Terrorist and violent extremist groups are expanding their activities from the Sahel into northern areas of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin, taking advantage of porous borders and dense forests.

This expansion has heightened vulnerabilities in Senegal and Mauritania due to the ongoing Malian conflict, while the border regions of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin with the Liptako Gourma states face threats of conflict spillover. Women in these border communities play essential roles as community mobilizers, youth educators, and organizers of awareness-raising activities, leveraging their unique insights into local dynamics to address gender-specific grievances and counter radicalizing narratives. Leveraging the important roles women play in preventing violent extremism (PVE), this initiative emphasizes the contributions of grassroots female leaders and women’s civil society organizations.

Female community figures act as crucial entry points, facilitating the deconstruction of radical ideologies and providing an inclusive platform for diverse perspectives. Through these efforts, the project aims to promote holistic and sustainable PVE strategies. UNODC has substantial experience working with female religious leaders to prevent violent extremism. In Mauritania, UNODC supported the Mourchidates network, which consists of trained female religious leaders who provide guidance and counter radical ideologies within their communities. The Mourchidates network has achieved significant impacts, including: • Skill Acquisition: Developing the ability to counter radical discourse.

• Community Education: Educating families, especially mothers, on recognizing early signs of radicalization and supporting vulnerable groups like female detainees and families of convicted terrorists. • Building Partnerships: Collaborating with male religious leaders to address complex cases and gaining official recognition and legitimacy from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. • Bridging Communities and Security Forces: Acting as intermediaries, fostering trust, and sharing valuable information between communities and security forces. Under the supervision of the Head of the Research and Awareness Unit of UNODC’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROSEN) and in close cooperation with the assigned staff of the Research and Awareness Unit and the Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB), the consultant will undertake the following activities: a.

Stakeholder mapping research methodology: Develop a comprehensive stakeholder mapping research methodology, aligned with the RAB research output preparation sheet. b. Literature review: conduct an in-depth review of existing research on community- and/or religious-based approaches to PVE and related women-led initiatives in the targeted countries. c. Training proposal: Propose a training framework to guide potential training offerings based on preliminary insights. d. Development of data collection tools: design tools such as surveys, interview guides, and focus group protocols to gather qualitative data from key women in religious or community roles.

e. Data collection and training needs assessment missions (5 days per pair of country): Implement the stakeholder mapping methodology to identify key women stakeholders and assess their training needs through qualitative data collection activities such as focus groups and interviews. f. Stakeholder analysis report: draft a comprehensive report for each country from the data collected during the missions to provide a detailed overview of key women stakeholders and their roles in community- and religious-based PVE approaches.

g. Development of training materials: create training materials informed by the training needs assessment. h. Training Delivery (3 days per pair of country): Organize and conduct trainings in the target countries, equipping women with the skills needed to fulfill their roles as community and/or religious leaders, fostering social cohesion, and preventing violent extremism. i. Collaboration: Regularly liaise with UNODC’s research team and provide progress updates upon request.

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in sociology, anthropology, development studies, social sciences, political science, conflict and security studies, gender studies, or related field is required.

A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of 10 years of relevant working experience in designing and conducting research and analysis on topics related prevention of violent extremism and/or community engagement is required. Experience in conducting qualitative research, including stakeholder mapping, is required Experience in organizing and delivering training is required Experience in West Africa and the Sahel, on the prevention of violent extremism and/or community engagement is required Experience in women empowerment, preferably in West and Central Africa, is desirable Knowledge of nonviolent communication and mediation principles is desirable Previous relevant experience with the United Nations is desirable

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

For this position, fluency in French with excellent drafting and communication skills is required. Fluency in English is desirable. Knowledge of another language spoken in one of the countries of intervention is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.