International Consultant to develop and facilitate introductory training on Gender Responsive Budgeting for government officials and institutions, UN Women Kazakhstan

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.

As part of its strategic cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan, in 2025 UN Women successfully finalized the implementation of the Tied Grant “Assisting Kazakhstan in the Implementation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy in Terms of Ensuring Gender Equality and Empowering All Women and Girls in Kazakhstan, as well as Overcoming the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis” for the period 2022–2024 (Tied Grant). The first phase of Tied Grant focused on improving women’s representation at decision making level, reducing the gender pay gap, and enhancing women’s economic participation. It successfully strengthened government capacity on advancing gender equality and integrating international standards, promoted initiatives such as gender-sensitive legislation, developed academic programme on Gender studies and raised public awareness about the Family and Gender policy in Kazakhstan. Building on the results achieved during phase one, it also highlighted the need for further capacity-building of national partners, sustained results, and improved.

In 2025 UN Women Kazakhstan with support of the National Commission for Women Affairs and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information started implementation of a new project for 2025–2027: “Promoting the Improvement of Legal Protection for Women, Strengthening Gender Equality, and Ensuring Full Participation of Women in the Socio-Political Life of the Country.”

This new project draws on lessons learned to drive long-term change for the empowerment of women and girls in Kazakhstan. It provides support to address key challenges such as the need for more coordinated capacity-building, greater integration of gender perspectives into budgeting and policy processes, and increased consistency in applying gender considerations across the legislative framework. It also identifies opportunities to strengthen the role of the National Commission, improve monitoring and evaluation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2030, enhance media coverage of gender equality issues, and further support to women’s political participation and professional development in Kazakhstan.

The project is aligned with national priorities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development specifically SDGs 5, 16, and 17 and supports the implementation of Kazakhstan’s Family and Gender Policy Concept until 2030. It also contributes directly to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026–2029, particularly Priority 1: promoting inclusive, accountable, and gender-responsive governance. As part of the project, and in close collaboration with key national partners the National Commission on Women’s Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an agreement was reached to establish the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Knowledge Centre (“GEWE Knowledge Centre”) in Almaty, serving as a national hub for capacity building, policy dialogue, and evidence-based action on gender equality.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work 

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Programme Specialist and Project Manager, the international consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

• Review the Draft Action Plan on the integration of Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in Kazakhstan and ensure that the training programme is fully aligned with its objectives and priorities.
• Design a comprehensive training package, including methodology, agenda, presentations, handouts, and reference materials tailored to the needs of finance departments and line ministries engaged in budget planning.
• Facilitate two capacity-building training for 50 national partners, with a focus on strengthening technical skills in gender-responsive budgeting and analysis.
• Introduce practical tools, exercises, and case studies to support the application of GRB principles throughout the budget cycle.
• Provide expert advice and recommendations for strengthening the institutionalization of GRB in Kazakhstan, based on lessons learned from the training sessions.
• Prepare a high-quality designed training package in compliance with UN Women branding guidance (training concept note, presentations, training materials, written assignments and other relevant knowledge products) for uploading to the Digital Learning Platform “Act For Equal Central Aisa”.
• Prepare a final report summarizing the training process, participant feedback, key outcomes, and recommendations for follow-up actions.

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:

Experience in conducting gender responsive budgeting capacity building activities will be an asset (provide copies of supporting documents, such as electronica copies of conducted GRB training agenda and methodology, research etc.).

Education and Certification:
• University Degree in finance/budget, social or pedagogical sciences, gender studies, public administration, international relations, law and international law, public policy or related fields.
Experience:
• At least 5 years of experience in gender-responsive budgeting, policy analysis, and training.
• Proven experience working with UN agencies, governments, or international organizations is an asset.
• Strong analytical and research skills in the field of GRB and gender equality, with experience in reviewing policy documents.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and conduct training programs for government officials is mandatory.
Languages:
• Excellent written and spoken Russian is mandatory.
• Working knowledge of English will be an asset.

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.