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 Liberia, despite notable strides having had a woman vice president and the first democratically elected woman president in Africa, gender representation in the National Legislature remains alarmingly low. According to the Interparliamentary Union, Liberia ranks 162nd globally out of 186 countries in terms of women’s representation in national parliaments. Over the years, the percentage of women in the National Legislature has dwindled, dropping from over 15% in 2006 to a mere 10.7% (11 out of 103 seats) in 2024. In the 2023 General and Presidential Elections, women comprised just 15.5% of the accepted candidates, marking a slight decrease from 2017.

Post-electoral periods provide an opportunity to reflect on the election process, identify strengths and challenges, and gather lessons learned and develop a strategy to promote women political participation in Liberia. With this background, a comprehensive gender analysis is planned to assess the barriers obstructing women’s participation in politics, showcase opportunities for their meaningful inclusion and develop a strategy to promote an increased women participation in politics in Liberia, particularly legislated temporary special measures for women in politics and public leadership.  The purpose of the gender analysis is therefore to:

  • Assess the political, economic, social, and legal context in which the elections were conducted.
  • Evaluate women candidates’ performance in the 2023 General and Presidential Elections compared to other elections (particularly in General Elections)
  • Examine the role of key national, political, and electoral institutions in promoting an enabling environment for women‘s political participation at national and county levels.
  • Analyze women’s electoral participation as temporary elections workers, campaign managers, voters, candidates (independent and party affiliated), political party members, election administrators, and observers.
  • Provide insight into the challenges and opportunities for women’s political participation in Liberia.

The findings and recommendations from this analysis will guide the development of a strategy for advocating for the adoption of temporary special measures (legislated gender quota) and creating advocacy tools to promote women’s political participation (WPP) in Liberia.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of UN Women, closely working with National Elections Commission and UNDP the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

  • Prepare an inception report explaining how they intend to achieve the expected deliverables.
  • Conduct interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders, including legislators, women politicians, aspiring politicians, political parties, civil society organizations/women’s rights organizations, development partners and government officials. The purpose of these interviews will be to gather insights and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for women’s political participation in Liberia.
  • Analyze the data collected from the literature review, interviews, and focus groups and produce a comprehensive report on the findings. The report should include:
    • An overview of the status of women’s political participation in Liberia, including key statistics and trends.
    • An overview of the electoral reform bill, challenges, and opportunities,
    • Identification of the key challenges and opportunities for women’s political participation in Liberia, and recommendations for future actions to address these challenges and opportunities.
    • Produce a comprehensive gender analysis report including lessons and recommendations with clearly identified actions and recommendations.
  • Develop a strategy (maximum 10 pages) to support the advocacy for the adoption of temporary special measures (gender quota law) and promote women’s political participation at national and local level to be implemented post-election.

  • Deliverables

    Deliverables

    Timeline

    Percentage

    Inception report

    3 days

    5%

    A comprehensive gender analysis report/compendium including lessons learnt and recommendations prepared and adopted by NEC, UN Women and UNDP

    13 Days

    60%

    Data captured and infographic/illustration developed capturing the participation of women in the 2023 Elections

    2 Days

    15%

    A comprehensive strategy to advocate for the adoption of temporary special measures and women political participation in Liberia developed

    7 days

    20%

    Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

    This is a home-based consultancy.  As part of this assignment, there will be travel within Liberia. 

Competencies

Competencies 

Core Values: 

  • Respect for Diversity 
  • Integrity 
  • Professionalism 

Core Competencies: 

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Women’s Rights 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:  

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

  • Strong interpersonal, teamwork and communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and proactively solve problem;
  • Capacity to plan, priorities and deliver tasks on times;
  • Capacity to engage with stakeholders to receive inputs for analysis and reporting;

Ability to research, analyze, compare and present complex information.

How to Apply :

When applying; the Cover Letter, CV and the signed P11 Form should be merged into one (1) single PDF document since the system will allow only to upload maximum one document. Therefore, please combine these forms and documents into one (1) single PDF document and upload them to the system.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

  • Master’s degree in social sciences, political science or gender studies is required.
  • PhD in social sciences, political science or gender studies is an asset.

Experience:

  • Minimum 5 years’ experience in the field of gender, research, preparing reports and publications in the field of women’s political participation is required.
  • Experience in preparing reports and publications analyzing women status in elections (local or general) is a strong asset.
  • Experience working with political parties and female aspirants is a strong asset  
  • Strong experience and knowledge about local national and international law, and engaging with legislative functionaries
  • Previous experience with the United Nations or similar organizations in this or a related field would be considered an asset.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required.