Background

UN Women is the United Nations global champion of gender which fulfills a Triple Normative-Coordination-Operational mandate, upholding standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment and making the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and standing behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.  UN Women links global, national, and local actors to create an enabling environment, working with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programs, and services to ensure that defined standards truly benefit women and girls worldwide. The Agency works to identify and dismantle structural barriers to GEWE and unequal power relations, including discriminatory laws, policies, and practices.

Building on the impacts and the knowledge of UNIFEM which opened its office in 2002 in Sierra Leone, UN Women established its office in 2011. In line with its universal Normative, Coordination, and Operational triple mandate, the UN Women Office in Sierra Leone works with the Government of Sierra Leone, Civil Society (especially women’s movements), local communities, the international community, and the private sector to advance the agenda of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the country. At normative level in Sierra Leone, UN Women supports intergovernmental institutions in promoting gender mainstreaming and standards for implementing women’s and girls’ human rights through twenty-eight (28) Ministries, the Armed and the Police Forces.  The Agency supports national policies and laws such as the 2019 Amendment of the Sexual Offenses Act, the GEWE Act 2022, and the GEWE Policy of 2020 that aim at localizing global standards and norms such as CEDAW, UNSCR 1325, the Beijing Declaration and Action Plan, the Maputo Protocol on Women’s Rights.

Women in Sierra Leone constitutes 57 percent of the workforce, are the backbone of the agricultural sector, and play a vital role in natural resource management and food production. Yet, 80 percent of registered land belong to men (UNDP, 2023)[1] who have control over cash crop production, farming inputs and technology, while women remain discriminated and denied of ownership and access to, or control of land and most productive resources. Rural women, especially those in remote communities, face severe disadvantages and live in multifaceted poverty. Women are also mostly limited to the informal sector as their ability to participate in the formal sector is largely hindered by unpaid care responsibilities and male-customized business languages and regulations. Inclusive and tailored women’s empowerment with key focus on economic development and social protection initiatives and programmes are central in driving effective poverty reduction and economic prosperities.

Multiple and intersecting forms of discriminatory and inequality sustaining norms and practices that favor men and constrain women reveal how the economic oppression of women is context-specific and incumber the economic progress of a nation.

To address gender inequalities and empower women in fundamental areas such as politics, governance, access to justice, finances, and natural resources, the Government of Sierra Leone has taken significant steps in developing inclusive policies like the National Land Policy, the Customary Land Rights Act and the Land Commission Act. The recent Feed Salone program and the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2024-2030) translate some of these policies and laws into operational strategies.

Through its Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme, UN Women work closely with partners at multi-layered levels with several government ministries, departments and agencies, chieferies, local Councils, and local implementing partners to support women farmer groups and cooperatives nationwide.

[1] UNDP, (2023), Barriers and Enablers of Women’s Participation in Revenue Generation in Sierra Leone https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2023-02/Barriers-and-Enablers-of-Women%E2%80%99s-Participation-in-Revenue-Generation-in-SierraLeone-2023.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Women is seeking a Development Finance Expert with proven experiences in microfinancing systems, inclusive financing especially for women and youth, private sector’s financial systems, and innovative, and gender equality enabling systems of inclusive financing. Reporting to the Head of Office, and working under the guidance of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Lead of UN Women Sierra Leone, the Consultant has the duty to help UN Women achieve the followings objectives:

1. To refine and amplify UN Women’s impact in addressing the most pressing challenges related to financing women’s economic empowerment especially at community levels, including systemic financial access inequality, informality, and the roles of environmental, energy, and climate change factors.
2. To strengthen linkages of local and national financial systems to advance women’s economic rights and empowerment through productive multi-stakeholder partnerships.

To set forth a human rights–based gender-responsive and multisectoral approach to financing for women’s economic empowerment that responds to patterns of gendered marginalization and discrimination and transforms women’s economic, social and public life, to improve their livelihoods, rights and resilience

Key Deliverables

The following are expected deliverables based on the scope of work defined above:

1. A very comprehensive inception report which includes, among others, a clear methodology, guidelines and an action plan.
2. A situational report depicting the landscape of women’s access to finance at community level, and how it links with national financial systems, mapping existing systems, mechanisms, opportunities and challenges.
3. A coherent and consistent document of strategy to meet the objectives set for this consultancy (please see the 3 objectives), including a tentative plan of implementation.

The consultant performs other duties within her/his functional duties as deemed necessary for the efficient achievement of the objectives assigned to consultancy

Competencies

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Strong knowledge of gender equity and women’s empowerment issues 
• Strong knowledge of UN system and understanding of inter-agency coordination processes 
• Strong knowledge of re
• sults-based programme planning and management 
• Strong analytical skills 

• Ability to promote and monitor inclusion of gender-specific objectives, indicators, targets and activities in the UN agencies programmes 
• Ability to provide advice and support

Required Skills and Experience

Education abd Certification

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in finance, economics, laws, business administrations, or other relevant field is required. 
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree 
• Certification in subject(s) relevant to this consultancy would be an added advantage
• At least 8 years of experience in development fields focused on the intersection of gender and financial services.
• In-depth understanding of microfinancing, financial inclusion, financial services providers (Traditional and FinTechs), digital financial services, especially for low-income in West Africa.
• Outstanding knowledge of women’s financial inclusion, gender-based barriers in access to finance, and gender norms, especially in low-income West-African countries.
• Experience in designing gender responsive financial systems, products, processes, and policies 
• Proven track records in conducting high quality gender analysis and women’s financial inclusion challenges and opportunities as well as influencing stakeholders on gender considerations in developing countries, particularly in West Africa.
• Experience in the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes is required. 
• Track records of analyzing, synthetizing and conceptualizing complex insights, practices and contexts, and ability to actively report, and present the outputs.

•  Desired qualifications

• Have authored reports, strategies, or concepts, etc. with a distinctive practical lens on women’s inclusive financing for economic development and gender barriers in financial inclusion in West Africa.
• Experience working in gender equality and women’s rights at the international level. 
• Working experience in developing countries with the UN system, Agencies, Funds or Programs
• Language
• Fluency in English is required.