UN Women - Consultant Experts to develop a background paper on Women’s Access to Justice in Africa for CSW70 (2026) and to draft the Common Africa Position Document

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.

Guided by its triple mandate (normative support, UN system coordination, and operational activities) UN Women’s Liaison Office to the African Union and UNECA, in collaboration with the three Regional Offices (ESARO, WCARO, ROAS), AU Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD), UNDP, UNECA, and UNFPA, provides substantive support to Member States and stakeholders. This support ensures stronger gender perspectives in Africa’s intergovernmental processes, particularly those linked to sustainable development, financing for development, macroeconomic policies, poverty eradication, and related agendas.

The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) will focus on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers. In this context, Africa’s preparations will be anchored in continental legal and policy frameworks, including the Maputo Protocol, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other AU commitments.

In preparing for CSW70, Africa’s engagement will also be informed by broader continental commitments, notably Beijing+30 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Anchoring the process in these frameworks will ensure coherence across global and regional agendas, while positioning women’s access to justice as central to Africa’s long-term development trajectory. 

At the Africa level, UN Women will support both expert group consultations and ministerial consultations, which will inform and lead to the development of the Common Africa Position Paper for CSW70. These consultations will ensure alignment with Africa’s gender equality frameworks and amplify the continent’s priorities in the global negotiations.

The consultants will be reporting to the UN Women Special Representative to the AU and UNECA. The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and Coordination Analyst will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues. 

Objectives of the Consultancy

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Special Representative to the AU and UNECA, the International Consultants collaborate on the following:

1. Develop a comprehensive background report on women’s access to justice in Africa, grounded in African legal and policy frameworks and practices.
2. Support the drafting of agendas for expert and ministerial consultations.
3. Contribute/support to the drafting of the Common Africa Position Paper, with action-oriented recommendations.
4. Ensure the background report and Common Africa Position are explicitly aligned with Africa’s broader policy frameworks, including Beijing+30 and Agenda 2063, thereby situating women’s access to justice within the continent’s long-term development and gender equality priorities.

   Description of Responsibilities/Scope of Work

   1. Conduct a comprehensive literature review and desk research on the theme of the year.
   2. Identify and map relevant organizations with expertise on the theme of the year that could engage in and contribute to the process.
   3. Prepare the background document for Africa’s pre-CSW70 consultations.
   4. Support the development of the agenda for both the Expert and Ministerial level consultations.
   5. Prepare draft Africa Position Document on pre-CSW70
   6. Ensure that all outputs (background document, agendas, and the draft Common Africa Position) are explicitly aligned with continental frameworks such as Beijing+30, the Maputo Protocol, and Agenda 2063, and reflect synergies with global commitments including CEDAW and the SDGs, and input and comments are incorporated. 
   7. Facilitate incorporation of Member State and civil society perspectives into the process to ensure the Common Africa Position reflects broad ownership and actionable priorities. 
   8. Prepare report capturing key points from both the Experts Group Meeting and Ministerial consultations.

      Expected deliverables:

      Deliverables

      Timeline

      Products

      Payment Schedule

      Inception report with detailed work plan and time frame

      10th October

      Inception Report

       

       

       

       

       

      100%

      Draft comprehensive background document on women’s access to justice in Africa, grounded in African legal and policy frameworks, and explicitly linked to Beijing+30 and Agenda 2063 commitments.

      22nd October 

      Background document 

       

      Organize a validation session for the background document  

      27th October 

      Validation session

       

      Submit final background document and Power Point Presentation with incorporated comments received during the validation session

      5th November

      Final Background document and Power Point Presentation

       

      Review and provide substantive input to the draft agenda for both Experts and Ministerial consultations

      10th October – 20th November 

      Final Agenda with recommended speakers and moderators

      📚 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!

        Support the drafting of the Common Africa Position document on pre-CSW70, ensuring coherence with AU gender equality frameworks (Maputo Protocol, Solemn Declaration, Agenda 2063) and incorporating inputs from Experts and Ministerial consultations

       24th November – 26th November

       CAP

       

      End of consultancy Report and Report capturing key points from both the Experts Group Meeting and Ministerial consultations

      15th December 

      Final report

       

      PowerPoint presentation summarizing the key findings and recommendations of the background document and the Common Africa Position, to be used for advocacy and briefing Member States

       

       

       

      Annotated bibliography or reference compendium of African legal and policy instruments, case studies, and academic work on women’s access to justice to support Member States’ preparations for CSW70

       

       

       

      Executive summary or policy brief (5–7 pages) drawn from the background document, tailored for policy-makers and Ministers

       

       

       

      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:

          • In-depth knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues.
          • Demonstrated ability to produce clear reports and guidance with in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations in English in the relevant field.
          • Good communication, facilitation and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships.
          • Ability to complete complex assignments in a timely manner and delivery quality results. 

            Required Qualifications and Experience:

            Experience:

            • At least 10 years programme experience in women access to justice, discriminatory laws, women’s rights, gender equality, women’s empowerment, policy analysis, drafting of intergovernmental policy outcome documents, or related field relevant for the pre-CSW70 theme of the year within the Africa region.
            • Previous experience in leading research, analytical work and policy analysis on women access to justice in Africa.
            • Previous professional experience with development agencies and/or the United Nations, African Union, and African Union Member States.

              Education and Certification:

              • Masters degree or above in social science such as gender studies, sociology, public administration, or a 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.

                Language:

                • Fluency in English is required. 
                • Fluency in French is an asset. 
                • Knowledge of any other UN official language (Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic) is an asset.

                  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.