National Consultant-Undertaking the task of Preparing a consolidated result report and policy brief on the assessment of sectors on the leveling tool and undertaking the task of contextualizing the Leveling Tool for Civil Society Organizati

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.

The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA) is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that policies, development programs, and projects initiated by Federal Government organs incorporate gender considerations. This mandate is derived from Proclamation No.1263/2021, Article 10(1), which grants the Ministry the authority to oversee and regulate gender mainstreaming efforts across sectors. Gender mainstreaming serves as the principal strategy to achieve gender equality by integrating gender perspectives into all levels of policy-making and implementation. To institutionalize this approach, MoWSA has developed a standardized leveling tool designed to measure and assess sectoral performance in advancing gender mainstreaming and women's empowerment. This tool provides a structured and progressive assessment framework that categorizes institutions based on their gender responsiveness, ranging from gender-neutral to gender-aware, gender-sensitive, gender-responsive, and ultimately gender-transformative. The tool functions as a dynamic instrument that is periodically reviewed and revised to reflect progress and evolving priorities in gender mainstreaming efforts.

Recognizing the need for a systematic evaluation of gender equality and women's empowerment (GEWE) commitments, UN Women has partnered with MoWSA to enhance the implementation of the Performance Leveling Tool. This tool enables sector ministries to be assessed against a set of predefined indicators tailored to their specific mandates and responsibilities. Over time, revisions have been made to the tool to address gaps identified in previous assessments and to align with MoWSA’s evolving role in holding sectors accountable for their GEWE commitments. The structured assessment mechanism ensures that institutions are not only evaluated but also provided with actionable insights to enhance their gender mainstreaming efforts. By integrating this tool, the government strengthens its ability to monitor progress, identify challenges, and implement corrective measures for more effective gender-responsive governance.

   With technical and financial support from UN Women, the revised Performance Leveling Tool was piloted with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) before being expanded for use across all sector ministries. Through a series of structured leveling exercises, ministries were systematically evaluated, allowing for comparative analysis and targeted interventions. Following the completion of these assessments, a recognition event was organized to award those sectors that have performed well, and tailored capacity building support was provided to 16 sectors based on the gaps identified in the leveling exercise.

MoWSA, in collaboration with the UN Women, has initiated efforts to draft a comprehensive assessment report and develop policy briefs that summarize key findings. Additionally, there are ongoing plans to further refine and contextualize the tool to ensure its applicability beyond government institutions, extending its use to private sector organizations and civil society organizations (CSOs). This strategic expansion aims to create a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to gender mainstreaming, ensuring that efforts towards women's empowerment are embedded across all societal sectors.

To this effect, UN is planning to hire a national consultant to draft the result report and policy brief and contextualize the tool.

Objective 
The primary objective of the consultancy will be drafting the result report of the assessment of sectors and policy brief from the findings and undertaking the task of contextualizing the tool to make it applicable to private sectors and Civil Society Organizations.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities
-    Draft the Consolidated Leveling Assessment Report incorporating the findings and gaps identified during the assessment process 
-    Draft Policy Brief on the Leveling Results for high level policy makers
-    Contextualize the Tool in a way to be applicable to private sectors and Civil Society Organizations
EXPECTED OUTCOME
-    Consolidated Leveling Assessment Report 
-    Policy Brief
-    Leveling tool contextualized to the needs of private sector and CSOs

Deliverables

-The key deliverables for this assignment include:
-Inception Report: Detailed work plan and methodology.
-Detailed Assessment Result report
-Policy Brief
-Draft Leveling Tool for Private Sectors and CSOs
-Validation Workshop with the technical team and other relevant stakeholders
-Final Assessment Report and Policy Brief, and Leveling Tool integrating inputs from the validation workshop 
Timeline

The Consultancy is expected to be completed in 25 working days within two months from 15 April – 15 June 2025. The timeline for key deliverables is as follows:

Educational Background
A minimum of post graduate degree (MA or PhD) in gender and development studies, human rights, law, international relations, political science, or related field.

A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Professional Background
•     At least 10 years’ experience working on gender equality and women’s empowerment,
•     Experience working on similar or comparable assignments, particularly in development of analysis reports and policy briefs
•     Strong knowledge of international and regional legal and policy issues and particularly on gender equality and women’s empowerment is essential,
•     Knowledge of accountability frameworks for gender equality both in government, CSOs and private sector
•     Demonstrated skill in drafting reports.

Language
•     : Fluency in English is required and Knowledge of Amharic is desirable.

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

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

Functional Competencies:

-    Sound expertise in gender equality and women’s empowerment
-    Experience in preparing international and regional reports,
-    Academic and practical research experience.
-    Capacity to work with diverse partners including governments, donors and civil society.
-    Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds,
-    Ability to produce well-written documents,
-    Demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills.
 

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.