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.
Womenโs economic participation and paid and unpaid work contribute enormously to sustainable development and are key for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Women make major contributions to the economy, directly and indirectly contributing to economic growth and development. Discriminatory laws, policies and social norms persist in impeding womenโs full and equal participation in the economy.ย Addressing the barriers to economic empowerment and unlocking opportunities requires work at multiple scales. It also requires engagement with and action from diverse stakeholders, each of which has a role to play: from womenโs movements, civil society organizations and workers representatives; to private sector employers and organizations; to multilateral organizations includingย national and international financial institutions; to public sector policy-makers and decision-makers.
In 2023 UN Women has adopted Womenโs Economic Empowerment Strategy which articulates UN Womenโs vision for enabling womenโs economic agency, autonomy and wellbeing. Anchored in UN Womenโs Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, its objective is to provide a framework that galvanizes internal and external stakeholders to work together at the local, national and global level through transformative solutions that improve the lives of women and girls with no one left behind.ย
UN Women Moldova, as part of its Womenโs Economic Empowerment Strategy, is committed to fostering an ecosystem of financial services and opportunities that empower women. This initiative aims to enhance womenโs resilience to crises, strengthen their capacity to utilize resources effectively, and increase their productivity and competitiveness. To achieve these objectives, UN Women Moldova seeks an experienced national consultant to strategize activities for financial inclusion, align them with ongoing programs, and engage stakeholders to ensure sustainable and impactful outcomes.
The consultant will be working in close collaboration with the International Consultant on Womenโs Financial Inclusion that is already engaged on the below activities and support in their implementation. The consultant will be reporting to Project Analyst on Womenโs Economic Empowerment, with overall guidance of the Gender Specialist-Women Economic Empowerment and Resilience.ย
Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work
Depending on needs, the consultant is expected to perform one or several of the following duties:ย
Collaborating with the International Consultant in developing a structured, practical, and sustainable strategic paper to enhance womenโs financial inclusion in Moldova, ensuring alignment with UN Women and national frameworks related to financial inclusion,ย and supporting the process with evidence-based inputs, including relevant fact sheets, data summaries, and policy briefs. Designing and conducting surveys or analysis on the financial needs, challenges, and barriers faced by women entrepreneurs and self-employed women, including access to credit, grants, equity funding, constraints related to collateral, financial literacy, or institutional bias, etc. Review and consolidate existing mappings of women financial inclusion services, initiatives, and stakeholders,ย identify any remaining gaps, and update or complement the data as necessary. Together with the International Consultant conduct assessments, training sessions, mentoring and workshops for relevant stakeholders, including: national institutions to promote gender-sensitive policymaking and data collection, financial institutions to develop and implement women entrepreneurship banking strategy and gender-responsive financial products, women entrepreneurs to build their financial literacy, resource management, and investment skills, etc. Provide local support in organizing events related to access to finance, including planning agendas and sessions to ensure relevance and impact, preparing materials, resources, tools, and templates tailored to the target audience, facilitating events to encourage dialogue, collaboration, and actionable outcomes among stakeholders, etc. Multiple stakeholders, inter-agency coordination, and the provision of authoritative expertise in the thematic area, as well as the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies and collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders Contribute to the design and implementation of a sustainable communication planย relevant to the Moldovan context to increase market awareness about financial inclusion for women Facilitate discussions and advocacy efforts to promote the adoption and implementation of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs)ย among financial institutions.ย Track the progress and impact of activities related to women financial inclusion and prepare detailed reports documenting findings, results and recommendations of both the National and International consultant to inform future programming and advocacy efforts.Consultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy, with the possibility of field visits as required. In such cases, all travel-related costs will be covered by UN Women Moldova CO, in accordance with UN Womenโs travel policy and applicable regulations.
The consultant is expected to be available for virtual meetings and coordination with the UN Women Moldova team, partners, and relevant stakeholders as needed.
III. Competencies ย Core Values:ย
Respect for Diversityย Integrityย ProfessionalismยCore Competencies:ย
Please visit this link for more information on UN Womenโs Core Values and Competencies:ย ย https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Valuesย FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:ย
Excellent knowledge of one or more topics listed above; Excellent writing skills; Excellent analytical skills; Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings; Excellent knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management and reporting. Excellent training skills Ability to draft manuals/guidance/policy documentsRequired Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Masterโs degree or equivalent in economics, finance, business administration, gender studies, international relations, public policies or other related fields is required; A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Additional certifications in gender-responsive finance, financial inclusion or economic empowerment would be an advantage.Experience:
At least 5 years of experience in financial markets and banking, with extensive expertise in financial inclusion, access to financial services, and economic empowerment initiatives is required.ย At least 5 years of experience working in the Republic of Moldova financial environment, with strong stakeholder network is required. At least 5 years of experience in financial sector governance, policy analysis and development, and strategic planning related to financial inclusion is required.ย Background in designing and delivering training and capacity-building programs is required.ย Experience working with the UN system is an asset. Experience in gender-responsive finance, financial inclusion or women economic empowerment would be an advantage.Languages:
Fluency in English and Romanian 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.)
By submitting this application, you certify that all information provided therein is true, correct and made in good faith. In addition, you acknowledge that: (i) if all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are not completed, your application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process; and (ii) if you have falsified, misrepresented or withheld information relevant to your candidacy, your application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process, or if an offer is issued that it may be rescinded. Please note that you will not be able to edit your application once it is submitted.