National Consultant on Women’s Economic Empowerment - Home Based

Background:

UN Women (UNW), 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level. 

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

• Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.

• Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.

• Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction. 

The Arab States Flagship Initiative - Surging Women’s Employment by 5 Percentage points before 2030 

The “Arab States Flagship Initiative - Surging Women’s Employment by 5 Percentage points before 2030”, is the first regional program of its kind, as it converges nine programs towards one quantitative target – the5 percent increase in women employment before 2030. 

In line with the High Impact Accelerators to fasten progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 1 (Poverty Reduction), this Flagship Initiative convenes Governments, Private Sector, International Financial Institutions, media and UN sister agencies towards ambitious yet feasible development solutions to address women labor force participation (WLFP) in the Arab States, which has stagnated at 21% since 1990. 

The Nine Pillars of the Flagship Initiative comprise of two enablers that support Sustainability, namely (i) high-level political leadership at the national level (Heads of State) and the regional level through the League of Arab States (Assistant Secretary General) and (ii) sustainable financing: meaning funding from official development assistance (ODA), financing from International Financial Institutions (IFI), and National Budgets (NB).  

Building on this foundation, the Flagship Initiative works on employment creation through three amplifiers for employment at Scale. These are high-growth economies where women possess an educational edge in the Arab States and would: (i) the Green Economy: Renewable Energy, Eco Friendly Tourism and Climate Smart Agriculture, (ii) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Economy: by matching young female STEM graduates with employment in the growing digital industry, both domestically in their own countries as well as through transnational remote work modalities and (iii) the Care Economy: preschools, elderly care and health care.  

The Flagship Initiative then works through four accelerators, to support Speed by (i) optimizing laws and policies that support the surge of women employment and unblocking legal and policy impediments that prevent women from entering the workforce, particularly in the three employment amplifiers; (ii) promoting positive social norms that supports  women to enter and advance in the work force, particularly by engaging young men and boys and addressing stereotypes on domestic level, and as well in business practices including private sector marketing practices; (iii) amplifying media and advocacy campaigns on women employment and benefits to the family, community and national prosperity; and (iv) working with the private sector (with a focus on Arab States signatories of the Women Empowerment Principles) to create equal opportunities for women’s recruitment, retention and career development as well as increasing procurement from women owned business.

The regional programme is being implemented across several countries in the region. The UN Women Palestine Office would like to engage national stakeholders to contextualize the programme to national priorities and local context. This will be done through national consultations and analytical work on relevant themes and economic sectors. To support this process, UN Women Palestine office is looking to engage the services of a senior consultant on Women’s Economic Empowerment to support:

• Development of the pre-progamme analysis documents, identify gaps if existed, advise and support in closing them through the evidence he/she will produce based on analysis he/she will conduct using national data, which will be used in the programme design and the establishment of its business case.
• Develop an economic model/ s and generate results to establish the business case of the selected economic sectors and sub-sectors as amplifiers to surge women’s employment in Palestine.
• Support UN Women Palestine office in the development of women’s economic empowerment portfolio with technical advice based on all the collected data and generated evidence.

  The senior consultant will work under the overall guidance of the UN Women Palestine Deputy Country Representative and direct supervision of the programme management specialist, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

  Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

  1. Analysis of Women’s Economic Empowerment Solutions 
     • Conduct an in-depth analysis of the solutions developed under the regional programme to enhance women’s employability and entrepreneurship in Palestine, focusing on three intervention pillars: 

       (i) the care economy,

       (ii) climate-smart agriculture, and

       (iii) STEM careers.

       The analysis should include: 

       • Examine key enablers, amplifiers and accelerators.   
       • Review legal, regulatory, institutional, and policy frameworks, highlighting gaps and barriers to women’s economic empowerment. 
       • Assess strengths and weaknesses of the solutions and recommend adaptations to the Palestinian context, ensuring alignment with national priorities, institutional frameworks, and the broader economic and investment environment.
       • Identify additional sectors/ pillars with potential opportunities to improve women’s employability and entrepreneurship in Palestine. 
       • Identify best practices and successful models (regional and international) that can be contextualized in Palestine.
       • Conduct consultations (interviews and focus group) with key relevant stakeholders (government ministries, national institutions, incubators, NGOs, development banks, commercial banks, private sector actors, and women entrepreneurs) and use these inputs to prepare a stakeholder mapping, outlining roles, engagement strategies, and advocacy priorities.
       • Prepare a final report/ Palestine Chapter (Word and PowerPoint formats) summarizing the context, rationale, recommendations, and proposed adaptation of the business model. 

                  2. Development of Women’s Economic Empowerment Solutions 

         • Develop value-generating business models for each of the contextualized solutions.
         • Test their viability and assess risks.
         • Identify potential revenue sources to validate or refine the business model assumptions.
         • Identify potential investors, stakeholders, blended finance mechanisms and partnership opportunities to support implementation of the adapted business models.
         • Develop advocacy tools including technical briefs for each solution, including governance and implementation models to mobilize partnerships and financing.

                   3. Development of the Roadmap for Operationalizing the Solutions 

           • Produce a comprehensive roadmap for implementing solutions in the care economy, climate-smart agriculture, STEM sectors, and any additional identified areas. The roadmap should include:
           • Sector specific context: In-depth analysis of challenges, opportunities, and trends in each sector, including socio-economic constraints, cultural specificities, and public policies. It should also examine gender dynamics and specific opportunities for women’s economic empowerment, with key statistics (female participation rates, employment by sector, investments, etc.).
           • Key phases of deployment: Detailed description of essential implementation phases, their objectives, involved actors, success indicators, and timelines, ensuring stakeholder integration at all levels throughout.
           • Priority actions: Strategic actions/ activities for operationalization, aligned with identified needs and opportunities, with justification based on recent data for each solution.
           • Strategic recommendations for legislative reform and advocacy: Proposals for legislative and regulatory reforms to address gaps and enable the solutions’ implementation and broaden women’s economic empowerment in the identified sectors. These should include advocacy suggestions for enacting new or amending existing laws.
           • Resource allocation: Definition of resources needed for each phase, including cost estimates for actions/ activities, funding needs, resource mobilization strategies, and training/capacity-building for key actors. Justification must be based on sector-specific needs and resource gaps.
           • Governance, coordination, and financing mechanisms: Proposed governance structure for effective solution management, with roles/responsibilities of stakeholders and coordination mechanisms (public, private, civil society). Recommendations will include sustainable financing structures (e.g., PPPs, dedicated women’s empowerment funds, long-term sustainability strategies), based on best practices and sector-specific coordination needs.
           • A monitoring and evaluation framework that includes indicators to track impact and progress, specifically measuring the number of jobs created through the implemented solutions in the targeted sectors and track the cumulative percentage of women’s employment from 2026 to 2030.
           • Implementation timeline covering the 2026–2028 period.

                    4. Support the development of a multi-disciplinary programme

             • Conduct complementary consultations as needed to support the design of the women’s economic empowerment programme including: 

               a) Ideate and conceptualize possible interventions. 

               📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

               ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

               b) Identify and address gaps if existed in the approach. 

               c) Identify international best practices to introduce and national aspects to scale up. 

               d) Map ecosystem players (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) aligned to the programme’s multi-disciplinary approach. 

               e) Seek validation of ideas from key actors.  

               • Develop a multi-disciplinary programme on women’s economic empowerment programme including outcomes, outputs, activities, implementation plan, and M&E framework. 
               • Identify potential funders to support programme implementation. 

                 Deliverables Deliverable Expected completion time (due day)  Inception report with detailed work plan  One week from signing the contract  Analysis of Women’s Economic Empowerment Solutions (Palestine Chapter Report) – Max 30 pages By 30 September 2025 Development of Women’s Economic Empowerment Solutions (Business Models) – Max 20 pages 

                 By 31 October 2025

                 Development of the Roadmap for Operationalizing the Solutions – Max 20 pages Development of a multi-disciplinary programme – Max 30 pages By 30 November 2025

                 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 knowledge of women’s economic empowerment. 
                     • Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills. 
                     • Strong analytical skills. 
                     • Excellent and verbal written communication skills. 
                     • Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making. 
                     • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required. 
                     • Strong networking skills. 
                     • Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising. 
                     • Strong knowledge of Palestine and the region. 

                       Required Qualifications

                       Education and Certification:

                       • Master’s degree or equivalent in Economics, Finance, Law, Gender 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.
                       • A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.

                         Experience:

                         • At least 7 years of experience as an economist, econometrics, and economic studies and research is required.
                         • Experience in Women Economic Empowerment and Employment Creation is required.
                         • Experience in programme design and development including development of M&E frameworks is required. 
                         • Experience in leading research and analysis relevant to the assignment is required. 
                         • Previous experience working with the United Nations or other international organizations is desirable.
                         • Experience working in Palestine and or Arab region is desirable. 
                         • At least one sample of previous work (such as research report, policy paper, economic analysis or any other relevant work related to the assignment) to be attached as part of the application.

                           Languages:

                           • Fluency in English is required.
                           • Fluency in Arabic 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.