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 Country Office in the Kyrgyz Republic was established in 2012 to support the Government and other national stakeholders in implementing international and national commitments on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Guided by the UN Women Strategic Plan and the Country Strategic Note, and operating within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023–2027, the National Gender Equality Strategy until 2030, and the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325, the Country Office leverages its triple mandate of normative support, UN system coordination and operational activities to deliver coherent and impactful results.

UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office supports the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and national stakeholders in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with international commitments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS-UNSCR 1325) agenda. Guided by the UN Women Strategic Plan and the Country Strategic Note, and operating within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023–2027, UN Women Kyrgyzstan contributes to national priorities such as the National Development Plan until 2030, National Gender Equality Strategy until 2030 and related action plans.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent WPS resolutions underscore the importance of women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace and security processes, as well as the need to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. In Kyrgyzstan, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to advancing the WPS agenda through the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 and recently adopted the 5th National Action Plan on WPS 2026-2028, which aims to strengthen women’s participation in decision-making, enhance protection mechanisms, and promote gender-responsive approaches to peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and disaster risk reduction.

In this context, UN Women works closely with government institutions, civil society organizations, and international partners to support the effective implementation, monitoring, and reporting of WPS commitments, while strengthening the capacities of national and local actors to advance inclusive peacebuilding and social cohesion. UN Women Kyrgyzstan also promotes integrated approaches that link the WPS agenda with efforts to sustainable peace, enhance women’s leadership, and ensure gender-responsive governance and recovery processes.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the WPS Specialist/project officer exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, managing and technical support to the Women, Peace and Security Program interventions under the WPS portfolio. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ and ECARO staff, UN partners, Government officials, Development Partners and civil society ensuring successful implementation of the overall portfolio.

Scope of Work:

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of Women, Peace and Security (WPS)

• Lead the design and formulation of WPS programme strategies, proposals, and initiatives aligned with Kyrgyzstan’s national policies (e.g., gender equality, peacebuilding, social cohesion).
• Conduct and apply conflict and gender analyses, including with local CSOs and communities.
• Ensure integration of WPS across governance, rule of law, climate security, and socio-economic development.
• Draft inputs to country strategies, policy briefs, and advocacy documents.
• Promote the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) nexus in programme design.

2. Programme Management, Implementation, and Oversight

• Develop and implement annual workplans and budgets across the WPS portfolio.
• Oversee day-to-day programme implementation, ensuring coordination across projects and thematic areas.
• Oversee the management and monitoring of Implementing Partners (IPs) and IP Agreements, reporting, and compliance, Capacity assessments and onboarding processes.
• Ensure application of Results-Based Management (RBM) tools and performance indicators.
• Organize and participate in Project Steering Committees, review meetings, and evaluations.
• Coordinate and work closely with the WPS project staff and focal persons at the UN Agencies, Ministries, Departments and organizations at the Oblasts levels and contribute to building synergy and smooth implementation
• Provide technical advice to UN, Government and CSOs partners on Women Peace and Security;
• Prepare project financial and budget variance report and follow up on IP audit findings.
• Participate in the project review and/or evaluation meetings as per the guidance of the country Representative.

3. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme:

• Manage the process of monitoring the programme/ project implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Analyze project progress against the Results and Resources Framework (RRF) and develop mechanisms to ensure that the project remains on track.
• Support the onboarding processes of Implementing Partners including review, evaluation, capacity assessment, submission to LPAC/RPAC/GPAC and contracting.
• Undertake missions to the field including project locations on a quarterly basis and follow-up on the action points.
• Ensure midterm and end term evaluations are undertaken in accordance with the Project Documents;
• Coordinate and review the inputs from the UN, Government and CSOs partners in relation to the WPS portfolio, consolidate and finalize the donor reports;
• Provide project updates and inputs to the UN Women Quarterly, Annual, and other donor reports;
• Contribute to regional and global WPS knowledge exchange.

4. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts of Women Peace and Security programme

• Develop and implement communication and advocacy messages and contribute inputs to strategies on key gender and WPS concerns.
• Support the development of policy briefs, communication materials, and advocacy tools to influence WPS-related policy processes.
• Provide support to the development and implementation of strategies of advocacy campaigns and communication activities related to WPS programme;
• Lead the coordination of stakeholders’ engagement in organizing meetings, communicating with partners and maintaining smooth flow of information within UN Women and partners;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide project improvement and strategy planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products (briefs, case studies, toolkits) and methodologies on WPS.
• Prepare and finalize Newsletter, web-write-up focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Undertake needs assessment and implement and oversee capacity building on Women Peace and Security.
• Capture and disseminate lessons learned and best practices to strengthen the WPS knowledge base.
• Strengthen women’s specifically CSOs participation in: Local peacebuilding processes; Community-level decision-making; and Conflict prevention mechanisms
• Foster engagement with local governance and community structures.

5: Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies:

• Identify and lead the development of new programming and partnership opportunities that advance women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding and governance.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Foster strategic relationships with parliamentarians, members of the local councils, community elders, and national authorities to advance WPS priorities and promote women’s participation in decision-making.
• Finalize relevant documentation on donor proposals and develop potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.
• Strengthen coordination on WPS through: UN inter-agency mechanisms, National coordination platforms, Thematic working groups (e.g., governance, peacebuilding, peace hub)
• Represent the organization in high-level meetings, policy dialogues, and forums on WPS in consultation with the Country Representative.
• Develop and implement advocacy and communication strategies to promote WPS priorities.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations, including women leaders, youth, and marginalized groups.
• Promote linkages between WPS and: Governance and rule of law, Climate and environmental security and Economic empowerment.

Cross-Cutting Principles- Across all KRAs, the incumbent will:

• Apply conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive approaches
• Ensure inclusion of youth, rural women, and marginalized groups
• Promote localization of the WPS agenda
• Uphold UN standards on ethics, safeguarding, and accountability

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: the incumbent leads a team of 2, which includes 1 direct report (1 NPSA Programme Assistant.)

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:

• Demonstrates ability in programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation;
• Applies knowledge of Results-Based Management (RBM)
• Demonstrates ability to gather and interpret data, draw logical conclusions, and present findings
• Demonstrates strong analytical skills
• Applies substantive knowledge of gender equality, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, UN Security Council Resolution 1325, gender-responsive governance, institutional mechanisms, and women’s civil society organizations.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification:: Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women”s studies, international development, or a related field 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;
A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage;

Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
Technical experience in Women Peace and Security in post conflict setting is required.
Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset;

Languages: Fluency in English is required.
Fluency in Kyrgyz is required.
Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

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.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.