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.

Economic Empowerment is one of the priority areas under the strategic plan for UN Women globally as well as in Ethiopia. UN Women in Ethiopia works to ensure that “all people in Ethiopia benefit from an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economy” and supports the development and implementation of gender-transformative policies and practices that lead to decent jobs for women and girls including those in displaced and conflict affected areas, migrant women, and returnees, disabled and others who are vulnerable and marginalized. The key approaches include enhancing technical expertise of national and sub-national partners and civil society organisations to assess legislative and policy frameworks from a gender lens, promoting gender responsive reforms and supporting the generation of sex-disaggregated data and gender analysis. In doing so, UN Women works with government and partners to promote women’s economic empowerment and increase their access to economic opportunities and outcomes, especially for those who are most excluded, including women migrant workers and migrant returnees. UN Women Ethiopia is promoting and supporting the provision of an integrated, gender-responsive approach to reintegration assistance and services that considers the specific needs and situations of returning women migrants, including survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Since 2023, UN Women has been implementing the Germany-funded Making Migration Safe for Women programme in Ethiopia and at the global level with the goal of ensuring that the development and implementation of national migration policies and laws in Ethiopia are gender-responsive, and that international norms and standards for protecting and promoting migrant women’s rights are strengthened. The programme has also aimed to improve the use and collection of sex-disaggregated data and provide robust evidence and research on migrant women to inform national policy making.

Migration has increasingly become a pathway for Ethiopian women to pursue economic and personal development abroad. However, upon their return, migrant women face significant challenges and risks, including social stigma, economic marginalization and discrimination. Despite these obstacles, many returnee women contribute positively to Ethiopia, bringing back new skills, perspectives, and economic resources. These contributions are critical to enhancing the resilience and development of local communities, yet they are often overshadowed by narratives focused on negative stereotypes, that often fail to recognize their significant contributions, as well as the many hardships – labour rights abuses, trafficking in persons, sexual and gender-based violence – that these women may have endured while abroad.

This study aims to document and amplify the positive economic and social contributions of migrant women in Ethiopia, counteracting predominantly negative perceptions. The insights derived from this research will support the development of gender-responsive policies and programs that recognize and bolster the valuable role of migrant women returnees in Ethiopia and a social awareness campaign that UN Women will develop in an effort to positively change the narrative.

Objective:

To provide a comprehensive analysis of the positive contributions of Ethiopian migrant women returnees, both economically and socially, in order to foster a more balanced narrative around migration. The findings will be used to inform stakeholders, including policymakers, community leaders, and civil society organizations, about the important role of migrant women and their potential as agents of social and economic transformation. The proposed methodology for this study is a combination of desk review of existing studies, key informant interviews and focus group discussions.

The consultant will be reporting to National Coordinator, Making Migration Safe, and will be supported by the same, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Deliverables

1. Workplan and Methodology: Submit a detailed workplan, including a proposed methodology, timeline, and list of potential resources and contacts for data collection. Two rounds of feedback from the project team should be anticipated and included in the workplan.
2. Literature Review: Conduct a literature review on the socio-economic impacts of migration on women, focusing on Ethiopian returnees and regional case studies, where relevant
3. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions: Summarize key findings on the positive roles of migrant women collected from key informants, community leaders, migrant women returnees, etc.
4. Draft Report: Provide an initial draft of the study, covering all relevant findings on the contributions of migrant women, including a discussion on policy implications.
5. Final Report: Submit a concise final report (max. 20 pages), with sections including:

• Executive Summary
• Background and Context
• Methodology
• Findings on Economic Contributions
• Findings on Social Contributions
• Policy Recommendations

Action Brief (2 pages): On the basis of the finding of the final report, the consultant will produce a two-page action brief that highlights the key findings from the study and concrete recommendations. This action brief must be drafted with a general non-technical reader in mind.

The consultant will draft all the documents in English, using the appropriate design and lay-out as agreed with UN Women. The design, translation and publication of all the documents will be the responsibility of UN Women.

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:

• Able to effectively analyze information and form judgement
• Abel to identify and solve issues and problems
• Result-oriented collaborator, exhibiting high levels of enthusiasm for gender equality
• Able to work with minimum supervision

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Migration, or a related field.

Experience:

• At least seven years of experience in gender-responsive research, with a focus on migration or related fields.
• Proven experience in conducting studies, designing data collection tools, and writing analytical reports.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Ethiopian migration context and an understanding of the economic and social aspects of reintegration.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Experience working with the UN system an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Amharic and other local languages in Ethiopia is an asset.

How to apply

• Personal CV or P11 (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 )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

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.)