JOB DESCRIPTION

Background/Context

Collecting data on violence against women (VAW) is crucial for understanding the scale and nature of this pervasive issue. Reliable and timely data on prevalence of various forms of VAW is one of key priorities for countries for informing national interventions and policy but also to track their progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender Equality and Women”s Empowerment, as well as other commitments like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Istanbul Convention. However, due to limited technical capacities, data on VAW prevalence is often scarce, underutilized, or collected in ways that are unethical, unreliable, or difficult to compare.

To address this issue, UN Women, UNFPA and DCO is implementing a regional project on Empowering Equality: Strengthening Gender Data Systems for Sustainable Development in Europe and Central Asia, financed by the UN Joint SDG Fund and implemented collaboratively by both agencies. The project’s primary objective is to strengthen national statistical systems in the region to enhance the measurement and reporting of SDG 5 indicators—ensuring we have accurate, timely, and disaggregated gender data to drive policy and decision-making. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of selected national statistical systems to design, collect, analyze, and disseminate data for SDG 5 indicators, mainstream gender into statistical processes; and institutionalize these practices through robust gender data coordination mechanisms. It takes a two-pronged approach: three countries targeted from the different subregions (Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and South Caucasus) for specific interventions and a regional component running in parallel. The selected countries were chosen primarily based on the current status of SDG 5 indicators, particularly focusing on the missing indicators for which both agencies are custodians.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, the National Statistical Committee (NSC) will be supported to design and conduct a pilot prevalence survey on violence against women (VAW) as part of a broader regional initiative to strengthen gender data systems. To facilitate this process, a National Consultant on VAW Data will be engaged to provide targeted technical and coordination support to the NSC. The objective is to generate high-quality, ethically collected, and internationally comparable data that can inform national policy development and fulfil reporting obligations under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The National Consultant will work in close collaboration with the NSC and International Consultant, the UN Women Regional Gender Statistics Specialist, the UN Women SDGs Data and Partnership Coordinator, and the UNFPA Population and Development Advisor, and will support all stages of the survey—from methodological design and cognitive testing to training, pilot data collection and analysis. In addition, the National Reference Group  on VAW survey, comprising representatives from government agencies, UN entities, international organizations, civil society, and academia, will be actively involved in shaping the objectives and scope of the survey. This inclusive and consultative approach will ensure broad-based national ownership and strengthen the relevance and uptake of the survey findings for evidence-based policymaking and programming to address violence against women in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The primary objective of this consultancy is to provide technical and coordination support to the National Statistical Committee (NSC) of the Kyrgyz Republic in close collaboration with the International Consultant in the preparation, implementation, and analysis of the pilot survey on the prevalence of violence against women (VAW). The National Consultant will be engaged in adaptation of survey tools, facilitation of national stakeholder engagement, training of interviewers, data analysis and other operational support to uphold ethical standards and methodological rigor throughout the process.

Specifically, the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of national strategies, policies, and legal frameworks related to violence against women, to inform the design and scope of the pilot survey and ensure alignment with national priorities.
• Support the adaptation of the survey questionnaire and methodological framework to the Kyrgyz context, including survey objectives, data collection strategy, and fieldwork protocols, in line with WHO and other internationally recognized standards.
• Contribute to the development of data collection manual and interviewer’s guidance, including ethical and safety protocols, referral procedures, and confidentiality safeguards
• Assist in the development and operationalization of pre-testing tools and data collection methodology.
• Support and facilitate a four-day workshop for interviewers, including the preparation of agendas and other training materials such as, presentations role-play exercises, including case-based scenarios and emergency response protocols.
• Support the analysis of cognitive testing results and contribute to the refinement of the questionnaire and field protocols based on findings and feedback from the National Reference Group on VAW survey (NRG).
• Facilitate consultations with the NRG, ensuring stakeholder engagement throughout the survey process, and contribute to the consolidation of technical inputs.
• Provide technical support during the pilot survey data collection in consultation with the NSC and the International Consultant.
• Support the NSC in drafting the national report on the pilot VAW prevalence survey, ensuring comprehensive analysis of the findings and documentation of key lessons learned. The report should also provide recommendations for transitioning from the pilot to a full-scale, nationally representative survey in alignment with national priorities and international reporting commitments.
• Conceptualize the national validation workshop, ensuring effective stakeholder participation and contributing to the discussion of key findings.

Deliverables

Deliverables	Timeframe	Amount of payment
1.Inception report outlining a detailed work plan, stakeholder engagement strategy, and annotated timeline for the national consultant’s support to the VAW pilot survey in the Kyrgyz Republic	By 30 August	40%
2.  Drafts of adapted national version of the survey questionnaire, data collection protocols, and training materials in Russian, including ethical and referral guidance.	By 17 September
3. Summary report with key findings of the cognitive testing and pre-test phase, including recommendations endorsed by NSC, UN Women and UNFPA	By 10 October
4.Training materials and technical support provided for interviewer training (4 days) in close cooperation with NSC, including Concept Note, Agenda, training materials, PPT etc.	By 25 December	60%
5. Draft national pilot VAW survey report developed in close collaboration with NSC, including analysis of findings, lessons learned, stakeholder reflections, and recommendations for scaling to a nationwide survey. Technical support is provided for organizing and conducting the national validation workshop.

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 reporting documents per the agreed working methodology and timeline. The deliverables will be cleared by UN Women and UNFPA focal points at the regional and country levels.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

Throughout the assignment, UN Women and UNFPA will provide:

• Background and resource materials beyond those available online or otherwise published that the Consultant will need to obtain directly.
• Technical inputs when reviewing key conceptual documents and knowledge products, including methodologies, desk review analysis, agenda, research reports and training materials.

Support to coordinate activities with NSC and other key stakeholders, when and if required.

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:

Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues.

• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Competencies in coordination, planning and teamwork.

A commitment to quality product and deadlines.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree) in gender, human rights, women’s studies, sociology, psychology, public health, statistics or a related field.

Experience:

• A minimum 10 years of experience in leading or coordinating research studies in the area of gender equality, including on ending violence against women.
• Previous working experience with NSC, preferably in violence against women data and research is required.
• Previous experience on the use of statistical software such as Stata, SPSS is required.

Languages:

Fluency in Russian is required. Knowledge of English language is a strong asset.

How to Apply

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) The specifications should include the number of working days allotted for each deliverable of TOR.

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.