UN Women: International Consultant, Home-based, Consultant for conducting a detailed study on Harmful Social Norms and Gender Stereotypes for Uzbekistan

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.

In Uzbekistan, where women make up nearly 50% of the population, the Government has initiated wide-ranging reforms since 2016 across social, economic, and legal domains. Among these efforts, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and prevention of gender-based violence have steadily gained prominence in national discourse and legislation. These include the adoption of the Law on the Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence (2019), criminalization of gender-based violence (2023), introduction of equal pay for equal work, and increased women’s representation quota in Parliament to 40% as of 2024.

Despite this progress, the intersection of gender equality and economic development remains under-leveraged, and challenges such as harmful social norms, limited sex-disaggregated data, and systemic barriers continue to impede full realization of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE).

To have a comprehensive and an evidence-based documentation, UN Women and UNFPA conducted the very first Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP) for Uzbekistan with the financial support from Swiss Development Cooperation. CGEP serves as a foundational analytical and operational document for policy makers, implementers, media professionals and those who work for and contribute to gender equality in the country.

As the second phase, it’s agreed to conduct an in-depth analysis to understand the root causes of harmful social norms and gender stereotypes that hinder women’s empowerment in all spheres through a mixed methodology. It will identify the main root causes and systemic issues that need to be addressed in the target regions to enable the paradigm shift needed to promote women’s empowerment and participation and, therefore, contribute to Uzbekistan’s full-scale sustainable economic development.

To implement this research, UN Women and UNFPA in Uzbekistan on behalf of the UN system in the Republic of Uzbekistan are seeking the expertise of International Consultant to lead and coordinate the work and produce a high-quality analysis accompanied by recommendations.

Objective

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Programme Manager in Uzbekistan and with technical support from UNFPA country office experts, the international consultant will lead the task to develop a detailed root causes analysis of harmful social norms and gender stereotypes of Uzbekistan within the selected regions. (at least two). As a result of the analysis with the help of mixed methodology, policy and practice level recommendations are expected to be developed.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Within the assignment, the Consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

Task 1:

• Lead the design and implementation of a detailed analysis of harmful social norms and gender stereotypes in at least two regions of Uzbekistan (one of them should be Surkhandarya).
• Guide the development of data collection methodologies (e.g., focus group discussions, key informant interviews) and tools in collaboration with national consultants.
• Work closely with a team of national consultants by providing close supervision throughout all stages of the work, technical guidance, instructions, and support on research tools and methodologies to ensure consistency and quality in data collection.
• Review and analyze data collected by the national consultants, ensuring reliability of findings and prepare the report analysis based on the collected data.
• Ensure ethical, inclusive, and gender-sensitive research approaches are applied throughout the fieldwork and stakeholder engagement process.

Task 2:

• Provide policy and practice recommendations based on the analysis of gender-based barriers, particularly social and cultural norms.
• Develop a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (max. 20 slides) summarizing key findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the harmful norms analysis.
• Facilitate presentations, validation meetings and briefings to key stakeholders including the UN Gender Theme Group and Task Force members – if needed.

Task 3:

• Design a contextualized roadmap for scaling up activities in other regions of Uzbekistan, based on lessons learned, regional disparities, and data gaps.
• Propose a concept for future awareness-raising and behavior change campaigns, engaging stakeholders such as faith-based groups, youth networks, celebrities, athletes, and educators.
• Identify and document best practices and risks observed during the pilot phase to inform the scale-up strategy.

Deliverables

It is anticipated the assignment will take up to 30 working days over a period of August – November 2025.

Payment for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payment will be based on the submission of the SSA report along with the timesheet and relevant annexes as supporting documents for the achievement of deliverables:

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Deliverables

Target Date

Days Required

1

Inception report including detailed methodology, annotated outline, scope of work for the team of national consultants including clear timeline

Deliverable: Inception Report

Sept 2025

5 days

2

Data analysis, desk review, interviews (if needed) and developing the first draft

Oct 2025

10 days

3

Pre-final copy incorporating inputs from UN Women and UNFPA

Oct 2025

3 days

4

A clean copy of the analysis accompanied by recommendations and a detailed ppt

Nov 2025

8 days

The Consultant shall promote a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations and commits to high standards of quality, productivity and timeliness in the delivery of tasks. The Consultant will meet and apply the highest standards of integrity and impartiality.

The Consultant must be fully dedicated to the mandate and the values of UN Women, particularly to promoting Gender Equality as a strategy to reduce conflict, improve livelihoods and ensure fairness and justice; to Women Empowerment underpinning Gender Equality promotion efforts; to inter-ethnic tolerance and concord; and to respect for diversity.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

Expected travel: Home based.

Inputs from UN Women and UNFPA:

• UN Women and UNFPA will provide the consultant with background materials for the assignments. Specifically, this will include national reports, research, data, etc.
• UN Women Uzbekistan will provide the contact details and introductions to the National Consultant/partner.

Reporting requirements:

The International Consultant is expected to work remotely using her/his own computer. UN Women will provide may provide support to coordinate activities with NSC, when and if required.

Consultancy report should be provided in electronic version in English with detailed description of the fulfilled tasks, according to the present Term of Reference, and the contribution of the national expert. Analytical documents, reports and other materials developed by expert should be attached to the report as annexes, which will serve as justification for payment.

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 commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints.
• Builds strong relationships with colleagues and audience, focuses on impact and result and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Identifies opportunities and builds strong relationships with partners and targeted groups.
• Demonstrate exceptional ability to remain calm, in control and good humored even under pressure and right deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, and ability to work in multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environments.
• Excellent communication skills.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or Ph.D.) Development Studies, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, or relevant fields.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in leading, coordinating, and research studies or development of publications in the field of GEWE and international development.
• Demonstrated expertise in gender analysis, national/international gender policies, gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment. Knowledge of socio-cultural, economic, and geopolitical contexts of Central Asia is an advantage.
• Knowledge of international/regional agreements and initiatives on GEWE (CEDAW, Beijing, SDGs, etc.) is required
• Strong analytical skills and research experience. Previous experience in conducting analysis on harmful social norms and gender stereotypes or similar sensetive thematic areas is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written in English
• Working knowledge of Russian is an asset
• Working knowledge of Uzbek is an asset

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.

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