UN Women: International expert in gender equality and climate change, Tirane Albania, Individual Contract

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. 

UN Women actively addresses the inequalities related to climate change in alignment with its Strategic Plan (SP 2022-2025)[1]. The SP prioritizes women’s leadership, resilience, and participation in climate action by advocating for gender-responsive policies, strengthening women’s access to climate finance, and promoting their role in disaster risk reduction. Through this approach, UN Women supports the implementation of key global commitments, including CEDAW General Recommendation No. 37[2], which underscores the need for gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction strategies, the Beijing+30 Review, which will assess progress on gender equality in climate governance, and the Enhanced Gender Action Plan under the Paris Agreement, which calls for integrating gender considerations across all climate policies and actions. By embedding gender equality in climate responses, UN Women ensures that climate actions and policies are inclusive, effective, and transformative at all levels.

The intersection of gender equality and climate change presents significant challenges to livelihoods, health, safety, and security, particularly for women and girls. Recent studies have highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls in Albania, particularly in rural areas. As primary caregivers and agricultural workers, women face increased workloads during extreme weather events. The climate crisis further exacerbates existing gender disparities, including unequal access to resources and energy, widening the pay gap, increasing poverty rates, and limiting women’s ownership of assets. These structural inequalities constrain their ability to recover from climate shocks, making them more vulnerable to the long-term economic and social consequences of environmental change. In addition, as Albanian women predominantly engage in informal or unpaid agricultural work, it is challenging for them to cope with climate change effects. Agriculture accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 40% of the workforce in the country. Women’s vulnerability in this area is exacerbated by limited access to resources and financial services, hindering their ability to adapt to environmental changes. Consequently, climate-induced disruptions in agriculture can lead to reduced income and employment prospects for women, perpetuating economic disparities and limiting their participation in sustainable livelihoods[3].

Although existing reports underline the broader gendered impacts of climate change in Albania, there is limited research and data available on this issue and there is a need for more targeted studies to better understand and address the complex intersection of climate change, gender roles in the Albanian context. In addition, Albania’s policy frameworks have yet to fully integrate a gender-responsive approach. While these frameworks acknowledge the broader impacts of climate change and disaster risks, they lack specific provisions addressing the unique vulnerabilities faced by women and girls. The NECP, which outlines Albania’s energy transition and climate objectives up to 2030, remains largely gender-neutral, failing to recognize the differentiated impacts of energy policies on women and their role in sustainable energy solutions. Similarly, while the NDRRS (2023–2030) aligns with international commitments such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, its gender components require further strengthening to ensure that disaster preparedness and response strategies adequately account for women’s needs and leadership. 

Recognizing the gender dimensions of climate change is essential to address vulnerabilities requires availability of sex-disaggregated data and solid evidence to be used in relevant policies and plans, aiming to promote resilience, and leverage gender equality as a driver of climate adaptation.

In Albania, the UN Women Country Office is committed to increasing the availability of evidence and knowledge on the impact of climate change on women and girls and ensuring that national climate policies and programs reflect the needs, vulnerabilities, and contributions of women. With support from the Embassy of Sweden, UN Women has received funding to implement is Strategic Note (SN 2022-2026) including SN outcome 2 “By 2026, all persons benefit from, and contribute to, innovative and integrated policy solutions that accelerate sustainable, productive and inclusive development, enhanced climate change adaptation and mitigation and transition to a green and blue economy”. As part of this work, UN Women Albania is seeking to recruit an international expert to lead a data collection and assessment initiative on gender equality and climate change in Albania. These efforts will also support the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Outcome 2  , and the implementation of several SDGs such as SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 13 Climate Action, SDG 1 No poverty, SDG 10, Reduced Inequality.

The consultant will be working closely with the national expert, reporting to relevant project managers in the UN Women Albania Country Office and to the Head of Programme, will be responsible for the following:

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The assessment should include the following:

Deliverables

Inputs into a comprehensive review of existing literature, guidelines, and best practices related to gender equality and climate change, in Albania and in the region

By mid June 2025

Inputs into a list/mapping of key stakeholders/interviewees/people of influence and interest in Albania on to GEWE and climate change Questionaries/surveys/data collection tools tailored to the target audiences and institutions at central and local level, women living in rural areas and/or those most directly impacted by climate change Relevant mission reports following trips to Albania

By end of August 2025

Survey results and interviews with identified stakeholders  Draft report with analyses of interview findings, desk review etc. and to be shared for feedback, including a dedicated chapter on GRB and climate change By end of September 2025 A final assessment which would include a country analyses and concrete recommendations

By end of November 2025

Inputs into Power point Presentation of main analyses finding and recommendations

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. 

As part of this assignment, there will be at least 1 trip to Tirana and relevant municipalities (to be identified by the consultant as part of the methodology)

[1] UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/UN-Women-Strategic-Plan-2022-2025-brochure-en.pdf 

[2] Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) - CEDAW/C/GC/37 - General recommendation No. 37 (2018) on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change 

 https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CEDAW%2FC%2FGC%2F37&Lang=en 

[3] Addressing the greatest development challenge of our time https://albania.un.org/en/174078-addressing-greatest-development-challenge-our-time 

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

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

Functional Competencies:

Education and Certification:

Experience:

Languages:

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.