Background/Context
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.ย UN Women in Georgia supports state and non-state partners towards the achievement of substantive gender equality in Georgia. In line with national and international commitments, UN Women works on the levels of policy and legislation, institutions and grassroots, in order to achieve transformative results for increased gender equality and greater protection of the rights of women and girls. UN Women puts special emphasis on the work towards gender mainstreaming in good governance reforms and enhancing womenโs political participation, ending violence against women, promoting and supporting womenโs economic empowerment, and Women, Peace and Security agenda. Along with these key priority areas that constitute UN Womenโs mandate, UN Women interventions in Georgia are anchored inย theย United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworkย (UNSDCF)ย for the years 2021-2025 with the government of Georgia.
Audit institutions have an important role to play in advancing gender equality. By assessing how governments implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)particularly SDG 5 on gender equalityโand other national and international commitments, Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) can help ensure that gender equality commitments translate into tangible improvements in peopleโs lives. In recent years, there has been notable progress in this area. More SAIs are conducting mainstreaming gender within their organizations. For example, the proportion of SAIs conducting gender audits has risen from 24% in 2020 to 31% in 2023, while those integrating gender into their audit work increased from 14% to 21%. Organizational practices are also improving, with 60% of SAIs now having gender responsibilities formally in place, and the number with gender focal points rising from 25% to 37% (https://www.idi.no/our-resources/global-stocktaking-reports). These advances show growing momentum and commitment within the audit community. To build on this progress, further integration of gender considerations into audit planning, methodology, and strategic priorities will be critical. In doing so, SAIs can strengthen accountability, promote gender-responsive governance, and contribute meaningfully to the achievement of gender equality.
Since 2023, UN Women Georgia has been partnering with the State Audit Office (SAO) to strengthen its role in advancing gender equality. As a part of this effort, a Participatory Gender Audit (PGA) was conducted, helping SAO identify concrete entry points to integrate gender equality both within its institutional structures and across its audit outputs. Building on these findings, UN Women and SAO have since worked together on a series of initiatives, ranging from capacity development for SAO staff on gender equality to embedding gender considerations into wider audit practices. This national-level work is closely connected to global efforts. At the international level, UN Women Headquarters collaborates with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) to promote gender-responsive auditing worldwide. Together, they have developed auditing frameworks that provide SAIs with practical tools to assess how governments are fulfilling their gender equality commitments and addressing the needs of diverse groups.
Within the framework of its Governance and Participation in Public Life (G&PPL) portfolio, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), UN Women plans to continue its support to the State Audit Office (SAO) of Georgia and State Audit Institute. To this end, UN Women will engage an International Consultant onย Gender Mainstreaming in Performance Audits.
The International Consultant will report to the G&PPL Project Analyst and the G&PPL Programme Specialist and will be supported by the G&PPL Project Assistant, who will be the point of contact for contract and payment issues. The International Consultant will be paired with a national consultant who will provide technical inputs on local context, legislation et al as needed.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
Conduct a desk review of relevant resources and hold consultations, summarizing key insights and available materials in a report submitted to UN Women. Engage in consultations with UN Women, SAO, INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and other relevant stakeholders to ensure coherence with global SAI gender mainstreaming approaches and resources. Develop a draft methodology/tool for mainstreaming gender in performance audits, drawing on international frameworks and best practices, and integrate feedback from SAO and UN Women. Facilitate a one-day validation workshop for the draft methodology/tool, in close coordination with SAO and UN Women. Finalize the methodology/tool for mainstreaming gender in performance audits, incorporating feedback from SAO and UN Women. Develop a draft training manual on mainstreaming gender in performance audits, ensuring that the module is prepared in accordance with the standards of the State Audit Institute, and submit it for review to SAO, the State Audit Institute, and UN Women. Finalize the training manual based on feedback received from SAO, State Audit Institute and UN Women. Deliver a Training of Trainers (ToT) session for designated State Audit Institute trainers to strengthen their capacity to apply the training manual. Prepare a final consultancy report summarizing all activities undertaken, key observations, achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for follow-up actions.Deliverables:
Desk review report โ A brief summary of resources reviewed, and meetings held, outlining key insights and referencing resources developed, submitted to UN Women by 30 September 2025 (4 working days). Draft methodology/tool on mainstreaming gender in performance audits โ developed and submitted to UN Women capturing key international frameworks and best practices and a round of feedback from SAO and UN Women integrated by 20 October 2025 (7 working days) One-day Validation workshop for the methodology/tool on mainstreaming gender in performance audits โ conducted in close coordination with SAO and UN Womenย by 20 November 2025 (3 working days) Methodology/tool for mainstreaming gender in performance audits โย finalized aligned with SAO and UN Women feedback by 05 December 2025 (2 working days) Draft training manual on mainstreaming gender in performance auditsย โ developed and submitted to SAO, State Audit Institute and UN Womenย by 20 January 2026 (7 working days) Training manual on mainstreaming gender in performance audits โย finalized aligned with SAO, State Audit Institute and UN Women feedbackย by 30 January 2026 (2 working days) Training of Trainers (ToT) for trainers of State Audit Institute โย conductedย by 05 March 2026 (6 working days) Final Consultancy Report โย summarizing all work carried out, key observations, achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for follow-up actions by 13 March 2026 (2 working days)Consultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy.ย
As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of five trips to Georgia.
CompetenciesCore Values:ย
Respect for Diversityย Integrityย Professionalismย Core Competencies:ย Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issuesย Accountabilityย Creative Problem Solvingย Effective Communicationย Inclusive Collaborationย Stakeholder Engagementย Leading by Exampleย Please visit this link for more information on UN Womenโs Core Values and Competencies:ย https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Valuesย FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:ย Excellent analytical and research skills. Strong understanding of and commitment to gender equality and women's empowermentย Excellent writing skills. Excellent organizational skills. Strong Partnership Building Skills.Required Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
At least Master's degree in Public Finance, Humanitarian Affairs, Development Policy, and/or any relevant field directly related to the assignment; or Bachelor's level or equivalent with minimum seven years of demonstrated working experience in public finance management.
Experience:
At least five years (or seven years in case of a bachelorโs degree) of proven experience working with State Audit Institutions or in the field of public sector auditing. At least five years (or seven years in case of a bachelorโs degree) of demonstrated experience in designing and delivering capacity development trainings on gender equality and gender mainstreaming to diverse stakeholders, including representatives of national and local governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), or other relevant actors. Previous professional experience in applying gender mainstreaming tools, frameworks, and methodologies. Experience in working with or within development agencies and/or the United Nations system will be considered an asset. Experience working with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) or on projects aligned with IDI frameworks will be considered an asset.Languages:
Fluency in English is required.How to Apply:
Personal CV & P11 (P11 can be downloaded from:ย https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.docย ) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.