UN Women: National Consultant-Disability Inclusion Officer, Dhaka Bangladesh

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 centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinate 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.

UN Women in Bangladesh supports the government to implement commitments to international normative standards on gender equality and women’s human rights. In line with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2027, the corresponding UN Women Bangladesh Strategic Note (2022-2027) defines UN Women’s strategic engagement in Bangladesh, which was launched in 2021. The country strategy focuses on strengthening the national structures and mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in policies, plans and budgets; supporting efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women; promoting women’s access to decent and safe work; promoting policies and government investment in women’s empowerment and resilience building in the context of climate change, humanitarian crisis as well as other threats to peace and security. UN Women works with a range of stakeholders in Bangladesh including the government, civil society and women’s organizations, youth, UN agencies and donors, to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

UN Women's "Leave No One Behind" (LNOB) focus addresses intersecting inequalities, particularly for marginalized women and girls (like those with disabilities, from low-income groups, or facing conflict), by promoting inclusive data, fighting stigma, integrating gender into broader UN frameworks, and developing tools like audit frameworks to ensure everyone benefits from development, tackling root causes of exclusion like poverty and discrimination. Furthermore, the LNOB Analysis conducted by UN Women in 2021 identified 18 LNOB groups of which 8 groups will be prioritized by UN Women BCO. These include women with disabilities, women in the informal sector, female migrant workers, female tea garden workers, GBV survivors, female-headed households, women, and adolescents living in disaster-vulnerable areas, Rohingya refugee women and youth. However, advocacy on other issues relevant to LGBTIQ+, indigenous women and others will continue alongside.

Against this background, UN Women is seeking the services of a highly qualified national consultant to support the Bangladesh Country Office (BCO) on planning, implementation, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and evidence generation through learning initiatives to achieve the objectives of BCO. The national consultant should bring in the intersectional lens in its programming and implementation with a focus on LNOB issues.

Objective:

The overall objective of the assignment is to support the programme teams on planning, implementation, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and evidence generation through learning initiatives that are directly implemented by UN Women, as per the agreed project document and work plan.

Under the direct supervision of the Partnership and Coordination Analyst, and working in close collaboration across thematic units (Ending Violence Against Women, Inclusive Governance, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Unit, as well as the Sub Office in Cox’s Bazar), the national consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

Deliverables

Milestones

Expected completion time

Payment schedule

• Role as Secretariat for Prevention Forum

2.1. Create a communication template for MoWCA and other non-government participants for prevention forum

2.2. Convey regular meeting, coordinate and collaborate with forum members

2.3. Dissemination of information among forum members through monthly email

Communication template finalised

Meeting minutes drafted and disseminated

As applicable

Payment will be processed at the end of each month for the number of days worked based on submission of satisfactory delivery with progress report and timesheet on tasks

completed during the month. Evidence may include meeting minutes, background notes, technical reviews and inputs to key documents, knowledge and advocacy products, among others

• Conduct training for prevention forum and results monitoring for Fellowship programme
• Conduct weekly session online as per plan in collaboration with EVAW and other thematic experts
• Collect data through pre-post survey for feedback
• Develop a learning report based on learning from in person training
• Develop a comprehensive learning report on Fellowship.

At least 02 training sessions conducted

01 comprehensive report on fellowship programme drafted and finalised

31 March 2027

• Reporting and Knowledge management
• Provide inputs in UN Women bi-annual and annual reporting on Prevention Forum related activities
• Quarterly report of prevention forum activities.
• Ensure Disability Inclusion issues are reflected and reported in Annual Report,
• UN Reporting and others,
• captured through meeting minutes, and support with other administrative tasks
• Develop knowledge product / Learning Brief(s) from Prevention Forum and fellowship activities.

Inputs in UN Women biannual and annual report, UN and other reports provided.

03 knowledge products developed and finalised

31 December 2026

30 April 2026

• Capacity development on LNOB issues, particularly disability inclusion
• Support thematic areas both internally and externally on capacity development on disability by leading and designing sessions
• Support on capacity development and advocacy to UN in Bangladesh through the UN Task Team on Disability Inclusion as well as the UN Women Disability Inclusion Task Team, civil society and partners/OPDs

02 sessions for governance unit conducted,02 sessions for Cox’s Bazar sub office

Sessions conducted for UN Women as well as UN in Bangladesh.

Advocacy materials and tools developed, knowledge materials developed together with UN Women and UN Disability Inclusion Task Team.

31 December 2026- 30 April 2027

Intermittent

• LNOB integration in programmes

Ensure understanding and integration of LNOB issues, in particular disability inclusion through programmatic interventions

Disability inclusion is reflected in programmatic activities, disability groups are reached.

Intermittent