National Consultant – WE RISE Together Rapid Assessment in Lao PDR

I.  Contract Overview   Consultancy Title:  National Consultant – WE RISE Together Rapid Assessment in Lao PDR Location:               Home-based Practice Area: Women’s Economic Empowerment Type of Contract:  Individual Contract Category (Eligible applicants): External Post Type and Level: National Consultant Languages Required: English and Lao Starting Date:  1 May 2025 – 31 August 2025 Duration of Contract: 3 Months

II. Consultancy Assignment

Background/Context

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 2015, on 25 September, the United Nations General Assembly adopted unanimously the Resolution 70/1 Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender equality and women’s empowerment is at the heart of the agenda, as numerous goals and targets address structural barriers to achieve equal rights and opportunities between women and men, girls and boys.  

One of the key areas of concern is the economic empowerment of women. It is expressed in targets and indicators of SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 8 (Promote inclusive and sustainable development, decent work and employment for all). Progress toward it depends not only on the adoption of a set of public policies by governments, but also on the existence of an enabling environment and active engagement of the corporate sector. This is also relevant to the achievement of SDG 1 (Poverty Reduction), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities) and SDG 17 (Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development).  

WE RISE Together (WRT) – Advancing gender-responsive procurement in the Mekong sub-region is a four-year Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP) project developed by UN Women. It sits under MAP’s Economic Resilience Fund (MAP-ERF) and addresses its four drivers of resilience (including macroeconomic, household, business, and government resilience). The project responds to the prioritisation of women’s economic empowerment by expanding market access for Women-owned Businesses1 (WOBs) and Gender Responsive Enterprises1 (GREs) through procurement opportunities.   

WRT tackles the structural gender inequities that exist within the global procurement market in which WOBs secure only one per cent of spending worldwide.2 By introducing and advancing increased market access through gender-responsive procurement1 (GRP), WRT operates with the overall objective to empower more women to equally access, lead, and benefit from expanded market opportunities in the Mekong subregion.   

The project works across the Mekong subregion, namely in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, leveraging the capacity, network and insights build during its phase 1 implementation. The project will work towards three interlinked outcomes:  

Outcome 1: Increased awareness and commitment towards GRP at the ecosystem level & and more gender-responsive institutions through the collection of sex-disaggregated data & improved national data infrastructure  

Outcome 2: Strengthened national policies and public procurement systems that are aligned with Mekong and ASEAN frameworks  

Outcome 3: Increased market connections and opportunities for WOBs and GREs  

The purpose of this consultancy is to undertake a stakeholder mapping and a rapid assessment to inform the development of gender-responsive procurement (GRP) policies and programming in Lao PDR

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under the supervision and guidance of the WE RISE Together Regional Programme Manager, the service provider will undertake the following three main tasks: 

1. Conduct mapping of stakeholders in Lao PDR in the realm relevant to gender responsive procurement. Note that because GRP in Lao PDR is at a nascent stage, mapping of stakeholders in the context of very relevant but broader concepts including supplier diversity and inclusion, market access through procurement, and business-to-business relationships between WOBs/GREs and corporate and government buyers are expected to be included in the mapping. The mapping could include desk exercise and stakeholder consultations with selected organizations. The mapping will consist of list of stakeholders from the public, private and civil society sectors, their role in leading and contributing to GRP, the industry sector they operate in, their influence and overall progress these stakeholders have been making in Lao PDR. The mapping could be divided into four main groups: policymaking, demand side, supply side and supporting organizations. Supporting organizations may include those providing capacity building for WOBS/GREs, connecting WOBs/GREs to markets, providing financial support and investment, and facilitating business matching. The report should also provide recommendations on the capacity of potential implementing partners to support WRT. 

   Please refer to Annex I for Outline of the report 

   1. Desk and brief literature review of Lao PDR GRP landscape and profile consisting of 

      a) Review of existence and implementation laws (with reference to the constitution and other relevant laws), polices (both central and provincial administrations), infrastructure (platform both physical and E-platform), and existing good practices about women’s entrepreneurship policies in the specific context of access to market, procurement and GRP. This section could include definitions of Women-owned, women-led businesses (WOBs/WLBs) and GREs used in Lao PDR as well as regional policy alignment and benchmarks.

      b) Presence and profile of MSMES, particularly women-owned and led MSMEs and gender-responsive enterprises. UN Women expects the service provider to focus on but not limit to two sectors: tourism and consumer goods products (including but not limited to agricultural-food, food and beverage manufacturing, well-known locally produced products and retailing). 

       c) Presence and profile of public sector, private companies and support organizations in various industries and business sectors that are interested in diversity supply chain and GRP and processes and policies adopted by corporates in Lao PDR to encourage gender responsive procurement. UN Women expects the service provider to focus on but not limit to two sectors: tourism and consumer goods products (agricultural-food, food and beverage manufacturing, well-known locally produced products and retailing) 

      d) Recommendations on industry sector to be prioritized. While UN Women prefers that the service provider focuses the review on the tourism and consumer goods products sector, the service provider is encouraged to conduct rapid exercises to identify the most impactful industry sectors the programme should focus on taking into consideration impacts to most needed WOB/GREs, the needs of the buyers and public policy implication, within the timeframe of this program.

      Please refer to Annex I for Outline of the report

      1. Assessment of capacity of the demand side, supply side and connecting points or supporting organizations to understand their needs in order that more buying organizations have increased capacity to promote and implement GRP, more WOBs/GREs to access procurement systems. The assessment will highlight the challenges and barriers preventing the successful implementation of GRP and provide recommendations to strengthen WOBs/GREs by increasing the adoption of gender responsive supply chain. UN Women expects the service provider to focus on but not limit to three sectors: tourism and consumer goods products (including agricultural-food, food and beverage manufacturing, well-known locally produced products and retailing). This assessment may include both surveys and FGDs/KIIs and will be conducted in a participatory manner with UN Women WRT project team. The assessment should be conducted with a minimum of ten buying organizations and a minimum of 300 enterprises equally comprising WOBs/WLBs/GREs to the extent possible. The assessment should also include WOBs/WLBs/GREs market participation and opportunity as well as recommendations for action

         Deliverable  

         Deliverable Timeframe 

         Mapping of stakeholders

         30 May 2025

         Desk and brief literature review of Lao PDR GRP landscape and profile

         30 June 2025

         Assessment of capacity of the demand and supply sides to understand their needs

         Final Report

         📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

         ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

         31 July 2025

         Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

         This is a home-based consultancy. 

         Location:  Lao PDR

         III. Competencies 

         Core Values: 

         • Respect for Diversity 
         • Integrity 
         • Professionalism 

           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 Core Values and Competencies:   https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values  FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

             • Strong knowledge of the country’s gender responsive policy support ecosystem
             • Strong understanding of women’s economic empowerment and UN Women’s approach
             • Experience in writing analytical papers and reports

               IV. Required Qualifications

               Education and Certification:

               • Master’s degree or equivalent in Law, Economic, Political Science, Gender Studies, or other related fields.
               • 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 5 years of work experience in the field of social science research, including data collection, analysis and report writing as well as coordinating project with multiple team members 
                 • Proven experience in conducting rapid assessments, comparative legal analysis, and policy development, preferably in the context of public procurement, supplier diversity, and/or entrepreneurship laws and regulations.
                 • Familiarity with Lao PDR's legal framework and procurement legislation.
                 • Strong understanding of women’s economic empowerment or procurement system is required
                 • Work experience in writing analytical reports and briefs is required
                 • Familiarity with the UN system is an asset

                   Languages:

                   • Fluency in English and Lao is required.

                     V. How to Apply 

                     • P11 (Fill in application online)
                     • Please note that candidates who are shortlisted will be required to submit a writing sample e.g. analytical paper, research or publication in the area of gender and economics relevant to the assignment (1 piece in English) later.

                       At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.

                       Annex I: Scope of work and outline of the report

                       1. Conduct mapping of stakeholders in Lao PDR

                          Outline of the report: Database of stakeholders indicating their roles, industry sectors, influence, and overall progress of their work regarding GRP. 

                          Please note that an official report is not required in an official UN report format but rather a living updatable format suitable for further regular updates.

                          1. Desk and brief literature review of Lao PDR GRP landscape and profile

                             Outline of the report: The service provider will produce the outline for the report that will contain at least the

                             following: Executive summary of the findings, background, key findings, recommendations and annexes.

                             1. Assessment of capacity of the demand side, supply side and connecting points or supporting organizations to understand their needs

                                Examples of some of the sub-questions to be included in the assessment

                                Demand side

                                • What are the challenges faced at various decision levels to include WoBs and GREs in the supply chain?
                                • Sector/industry specific entry points?
                                • If no gender responsive procurement policies have been adopted, what will motivate the corporate and the public sector to adopt/ commit?

                                  Supply side

                                  • Challenges faced by WOBs/WLBs and GREs. Some of the challenges include, but not limited to access to finance, networks, markets, financial and business literacy, and technological capacity and access.

                                    Connection Points

                                    • As GRP is a new concept to Lao PDR, does level of awareness of GRP affect how the organizations support WOBs/WLBs and GREs?
                                    • Identification of gaps and opportunities to facilitate connections between the demand and the supply sides.

                                      Outline of the report: UN Women may decide to share some versions of the assessment with its counterparts and the public, the assessment report is therefore required to be in an official UN Women report format adhering to the corporate style guides. The service provider will produce the outline for the report that will contain Executive summary of the findings, background, a research methodology, workplan, research tools for qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, key findings, limitations of the study and recommendations. The inception report must include a draft structure (table of contents of the final report).