted on 15 April 2023, Sudan is facing the worldโs largest hunger crisis. The most recent Integrated Acute Food Insecurity Phase Classification (IPC) analysis report (October 2024 โ May 2025) indicates that approximately 24.6 million people across Sudan will likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). This includes 8.1 million people in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and at least 638,000 people in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe). This marks an unprecedented deepening and widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict, which has triggered mass displacement, a collapsing economy, the breakdown of essential social services, and severe societal disruptions, combined with poor humanitarian access.
The dire food insecurity in Sudan is exacerbating pre-existing gender inequalities, disproportionately affecting women and girls in the context of hunger, displacement, and loss of opportunity. Their specific needs, including access to nutrition, healthcare, protection, and education, require targeted humanitarian intervention to alleviate the impacts of this crisis. Additionally, the Sudan Gender Alert #2 published in December 2024 highlights that female-headed households (FHHs) face greater challenges in securing food for their families.
Despite womenโs major contributions to food systems, including preparation and distribution, persistent gender inequalities and harmful social norms, including gender-based violence (GBV), continue to affect them. This situation is made worse by conflict-associated food scarcity and decreased mobility for women. Additionally, although women are responsible for securing household food, they have limited access to land and are overburdened by unpaid care work. According to tradition, they have no control over the produce. The protracted macroeconomic crisis and currency depreciation have further contributed to an increase in food prices. With agriculture as the main source of livelihood, the situation is expected to worsen if no action is taken.
As the crisis continues, these disparities intensify as conflict and displacement disrupt traditional livelihoods and strain already limited resources. The Gender Alert highlights that the main income sources for FHHs and male-headed households (MHHs) differ, with MHHs typically engaging in longer-term and higher-return livelihood activities, such as non-agricultural wage labor, agricultural wage labor, and mining. FHHs, on the other hand, rely more heavily on informal transfers, such as remittances. In fact, 10% of FHHs depend on informal transfers, compared to just 4% of MHHs. In this context, women struggle to meet their food security needs, as entrenched socio-cultural norms often restrict them to a narrow range of livelihood activities, which are typically less sustainable, and limit their participation in education.
Since June 2024, about 90,300 households (499,619 people) have been affected by heavy rains and flooding in 69 localities across 15 states. The unprecedented rainfall has led to widespread flooding throughout the country, hampering humanitarian efforts and causing further population displacement. Women and girls in displacement and host communities face heightened risks of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. The breakdown of community structures and legal protections has further compounded these challenges. Fifty-four percent of the 11 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are women, many of whom bear the dual burden of caregiving and seeking livelihoods for their families. This context underscores the critical need to advocate for more integrated gender-responsive strategies in food security interventions.
It is against this backdrop that UN Women seeks to engage the services of a consultant to draft the Third Edition of the Gender Alert. This Edition will focus on the impact of famine conditions in Sudan, specifically highlighting the disproportionate effects on women and girls. The consultancy will include an analysis of how famine has negatively impacted key sectors such as health, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), livelihoods, and the different coping strategies adopted by women and girls. This Gender Alert will serve as a critical advocacy tool for increased food and nutrition-related humanitarian interventions, national and international policy change, and a gender-sensitive approach to humanitarian response to the crisis. Work on the Fourth Gender Alert will begin immediately after the launch of the third one.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
To assess and document the impact of the famine in Sudan on displaced women and girls, and those from host communities, focusing on sectors such as health, education, and WASH. To analyze how the famine has contributed to the worsening of gender inequality and the increased reliance on coping mechanisms by women and girls. To identify actors engaged in responding to the famine, and the gender dimension of food distribution (official humanitarian actors, private sector, community members), and make recommendations on how to strengthen gender in the famine response. To provide actionable recommendations for improving humanitarian responses from a gender perspectiveKey Deliverables
Inception Report: Outlining the methodology, data sources, and framework for analysis. This will be submitted within one week of the contract start date. Gender Alert Draft: Detailing the findings from the research and analysis. Final version of the Gender Alert: Incorporating feedback from UN Womenโs team, ready for publication and dissemination.As a guideline, the Gender Alert shall consist of the following:
An overview of the famine situation in Sudan, including its gender dimension, scale, duration, and geographic focus, and the responses to famine at the macro, micro, and meso levels. The specific ways in which women and girls have been affected in terms of education, WASH, and livelihoods. An examination of both negative and positive coping strategies employed by women and girls, such as early marriage, survival sex, and labor exploitation. A discussion of the intersectionality of the crisis, considering factors such as age, disability, and geographic location. The level of engagement of womenโs rights organizations (WLOs) in the implementation of the Sudan famine response plan. Recommendations for gender-responsive interventions and policy adjustments.Methodology The consultant is expected to adopt a gender-responsive and participatory approach to data collection and analysis, including:
Review of available secondary data sources (reports, surveys, assessments, etc.) on the famineโs impact in Sudan, particularly those that include gender-disaggregated data. Key informant interviews (KIIs) with humanitarian actors, womenโs rights organizations, and local stakeholders, plus key humanitarian and UN agencies engaged in famine response. Focus group discussions with women and girls directly affected by the famine (in-person or remote, as feasible). Deliverable Expected completion time (due day)ย Payment Schedule (optional) Inception report and methodology approval: 25% of the total fee. TBC N/A Draft Gender Alert submission: 40% of the total fee. TBC N/A Final Gender Alert submission: 35% of the total fee. TBC N/AConsultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
Location: The consultancy will be home-based.Timeline: The consultancy will last for a period of 4 weeks, starting ย ASAP , .
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
Required Qualifications:
Advanced degree in gender studies, international development, humanitarian assistance, or a related field. A minimum of 10 years of professional experience working on gender issues in humanitarian or development settings. Proven expertise in conducting gender analyses and producing gender-sensitive reports. Familiarity with the humanitarian context in Sudan and the specific challenges faced by women and girls in conflict and post-conflict settings. Strong research, analytical, and writing skills. Knowledge of how famine affects food security and the ability to adapt interventions to be inclusive and sensitive to gender dynamics. Experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations is an asset.Languages:
Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledgeย any other UN official language is 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:
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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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