National legal expert on gender equality,… at United… · Chisinau

National legal expert on gender equality, human rights and institutional accountability

Location: Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

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.

In Moldova, UN Women's work 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 Gender equality.

Towards these impact areas, UN Women works with a range of national and international partners to challenge gender-based stereotypes and to create an environment in which women act as key agents of change towards greater equality and development, in partnership with men and boys. This includes strengthening the legal and institutional frameworks that protect individuals from discrimination, harassment and gender-based violence, ensuring accountability mechanisms are in place across public institutions, private sector entities and non-governmental organizations, and supporting the effective implementation of Moldova's commitments under the National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS NAP), national equality legislation, and related international standards, including the prevention of and response to violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, in the workplace.

Moldova has made significant normative progress in this field in recent years. On 28 December 2023, the Republic of Moldova ratified International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, which entered into force in the country on 19 March 2025. As of 1 January 2026, corresponding amendments to the Labour Code have entered into effect, introducing stricter obligations to prevent and respond to violence and harassment at the workplace. Unlike earlier, sector-specific interventions, Convention No. 190 and the revised Labour Code apply universally to all employers, public and private alike, placing private sector entities under the same legal obligations as public institutions and creating renewed demand for legal and technical support beyond the public sector. Beyond ILO Convention No. 190, Moldova's broader human rights and equality commitments — including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), and the gender equality and non-discrimination requirements under Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) of the EU accession process, provide the wider international and regional framework against which national legislation and institutional policies must be assessed and progressively aligned.

UN Women Moldova's engagement with national counterparts on this agenda predates these legislative milestones. Since the adoption of the first generation WPS NAP (2018-2021), UN Women has partnered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defence to strengthen gender equality and institutional accountability within the security and defence sectors, including through dedicated regulations, approved in 2020, to prevent and combat sexual harassment within these institutions. This support was later extended to help additional institutions develop and operationalize internal mechanisms for preventing and responding to workplace discrimination and harassment, such as the National Penitentiary Administration (2022) or the Customs Service (2025). Building on this track record, UN Women is now extending similar support to the judiciary and prosecution service, recognizing that public trust in the justice sector depends in part on its own internal capacity to prevent and respond to violence, harassment and discrimination affecting its staff. Civil society organizations working on gender equality, non-discrimination and related issues face many of the same legal and institutional needs — from internal policy development to staff capacity building — and UN Women Moldova is therefore also extending this legal and technical support directly to civil society organizations, strengthening their own institutional practice as they carry out their advocacy and service-delivery work.

UN Women Moldova seeks to engage a national consultant to provide legal expertise, capacity building and institutional accountability support to public institutions, private sector entities and non-governmental organizations, addressing gender equality, non-discrimination, gender-based violence, and the prevention of and response to violence and harassment in the workplace.

The consultant will be reporting to the relevant UN Women Programme Analyst/Officer, and other members of UN Women Moldova CO’s management team, as appropriate, and will be supported by the Operations Associate, who will be the point of contact on contract and payment issues.

The consultant will submit intermediary progress reports and a timesheet on tasks performed and results achieved, together with supporting materials (e.g. legal opinions, training agendas and materials, presentations, e-learning content), and a final report with lessons learned at the end of the assignment.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

1. Legal analysis and advisory support

• Provide expert legal input, analysis and revisions to draft laws, regulations, normative acts, internal policies and advocacy/position papers addressing gender equality, non-discrimination and the prevention of gender-based violence, including harassment, developed or initiated by state institutions, private sector entities and/or non-governmental organizations, in line with relevant national strategic and normative frameworks.
• Identify and propose legal amendments to existing legislation on the prevention of and response to violence against women, based on legal analysis and consultations with relevant counterparts.
• Conduct screening of national gender equality legislation to identify gaps and areas for improvement, and assess the practical implementation of existing legal and policy frameworks.
• Carry out assessments of the compatibility of national legislation and institutional policies with relevant international and regional human rights standards, including CEDAW, the Istanbul Convention and EU accession (Chapter 23) requirements, and provide targeted legal advice to relevant counterparts.
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations and interventions during public consultations, working groups and technical/advocacy sessions in support of the above frameworks.

2. Capacity building, training and mentoring

• Jointly identify, with beneficiary institutions and organizations, the relevant target groups and priority learning needs, taking into account the applicable legal, strategic and institutional framework, and develop the corresponding outline, curriculum, agenda, background readings, training aids and case studies, including materials adapted for e-learning or other digital platforms.
• Design and deliver capacity-building and awareness-raising interventions, including trainings, workshops and consultations, for public institutions, private sector entities and non-governmental organizations on gender equality, gender mainstreaming, and prevention of and response to discrimination, harassment and gender-based violence.
• Support the design and delivery of public information and awareness-raising sessions, including in the context of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign and other campaigns joined by UN Women.
• Design and deliver training-of-trainers (ToT) sessions for gender focal points, senior management, HR professionals, line managers, employees, ethics/compliance personnel and for persons designated as responsible for the prevention of and response to harassment within public institutions, private entities and/or NGOs, and provide ongoing mentoring and coaching support to these focal points to strengthen their capacity to carry out their role.
• Provide follow-up mentoring to participating institutions and companies to support the practical application of knowledge acquired through training, including the development or revision of internal policies and procedures.

3. Review of internal procedures and accountability mechanisms

• Review internal institutional policies, procedures and accountability mechanisms addressing discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and gender-based violence within public institutions, private sector entities and/or non-governmental organizations.
• Based on the findings, formulate recommendations for strengthening or amending existing mechanisms and, where needed, provide direct support in drafting new policies, procedures or accountability tools.

The above list is indicative and not exhaustive. The consultant may be requested to undertake other related tasks and activities falling within the overall scope of this assignment, as identified jointly with UN Women during the course of the contract.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, with periodic meetings at UN Women Moldova premises and counterpart institutions as required for trainings, consultations and mentoring sessions. No official travel outside Chisinau is envisaged under this assignment. Any unforeseen travel required will be coordinated with, and covered separately by, UN Women.

Payment Details

Payment for the services provided by the Consultant under this Contract shall be made on a per-day-worked basis. Payments shall be subject to UN Women’s certification of the satisfactory performance of the services and the submission and approval of the applicable deliverables and timesheets. The fee may be payable in instalments and the number of days worked is to be determined solely by UN Women. The Consultant agrees and acknowledges that acceptance of the Contract does not guarantee any minimum fee to be paid to the Consultant.

Performance Evaluation

The consultant’s performance will be evaluated against performance criteria such as timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered, emphasizing the effective integration of gender considerations throughout the assignment.

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 legal drafting and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into practical guidance for institutional counterparts.
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver capacity-building, mentoring and coaching interventions for diverse institutional audiences.
• Sound understanding of gender equality, human rights and violence/harassment prevention normative frameworks, and ability to apply them across different institutional contexts.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple counterparts, and take initiative in identifying and addressing legal and institutional gaps.
• Strong facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills to build trust with diverse public, private and civil-society counterparts.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master's degree (minimum) in law or another field relevant to the assignment is required.
• A first-level university degree in law in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Additional training in gender equality, human rights or a related field is an asset.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of professional experience in the field of law is required.
• At least five (5) years of demonstrated collaboration with public institutions, private entities and/or non-governmental organizations on the elaboration and/or review of legal and policy instruments is required.
• At least one (1) year of experience in the field of human rights and/or gender equality is an asset.
• Experience in designing and delivering training, mentoring or coaching programmes, including development of e-learning content, is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken Romanian is required.
• Working knowledge of English is an asset.

Please be informed that only shortlisted candidates 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.

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.