National Consultant For Microfinance Institutions Engagement - Home Based With Possible Frequent Travels to Assiut, Beni-Suef, Sohag, Beheira, Kafr El Sheikh, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Minya, Gharbia (Local post for nationals of Egypt)

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, Ta7wisha 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:

The consultant will report to the Programme Analyst(s) 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

Under the direct supervision of the Programme’s Analyst for the Financial Inclusion Programme, 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 Central Bank of Egypt, the Financial Regulatory Authority, and the Egyptian Federation for Financing Medium, Small and Micro Projects. The focus is on the governorates of focus of Tahwisha while considering the national context of the programme. Building these associations institutional capacities will qualify them to obtain financing and reach the largest segment of financially marginalized groups (akin members of the saving groups (SGs) [Tahwisha]) which will help them be integrated into the formal economy and financial market. 

Microfinance associations includes Business Associations, non-governmental organizations, MSMEs Development Agency (MSMEDA) and 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 support them in obtaining funds, which contributes to achieving the financial inclusion strategy of the country and the Central Bank, promotes job creation, sustainable development and economic growth.

The main result expected out of this assignment is 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. 

To achieve this, the activities should include a design phase following discussions on product specifications, community buy-in, market expansion and coverage, and institutional partnerships.

Scope of Work

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. 

As part of this assignment, there will be possible trips to Assiut, Beni-Suef, Sohag, Beheira, Kafr Elsheikh, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Minya, Gharbia. 

[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:

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

III. Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

Experience:

Languages:

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.