National Consultant for CSO Engagement, Networking and International Advocacy

Background:

UN Women exists to advance women’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As the lead UN entity on gender equality and secretariat of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women shifts laws, institutions, social behaviours and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world. UN Women’s partnerships with governments, women’s movements and the private sector coupled with its coordination of the broader United Nations translate progress into lasting changes. In Türkiye, UN Women works in line with its  Global Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and Country Strategic Note (2026-2029), and the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Türkiye (UNSDCF) (2026-2030).

UN Women works towards the overarching goal of “achieving gender equality, the empowerment of all women and girls, and the full enjoyment of their human rights where institutions deliver, civil society thrives, and women lead in Türkiye. Within this framework, UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) women’s leadership and decision making; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, and humanitarian action.  Towards these impact areas, UN Women supports countries to set gender equality norms and standards, collaborate with partners to translate norms into concrete action, aiming to advance gender equality, improve women’s access to opportunities, rights, and services in political, social, and economic life, and combat gender stereotypes, discrimination, and violence, as required by international and national legal and policy commitments. And in line with its coordination mandate, UN Women promotes coordination and coherence across the UN system, including through joint programmatic and advocacy actions and initiatives, standardized tools and guidance and services to strengthen the relevant capacities of the UN system.

UN Women collaborates with numerous partners, government and public institutions, civil society organizations, including women’s organizations and platforms, academia, private sector companies, strategic advocates and influencers and other UN agencies. It commits itself to the Leave No One Behind principle, by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women face in accessing their rights and to promote them as agents of change. 

Globally and in Türkiye, UN Women engages with and supports civil society organizations (CSOs), in particular women's organizations, as key advocacy and knowledge partners, as well as implementing partners in operational activities in advancing women's economic, political and social rights. UN Women's work with civil society encompasses facilitating and expanding spaces for CSOs to come together for coordinated actions and to engage in dialogue with duty-bearers and decision-makers at local, national, regional and international levels, and in the context of inter-governmental processes. UN Women is focused on convening multi-stakeholder partnerships and engaging a wide variety of stakeholders, including men and boys and young people, to bring forth transformative change towards gender equality, in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Sustainable Development Goals and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Under this framework, UN Women has embarked on a three-year project “Strong Civic Space for Equality and Women’s Empowerment” with the financial support of the European Union. The overall objective of the project to, be implemented until September 2027, is to reduce gender inequalities by enhancing the ability of CSOs in Türkiye to be agents of transformative change towards gender equality and women's rights. The specific objective is "Women's rights groups, women-led CSOs and other relevant rights-based CSOs more effectively influence the gender equality and women's empowerment agenda at the national and local levels."

Under this project, UN Women  has been assisting women’s rights and gender equality advocates, including young women, with financial and logistical support to participate in key regional, EU and international forums, such as the annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, Generation Equality global meetings, and other relevant events including organization of learning exchanges between women’s rights activists in Türkiye and counterparts from other countries around specific topics and based on expressed needs. Moreover, UN Women has been providing provide support to around 100 CSO members/affiliates and women’s rights and gender equality advocates to be part of networks, access to international mechanisms and to equip them with necessary knowledge in order to be prepared for advocacy and networking. 

UN Women Türkiye has also been implementing the three-year “Reimagining Gender Equality Across Generations and Communities” project (2024 – 2026), funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to strengthen the capacity of civil society, grassroots initiatives, and young women to advance gender equality and women’s rights. Through support to local advocacy, intergenerational dialogue, and youth engagement, the project promotes innovative approaches to gender equality while fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. A key component of the initiative focuses on understanding and responding to the increasingly transnational nature of anti-gender movements, including their narratives, networks, and influence on national and international policy processes, with the aim of strengthening evidence-based advocacy and collective strategies to counter the global pushback against gender equality.

UN Women Türkiye Office seeks to hire a national consultant to provide substantive and technical support to UN Women Türkiye Office and to the CSO members/affiliates and women’s rights and gender equality advocates. The consultant is also expected to provide substantive support to UN Women Türkiye's advocacy, dialogue and knowledge-generation initiatives implemented under this Project, particularly activities aimed at addressing the transnational nature of the gender backlash and strengthening inclusive dialogue and networking among gender equality advocates and promoting evidence-based gender equality advocacy, as per the functions specified below.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Within the scope of the assignment, under the direct supervision of UN Women Programme Specialist and in close collaboration with the Programme Analyst and UN Women staff, the national consultant will be responsible for the below listed tasks:

• Identify opportunities/topics and conceptualize possible activities of UN Women to maintain strong links between the women’s movement in Türkiye and the global women’s movement based on common agendas by creating learning exchanges, cooperation and formation of new networks 
• Provide technical support to UN Women for the identification of CSO members/affiliates, groups and women’s rights and gender equality advocates to attend international/regional events/mechanisms
• Identify international opportunities and networking tools/platforms for CSOs to exchange ideas, cooperate and international coalition-building
• Provide substantive and technical support, guidance and advice to the women’s civil society in Türkiye to join international networks/platforms of women’s movement
• Provide guidance on advocacy tools and substantive support to the CSOs’ preparations for their efficient and meaningful participation at the key regional, EU and international platforms, events, conferences international events, such as annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, High level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Regional Forums on Sustainable Development, Generation Equality global meetings, and other relevant events
• Prepare a training program and knowledge products (e.g. Infographic, guidebook, visual materials) for CSOs to guide them through the process of obtaining consultative status from the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• Provide substantive and technical support to UN Women in the design, preparation, content development, moderation and documentation of conferences, dialogues, consultations and similar advocacy events under the Reimagining Gender Equality Across Communities and Generations project, including events focused on gender backlash, anti-gender movements and gender equality advocacy. Support may include agenda development, speaker and participant coordination, preparation of background and briefing materials, moderation/facilitation of sessions, rapporteurship and preparation of post-event summaries and recommendations.

Payments shall be made on a monthly basis, based on the provision of timesheets and supporting deliverables approved by the UN Women Programme Specialist, who shall confirm Consultant’s work is completed and eligible for payment. The total duration of the contract is maximum 60 working days until 31  July 2027.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based assignment with no travel foreseen. In case of an unforeseen travel, UN Women Türkiye Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultant’s travel as per UN Women’s rules and regulations. UN Women will not be responsible for covering any transportation costs within the duty station, including taxi fares.

Mandatory Training Courses

The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor and the HR focal point.

Multiple Contracts

It is permissible for a Consultant to be engaged by UN Women if the individual has a contract with another employer, provided that there is no actual or perceived conflict of interest and that the performance of the required services for UN Women is feasible (for example, where both contracts involve a part‑time work schedule).

Where the Consultant holds a full‑time contract with another employer, eligibility will be subject to the Consultant’s ability to present formal acknowledgement or approval from their primary employer confirming that engagement with UN Women is permitted. Candidates unable to provide such acknowledgement will not be considered eligible.

Taxes

The consultant is responsible for payment of any taxes that may be due on the gross fees received from UN Women for their services. UN Women has no liability for taxes, duties or other payments payable by the Individual Contractor on remuneration made under the contract.

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:

• Good knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights policies and international standards
• Ability to design and implement, advocacy programmes for gender equality and women’s rights with a focus on engaging international women’s movements, civil society organizations, and multilateral mechanisms.
• Good analytical skills for building partnerships and fostering collaboration with women’s organizations and international stakeholders to advance gender equality and women’s rights initiatives

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master's Degree or equivalent in social sciences, gender studies, political science, development studies or another related field. 
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressive professional work experience in the field of gender equality and/or women's empowerment is required.
• Experience with international women’s movement and mechanisms on gender equality, women’s rights or women’s empowerment, particularly on gender backlash is required
• Experience in working with women’s civil society organizations is desirable.
• Experience in international networking and advocacy on gender equality and women’s rights is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken Turkish and English is required.

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.)

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.