Background

UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has been created to accelerate up the process of meeting the needs of women and girls across the world. As a part of the UN reform agenda, it brings together resources and mandates which will subsequently have a lasting impact on the whole community.

In 1993 Tajikistan has ratified the the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) - a comprehensive international treaty that outlines standards for ratifying countries to meet in the treatment and rights of women. CEDAW is a critical tool that countries can use to promote the adoption of national laws, policies, and practices to ensure that women and girls live free from violence, have access to quality education, and have the right to participate fully in the economic, political, and social sectors of their society. 

This year Tajikistan marks the 30th anniversary of ratification of the CEDAW Convention by the country, and its dedicated work on complying with its international treaty obligations under the Convention to protect and promote women's rights. This anniversary should be used as the occasion to bring all society actors and young generation of gender equality advocates and those who remain on the side-lines into the centre of a whole-of-government, whole-of-society effort.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of CEDAW ratification, UN Women office in Tajikistan will support the Ombudsman of RT, the Committee on women and family affairs under the Government of RT (CoWFA), and national partners to conduct the ceremony of celebration – a dedicated round table.

The Joint EU-UN Initiative - Spotlight Programme in Tajikistan (SPT), implemented by several UN Agencies, including UN Women, has laid a solid foundation for a strong multi-sectoral approach to meet the needs of survivors of VAW and bring about normative change to end violence at community level. The SPT supports active participation of partners in CEDAW and UPR related events, provides expert consultations, supports collection of data, and making analysis, training on women’s rights reporting, and supports the State and CSOs in drafting reports related to obligations under the UN CEDAW Convention.

This includes support of the Round table, co-organized by UN Women and Ombudsman, on marking the recent progress that has been made by Tajikistan for 30 years of CEDAW implementation since its ratification. The one-day round table will be organized during the Human Rights Week[1] (1 December – 10 December 2023) for 60-80 participants.

1. Goal and objectives

In this regard, UN Women will hire a National Consultant - Facilitator of the Round table on the 30th anniversary of ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women by Tajikistan (FACILITATOR ON CEDAW CONVENTION).

The overall objective of the consultancy is to professionally direct discussions of participants of the Round table – ministries, committees, agencies, CSOs and development partners - as per event agenda, and to provide the audience with reliable facts, data and information relevant to the implementation of obligations by the State to protect and promote women's rights under the CEDAW Convention.

[1] Human Rights Week is a week of events to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights signed by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948.

Duties and Responsibilities

In consultation with UN Women Programme Coordinator and the team, the National Consultant will:

1. facilitate discussion of participants of the round table on the 30th anniversary of ratification of the UN CEDAW by Tajikistan as per approved agenda.
2. make the brief report (15 -20 pages) that highlights recent progress that has been made by Tajikistan for 30 years to implement CEDAW and make true gains for women’s and girls’ rights on a practical everyday level, including with a focus on VAWG issues, and present the report during the round table in the form of presentation (10-15 minutes);

For making the report, the consultant will make a brief home-desk review of the milestone documents, such as periodic CEDAW Reports made by the State during all 30 years (1993- 2023), provide comparative table of what recommendations are met and what are yet to be addressed; refer to official sources of information, and bring strategic cases highlighted by CSOs in their Alternative reports to CEDAW Committee.

The report might be accompanied, as annex, by the calendar of milestones for 30 years, demonstrating the progress, made by Tajikistan. This could be done in the form of infographics.

The presentation based on the developed briefing must be drafted in a patriotic and positive way, calling for action. It will be designed in a short, user-friendly format and contain infographics, data, important facts and figures. It is important to highlight important role of engaged state agencies, ministries and committees, as well as CSOs.

The report and presentation are expected in both Russian and Tajik languages. The products will observe visibility rules of the Joint EU-UN Initiative- Spotlight Programme in Tajikistan.

Expected deliverables and timeframe.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration

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

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Proven excellent communication and facilitation skills;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good presentation and oratorical skills;
• Experience in analysing information and report writing.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:        

• University degree (Diploma) in Social Sciences, Research, Gender Studies, Development studies, International Law, Public Policy, and other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 3 years of professional experience of work on VAWG issues.
• Good understanding on international commitment on gender equality, including CEDAW, and other international instruments. Familiar with CEDAW report process, procedures, and contents of the report.
• Experience with UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as with government agencies for promoting gender equality in VAW response is an asset.

Knowledge of languages:

• Fluency in Tajik and Russian languages is required.