Background

General Assembly resolution No. A/RES/70/1 of September 25, 2015, “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, adopted by the General Assembly, focuses on human rights for all and gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, which are integrated and indivisible and balance all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental.

To support and develop women’s entrepreneurship, provide access to financial resources, create conditions for training women in the basics of doing business, and create conditions for further increasing the number of women entrepreneurs, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic approved the National Program for the Support and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship for 2022-2026 in 2021.

Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan has developed a long-term National Strategy on Gender Equality until 2030. The document includes five priority areas: economic empowerment of women, cultural policy and functional education, protection from gender discrimination and fair justice, women’s political participation, and regulatory policy to ensure gender equality. The National Development Strategy of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2040 includes comprehensive gender goals, objectives and measures.

On 23 May 2024, under the chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Dialogue Meeting, entitled “The Role of Women in the Economies of Central Asia: Leadership to Promote Digital, Social and Environmental Innovations”, was held. This meeting provided a forum for intensifying regional cooperation and strengthening national strategies and policies aimed at achieving gender equality and supporting women entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists.

Furthermore, building on the success of UN Women’s satellite events of the Expo in Kyrgyzstan, which commenced in 2021, and as part of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator initiative in Europe and Central Asia, UN Women, in close partnership with A number of governmental, international, financial, business organization and private sector representatives are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth phase of Expo Women’s Entrepreneurship 2024, which is scheduled to take place between 11-14 November 2024. Additionally, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2024 will host the concluding Women Leaders’ Meeting of the Central Asia and Afghanistan Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2024. This meeting will be held on 14 November and will provide recommendations for developing an enabling environment for building a sustainable women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem at the country and regional level.

The Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2024 is planned to be a dynamic and empowering event with the purpose to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of women in Kyrgyzstan. Under the leadership of UN Women, this expo will be designed in close partnership with Ministry of Economy, EBRD, Accelerate Prosperity and other partners to bring together women entrepreneurs, government, business partners, and advocates who share a commitment to the core values of inclusivity, diversity, and the principle of “Leave no one behind.”

Goal: The primary objective of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2024 is to establish a dynamic ecosystem that provides support for women entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists. This includes the empowerment of women entrepreneurs in Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as the development of a package of recommendations for the establishment of a “Central Asia Innovation and Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Fund”. Additionally, the event aims to facilitate business relationships with potential investors and create a platform for sharing best practices.

Reflective of the above, UN Women Kyrgyzstan CO is seeking for the expertise of National Consultant experienced in working with entrepreneurs (pre-accelerators, accelerators, bootcamps, etc.), to provide expert support in preparing and conducting EXPO-2024 as well as to coordinate the communications part.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within the assignment, the EXPO Communications Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1.Coordination of four phases of EXPO-2024

• Proactive Coordination: Deliver proactive coordination services for EXPO-2024, ensuring seamless interactions between partners and participants
• Integration of Feedback: Actively incorporate partner feedback into the EXPO framework to enhance collaboration
• Regular Communication: Maintain consistent contact with women entrepreneurs/applicants, responding promptly to emails and clarification requests, and ensuring their participation in meetings, seminars, and EXPO events. This will be done in close coordination with UN Women, Accelerate Prosperity (AP), and EBRD

2. Communication Strategy for EXPO-2024

• Collaborative Strategy Creation: Work closely with the UN Women, AP and EBRD stakeholders to develop a comprehensive communication strategy for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2024 to ensure the strategy aligns with the event’s overall objectives
• Profile Development: Create detailed profiles for 12 women entrepreneurs and secure approvals from UN Women, Accelerate Prosperity, and EBRD

3.Stakeholder Engagement

• Communication Coordination: Facilitate communication efforts with key stakeholders and partners, ensuring consistent messaging and branding across all materials

4. Content Creation for EXPO-2024

• High-Quality Content Development: Produce engaging written and visual content, including press releases, articles, social media posts, and multimedia materials to effectively convey the event’s messages, impact, and outcomes
• Media Relations: Establish and maintain strong relationships with local and national media outlets, journalists, and influencers to promote media coverage of the expo through press releases, interviews, and strategic media partnerships
• Digital Presence: Manage and enhance the online presence of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2023 by maintaining a dedicated website and active social media platforms
• Engaging Content: Ensure regular updates and engaging content to attract and retain the target audience to utilize a mix of online and offline communication channels for effective promotion

5. Documentation

• Activity Oversight: Oversee the documentation of event activities, including photography, videography, and written reports
• Highlight Capture: Ensure that key moments and highlights from the event are effectively captured and documented

6. Monitoring and Evaluation

• Impact Assessment: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication activities and provide regular reports on communication performance, audience engagement, and areas for improvement.
  

  Deliverable	Expected completion time (due day)	Payment Schedule
  Detailed work plan of how the tasks in the TORs will be delivered with the respective timelines for EXPO-2024 is delivered and approved by UN Women (2 working day)	By 14 October 2024	By 30 November 2024
  Communication Strategy including key messaging, target audiences, communication channels, and a timeline hat aligns with the objectives of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo 2024 is delivered and approved by UN Women Developed design for promotional materials (participant badges, certificates, with EXPO concept, etc.) Draft invitations and email invitations for the event (4 working days)	By 16 October 2024
  Entrepreneurs profile template developed and submitted for UN Women’s approval (2 working days) Applications of women entrepreneurs reviewed, assessed against eligibility criteria, systematized, grouped per sector and 12 individual profiles of women entrepreneurs developed; if necessary, in case of missing information in applications, follow up with entrepreneurs ensured to fill in the information gaps; (up to 7 working days)	By 18 October 2024 By 31 October 2024
  Developed two success stories of women entrepreneurs in three language (Russian, English and Kyrgyz) Developed at least 20 posts for social media in three languages (Russian and Kyrgyz) Report on media coverage and social media engagement submitted and approved by UN Women (up to 7 working days)	By 15 November 2024
  Regular contact with women entrepreneurs maintained (responding to their emails, clarification requests, ensure their participation in meetings, Bootcamp etc.) in close coordination with UN Women; (up to 5 working days)	By 15 November 2024
  Developed 12 motion videos of women-entrepreneurs (20-30 secs. long) to be screened during the pitching day (up to 3 working days)	By 13 June 2024
  Conducted 4 day satellite EXPO 2024 in period 11-14 November 2024, and coordinated all logistical issues (up to 5 working days)	By 15 November 2024
  A final report on EXPO event, including a) detailed report on the tasks accomplished during the consultancy; b) minutes of meetings and reflection sessions; c) list of links to photo, video and media materials; d) profiles of women entrepreneurs; (2 working day) (1 working day)	By 27 November 2024
  Reflection meeting with task force team, entrepreneurs, investors, partners on EXPO-2024 (half- day meeting) (1 working day)	By 30 November 2024

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:

• Knowledge of the social, cultural, and political context of Kyrgyzstan and local issues of gender, public policy and governance
• Strong written/oral communication and training skills
• A commitment to quality product and deadlines
• Demonstrate and integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards.
• Competencies in coordination, planning and teamwork

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• University degree in communications, social sciences, gender studies, human rights, national development, or other relevant social science fields

• Proficiency in professional written Kyrgyz, English, Russian is required
• ICT skills (experience in using social media, design platforms and applications)

Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in entrepreneurship skills development, building of entrepreneurship ecosystem
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience at a national and/or international level in event planning, hosting and management, and developing event related material
• Experience at a national and/or international level in mentoring and coaching of entrepreneurs in business idea generation and facilitating businesses and entrepreneur networking would be an asset
• Experience working with the UN and/or civil society organizations, international institutions and the private sector is an asset

Languages:

• Fluency in Russian, English and Kyrgyz is required.

How to Apply

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from
  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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 is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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.)

Applications without the completed P-11 form are incomplete and will NOT be considered for further assessment!