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 UN Women Programme Office in Tajikistan is dedicated to advancing gender equality and empowering women through strategic support to the Government, civil society, and other key players, fostering the development and implementation of innovative strategies. The office supports the efforts of local partners and UN entities to implement gender equality commitments in compliance with international standards, the UN human rights conventions, resolutions, and agreements ratified by the Republic of Tajikistan. By offering robust and coherent expertise and technical guidance, the office amplifies gender equality initiatives within national and UN frameworks. It also builds vital partnerships with civil society and stakeholders, reinforcing collaborative efforts towards gender-focused programming and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals as outlined in the 2030 Agenda.

Focusing on five strategic priorities, UN Women Programme Office in Tajikistan is implementing a wide range of projects aimed at strengthening global norms and standards, increasing women’s leadership and political participation, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, engagement of women in all aspects of peace and security processes and Humanitarian Action.

To ensure that technical and policy advisory support is effectively integrated into the refugee response framework, including preparedness, planning, programming, and monitoring, UN Women Tajikistan seeks to engage an International Consultant. This consultant will play a key role in strengthening engagement with Afghan female refugees in Tajikistan, as part of projects aimed at enhancing their social and economic integration. Additionally, the consultant will provide continuous opportunities for these women to develop practical skills and gain exposure to real-world work environments within the UN system.

Goal and objectives of the assignment:

The primary objective of this assignment is to further UN Women’s overarching goal of enhancing women’s leadership and participation, which includes building the capacity of women and girls from diverse groups to gain valuable work experience and skills that contribute to their personal and professional growth. The assignment also involves providing gender-responsive services to female refugees and affected host communities in response to the crisis in neighboring Afghanistan. This is to ensure that women and girl refugees, regardless of their age, nationality, ability, or status, have access to relevant, high-quality capacity-building and livelihood support. Furthermore, it ensures that their capabilities are recognized, and their unique needs and priorities are appropriately addressed.

The International Consultant from the Afghan refugee community will continue to provide a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges and needs of the community, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the results achieved within the project on promoting social and economic integration of Afghan refugees in Tajikistan.

Furthermore, the necessity for engaging the International Consultant from Afghan refugees is important, considering that UN Women Office in Tajikistan intends to organize a series of events related to gender equality, women’s empowerment and social inclusion. Moreover, one of the priority areas for the office is adhering to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda and 1325 National Action Plan (NPA). The Consultant will closely work with UN Women focal point on WPS facilitating the cooperation with other UN agencies, development partners and civil society organizations promoting this agenda forward. The International Consultant will further assist the office with creating, editing, and formatting reports, presentations, and other documents.

Duties and Responsibilities 

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Country Programme Manager/ Head of Office, the International Consultant will continue to provide support to office operations performing a variety of standard processes, ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Consultant will promote a client, quality and results-oriented approach, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Collaborating with team members and liaise with managers to effectively coordinate tasks.
• Assisting the office in conducting the events, including planning, coordinating, and executing various activities aimed at raising awareness and promoting actions against gender-based violence (GBV).
• Assisting in the preparation of the final narrative report for the WPHF and presentations on key results of the projects.
• Maintaining close contacts with CSOs representing Afghan women and girls in Tajikistan.
• Managing the collection of stories and lessons learnt related to the projects and develop knowledge management products.
• Creating, editing, and formatting reports, presentations, and other documents.
• Managing schedules, organizing meetings, and handling correspondence.
• Maintaining databases, tracking information, and ensuring data accuracy.
• Conducting research on various topics and summarizing findings for team members.
• Assisting in the planning and execution of office events, meetings, or training sessions.
• Facilitating communication within the team and external stakeholders, ensuring messages are conveyed clearly.
• Having monitoring visits to projects sites to ensure they are implemented in accordance with the agreed plan.
• Facilitation in needs assessment of Afghan refugees in education, employment and integration in host community.
• Any other tasks assigned by the Country Programme Manager/Head of Office.

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:

• Work and drive progress both in teams and independently.
• Have an analytical and methodological mindset.
• Understand the nature of development programme work and what development results are.
• Be a self-starter and work in a structured and organized way.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural environment.

Qualifications:

Education:

• University degree in one of the following disciplines: education, gender, international relations, social sciences, development studies, or another related field.

Working Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant responsible experience in education area.
• At least 1 year of relevant working experience with the community of people in a forced displacement.
• Experience in programmatic field as an advantage.
• Experienced user of MS Office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PPT, etc.) and/or other data handling.

Knowledge of languages:

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English language required, knowledge of Tajik and Dari is an advantage.

Application Process 

The application should include:

• Letter of Interest.
• 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 [scanned] copy should be submitted.

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.)

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements