National consultant on the development and delivery of training for press secretaries of government agencies and journalists on gender-sensitive coverage of information in the media and mass media

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 partnership with the Government of Kazakhstan in 2025, UN Women successfully completed the implementation of the tied grant "Assistance to Kazakhstan in the implementation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy in terms of ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in Kazakhstan, as well as overcoming the consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic" for the period 2022–2024.

In 2025, UN Women in Kazakhstan, with the support of the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information, launched a new project for 2025–2027: "Promoting increased legal protection for women, strengthening gender equality, and ensuring women's full participation in the socio-political life of the country."

The new project builds on existing achievements and aims to achieve long-term change in the empowerment of women and girls in Kazakhstan. It includes coordinated capacity building for national partners, deeper integration of gender considerations into budgeting and policymaking, and consistent application of a gender approach in legislation. The project includes measures to strengthen the role of the National Commission, improve monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Concept of Family and Gender Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2030, enhance media coverage of gender equality issues, and support women's political participation and professional development.

The project is aligned with national priorities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly SDGs 5, 16, and 17, and supports the implementation of Kazakhstan's Family and Gender Policy Concept until 2030. It directly contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2026–2029, particularly Priority 1: Promoting inclusive, accountable, and gender-responsive governance.

As part of the project, in close collaboration with key national partners—the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan—an agreement was reached to establish a Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Knowledge Center (GEWE Knowledge Center) in Almaty.

The Center will become a national platform for capacity building, policy dialogue, and evidence-based implementation. It will serve as a hub for capacity development, research, dissemination of best practices, and knowledge sharing. The Center's activities will ensure the long-term sustainability of project initiatives by providing stakeholders with the necessary tools and resources to maintain momentum in advancing gender equality. Institutionalizing gender-responsive budgeting and integrating gender equality policies into national and regional strategies will promote equitable governance, improved resource allocation, and systemic, long-term policy change.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The national consultant will be responsible for the following taks and duties::

1. Prepare training materials (work program, presentations, handouts, checklist). Include practical exercises: analysis of real news, role-playing games "press service - journalists".
2. Develop and conduct a one-day training (12 academic hours) in Astana.
3. Prepare a final report containing a description of the objectives and program, composition of participants, methodology, results and conclusions, satisfaction assessment (questionnaires, feedback), recommendations for improvement, as well as a list of participants and a photo report. Additionally, training should include pre-training and post- training skills assessment.   
4. Prepare a high-quality training package in accordance with the UN Women branding guidelines (training concept note, presentations, training materials, written assignments, and other relevant intellectual products) for posting on the Act For Equal Central Asia digital learning platform.

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: 

Education:
Higher education in journalism, communications, international relations, social sciences, human rights or related fields.
Additional certificates/courses in gender issues, human rights, media ethics is an advantage.
 

Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in journalism, public relations or strategic communications.
- Experience in conducting trainings/seminars in the field of gender-sensitive information coverage for representatives of the media and government agencies.
- Proven expertise in the field of gender equality, women's rights, and combating gender-based violence (please attach a copy of supporting materials or provide a link to a website where the document can be viewed).
- Experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations, as well as with government bodies (please attach a copy of supporting materials or provide a link to a website where the document can be viewed).
 

Functional skills:
- Very strong communication skills; high attention to product quality (please attach a copy of supporting documentation, such as previously developed training programs).
 

Language requirements:
- Excellent written and spoken Russian skills are required.
- Excellent written and spoken Kazakh language skills will be an advantage;
- Excellent written and spoken English skills will be an advantage;

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.