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’s corporate approach to the engagement with Civil Society

Following UN Women’s establishment in 2011, partnership with civil society has been aimed at strengthening political solidarity and feminist movement building to effect impactful actions. Founded on the principle of leaving no one behind (Agenda 2030), this relationship is premised on the reality that women and girls suffer intersectional discrimination based on their gender, race, class, sexual orientation, age, disability, social status, location, ethnicity, etc.

To formalize and operationalize the partnerships with women’s CSOs, UN Women has established global, regional, and national Civil Society Advisory Groups (hereinafter – CSAGs) to serve as forums for dialogue and sustained engagement. Currently, there are over 40 CSAGs established at a national level worldwide.

UN Women works in partnership with CSOs to bring their voices, capacities, and contributions in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment, notably to those most likely to be left behind.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective:

The objective of this consultancy is to support UN Women in strengthening and enhancing the engagement with the CSAG in Kazakhstan. The consultant, working on a part-time basis, will provide technical expertise and facilitate the effective functioning of CSAG, promoting its role in shaping policies, programmes, and initiatives related to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Duration of the contract and location:

The contract is expected to commence in June 2024 and come to an end upon the satisfactory completion of the services in December 2024. The consultant will be based in Astana or Almaty but may be required to travel within Kazakhstan as necessary to fulfill the tasks.

Direct Supervision:

The tasks will be performed under the direct supervision of the UN Women Head of Office Ad Interim

Outputs/Deliverables:

1. CSAG Coordination and Facilitation

• Coordinate and facilitate regular meetings and activities of the CSAG, ensuring effective communication and collaboration between members. It includes but is not limited to the development of meeting concept notes, agendas, overall organization in online and/or offline formats, reports, materials, and briefs.
• Support the development and implementation of an annual work plan for CSAG, including the identification of key priorities, activities, and deliverables, regular coordination, and monitoring of the annual work plan implementation.

1. Policy and Advocacy Support

• Regularly analyse gender equality and women’s empowerment context and current situation on the global, regional, and national levels, policy frameworks, and best practices, inform CSAG, and suggest joint actions and initiatives. Contribute to CSAG visibility in coordination and cooperation with the UN Women Communications team under the Guidance of the Head of Office a.i.

1. Networking and Partnership Building

• Foster partnerships and collaborations between CSAG and academia, media, and other stakeholders working on gender equality and women’s rights.
• Identify opportunities for resource mobilization and partnership development to support CSAG’s activities and sustainability.

The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following:

a. Development of the UN Women CSAG Annual Work Plan 2024-2025 with the budget and consolidated calendar of events.

b. Monthly reports on CSAG activities, progress, and challenges, including recommendations for improvement.

c. Bi-annual and annual report summarizing CSAG’s achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for future work.

d. Policy briefs, position papers, or other advocacy materials developed in collaboration with CSAG members.

e. Documentation and dissemination of good practices and success stories related to CSAG’s engagement.

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Application Process

The application should include:

• Personal History Form (P-11 form) – including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted;
• Technical proposal describing how the expected assignment will be performed. The technical proposal should also include supporting materials to learn about candidate’s experience and skills.

Evaluation process

Candidates will be evaluated based on set technical qualification requirements:

#	Evaluation Criteria	Scoring schedule
1	University Degree in social or development studies, education, public policy, gender studies, management of organizations and other related fields	Yes – 150 points No – 0 points
2	Minimum five years of professional experience in work with/in Civil Society Organisations focused on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women is required.	Yes – 500 points No – 0 points
3	Applicant should have strong analytical and strategic communications skills.	Yes – 100 points No – 0 points
4	Previous experience with UN and/ or other international organization	Yes – 100 points No – 0 points
4	Fluency in written and spoken Kazakh and Russian	Yes – 100 points No – 0 points
5	Knowledge of English	Yes – 50 points No – 0 points

Kindly note, that the system will only allow one attachment, hence all supporting document

e.g. P11, CV must be scanned as one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply. UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Due to the large number of applications received, UN Women will inform only the successful candidate about the outcome or status of the selection process.

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.)