National Consultant - Gender Expert

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. UN Women supports national partners in Armenia in strengthening the legal, policy and institutional frameworks for advancing gender equality and preventing and responding to violence against women and girls. As part of these ongoing efforts to strengthen national capacities in international compliance and governance, UN Women works closely with state institutions, civil society organizations, and international partners to bridge the gap between global commitments and national reality. This involves translating international human rights treaties, gender equality standards, and normative frameworks into actionable, localized policies. By providing targeted technical assistance, fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue, and building institutional ownership, UN Women ensures that countries are fully equipped to design, implement, and monitor inclusive strategies that drive sustainable change and uphold women's rights at every level of governance. Building upon UN Women's broader mission to advance gender equality and strengthen normative frameworks, the objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support in the development of a draft National Action Plan for smooth implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence in the context of its upcoming ratification. The assignment will be carried out during the period of 10 September to 30 October 2026, in close consultation with UN Women and relevant national stakeholders. Description of Responsibilities / Scope of Work Under the overall guidance of UN Women Programme Specialist based in Armenia and in close coordination with relevant national counterparts, the National Consultant will provide technical and substantive support for the preparation of the Action Plan for implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The consultant will undertake the following tasks: - Targeted desk review and analysis of the national framework and the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Convention requirements:Conduct a focused review and analysis of relevant national legislation, policies, strategies, action plans, institutional frameworks, and existing materials provided by the Ministry of Labour and Welfare concerning the prevention and combating of violence against women and domestic violence, alongside the relevant provisions and requirements of the Convention. The review will build on existing relevant assessments, reviews, and other work concerning Armenia’s implementation of and alignment with the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, with a view to avoiding duplication and ensuring complementarity with previous and ongoing work. Based on this analysis, the review will identify key priorities, gaps, and areas requiring further attention in the national Action Plan, including in relation to prevention; protection and support; prosecution; integrated policies; and institutional coordination. - Stakeholder Consultations:In close coordination with UN Women, support and facilitate consultations with relevant stakeholders, including relevant government institutions, civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations, and specialist service providers, to identify priorities, gaps, institutional responsibilities, and proposed actions. - Development of the draft Action Plan:Based on the desk review, consultations and relevant international standards, develop a comprehensive draft Action Plan for implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The Action Plan should include clear objectives, priority areas, activities/actions, responsible and partner institutions, implementation timelines, indicators, and monitoring arrangements. - Institutional roles and coordination:Support the identification and clarification of the roles and responsibilities of relevant institutions in preparing for ratification and subsequent implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, and propose appropriate coordination, governance and accountability mechanisms. This should include an assessment of Armenia’s existing coordination mechanism(s) against the requirements of Article 10 of the Convention, including their mandate, functions, composition, institutional positioning, resources and capacity to coordinate, implement, monitor and evaluate relevant policies and measures. Based on this assessment, identify any gaps or areas requiring strengthening and provide recommendations for institutional and coordination arrangements to support effective implementation of the Convention. - Monitoring and reporting framework:Develop a practical monitoring and reporting framework for the roadmap, including measurable indicators, expected results, responsible institutions, timelines, and proposed means of verification, to enable systematic monitoring of progress in preparing for ratification and subsequent implementation of the Convention. The framework should be designed to support the monitoring of implementation of a government-led Action Plan, as well as to facilitate Armenia’s future reporting to GREVIO. - Validation of the Action Plan:Present the draft Action Plan to UN Women and relevant stakeholders and facilitate a validation process to collect substantive comments and recommendations. - Finalization:Revise and finalize the Action Plan based on feedback received from UN Women, national counterparts and other relevant stakeholders and submit the final document together with a brief report summarizing the consultation and development process. - Inception report and workplan, including the proposed methodology, timeline, key stakeholders to be consulted and approach to developing the Action Plan by September 24, 2026 (2 days). - Desk review and analytical summaryidentifying key priorities, gaps and areas requiring action for effective implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Convention in Armenia by September 29, 2026 (5 days) . - Stakeholder consultation process, including preparation and facilitation of consultations and a brief summary of key findings and recommendations by October 5, 2026 (5 days). - First draft of the Action Plan, including objectives, actions, responsible institutions, timelines, indicators and monitoring arrangements by October 15, 2026 (10 days). - Facilitation of a validation consultation/workshopand incorporation of comments and recommendations received from relevant stakeholders by October 20, 2026 (3 days). - Final Action Plan for implementation of theCouncil of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, incorporating feedback from UN Women and relevant national stakeholders, accompanied by a short final report summarizing the process, key considerations and recommendations for implementation by October 25, 2026 (5 days). Deliverables The consultant will be responsible for the following key deliverables: Duration of the Assignment The consultancy will be carried out from20 September to 30 October 2026. Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel This is a home-based consultancy. Competencies : Core Values: - Integrity; - Professionalism; - Respect for Diversity. Core Competencies: - Awareness and Sensitiv