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.

The Gender Equality Programme 2023-2027 of the Republic of Moldova sets a clear prerogative, under Objective 1, to implement gender responsive policies and budgets as a transformational approach to alleviate structural gender inequalities. The Public Finance Management Strategy (2023-2030) contains express commitments and provisions to advance the institutionalization of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in the Republic of Moldova. Moreover, the outcomes and recommendations of the Public Expenditure and Finance Accountability Assessment (PEFA) supplementary assessment on gender completed in 2022, coupled with Moldova’s commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 5.c.1. as well as the EU accession agenda of Moldova by 2030.

The consultant will be working under the supervision of the Programme Analyst on Women in Leadership and Governance (WILG), and in coordination with and WEE Programme Coordinator and Programme Officer on Gender Responsive Governance under the EVOLVE4GE project, and guidance from Deputy Country Representative and other members of UN Women Moldova CO’s management team including national and international consultants involved, as needed. The national consultant will not be located in the premises of UN Women and will have to work remotely. The selected consultant shall sign a contract with UN Women for stipulated assignment, as stated above.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key responsibilities:	Estimated workload (workdays)
1. Policy Consultation and Legal Framework Analysis: – Conduct a thorough review of current Moldovan policies and legal frameworks related to gender financing to identify gaps and opportunities where gender-responsive approaches can be integrated or enhanced. – Facilitate discussions with key stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organizations, and international agencies, to gather insights and recommendations and understand different perspectives on gender financing. – Support the development of the guidelines and methodological tools for the implementation of gender responsive financing (in cooperation with international and national experts and aligned with international and regional practices1) – Provide strategic advice and guidance on emerging issues and priorities.	Up to 40 Days
2. Capacity Building and Technical Assistance empowering national stakeholders: – Develop a set of actionable recommendations for policy and legal reforms to enhance gender-responsive financing in Moldova, prioritizing recommendations based on their potential impact, feasibility, and alignment with national and international gender equality commitments. – Support the development of a training curricula on gender responsive financing and provide capacity building activities for finance and policy specialists from national institutions – Provide on-site technical support to the Ministry of Finance and other institutions in implementing gender-responsive financing strategies. – Provide guidance on collecting and analyzing gender-disaggregated data	Up to 25 Days
3. Advocacy and Awareness Raising – Support in development of advocacy strategies and initiatives to promote gender-responsive financing – Assistance in design and implement public awareness campaigns, events to highlight the importance of gender-responsive financing	Up to 15 Days
Total:	Up to 80 Days

As per Responsibilities outlined above, the incumbent will be responsible for delivering the following outputs:

• Report on Policy and Legal Framework Analysis: A detailed report outlining the current state of gender-responsive financing policies and legal framework, including identified gaps, stakeholder insights, and comparative analysis with global best practices. This report should also contain strategic recommendations for policy and legal framework to enhance gender-responsive financing.
• Short monthly Activity Reports in English to UN Women listing the activities and products developed under each of the responsibilities.
• The Activity Reports shall be accompanied by Timesheets, as per templates provided by UN Women, and shall provide an accurate reflection and be commensurate of the Activities undertaken and results reported/products developed.

Language of deliverables

• The reports and timesheets delivered to UN Women shall be prepared in English.
• The technical deliverables provided to assisted state institutions shall be provided in Romanian, upon need in English. The technical deliverables shall be developed in consultation with national and international experts, if and when he/she/they would be contracted by UN Women.

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 12 months, not exceeding 80 working days (with possibility of extension following satisfactory performance and needs for support expressed by national counterparts).

The start date of the assignment is envisaged on 15 March 2024 and will be completed by 28 February 2025, unless extended by UN Women based on amended ToRs.

Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/ feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women Programme Analyst on Women in Leadership and Governance shall be the only criteria for Consultant’s work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

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:

• Proficiency in analyzing gender roles, norms, and inequalities within public finance systems.
• Expertise in integrating gender considerations into budgetary processes and public finance management.
• Competence in collecting, analyzing, and utilizing gender-specific data for decision-making.
• Competence in designing and conducting capacity-building sessions on GRPFM for stakeholders.
• Knowledge of indicators and tools to assess the effectiveness of gender-responsive interventions.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Finance/Economics/Accounting or a related field is required.
• 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:

• Minimum 5 years of proven experience working/collaborating with central and local public authorities in assisting/supporting drafting policy recommendations/ policy reports or coordinating activities is required.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in public finance system is an asset.
• Minimum 2 years of proven work experience in the area of gender equality/human rights/development is an asset.
• Experience in working with international organizations (successful experience in working with UN agencies) is an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in verbal & written Romanian and English is required. Working knowledge of Russian will be considered an asset.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND SUBMISSION PACKAGE

Interested candidates must submit via online submission system the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualification:

• Duly filled Personal History Form (P11), the P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• Letter of Intent to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. (maximum length: 1 page)

Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.

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.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.