National Consultant to provide technical expertise and capacity building on organizational development to women’s professional associations and women’s platforms promoting the Wome

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. The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its ​ Country Strategic Note 2023-2027 ​ , aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova (2023-2027), UN Women Global Strategic Plan , National Programs and Strategies and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women; 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance; 3) Women’s Economic Empowerment and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on Gender equality. Towards these Impact Areas, UN Women works all over the world with a variety of national and international partners to challenge gender-based stereotypes and towards an enabling environment, whereby women act as key agents of change towards greater equality, lasting peace and development, in partnership with men and boys. UN Women supports women’s full and equal representation and participation in all levels of peace processes and security efforts. UN Women’s work on women, peace, and security is guided by 10 UN Security Council resolutions— 1325 , 1820 , 1888 , 1889 , 1960 , 2106 , 2122 , 2242 , 2467 , and 2493 and is bolstered by a number of related normative frameworks , which make up the broader women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda. The WPS agenda recognizes that women are often excluded or under-represented in security and peace processes [1] and emphasizes the long-term positive impact of women’s meaningful and equal participation in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacebuilding and recovery after conflict or crisis [2] . The Republic of Moldova is situated at the intersection of evolving geopolitical tensions, bordered by Romania and Ukraine, and directly affected by the protracted war in Ukraine, alongside a 35-year unresolved conflict in the Transnistrian region. This complex and fragile security environment continues to shape national priorities and underscores the urgency of institutional resilience, adaptability, and modernization. Women and girls make up more than half of Moldova’s population (53.4%); however, they remain underrepresented in key decision-making and are more exposed to the multi-dimensional crisis affecting the country in recent years. The deepening regional geopolitical crisis and the resulting increase in tensions between Chisinau and Tiraspol negatively impact the fragile socio-economic context of the country and create pre-conditions for escalation of inter- community tensions. Over the past decade, the Government of Moldova has demonstrated sustained commitment to advancing the WPS agenda. This progress has been driven by the implementation of two consecutive National Programmes on UNSCR 1325 (2018–2022 and 2023–2027), coupled with national legislative and institutional reforms. UN Women has supported the implementation and coordination of the WPS agenda through a comprehensive approach that combines policy support, evidence generation, institutional capacity-building, advocacy, and direct engagement with women’s networks and peacebuilding actors. Since 2018, UN Women has accompanied the Government in advancing the WPS NAPs, helping to strengthen women’s representation and meaningful participation across the security, defense, and peacebuilding sectors. This support has contributed to important policy and institutional developments, including the integration of gender provisions into the National Defense Strategy and the National Military Strategy, the advancement of women into senior leadership roles within the internal affairs system, and increased participation of women in peacekeeping missions. Its support has also advanced prevention of discrimination and sexual harassment through internal regulations, capacity-building and knowledge products disseminated across key security institutions. At the same time, UN Women has generated evidence through studies and assessments that informed reforms and has strengthened women’s professional associations and networks within the security, defence and justice sectors, supporting them as agents of institutional change. These associations have helped advance more inclusive practices, challenge stereotypes, and promote women’s leadership from within their respective institutions. In the area of peacebuilding, UN Women has supported women’s meaningful participation in social cohesion and cross-river trust-building. This included the participatory development of a roadmap, the establishment of the Women’s Advisory Board for Sustainable Peacebuilding, and the creation of women’s discussion platforms in the Transnistrian region. These initiatives helped elevate women’s voices in dialogue processes and community-based peacebuilding. UN Women has also positioned Moldova as an active contributor to regional and global WPS dialogue by convening peacebuilders and human rights defenders from across the region and facilitating Moldova’s engagement in the Global WPS Focal Points Network. Overall, UN Women’s support has helped translate the WPS agenda in Moldova into concrete policy commitments, institutional reforms, stronger women’s networks, and more inclusive peacebuilding processes. As a result, Moldova achieved a significant improvement in the 2025/26 Global WPS Index, ranking 36th out of 181 countries, an increase of 17 positions compared to the previous edition. This progress reflects both policy reforms and evolving institutional practices aimed at promoting gender equality within the security sector. Building upon already achieved results and interventions, UN Women intends to further empower women’s professional organizations and networks by equipping them with skills, knowledge and practical methodological tools that would help them further advance the WPS Agenda in Moldova. The latter strategic approach is designed to enhance the women’s organizations’ capabilities to meaningfully engage in institutional reforms as well as in promoting civic activism. In this context, UN Women Moldova seeks to hire a national consultant to deliver technical support, tailored capacity building and coaching on organizational development for women’s professional associations and networks from security, justice and defence sectors, as well as to women peacebuilders’ platforms, in accordance with TOR requirements. The subject areas will cover, but are not limited to organizational diagnosis, governance, vision and strategic planning, change management, leadership and team collaboration. The consultancy is framed within 2 ongoing projects: the regional project “Women’s Increased Leadership for Resilient and Peaceful Societies” funded by Denmark and UN Women Strategic Note Contribution funded by Sweden. The consultant will be reporting to Programme Analyst on Women, Peace and Security and other members of UN Women Moldova CO’s management team, as appropriate, and will be supported by Programme Associate on Women, Peace and Security, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues. Performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work The national consultant shall provide technical support and capacity building for the organizational development of women’s professional associations and networks working on promoting the WPS Agenda within security, justice and defence sectors, as well in broader peacebuilding efforts. The consultant is expected to produce analytical reports, provide st