International Consultant(s), Home-based, for the Development of a Report on Women’s Access to Justice in Europe and Central Asia to prepare Member States and other key stakeholders for their engagement at CSW70 (2026), Homebased
Remote | Home Based - May require travel
- Organization: UN WOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
- Location: Remote | Home Based - May require travel
- Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Development Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals
- Legal - Broad
- Legal - International Law
- Communication and Public Information
- Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
- Peace and Development
- Documentation and Information Management
- Closing Date:
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’s triple mandate, as defined by UNGA resolution 64/289, encompasses normative support, UN system coordination and operational activities. UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) provides support to UN Women offices to deliver results in support of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UN Women ECARO provides substantive support by engaging with Member States and other stakeholders towards strengthening attention to gender perspectives in intergovernmental processes, particularly those related to sustainable development, macroeconomic policy questions, financing for development, eradication of poverty and other development related issues and processes.
The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) will be dedicated to ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers. UN Women ECARO will support key stakeholders in the region in the preparations for their participation at CSW70 and their informed input into the CSW70 negotiations.
Under the direct supervision and guidance of the UN Women ECARO Strategic Partnerships and Intergovernmental Specialist, the International Consultant(s) will develop a comprehensive report on women’s access to justice in the Europe and Central Asia region - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo[1], Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, Uzbekistan - and develop a policy paper with action-oriented recommendations for relevant groups to prepare Member States and other key stakeholders for their engagement at CSW70.
[1] References to Kosovo should be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).
Description of responsibilities
The consultant will perform inter alia the following responsibilities:
1. Conduct comprehensive literature review and desk research:
- Review existing research, reports, and data on women’s access to justice in the ECA region
- Analyze legal frameworks, policies, and institutional mechanisms across ECA countries with focus on discriminatory laws, policies, and budgets
- Research institutional weaknesses and systemic barriers affecting women’s access to justice
- Synthesize findings on specific topics related to access to justice across the six thematic areas
- Research and analyze good practices and case studies in the region
2. Analyze available datasets and conduct data analysis:
- Examine available datasets to identify trends and patterns concerning women’s access to justice in the ECA region
- Evaluate data on weak institutions and systems and their impact on women’s access to justice
- Analyze the implications of women’s access to justice from intersectional perspectives
- Assess the impact of global crises and regional conflicts on implementation gaps and women’s access to justice
3. Develop analytical report with action-oriented recommendations on women’s access to justice:
- Draft an analytical report examining women’s access to justice with action-oriented recommendations addressing: 1) the persistence of discriminatory laws, policies, and budgets; 2) the existence and impact of strengthened legal and policy frameworks on women’s access to justice; 3) weak institutions and systems; and 4) setbacks in women’s legal empowerment from a broader structural barrier lens
- Analyze findings through the lens of social norms and patriarchal views across all six thematic areas
- Ensure geographic representation and intersectional analysis across the ECA region
4. Develop policy paper with actionable recommendations:
- Prepare a Policy Paper (approximately 8-10 pages) based on finding of the analytical report
- Develop targeted action-oriented recommendations for different stakeholder groups, including for policy and decision-makers
5. Support stakeholder engagement and validation processes:
- Contribute to the presentation and discussion of findings with relevant stakeholders, including experts, government officials, civil society organizations, and women’s rights advocates
- Support stakeholder consultations and validation workshops as coordinated by UN Women
- Coordinate with the Technical Advisory Board to be established
- Prepare presentation materials summarizing key findings and recommendations
6. Ensure methodological rigor and quality assurance:
- Apply intersectional analysis throughout all research and analysis
- Ensure compliance with UN Women’s research standards and methodological frameworks
- Maintain high standards of analytical quality and evidence-based conclusions
- Incorporate feedback and revisions as requested by UN Women
Thematic areas to be covered
The consultant will examine women’s access to justice across six key areas:
I. Gender-responsive legal frameworkss
- Assessment of gender equality laws and their implementation across ECA countries, including analysis of why implementation gaps persist and how these are affected by global crises and regional conflicts
II. Women’s access to legal protection
- Effectiveness of gender-based violence response mechanisms
- Advancing transitional justice – addressing conflict-related violations and supporting survivors
- Protection of women human rights defenders
III. Institutional gender responsiveness
- Gender balance in the judiciary and law enforcement
- Gender-sensitivity training for justice sector professionals
IV. Economic barriers to justice for women
- Affordability of legal services for economically dependent women
- Fee waiver mechanisms and their accessibility for women
- The link between economic empowerment and access to justice
V. Intersectional challenges
- Rural women’s specific access barriers
- Refugees and internally displaced women and girls
- Legal protection for women on the move (including labour migrants, domestic workers, ecological migrants, and others)
- Women with disabilities and their justice system experiences
- Barriers for HIV-positive women
- Violation of women’s rights in conflict situations
VI. Good practices in the region
- Legal aid programs specifically supporting women
- Women’s legal empowerment initiatives
- Projects implemented by international development partners
Methodology
- Desk review of relevant literature
- Data analysis
- Stakeholder validations
- Technical Advisory Boad to be set up
Deliverables
This consultancy will require 50 working days over a period of 5 months (July to November 2025).
Under the overall guidance of the UN Women ECARO Strategic Partnerships and Intergovernmental Specialist, the International Consultant(s) will perform the following tasks, that include but are not limited to the following:
Literature review and initial findings (by 31 July 2025):
- Conduct comprehensive review of existing research and reports on women’s access to justice in ECA region
- Complete desk research and data collection across all six thematic areas
- Synthesize initial findings and identify key trends and patterns
Draft analytical report (by 15 September 2025):
- Complete first draft of the comprehensive analytical report covering all six thematic areas
- Conduct data analysis with identified trends, patterns and evidence-based findings
- Include good practices and case studies from across the region
- Present preliminary conclusions and analysis
Draft policy paper (by 15 October 2025):
- Develop the draft policy paper (8-10 pages) synthesizing key findings from the analytical report
- Formulate action-oriented recommendations
Final report, policy paper and presentation (by 15 November 2025):
- Finalize analytical report incorporating UN Women’s feedback and stakeholder input
- Complete the Policy Paper with refined recommendations and conclusions
- Develop PowerPoint presentation summarizing key findings and recommendations
- Support presentation and discussion of findings with relevant stakeholders
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy.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:
- Strong analytical and research skills with ability to synthesize complex information
- Excellent writing skills with demonstrated ability to produce high-quality policy papers
- Experience in stakeholder engagement and consultation processes
- Knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights frameworks
- Understanding of justice sector reform and access to justice issues
- Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines
- Master’s degree or equivalent in Law, Gender Studies, International Development, Human Rights, Social Sciences or a related field is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- Specialized training or certification in gender equality, women’s rights, or access to justice would be an added advantage.
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in gender equality, women’s rights and access to justice.
- Experience in conducting research and policy analysis on women’s access to justice is required.
- Experience working in the Europe and Central Asia region is required.
- Demonstrated experience in producing high-quality analytical reports and policy papers for international organizations.
- Experience in stakeholder consultation and validation processes.
- Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
- Excellent English communication and writing skills.
Languages:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Knowledge of Russian or 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:
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If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
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Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.