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.
Between 2022 and 2024, the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) supported a series of dialogues at both regional and national levels to review progress, identify challenges, and explore solutions for implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. In Central Asia, these dialogues led to the development of a detailed justification for a subregional policy or action plan to advance WPS implementation.ย
These consultations helped identify gaps and opportunities for collaboration, highlighted the benefits of a coordinated regional approach, and proposed key priorities and actions for the practical implementation of the WPS agenda in the Central Asian context. The dialogues also revealed a clear need to integrate intergenerational perspectives into WPS implementation.ย
In 2025, UN Women ECARO plans to support the development of this subregional WPS policy/plan in an inclusive and effective manner. This process will engage a broad range of stakeholders to build consensus around a common vision, identify both short- and long-term priorities, and foster cooperation in the implementation of the WPS agenda.
To support this effort, UN Women ECARO intends to recruit a Lead Expert on WPSย who will work under the overall supervision of the Regional WPS Policy Advisor and in close coordination with partners across the region.
Scope of Work / Description of Responsibilities
The Lead Expert will be responsible for the following tasks:
Context analysis:
Conduct a comprehensive desk review of relevant documents and reports from state and non-state actors related to peace and security, including their contributions to the WPS agenda.Stakeholderย consultations andย engagement:
Design and lead multi-stakeholder consultations on the strategic visioning and implementation of the WPS agenda in Central Asia, ensuring synergies with the Sendai Framework Gender Action Plan, EVAW policies, and other intersectoral frameworks. Organize and facilitate online consultation workshops with partners across five Central Asian countries. Prepare consultation materials, including the methodology, concept note, and agenda for both wide consultations and validation meetings. Lead and facilitate validation meeting/s focused on the Theory of Change, key priorities, and actionable solutions for the subregional WPS Regional Action Plan (RAP). Organize targeted online consultations with youth activists and networks to capture their perspectives and define youth-specific priorities for inclusion in the WPS RAP.Tools and data collection - develop a standardized tool for data and feedback collection to track and document priorities, needs, gaps, challenges, and proposed solutions related to WPS implementation in the subregion.
Analysis and reporting:
Consolidate findings from desk reviews and consultations into a SWOT analysis and a summary document, highlighting key youth priorities, recommended actions, and mechanisms for tracking progress. Prepare and present an advanced draft of the WPS Regional Action Plan (RAP) to key stakeholders and report on the progress of validation efforts.Partnerships andย strategicย alignment:
Map existing partners actively engaged in WPS and cross-cutting areas such as gender equality, youth engagement, and resilience-building. Identify potential partnerships based on expected results, levels of engagement, and modalities for technical and financial support for proposed actions. Ensure full alignment of the WPS RAP with global UN frameworks, including the Pact for the Future, New Agenda for Peace, UNSC Resolutions on WPS, and other relevant commitments, while adapting approaches to the regional context.Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E):
Review the existing practices of M&E framework to track a progress on WPS agenda implementation. Develop a comprehensive monitoring plan that clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of RAP partners, identifies relevant data sources, specifies data collection toolkits and methodologies, sets the frequency of data collection, and defines standardized reporting formats and timelines. Validate M&E plan with key stakeholders engaged.Advocacy and Communication:
Lead the development of an advocacy package that clearly communicates the value and impact of integrating youth into WPS efforts and promotes multi-stakeholder support for the implementation of the subregional RAP. Deliverables Expected completion time (due day)ย Payment Schedule (optional) Summary of findings of the desk review of policies and mapping of partnersย By 25 May 2025 Upon certification of the quality deliveryย A detailed report summarizing the findings from the online consultations with key stakeholders in the sub-region (with a focus on expert communities, CSOs, and intersectoral practitioners) By 1 July 2025 Upon certification of the quality deliveryA package for the RAP, including Theory of Change, results and actions framework, M&Eย
Documented contribution to an advocacy brief/package to communicate the added value of youth engagement in WPS to key stakeholders and donors.
By 25 August 2025 Upon certification of the quality deliveryConsultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy.
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:FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:ย
Strong knowledge of gender equality and womenโs empowerment and their intergenerational dimensions At least 5 yearsโ experience in the Central Asia region on gender equality and peace and development issues (country specific and regional experience).ย Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience Excellent negotiation, advocacy and interpersonal skills Proven expertise in writing cogent and convincing documents on GEWE Strong communications and public speaking skills Proven analytical and problem solving skills Strong understanding of GEWE intergovernmental processes and international platformsย Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and NGO partnersRequired Qualifications
Education and Certification:
MA degree on human rights or gender quality.ยExperience:
At least 5 years of active participation in gender-related development programmes is required.ย Experience with UN Women in Central Asia. Prior experience in the Central Asia region is required.ย Preference will be given to candidates with direct affiliation and experience in countries of Central AsiaLanguages:
Fluency in English and Russian 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,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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