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.

Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

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 GE.

Women’s leadership and political participation is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work as mandated in its inception, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. To promote the leadership and participation of women in all levels of decision-making processes, UN Women works with a range of stakeholders including women leaders and aspiring candidates,  women holding a particular elected office bound at local and national levels, national parliaments and parliamentarians, political parties, media, civil society organizations, and electoral management bodies, in coordination with UN partner Entities, through a wide range of interventions which include: i) support gender responsive legal reforms, and institutional processes to advance women’s participation and representation (including initiatives to address violence against women in politics); ii) build capacities of women leaders, office holders and aspiring candidates; iii) promote change of gender norms through advocacy and outreach initiatives targeting communities, political leaders and the media; iv) and support women leaders in gender responsive political institutions.

Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) remains a threat to the integrity of the electoral process and the quality of democracy, coercively excluding women from participating in the political life and governance. VAWP is a violation of political and human rights that harms voters, candidates, office holders, election officials, activists and security and political professionals worldwide, occurring both online and offline. This phenomena seeks to “silence women’s voices in decision-making bodies by preventing them from exercising their political mandates, preventing them from seeking leadership positions in the legislature, forcing them to resign before the end of a full term of office, discouraging attendance in parliamentary sessions, enforcing exclusion and marginalization within parliament and committee and compelling them to not seek re-election.” Thus, VAWP not only affects women in politics but also negatively impacts on the work of political institutions (e.g. political parties, parliaments, local government) and impedes gender-responsive inclusive governance.

The data on the prevalence of VAWP, a prerequisite for both the creation of evidence-based solutions and for bringing attention to the phenomenon of VAWP with both decision makers and the public, are currently missing.

In previous years, UN Women Moldova, in collaboration with its partners, implemented various targeted interventions to address violence against women in politics and in elections. These efforts included monitoring presidential, parliamentary and local elections, organizing awareness-raising events, informational materials, and engaging relevant stakeholders to promote zero tolerance for VAWP.

During July 2021 Moldovan parliamentary elections, 23 electoral competitors were registered by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), including 20 political parties, two electoral blocs, and one independent candidate. Collectively, these competitors nominated a total of 1,791 candidates for Parliament. 837 of these candidates were women, representing 46.73% of the total candidate pool.  With the support of UN Women, the Gender Equality Platform monitored the 2021 parliamentary elections debates from a gender equality perspective, focusing on the incidence of sexist speech as a form of violence against women in elections. The monitoring identified a total of 106 cases of sexist and discriminatory remarks and seven instances of physical and emotional assault targeting women candidates. Men were the perpetrators in 82% of the 113 reported cases of sexism and electoral violence.

In January 2025, UN Women started a new initiative to identify “Evidence-Based Solutions to Prevent Violence Against Women in Politics during 2025 Parliamentary Electoral Campaigns in the Republic of Moldova” using a UN Women corporate survey tool. UN Women Moldova is committed to support national authorities in elimination of VAWP, including by addressing data gaps on VAWP and working with partners in creating evidence-based policy solutions that can sustain a healthy environment for women candidates, aspiring women and women holding political office. The next parliamentary elections are expected to take place in the fall 2025, in accordance with the Electoral Code and the Constitution.

In this context, under Women in Leadership and Governance Area, UN Women Moldova is already in a process of selection of a Research to conduct the quantitative part of the national study on Violence against Women in Politics (women candidate survey), based on existing UN Women corporative tool and methodology. The study is aiming to document experiences of women in politics, with a particular focus on assessing obstacles to women participation in electoral processes to be held in Moldova in 2025. The candidate survey will target a representative sample of women who registered to run in 2025 Parliamentary election, encompassing winners, those who did not win, and those who withdrew. The survey will focus exclusively on their experiences during the electoral process, capturing insights specifically about their practices throughout the electoral cycle, without extending to events or circumstances that occurred after the election. Post-election developments, such as their time in office, would not be included in the scope of this survey.

1. Strengthen the evidence base on women’s political participation experiences and obstacles, notably VAWP, in the Republic of Moldova, with a specific focus on women candidates in the 2025 parliamentary elections.
2. Contribute to the development of a global model for measuring and monitoring VAWP.
3. Generate knowledge on national and sub-national legislative and policy frameworks on political participation and VAWP in Moldova, including through the desk review of existing relevant research and reviews.
4. Identify entry points and provide recommendations for strengthening the monitoring, prevention and response to VAWP in Republic of Moldova.

Under this TOR, based on the context above, UN Women Moldova Country Office is looking to contract a National Consultant knowledgeable of VAWP issues in the Moldovan context, gender, including research background, to come in support to the research company and UN Women in the implementation of this study.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The National Consultant is expected to be a practitioner knowledgeable of  GEWE and specifically VAWP issues in the Moldovan context, including with a research background, that will be responsible for providing overall project coordination and implementation and undertake some components of the project (for example, the legal/policy review), supporting with background research and data collection and ensure the quality of the analysis and Study report . The National Consultant will be in touch with the Research company which will undertake the qualitative data collection, conduct focus groups/individual interviews with national stakeholders and women holding a particular elected office bound in national and local elections. (please see the Annex 1 of the TOR on VAWP study: project components and their sequence).

Also, the national consultant is expected be part of the UN Women Study Technical Team that will be engaged from the beginning of the project to provide strategic oversight and quality assurance of the Study and undertake some components of the study. The Technical Team will consist, of the following members: i) designated staff from the UN Women Moldova Country Office, the UN Women ECARO Regional Political Participation and Governance Specialist, and UN Women Headquarters, a national consultant, a member of the research company.

The Consultant will be working under the overall supervision of the Programme Specialist, Women in Leadership, and Gender Sensitive Governance and Budgets, Programme Officer on Women in Leadership and Governance Area and in close collaboration with UN Women Study Technical Team, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks, including but not limited to:

Task 1: Provide coordination support to the Technical Team

• Participate in and provide technical inputs and administrative support in the coordination of the Technical Team meetings, including notetaking and scheduling, as requested.

Deliverables under Task 1:

• Draft minutes of Technical Team meetings
• Methodological notes and any other relevant guidance.

The Consultant will support the implementation of the qualitative components of the National Study on Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) in Republic of Moldova, mainly:

Task 2. Background desk review of all the existing evidence and data on VAWP in Republic of Moldova

2.1. Mapping of existing quantitative and qualitative approaches in collecting data on VAWP in the context of Republic of Moldova, including:

• Gathering information on the tools previously used in collecting information on VAWP (and VAW as needed) in the context of Republic of Moldova (e.g., questionnaires, interview guides, focus group guides, manuals for data collection etc.);
• Identifying lessons learned that could be used in the qualitative and quantitative components of the current study, including on issues covered (magnitude measurement, risk and protective factors, perpetrators, location, consequences etc.), specific modalities of obtaining information (phrasing questions, sequencing of issues covered in interviews), and reported challenges in data collection or presentation of the results.

2.2. Review of existing assessments of Republic of Moldova’s current legislative and policy framework as it relates to women’s participation in elections and VAWP, and by comparison with standards set by international normative frameworks and global best practices. Voluntary strategies and initiatives (such as codes of conduct adopted by political parties) and key actors/stakeholders in monitoring, preventing and responding to VAWP in Republic of Moldova will also be identified.

• Generate knowledge or potential interventions on national legislative and policy frameworks on political participation and VAWP in Moldova, including through the desk review of existing relevant research and reviews.
• Identify entry points and provide recommendations for strengthening the monitoring, prevention, and response to VAWP in Republic of Moldova.

Task 3: Preliminary research and verification of the scope of Study

With support of the Research Company, this component will provide contextual knowledge on VAWP and inform the development of data collection tools and the scope of the study. The component includes:

3.1. Conduct series of consultations with stakeholders relevant to preventing, mitigating or responding to violence against women in politics in the Republic of Moldova with support of the Research Company.

• Support the identification of stakeholders relevant to preventing, mitigating or responding to violence against women in politics in Republic of Moldova. Stakeholders may include, for example, electoral management bodies (EMBs), police/security sector, political parties or the judiciary, UN agencies, development partners, and civil society actors engaged in addressing VAWP.
• Jointly with Research Company, the consultant will support the organization and facilitation of at least 2 Focus Groups consultations (up with participation of women candidates participating in parliamentary elections in 2025). The focus groups consultations aim at providing safe spaces for women candidates to reflect on their individual experiences of running for parliamentary elections, followed by the joint development of the pathways of women candidates in the form of narratives of experiences during elections. The variety of different narratives will then inform on the methodology of the quantitative and qualitative components of the study, including: a) risks and protective factors, including defining on who are the perpetrators, when and where VAWP is taking place, what are consequences of violence; b) specific acts of violence experienced by women candidates; b) suggest specific phrasing that could be used when designing the questionnaires; and c) recommend which violent acts are perceived as most sensitive and therefore be placed at the end of the questionnaire/interview guide.
• Provide inputs to the design and support the organization and facilitation of individual in-depth interviews with at least 4 women candidates (2+2) to facilitate disclosure of information in complete privacy.
• Provide inputs to the design, and support the organization and facilitation of at least up to 10 Individual interviews with stakeholders specifically involved in electoral processes, such as: Central Election Commission (CEC), local and district electoral commissions, Center for Continuous Electoral Training; political parties, relevant Ministries, NGOs and international organizations specialized on elections, justice sector engaged in addressing violence against women and girls and violence against women candidates. The series of interviews are aimed at providing information on existing types of VAWP, mechanisms to report, prevent and respond to VAWP, reported cases, and services available to women who experienced violence. They may also be engaged in discussions regarding information and knowledge gaps that could be addressed by the study.

Task 4: Provide inputs to the development of quantitative data collection tools, including customizing an existing questionnaire and developing an interviewer’s manual as needed 

• Provide inputs to the qualitative data collection plan and methodology. This includes inputs to the timeline of activities, number of interviews and selection of persons for in-depth interviews with women candidates, etc.
• Provide inputs to the customized and developed questionnaire and interviewer’s manual developed by Research Company by building on relevant existing methods of data collection on VAWP, including the existing UN Women questionnaire on VAWP prevalence, and preliminary qualitative research undertaken as part of this Study. Both the questionnaire and the manual (as well as the field data collection) will be consistent with research ethics and confidentiality requirements in line with the principle of Do No Harm and the WHO Ethical and safety recommendations for intervention research on violence against women, as well as considerations for integrating and operationalizing LNOB. This project component includes: customized UN Women questionnaire for candidate surveys, developed interviewer’s manual, developed testing strategy, Testing of data collection tools and training materials, Preparing testing report, Sample design for quantitative data collection etc.

Deliverables of the National Gender Consultant under Task 2-4: 

• Mapping report on quantitative and qualitative approaches in collecting data on VAWP. The report shall contain:

Previously conducted in the context of Republic of Moldova including gathering tools previously used in collecting information on VAWP and Identifying lessons learned; Review of Republic of Moldova’s current legislative and policy framework related to women’s political participation and VAWP, by comparison with international normative frameworks and global standard:

Voluntary strategies and initiatives, desk review of existing relevant research and reviews and entry points

• Stakeholder mapping, including a list of stakeholders proposed.
• Inputs to the interview guide for the main qualitative data collection in the field.
• Inputs to the qualitative data collection plan including timeline of activities, number of interviews and selection of persons for in-depth interviews with women candidates to 2025 parliamentarian elections.
• Inputs to the development of quantitative data collection tools, including customizing an existing questionnaire and developing an interviewer’s manual as needed.
• Legislative entry points and recommendations
• Inputs to the Preliminary qualitative research and verification of the scope of the study conducted by the Research Company.

The Consultant will support the implementation of the quantitative components of the National Study on Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) in Republic of Moldova, mainly:

Task 5: Support the facilitation of training(s) to the enumerators and supervisors responsible for the administration of the quantitative survey

Support to training needs ahead of the quantitative data collection

• Provide inputs to the design and support the facilitation of select sessions (i.e. GEWE concepts and concerns, and research ethics and confidentiality) of 1 day (one) training for enumerators and supervisors responsible for the administration of the quantitative survey. The trainings will be organized by research company and will be built on WHO and UNSD guidelines on research ethics.

Deliverables of the National Consultant under Task 5:

• Inputs to the Facilitator’s notes for the one-day training for enumerators and field supervisors.
• Inputs and quality verification of the Research Company reports provided on Quantitative data collections activities, reports, interviews and transcripts.

Task 6: Support to the preparation of a comprehensive study and advocacy materials

• Jointly with Research Company conduct preliminary qualitative data analysis.
• Support the development of a comprehensive final analytical study that integrates evidence from qualitative and quantitative data collection and the review of legislative and policy framework, and highlights short- and long-term entry points, opportunities, and priority actions for key state and non-state actors (parliament, electoral management bodies, political parties, legislative bodies, local administrations, traditional and religious leaders, elected women representatives, civil society and the women’s movement, and UN Women and other UN agencies), to better monitor, prevent and respond to VAWP.
• Support Research Company with the drafting of advocacy materials including one main advocacy brief (4-6 pages) and seven short thematic, geographic and/or demographic briefs (2 pages each), based on the comprehensive report and data collected.
• Coordinate UN Women support for the translation of the comprehensive report or its executive summary and/or advocacy materials into English from Romanian
• Coordinate UN Women support the development of communications materials, including human interest stories and/or articles on good practices, to support knowledge management of the project, as per identified needs.

Deliverables of the National Consultant under Task 6:

• Inputs to the detailed outline for the final analytical study, which captures key findings, key messages, and recommendations.
• Inputs to the comprehensive final study that integrates evidence from qualitative and quantitative data collection and the review of legislative and policy framework.
• Inputs to the advocacy materials including one main advocacy brief and seven short thematic, geographic, and/or demographic briefs.
• Inputs to versions of the final study or its executive summary and/or advocacy materials.
• Inputs to communications materials including at least two human interest stories and/or articles on good practices.
• Inputs to lessons learned documentation.

Task 7    Launching of the study and follow-up actions 

Conduct 2 Reference Group Meeting to engage key strategic partners indicated in the stakeholders mapping for strengthening the monitoring, prevention, and response to VAWP in Moldova based on the identified entry points and recommendations of the study. UN Women will facilitate the logistical arrangement for the event;

Contribute to the organization 1 National Event to launch the report including follow-up actions lessons learned/ knowledge sharing and share its findings and recommendations. UN Women will facilitate the logistical arrangement for the event;

Launch social media campaign with advocacy infographics including issue press statement and engagement with key national and regional media partners. Additional support will come also from UN Women Moldova Communication team, if needed.

Deliverables:

• Draft meeting summaries of the Reference Group meetings.
• Draft meeting summary of national event
• Inputs to the dissemination plan for the dissemination of final study and advocacy materials.

Duration of the Assignment

The assignment shall commence in April 2025 and shall expire in January 2026 for up to 110 working days.

Performance Evaluation 

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. All reports must be provided in English, electronically.

Financial Arrangements 

Payment will be disbursed quarterly upon submission and approval of deliverables and timesheets with actual days worked. The payment shall be made upon certification by UN Women that the services have been satisfactorily performed. The number of days worked is to be determined solely by UN Women. The Consultant agrees and acknowledge that acceptance of the Contract does not guarantee any minimum fee to be paid to the Consultant.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The Consultant will not be located in the premises of UN Women and will have to work remotely (unless UNW will request differently) or in the beneficiary premises. The payment of travel costs should be agreed upon in advance by UN Women, the National Consultant, and the Research Company. These costs will be covered or arranged by the Research Company.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to achieve results and to work in teams;
• Ability to use Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource;
• Ability to work under pressure and within limited time frames;
• Ability to consistently approach work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to work in an independent manner and organize the workflow efficiently;
• In-depth knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights issues will be an asset;

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Political Science, Sociology, International Relations, Law or relevant field, and/or other social science-related areas relevant to the assignment 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.
• Additional certifications in gender equality, human rights, and violence against women in elections would be an advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years of experience in qualitative research in the areas of women’s political participation, EVAW, or integration of gender equality in elections, including legal and policy review is required;
• Experience in the field of monitoring of gender equality/eliminating violence against women and girls, violence against women in politics/elections, hate and sexist speech, human rights and development is required;
• Experience in working with/in government and non-governmental sectors in interventions in the field of monitoring of election from gender perspective is an advantage;
• Experience in reviewing laws/policies/regulations/documents is an advantage;
• Experience engaging with multiple stakeholders including governments, electoral management bodies, women elected for public office, CSOs particularly women’s organizations, and the UN/ multilateral/bilateral institutions in Republic of Moldova is an advantage;
• Experience in working with international organizations is an advantage;

Languages:

• Fluency in Romanian and English (both written and oral) is required;
• Fluency in the Russian language would be an advantage.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND SUBMISSION PACKAGE 

Interested candidates are invited to submit applications with the following documents.

• Duly filled UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc . Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. 
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Samples of previous works – examples of strategies, notes, regulations developed by the candidate or under his/her coordination on gender issues, women’s rights, gender-based violence and Violence against women in politics

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. 

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

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