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.
In support of the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women (NSEEW), the work of the UN Women Egypt Country Office (ECO) is grounded in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). Under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2023-2027), UN Women ECO implements its triple mandate of supporting normative standard-setting to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, working with the Government of Egypt, civil society, and the private sector on implementing international and national commitments and best practices, and strengthening UN system coordination in this regard.
The Government of Egypt has declared women’s empowerment to be an important goal with a high level of political support illustrated in both the Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy (Vision 2030) and the NSEEW. Women’s empowerment is also a main pillar of the UNSDCF 2023-2027. UN Women considers women’s economic empowerment – which includes facilitating gainful employment and decent work opportunities, including entrepreneurship as well as safe work environments – as central to realising women’s rights and gender equality. Women’s economic empowerment includes women’s ability to participate equally in existing markets; their access to and control over productive resources, access to decent work, control over their own time, lives and bodies; and increased voice and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels. Empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world of work are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the SGDs, particularly Goal 5, to achieve gender equality, and Goal 8, to promote full and productive employment and decent work for all; also Goal 1 on ending poverty, Goal 2 on food security, Goal 3 on ensuring health and Goal 10 on reducing inequalities.
Access to formal financial services (such as capital, savings accounts, loans and insurance) has been shown to help women sustain their own income, increase their access and control over resources, such as assets, and contribute to productive activities. It also contributes to reducing women’s financial dependency on male family members, increases their bargaining power within households and boosts their influence on decision-making besides making women less vulnerable and more resilient to crises like the COVID-19 through access to funds to meet unexpected expenses. Furthermore, access to financial technology makes it possible to access funds remotely.
“Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion in Rural Egypt” programme contributes to the National Women’s Financial Inclusion Programme -known by “Ta7wisha” (means savings) implemented with the leadership of the National Council of Women and the Central Bank of Egypt in close partnership with UN Women Egypt and is funded by the European Union and the Embassy of the Netherlands.
“Ta7wisha” introduces a fully digital version of the traditional Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) through its innovative mobile application. The programme aims to benefit rural women and women living at risk of poverty through increased savings, access to individual and group bank accounts, and skills development including business management, leadership, entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy. In addition, Ta7wisinto supports the establishment of women-led productive clusters and integrate them in relevant value chains and markets. This transformative approach creates a unique opportunity for rural women to significantly advance their economic empowerment and financial independence.
Saving Groups (SGs) are comprised of 15-25 women from the same community, often neighbors in the same village, who express willingness and interest to join, pool their savings together, and give loans to their members out of the accumulated savings of the group. “Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion in Rural Egypt” programme aims to reach to 160,000 women in 10 governorates (Beni Suef, Minya, Aswan, Luxor, Alexandria, Beheira, Kafr Elsheikh, Gharbia, Assiut and Sohag). To achieve this, the programme has two main outcomes:
Outcome 1: Rural women are socially and economically empowered through their participation in Savings Groups across Egypt to access basic financial services and build their financial and economic capabilities. (Implemented with the leadership of the National Council for Women)
Outcome 2: Women are economically and financially empowered and women led clusters/enterprises are better integrated into existing value chains and markets. Through the below indicative activities:
Facilitate partnerships between the private sector and/or agencies promoting women’s enterprises with organic clusters Support clusters of small-scale women entrepreneurs to start new businesses or expand existing ones through provision of in-kind grants in addition to business assistance, through soft-skills and/or vocational training. Facilitate linkages between women’s enterprises/clusters and local Micro Finance Institutions [MFIs] (NGOs or companies).The consultant will report to the Financial Inclusion Programme Analyst at UN Women and will be supported by Programme Assistant who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.
Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work
the primary objective of this consultancy is to raise and upgrade the efficiency of microfinance associations operating in the Egyptian market in close coordination with the Financial Regulatory Authority. Building these associations institutional capacities will qualify them to design and implement gender lens investing mechanisms to reach the largest segment of financially marginalized groups (akin members of the saving groups (SGs) [Tahwisha]) to help the latter be integrated into the formal economy and financial market.
Financial Companies are the most capable entities to reach financially marginalized groups in all regions and governorates of Egypt, which increases the importance of the funds they provide, and helps integrate the SGs’ members and hence contributes to achieving the financial inclusion strategy of the country, promotes job creation, sustainable development and economic growth to facilitate linkages between women members of Tahwisha and local MFIs in ten governorates[1] following an appealing design for a gender themed financial product that meets the criteria of Tahwisha members and following the concept of Tahwisha “Saving and Lending” methodology to ensure sustainable impact and access to finance for women.
The main deliverables expected out of this assignment are building the capacity of FRA affiliated companies on gender and sustainable financing through a tiered approach that includes capacity needs assessment, designing and delivering training materials on gender lens investing, gender themed financial products, and gender responsive evaluation for financing products.
To achieve this, the activities should include a design phase following discussions with FRA to design an appealing programme for MFIs affiliated with FRA.
Scope of Work
Hold discussions with FRA to map the capacity needs for FRA affiliated MFIs. Design training materials on gender investing lens and gender responsive evaluation for MFIs, etc. Deliver capacity building workshops for MFIs on gender themed financial products building on the model and the needs of Tahwisha saving groups. Design a workplan for FRA affiliated MFIs for possible connection with Tahwisha segmented groups to extend the financial and non-financial services to them. Collect the required M&E data as required from the field such as (attendance records, post training evaluations, etc.) Collaborate with UN Women MFIs/NGOs consultant for possible synergy and maximum impact. Carry out other pertinent tasks as might be needed based on the outcome of the activities to ensure sustainable impact.Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy.
As part of this assignment, there will be no possible trips.
[1] Tahwisha is implemented mainly in 4 governorates that include Beni-Suef, Minya, Assiut and Sohag. The programme has expanded to additional 6 governorates that include Beheira, Kafr Elsheikh, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, and Gharbia.
II. 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:
Financial management Monitoring and evaluation Ability to communicate sensitively across different focal points Stakeholder engagement Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills Data management and analysis Logistics management Excellent facilitation and coordination skills Knowledge and understanding of the UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processesIII. Required Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Master’s degree or equivalent in finance, social sciences, economics, gender development studies, or other relevant areas of expertise 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 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in economics, microfinance including training skills is required. Familiarity with gender issues, development challenges and context of rural areas in Egypt as well as solid understanding of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment issues is required. Demonstrate ability to work with government partners, NGOs, MFIs and community stakeholders is required. Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently is a plus.Languages:
Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of any other UN official (French) is an asset.IV. 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.