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.

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is providing technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental), including private sector, in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life.

The work of UN Women in the Republic of Moldova is guided by its Country Strategic Note for 2023-2027, aligned with the Republic of Moldova–United Nations Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development 2018–2022, UN Women Strategic Plan 2022–2025, the National Program for Accelerating Gender Equality in the Republic of Moldova 2023-2027 and the Action Plan for its implementation, and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.    

The overarching vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is inclusive and sustainable growth with its promise to leave no one behind.  Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, target 5.5. calls to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of the decision-making in political, economic and public life”. Gender equality is mainstreamed throughout the SDGs, including SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”. Gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres. At its core, the economic empowerment of women depends on the quantity and quality of paid employment, the provision or absence of public services, the amount of unpaid care work borne by women, as well as coverage or lack thereof under core social and labor protections.

The Country Strategic Note 2023 - 2027 focuses on four impact areas: 1. Governance & participation in Public Life 2. Economic Empowerment & Resilience, 3 Ending Violence against Women & girls, 4 Peace& Security, Humanitarian Action & Disaster Risk Reduction. To achieve progress in these areas, UN Women works with various national and international partners and as part of different national and regional initiatives. 

The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) is a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact, launched in 2010 following a year-long international, multi-stakeholder consultation process. The principles present seven steps that business and other sectors can take to advance and empower women. The WEPs elaborate the gender dimension of corporate social responsibility and business' role in sustainable development and were designed for companies to review their policies on empowerment of women, to acknowledge and to start making changes. In the international community these are recognized principles for women’s equality participation. They represent the global standard that has been accepted all around the world and provide seven principles that all companies can subscribe to. Since the launch of the Women's Empowerment Principles in 2010, over 1,900 CEOs from around the world have signed the CEO Statement of Support for the WEPs, signaling their support for gender equality and the guidance provided by the Principles.  

UN Women, in partnership with the Government of Moldova, civil society organizations, academic environment, and the private sector is working to remove the barriers limiting women’s economic empowerment so that women could enjoy the security of income, decent work, and economic autonomy. Since 2015, Un Women in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, and other stakeholders has supported the promotion of digital literacy of women and girls, especially of those from disadvantaged groups by empowering Moldovan girls with skills and tools in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and encouraging them to opt for a career in these fields in the future.

In 2015 the WEPs implementation among private partners started in Moldova with the support of UN Women in partnership with ODA (former ODIMM) through a large information campaign involving more than 250 local companies. A series of actions followed that were integrated into the government programs intended for the economic empowerment of women, such as the National Platform for Women in Moldova, PARE 1 + 1, Women in Business, Start Up for Young People.

In 2018 a new stage in WEP’s implementation was launched – a self-assessment instrument was developed and piloted to measure the degree of process adjustment in companies to the women’s empowerment principles. Over 30 companies participated in the piloting exercise that subsequently detailed their own specific action plan. Together with the company’s representatives, a set of good local practices have been identified, as well as constraints and shortcomings which were addressed later through a set of policies and proposals for modifying the legislative framework. As a result of all those measures, 13 companies became WEPs signatories.

In 2022 the national conference Empowering Women in the Workplace, Marketplace, and Community was held in 2022 where the Government of Moldova, civil society organizations, academic environment and private sector discussed women empowerment in Moldova, best practices and challenges. At the conference, best corporate practices were awarded by UN Women, and 18 companies committed to signing WEPs, including 7 companies that developed the self-assessment and action plans.

As a follow-up to the result achieved so far, UN Women will focus on supporting the already-committed companies to implement WEPs actions and further expanding the number of companies committed to the WEPs. UN Women intend to partner with at least 2 business associations (FIA and AmCham) that will support with the WEPs outreach. After building their own capacity on WEPs, they will support their member companies in implementing the WEPs.

Scope of Work 

To implement the above-mentioned work in close cooperation with the business associations, UN Women is looking to hire a National Consultant.

The National Consultant will need to coordinate the work with an International Consultant and with the selected business associations. The overall role of the National Consultant is to increase the knowledge and skills of companies’ representatives on WEPs and gender-related policies, and support signatory companies with the implementation of WEPs through following detailed assignment:

1. Cooperate with UN Women Moldova and regional office on promoting WEPs in Moldova.
2. Conduct due diligence processes and update the contact list of WEPs signatories, including potential member database
3. Compile updates from the WEPs signatory companies and allies on individual and/or group activities.
4. Work in partnership with an international consultant on the WEPs-2023 outputs and outcomes in Moldova, as well as with the communication consultant
5. Facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge, and experiences of the WEPs Community members.
6. Promote WEPs membership and partnerships and serve as a central point of contact for liaison purposes with the aim of growing the WEPs community
7. Hold a series of WEPs community quarterly meetings, and other side events, participate in the meetings and prepare and disseminate minutes.
8. Support the companies with templates for WEPs implementation (incl. templates of survey assessing the employees perception on different issues (paygap, small companies don't have the capacity to develop such surveys but they can adapt existing ones). Drafts are available on www.weps.org
9. Develop the concepts and carry out WEPs online course.
10. Together with international consultant develop the concept and carry out the Responsible Procurement Guide
11. Incentivize companies to publicly report on progress against WEPs implementation.
12. Quarterly updates on the status and activities of the WEPs community
13. Provide WEPs consultation to up to 5 companies in Moldova
14. Undertake other activities connected with the coordination and organization of the WEPs activities.

The consultant will support companies by organizing capacity development activities that address existing knowledge gaps, promote the implementation of concrete measures WEPs related, and build connections amongst multiple stakeholders from the private sector, government, NGOs, international institutions, gender experts, and academia. The Consultant will be responsible for regularly informing UN Women on the progress, and for submitting the required deliverables. 

Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity; 
• Integrity; 

• Professionalism. 

Core Competencies: 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues; 
• Accountability; 

• Creative Problem Solving; 
• Effective Communication; 
• Inclusive Collaboration; 
• Stakeholder Engagement; 
• Leading by Example. 

For more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies visit this: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Education: 

• University degree economics, social science, gender equality or other relevant field;

Experience: 

• At least 5 years of professional experience in developing, managing and/or altering corporate social responsibility policies in public or private sectors. 
• At least 3 year of experience in the fields of gender equality. 
• At least 1 year of experience in providing advisory services to private sector companies on WEPs 
• Experience in working with international organizations is an asset. 

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in written and oral Romanian and English are required; knowledge of Russian language is an asset.

Application procedure:

This is a local position; therefore only citizens of the Republic of Moldova are eligible to apply. Applications should be submitted on line and include fully.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc);
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
• Letter of Intent to include a brief overview of the consultant’s previous experiences makes the candidate the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. It should reflect the above-mentioned required skills and experience.
• Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the task specified in Terms of References. The Financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate). Please see ANNEX I and ANNEX II. - https://sc.undp.md/jobs/
• Applications received after the close date will not be accepted;
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.