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 work in Ukraine focuses on supporting the government and civil society in advancing gender equality and implementation of the national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions on the following four thematic priorities: Peace and Security, Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction; Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and Women; Women’s Economic Empowerment; Governance and Participation in Public Life. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in integration of women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of UN work. The 2024 Strategic Note is aligned with the UN Transitional Framework covering the following areas: Humanitarian Response; Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus and Early Recovery.

The full-scale war impacts the unemployment rates among all categories of the population and will most likely continue pushing women into the unprotected informal sectors of the economy. Age, disability, displacement status and other characteristics further affected access to employment and financial resources in the pre-war period and are likely to impact the socioeconomic situation of the citizens of Ukraine during the war. In Ukraine, women and girls face exacerbated forms of gender inequalities and discrimination, especially in terms of livelihoods. As of January 2024, according to information collected by the State Employment Center of Ukraine, 74,9% of registered unemployed persons are women.^[1] 53% of Ukrainians ready to accept a risky job offer that could lead to exploitation or violence are women. Poverty and dependency on social payments, especially among a growing number of female-headed households, will be expected to increase.

Rebuilding and sustaining inclusive economic growth will be a fundamental priority for early and postwar recovery of Ukraine, and the equitable inclusion of women in these efforts will define the country’s ability to rebuild and recover. Ensuring income generation opportunities and rebuilding women’s livelihoods and women-led localized economies will be another important driver to prevent further displacement and escalations of tensions. For displaced women and for those returning to their homes, finding new livelihoods is a considerable challenge. As men join the army and care infrastructure is sparse, many women are increasingly facing additional burdens as both caregivers and breadwinners. Targeted support to war affected women in accessing livelihoods will need to address their specific needs, including in areas of displacement and return.

As part of its work to support the Government of Ukraine to implement initiatives for women economic empowerment for increasing their participation in decision making, enhancing their economic opportunities, supporting women owned business, etc. during the recovery and EU accession, UN Women is looking for a Gender Advisor to provide expert support to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine on developing and realization of the women economic empowerment interventions, in particular through implementing the National Strategy and Action Plan for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030.

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Deputy Representative/ WEE Team Lead and  matrix management guidance by the Programme Specialist/Project Manager, the National Consultant on Women`s Economic Empowerment will provide expert and technical support to UN Women on design and development of the women`s economic empowerment and private sector partnerships portfolios, in particular through engaging public and private companies to sign and implement Women`s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

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

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:

• Proficiency in partnership building and coordinating multistakeholder activities
• Strong interpersonal skills to build alliances and drive collaborative advocacy efforts
• Commitment to continuous improvement
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

Qualifications Education:

• Advanced (Master’s) degree in Economics, Gender Studies, Social Studies or a related field is required.
• BA degree with additional 2 years of experience can be accepted in lieu of MA degree.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of progressively responsible work experience in the field of Gender Equality, Women`s Economic Empowerment and/or Private Sector Partnership.
• Proven experience in the design, development and implementation of women`s empowerment initiatives is required.
• Proven experience in support and coordination of multistakeholder` initiatives on gender equality and women`s economic empowerment is required.
• Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
• Experience with UN Women and other UN agencies will be considered as an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in verbal and written English and Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge any other UN official language is an asset.

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.)