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 Ukraine, by 2029, UN Women aims to ensure that more women and girls, including those at the greatest risk of being left behind, lead, influence, and benefit from inclusive gender-responsive humanitarian action, governance, recovery, rights, and economic growth.

One of the priorities of UN Women’s work in Ukraine focuses on enhancing national and local capacities of government, women’s rights organizations (WROs), and women activists to drive gender-responsive governance, advance the EU accession process, and implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda while safeguarding the rule of law, human rights and gender equality.

UN Women has supported the governmental institutions with the development of gender equality legal framework, including the State Strategy on Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men till 2030 and its respective Action Plans, National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security for the Period Until 2030; alignment of national legal framework with the EU Gender Equality acquis and standards on Ukraine’s way to the European Union. 

UN Women Country Office in Ukraine will continue to support the Government of Ukraine with implementation and monitoring of Ukraine’s national and international commitments on GEWE, including Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), UNSCR 1325 and others, as well as with the development/update of the national legal framework further aligned with international and EU standards. 

As part of the National Women’s Machinery, the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity (MoSPFU) is the specially authorized central executive body responsible for development and implementation of state gender equality policy. Therefore, UN Women considers provision of expert and technical support on gender equality policy drafting, implementation and monitoring to the Ministry one of key priorities of its work.  

The State Strategy on Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men till 2030 and its respective Action Plans is a comprehensive strategic document which defines priority consolidated actions of the central executive bodies and local authorities, CSOs and other stakeholders for advancing gender equality in the Ukrainian society. The newly approved National Programme on Adaptation of the EU Acquis (NPAA) is putting the key priorities on the way of Ukrainian EU accession.

Taking the above into account, UN Women is looking for a National Consultant on Gender Mainstreaming to the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine to provide expert and technical support with development of gender-responsive legal framework, implementation and monitoring of the state gender equality commitments, as well as creation of respective tools , including as per the tasks defined by the State Strategy on Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men till 2030, its respective Operational Plan, and the NPAA.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

The consultant will be reporting to Programme Management Specialist, and will be supported by Programme Analyst, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks developed in coordination with the MoSPFU and UN Women: 

• Expert support with development of policy and legal framework aligned with international standards and EU gender equality acquis.
• Expert support with monitoring of implementation of international gender equality commitments, including preparation of reports on implementation of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life, etc.
• Expert and technical support with organization of multistakeholder consultations, public discussions, round tables, meetings related to various aspects of development, implementation and monitoring of state gender equality commitments.
• Expert advice with development of tools to better implement and further monitor obligations under national and international gender equality frameworks.
• To ensure knowledge sharing, coordination, preparation and facilitation of capacity building events for state institutions and other stakeholders on as needed basis.
• Provide other support with the tasks assigned by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity in coordination with UN Women as per the Scope of work identified by this ToR.

Outputs 

All reports should be submitted in English language and include the full set of supporting documents, such as analytical briefs, monitoring reports, draft policies and laws, concept notes and agendas, presentations etc. The supporting documents can be submitted in Ukrainian.

 Inputs 

• The Consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer. 
• The Consultant is expected to take mandatory UN Women trainings.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultancy requires work from home. The consultant will have to support organization and facilitate public consultations in Kyiv as agreed with UN Women and the Ministry. Visits to UN Women Office on as needed basis. 

Travel is not anticipated by the assignment, in case the need to travel arises, all travel arrangements will be made based on UN Women’s rules and regulations. 

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:

• Good analytical skills. 
• Ability to work with various monitoring and reporting tools. 
• Strong interpersonal skills to build alliances, negotiate.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team, contributing constructively to shared objectives.
• Ability to adjust priorities and approaches as needed. 

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Advanced (Master’s) degree or equivalent in public administration, law, economics, social science, international relations, human rights, 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 2 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) in the field of human rights and/or gender equality, governance and public administration, gender-responsive policies development, or other related fields;   
• Proven experience with conducting gender analysis of national legislation and policy documents as well as providing expert advice on improvement of national legal framework on gender equality and women’s empowerment; 
• Previous experience of providing advisory/technical support to the government institutions on the issues of GEWE. 
• Experience with coordination and technical support of meetings and consultations with government authorities;
• Proven understanding of human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and national and international GEWE commitments in Ukraine. 

Languages:

• Fluency in Ukrainian, working level of English is required.

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.