UN Women: Gender Responsive Planning and Budget Consultant, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Consultant Contract, National Consultant

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.

Background/Context
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.
Gender inequality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is severe, with the country ranked 169 out of 170 globally. Women and girls face high rates of gender-based violence (GBV) and low literacy levels. The DHS 2016-2018 indicates that 54% of women have experienced GBV in the past year, and nearly 23% of women aged 15-49 have no formal education. Structural barriers, cultural norms, and weak protection systems worsen the situation. Tribal conflicts, sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV), and small arms proliferation, especially in the Highlands, increase violence. Despite policies to reduce discrimination, comprehensive strategies are urgently needed to address these issues and achieve gender equality. Additionally, ongoing conflicts have displaced communities, further exacerbating GBV incidents. The persistence of these challenges highlights the critical need for targeted interventions to promote social stability and human rights and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly 05 on gender equality, 10 Reduce Inequality and 16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions.

Building on the gains of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), UN Women, UNFPA and UNOPS (Agencies) have commenced implementation of a joint initiative entitled “Soim Wokabaut: Gender-Based Violence Referral Pathways Programme”, financed under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI Global Europe). The joint programme aims to reduce the incidence of GBV in communities in target provinces, including in and out of schools (Eastern Highlands and the National Capital District). This will capitalize on existing programmes addressing specific forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHRs) while supporting prevention and protection efforts for GBV survivors, strengthening access to justice, and ending violence against women and girls at national, provincial, district, and community levels. It seeks to scale up effective integrated approaches to deliver quality coordinated services, strengthen referral pathways, mobilize communities and networks to address harmful gender and social norms fueling GBV and SARV and promote implementation of laws and policies to reduce GBV and SARV while mobilizing national, provincial and community leadership on the programme’s investments to enhance sustainability.

The joint programme’s specific objectives are: 1. To increase access of women, men, girls and boys in all their diversity, experiencing gender-based violence, to essential quality services, protection and justice. 2. To improve advocacy and agency of civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations, social movements and communities to end gender-based violence (GBV). 3. To make the engagement of community leaders, male advocates and influential groups and actors in society more effective in changing discriminatory social norms, gender stereotypes, GBV and harmful practices.

The introduction of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence 2026–2035, the National Public Service Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Policy, and the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Policy 2025-2035 demonstrates the Government of PNG’s commitment to advancing Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB). These policy frameworks, among others, integrate gender considerations into government planning and budgeting to ensure that resources are allocated according to the specific needs of women, girls, boys, men and other marginalized groups.

UN Women has successfully delivered Phase I of its Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB) capacity-building initiative, targeting government officials and civil society in priority provinces. Anchored in Spotlight Initiative findings, this interventions aims at building gender perspectives into budgetary processes at both national and sub-national tiers, to advance transparency and accountability in public governance. Complementary assessments have identified strategic opportunities to extend GRPB capacity building to civil society, churches, and wider stakeholder networks. This expanded engagement is essential to ensuring public budgets equitably respond to the needs of women, girls, boys, and marginalized populations, while equipping non-state actors with the technical capacity to monitor and hold government accountable for gender-responsive resource allocation.

In reference to the above, under Phase II, UN Women PNG seeks to engage a National GRPB Consultant who will be working across Provincial and District Administrations, Department of Provincial and Local Level Affairs (DPLLGA), Department of Treasury (DoT), and the Civil Society to strengthen the institutionalizing gender mainstreaming into provincial and district budget in Eastern Highlands and National Capital District. The consultant will coordinate sub-national (provincial and district) and national level Government entities with an aim of effectively integrate gender mainstreaming strategies into their programmatic planning, budgeting and monitoring processes. Additionally, the consultant will play a pivotal role in strengthening civil society’s capacity to advocate for government accountability by enhancing their knowledge of gender-responsive planning and budgeting concepts. This responsibility encompasses aligning planning and budget cycles with gender mainstreaming objectives, supporting the integration of gender-responsive strategies into programmatic planning, budgeting, and monitoring frameworks, and ensuring that sub-national processes constructively inform and connect with national systems.

Description of responsibilities

This consultancy will be undertaken under the overall leadership and direction of the Country Representative with supervision by the Deputy Country Representative, and in coordination with the EVAWG Programme Technical Coordinator and Programme Manager. The consultant will work closely with the International Consultant and also engage with government representatives at national and sub-national level, civil society, national/provincial council of women, civil society national reference group and other relevant stakeholders. Throughout the consultancy, the consultant will receive support from UN Women team and input from the implementing agencies – UN Women, UNFPA and UNOPS.

Deliverables
The Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting National Consultant will undertake the following tasks and delivery of expected results.

Task 1: Institutional groundwork and stakeholder alignment
• Establish and maintain strategic working relationships with key counterparts at sub-national and national levels. This includes mapping institutional structures and governance arrangements, identifying viable entry points for gender mainstreaming into budgetary processes, and clarifying roles, responsibilities, and expectations among all stakeholders.
• Curate and facilitate access to GRPB policy documents, reports, and government data sources. Organize preliminary consultations and alignment meetings with government counterparts, UN Women, and stakeholders to secure institutional buy-in and lay groundwork for the International GRPB Expert to roll out the mainstreaming work.

Task 2. Coordination across Government tiers
• Convene and facilitate structured coordination mechanisms between provincial and district administrations and their national counterparts, specifically the Department of Provincial and Local Level Affairs and the Department of Treasury.
• Facilitate structured engagement with key government line Ministries and GEWE parliamentary and budget committee by arranging meetings and consultations.
• Ensure timely provision of background information, key contacts, and logistical support to enable the smooth and efficient conduct of all assessment activities.
• Building on Phase I capacity development , provide contextual inputs to guide the International Consultant in assessing institutional and individual GRPB capacities. Support the identification of entry points, capacity gaps, and existing good practices at both institutional and community levels to inform targeted technical interventions.
• Support the establishment of the GRPB Unit in the selected Government line Department.

Task 3. Civil Society mobilization and capacity scaffolding
• Engage closely with civil society organisations, churches, and community networks to strengthen their foundational understanding of gender-responsive planning and budgeting concepts.

• Drawing on Phase I assessment findings, build stakeholder readiness to participate in budget advocacy and accountability processes.
• In collaboration with the International Consultant, position civil society actors to constructively monitor government commitments and advocate for equitable resource allocation for women, girls, boys, and marginalized groups in advance of deeper technical capacity building by the International Specialist.

Task 4: Prepare and submit a final report
• Compile a detailed final assignment report with description of undertaken activities, their results, with recommendations for UN Women for further improvement of work on GRPB in the targeted provinces and the country.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
The assignment requires an intermittent presence on UN Women premises and therefore is both an office-based consultancy and a home-based consultancy. This assignment is based in Port Moresby with expected travel to the field and as part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of two trips to Port Moresby.
The consultant will be required to travel to the field to facilitate meetings and workshops with key stakeholders such as the civil society, churches, youths and women’s networks as well as the government officials. The duration of these intermittent visits to the field will be a maximum of 30 days.

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:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong capacity building, facilitation skills and editorial skills
• Knowledge and expertise on public finance management processes and policies
• Strong networking and coordination skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Strong analytical skills
• Good knowledge of UN grant management systems
• Knowledge of CSO role in working to prevent and respond to Gender based violence in a developing country context
• Ability to develop respectful relationships within a Melanesian context
• Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization
• Ability to work in a highly pressured environment

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in public administration, 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years relevant experience in working on central government finance policies and processes – including the medium-term development plan at national or sub-national level, budgeting methodologies and approaches.
• 3 years of relevant professional experience in gender responsive budgeting application either at the national or regional level.
• Previous experience in designing and delivering training and/or mentoring programmes on gender equality and gender mainstreaming in policy making and budgeting.
• Experience at the policy framework/advocacy and inter-ministerial coordination, of gender-related issues and engaging with the gender mainstreaming process in development plan, is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with country and regional context on gender equality is considered an asset.
• Experience working in the Pacific region, Papua New Guinea, or similar contexts
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset

Languages:

• Excellent verbal and written English. Proficiency in Pidgin (PNG) is an asset.

Payment arrangement ‘

Payment will be disbursed upon submission and approval of deliverables and timesheets with actual days worked and certification by the Deputy Country Representative that the services have been satisfactorily performed. UN Women PNG will cover the cost of all field work including travel.

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.