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 Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action programme of the Regional Office for Arab States work closely with United Nations, government, and civil society partners to increase the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 and the inclusion of gender in humanitarian action. UN Women has been working with governments, UN partners and civil society to support womenโs participation and influence at all levels of decision making to prevent and resolve conflicts in the Arab region and to ensure regional coordination on gender inclusion in humanitarian action. In addition, in support of Syriaโs political process, UN Women Regional Office for Arab States has been supporting Syrian womenโs leadership in peacemaking since 2013, through its Syria portfolio.ย
Over the past two years, and despite an increasingly complex operating environment, Women-led Organizations (WLO) have been at the forefront of the Syria response and the growing humanitarian crisis arising since the earthquake that hit Tรผrkiye and Syria in February 2023. In conflict and post-conflict settings, women CSOs have an especially important and difficult role to play in leading, participating in, and influencing development programmes, humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding across the nexus.
Given the recent changes in the Syria context, women CSOs have a more critical role than ever to advance gender equality and womenโs empowerment in a way that shapes the services, norms, and practices to serve the most vulnerable women in the country.
Under the programme โEnhancing Womenโs Leadership for Sustainable Peace (Women4Peace)โ, UN Women, in partnership with GIZ, will conduct a mapping of civil society organizations in all parts of Syria to inform stakeholders and donors about the new landscape of actors and potential partners. The mapping will build on previous assessments conducted by UN Women and GIZ, with the lenses of recent developments as its backdrop and its impact on civic space. In light of the above, UN Women Regional Office for Arab States is hiring a consultant to conduct the mapping and support the work of the Syria Programme Team. The consultant will be reporting to the GIHA specialist and coordinate with Women4Peace Project Managerย
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Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work:
Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Project Manager, overall supervision of the Syria Programme Manager, and in coordination with the dedicated team within UN Women and GIZ, the consultant will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive report on the number of CSOs, women-led organizations/womenโs rights organizations in Syria and their current geographic presence, coverage and sectors of work. The mapping will also include a brief capacity assessment of the mapped organizations.
Provide secondary data (including previous mappings conducted by UN Women and GIZ) and primary data collection, the report aims to cover:
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Methodology:
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i) What is the current number of WLOs and their ongoing projects and operational locations?
ii) What is the status of their programme and operations?
iii) What are their immediate needs and what support would they need in order to be able to sustain their programmes.Final report and validation workshop:
Based on the analysis of the secondary data and primary data gathered in the assessment, the consultant will document and provide a final report, in English, to be validated by UN Women and GIZ. The final report will also be presented in a validation workshop to relevant stakeholders.ย
Deliverable
Inception report with desk review and methodology for data collection submitted to UN Women
Expected completion time (due day): 16 August 2025 (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 15%
Data collection conducted including KIIs and FGDs
Expected completion time (due day): 25-August-25 (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 15%ย
Inception report with initial findings submitted
Expected completion time (due day): 15-September-25 (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 15%
Second round of KIIs and FGDs conducted as needed
Expected completion time (due day): 30-Sep-25 (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 15%
Final report submitted and approvedย
Expected completion time (due day): 31-Oct-25 (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 15%
Validation workshop conducted
Expected completion time (due day): 30-Nov-25ย (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 15%
Final report incorporated any feedback from validation workshop submittedย
Expected completion time (due day): 31-Dec-25 (up to 7 working days) Payment Schedule: 10%
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 visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies; Strong knowledge of the coordination structure and coordination mechanisms in the Syria response; Strong understanding and experience in working with women-led organizations and womenโs networks and coordination bodies; Strong oral and written communication and editing skills; Strong communication, networking and advocacy skills; Ability to provide advice and be strategic and analytical; Strong knowledge of gender issues and womenโs rights in the Syria response. ย
ยRequired Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
Masterโs degree (or equivalent) in project management, law,ย public relations, social sciences, information management or any other 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.
Experience:
At least 2 years of relevant work experience at national or international level in humanitarian response, project management or coordination and/or any related field is required; Experience and understanding of the Syrian context is highly desirable; Experience in advocacy and donor relations is desirable.
Languages:
Fluency in Arabic 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,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย 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 toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย 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.