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.
For 2025 and 2026, UN Women Cambodia Office focuses its programme actions on contributing toward the achievement of planned output results that are in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) as well as global Strategic Plan outputs and outcomes of the UN Women. In doing so, the high level actions include the provision of support to the government, women organisations as well as gender advocate movements/networks to address gender inequality causes through the development of the fourth National Action to Prevent Violence Against Women (4th NAPVAW) and its monitoring framework, building national understanding of Women Peace Security, implementation of policies, tools and standard procedures for more gender-responsive actions in climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR) and labour governance, the transformation of negative social norms via strengthening community-based women networks and movements and advocacy by using a normative framework such as CEDAW, Security Resolution 1325, Sandai and Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The Empower project: Women for Climate-resilient Societies is a unique partnership between UN Women and UN Environment, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) that aims to ensure that climate action and disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific respond to gender equality and human rights. EmPower phase II (2023-2027) was built on successes and lessons learnt of the phase I and aims to scale up for regional implementation and generate new regional commitments and national policies, financial mechanisms and tools, methodologies, evidence, and knowledge to further impact. The project will contribute to the overall Impact: “People in Asia-Pacific are less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and experience greater gender equality and the full enjoyment of their rights, including equal access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” EmPower aims to achieve the outcomes bellow:
Outcome 1: Asia-Pacific actors increase action on gender responsive climate change adaptation and mitigation. Outcome 2: Women in all their diversity and other marginalized groups are represented as key environmental actors in climate and DRR decision-making Outcome 3: Women and other marginalized groups in Asia-Pacific secure climate-resilient livelihoods
In Cambodia EmPower approach is to strengthen capacity of national actors and the institutions to promote gender-responsive climate action and disaster risk reduction through providing technical inputs on monitoring and evaluation frameworks, roadmaps, action plans and guidelines to implement climate change, renewable energy and DRR policies. This also includes ensuring that the key actors are able to execute the national policy, plan and guideline for gender responsive climate action and disaster risk reduction. As part of the EmPower phase Program, UN Women is also working with National Committee for Disaster Management to strengthen the capacity of the committee to reduce disaster risk using gender lenses. More importantly, EmPower has supported the development of gender mainstreaming guideline and the national action plan for disaster risk reduction 2024-2028. To ensure these national action plan and guideline is executed by key actors, UN Women focus further on provide technical support to enable the effective implementation of the action plan with gender perspective.
As we pass the Sustainable Development Goal midpoint and approach the anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), promoting women's leadership and participation in decision-making in Asia and the Pacific is essential for inclusive and just systems of governance. Achieving gender equality commitments is not just a necessity for sustainable development and peace in the region, but an imperative for its future.
Across Asia, the impact of women in leadership roles and participation in decision-making is evident, it enhances the quality of governance and decision-making leading to better outcomes for society as a whole. Countries with higher levels of women's political participation tend to experience lower levels of corruption[1] and fewer conflicts.[2] Their participation in decision-making and leadership is essential for the region to effectively tackle emerging challenges to sustainable development including the impacts of climate change and the misuse of technology. These are increasingly recognized and addressed by the local, national and regional commitments.
Commitments under international frameworks such as CEDAW and the 2030 Agenda are being localized through various national and regional initiatives. Sixteen countries have now adopted National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security in the region.[3] At the sub-regional level, ASEAN recently developed a Plan of Action on Women’s Political Participation and Leadership (anticipated to be adopted later this year).[4] These regional policy frameworks demonstrated a high-level commitment and a critical step toward addressing the structural barriers that limit women's leadership roles.
In Cambodia, the Royal Government of Cambodia, through the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) and Cambodia National Council for Women (CNCW), have aligned its national policies, strategies and measures with international norms/standards, including CEDAW, BPfA and SDGs to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. The representation of women in decision-making positions in the public sector have steadily increased over the years with women at 42% of all civil servants and at 27% in decision-making positions. Despite achievements in policies on gender equality, Cambodian women face difficulties as social norms on gender relations, including unpaid care work and the burden of family care, continue to constrain the development of women’s potential and participation in the public sector. It is timely to re-think approaches to accelerate gender equality in decision-making positions in the sectors with wider gaps such as in politics, digital, science, media, environment and climate change and to strengthen monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including the collection and analysis of disaggregated data and gender statistics, in order to document progress, identify areas of improvement and develop gender-responsive interventions.
Through a series of well-planned convenings, the Beijing+30 Activation: Strengthening Women’s Leadership in South and South-East Asia project aims to democratize, localize, and leverage these opportunities and establish regular feedback loops between various levels of leadership. This approach has proven effective. CEDAW general recommendations can accelerate the adoption of critical commitments by Member States when backed by political commitment at the highest levels of domestic and foreign policy. Therefore, broad-based sensitization and commitment building early on are essential. Similarly, regional convenings have a significant impact. For example, last year’s regional workshop, ‘Strengthening Women’s Resilience and Leadership in ASEAN,’ organized by the Women Parliamentarians of AIPA (WAIPA) Workshop and supported by UN Women, initiated the development of a Plan of Action on Promoting Women’s Political Participation—an unprecedented development on a global scale.
Beijing+30 Activation: Strengthening Women’s Leadership in South and South-East Asia project will provide a pathway for women's voices, including the most marginalized women to shape the future of the region. It will offer opportunity to reshape the narrative around women’s leadership by acknowledging significant achievements and addressing the enduring gaps that prevent women from realizing their full potential.
Output 1.1. Regional and national actors and mechanisms are supported (technical and policy advisory support, skills building, research/data and tools) to ensure women’s meaningful participation and leadership in advancing gender-responsive and inclusive laws (including fiscal laws), policies and institutions, in line with international human rights standards (ROAP SN Output 1.1.1)
Output 2.1. Capacities of women’s rights organizations at regional, national, and community levels are strengthened (skills building, networking support, technical and financial assistance), to ensure women’s meaningful participation and leadership in governance, peace and security, in development and crises-affected contexts
Therefore, this call is seeking to recruit a local consultant who has relevant experiences and knowledge to provide technical support to mainstream gender in the implementation of the gender mainstreaming guideline and national action plan especially at sub-national level and to support the implementation of the Beijing+30 Activation.
[1] https://www.wfd.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/Anti-corruption%20and%20genderV2.pdf
[2] https://warpreventioninitiative.org/peace-science-digest/more-women-in-government-less-corruption-more-peace/
[3] Including Australia (active), Bangladesh (active), Indonesia (active), Japan (active), Kazakhstan (active), Kyrgyzstan, Nepal (active), New Zealand, the Philippines (active), Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka (active), Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste (active) and Viet Nam (active)
[4] https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/press-release/2024/02/joint-press-releasewaipa-events-2024
Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work
The consultant will work closely with UN Women programme team, specifically EmPower II project team and the project’s partner especially government partners to perform the following time-bound tasks:
Provision of technical support to National Committee for Disaster Management (NDCM) to develop a gender action plan for NCDM’s secretariat Lead in supporting NCDM’s secretariat to draft a gender action, aligning with NAP-DRR. This include provide context analysis and propose draft plan for consultations Provision of technical support to NCDM’s secretariat and gender mainstream group to enable them to provide capacity development gender responsive disaster risk reduction and climate change to members of disaster management committees at sub national levels Provide on-going coaching and training to key trainer of NCDM to enable their support to sub-national disaster management actors Conduct capacity gap assessment and develop action learning in accordance to the identified gap for effective gender mainstreaming into disaster risk reduction specifically for the preparedness Support local committees in implementing the action learning plans and monitor its contribution to NAP-DRR
2. Provision of technical support for national and sub-national committee for disaster management to use gender data for inclusive disaster risk reduction specifically for contingency plan
Support NCDM to review data collection tool to ensure gender data is well incorporated Provide technical support to committee to enable them to collect and use data for local contingency plan Review the existing data collection tool to assess its responsiveness to the national indicators and gender indicator in Sendai
3. Provision of technical support to Cambodia office in promoting women leadership and intergenerational dialogues, aligning with CEDAW General Recommendation 40 and Beijing+30 regional and national priorities
Lead in supporting Ministry of Women’s Women in close collaboration with NCDDS to conduct national and sub-national dialogues (national level:2, sub-national level:2) focusing on relevant policies for promoting women leadership at national and sub-national level. This includes mobilization for engagement of male leaders Lead in supporting National Council for Women and relevant commission of national assembly to conduct dialogue and socialization with parliamentarians on CEDAW, particularly General Recommendation 40 Lead in supporting social events to promote intergenerational dialogues on leadership for gender equality. This include mobilization of non-traditional key actors such as social media key influencers, artist and creators who have been actively promote women rights and gender equality
Final Products and Outputs
The consultant is expected to provide the following outputs:
Inception Report outlining a detailed work plan, methodology, and timeline for the consultancy Gender Action Plan detailing the finding of the gender analysis, including gaps and recommendations for integrating gender into sub-national disaster management plans and draft outline with endorsement of chair of gender working group of the secretariat Capacity Building Materials producing concept note with detail programme and methodologies used, to enhance capacity of local actors in gender-sensitive management. Producing dialogue/event concept note and activities Progress Report on intergenerational Dialogue with coaching session, insights stories and key recommendation for promoting women’s leadership Final Consultancy Report summarizing the consultancy's activities, outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for future actions.
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
The time required for the consultancy is estimated at a maximum of 150 working days within the period from 01 June 2025-31 May 2026. For any travel within and outside of duty station, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, UN Women will be responsible for the accommodation and travel expenses if any travel is incurred during the assigned period. The consultant will be engaged under a retainer contract, which facilitates direct engagement of the consultant depending on need and availability within the contract period for a pre-agreed fee.
UN Women will not be committed to purchasing any maximum quantity of the Services, and purchases will be made only if there is an actual requirement upon the issuance of a Purchase Order based on this retainer contract. UN Women shall not be liable for any cost in the event that no purchases are made under this retainer contract.
The expected number of workdays for each deliverable will be discussed between the consultant and UN Women on a case-by-case basis. Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of a deliverable or as agreed between the consultant and UN Women.
Schedule of Payments
Payment will be made monthly, 15 day after the submission of monthly claim. The amount paid will be based on the number of day within the month that the consultant has done the assignment.
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:
Excellent analytical skills Strong knowledge of UN Women processes and systems Strong networking skills Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization; Ability to work in a highly pressured environment
Required Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Master’s degree in climate action, disaster risk reduction, social science, public policy, gender studies, human rights, international affairs, and/or any relevant field directly related to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
At least two years of progressive experience in gender and climate change, women’s economic empowerment, or sustainable livelihoods. Experience in designing and implementing strategies, tools, and knowledge products that address gender equality in climate adaptation, mitigation, or renewable energy programs. Proven experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder partnerships, particularly in Cambodia or the Asia-Pacific region. Experience in developing practical, user-friendly knowledge resources (e.g., toolkits, case studies) based on experience that enhance stakeholders’ understanding of gender and climate interlinkages. Extensive experience in Results-Based Management (RBM), monitoring, and reporting to track progress on specific deliverables and evaluate project impacts. Experience in collecting and synthesizing data, evaluating outcomes, and producing concise progress reports, highlighting achievements, challenges, and actionable recommendations. Strong experience in monitoring and reporting on development projects.
Languages:
Fluency in English is required.
EVALUATION
Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis: Technical qualification (100 points)
Technical qualification evaluation criteria:
The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria: Technical Evaluation Criteria
Obtainable
Score
Education and certification
15 %
Experience 70 %
Language skills 15 %
Total Obtainable Score 100 %
Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates who may be contacted for validation interview.
How to apply
A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)