UN Women - Consultant Financial Tool Adaptation Expert, Home-based.

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 the context of promoting economic resilience and gender equality in the Caribbean, there is a growing imperative to identify and mobilize innovative financing mechanisms that are inclusive and responsive to the specific needs of women and underserved populations. Financial Institutions (FIs) in the OECS region play a pivotal role in enabling access to finance. However, many still lack the tools, capacity, or technical know-how to systematically integrate gender considerations into the design of financial products, service delivery, and outreach strategies. 

UN Women’s regional strategy recognizes the private sector—where 80% of global employment is concentrated—as a crucial lever for driving transformative actions that empower women. While gender lens investing (GLI) and gender-responsive finance are gaining global momentum, many financial institutions are still at an early stage and unsure of how to begin or what specific needs women entrepreneurs, especially those in the informal sector have. Key barriers for women-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) include the high cost of finance, lack of access to adequate financial products, and systemic issues such as self-exclusion, risk aversion, and lack of documentation or formal systems. Recent studies conducted in OECS countries, including needs assessments and feasibility studies, consistently highlight these barriers. 

In response to these challenges, UN Women developed a technical tool titled “Guía para el uso técnico de la Herramienta de Análisis de Inclusión de las Mujeres en la Provisión de Productos y Servicios Financieros” in English “Technical Guide for the Analysis of Women’s Inclusion in the Design of Financial Products Tool ”. This tool has been translated to English and is designed to help both regulated and non-regulated financial service providers assess their level of gender inclusivity and identify opportunities to tailor their products and services for women. By entering relevant institutional data, providers can generate practical insights that support the development of profitable, inclusive, and responsive financial services. 

This analysis is also part of the project implemented by the Caribbean Multi-Country office: “Build Back Equal project” (BBE). The Build Back Equal project, funded by the Government of Canada, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at advancing economic and social equality for women and girls in the Caribbean. It focuses on four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The project addresses challenges to gender equality exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, particularly in women's economic empowerment, gender-responsive social protection, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Key activities include providing technical assistance to governments for legislation and policies on unpaid care work, offering business skills training for women-owned enterprises, implementing public assistance programs for women with children, and integrating social protection services into pathways for sexual and gender-based violence. The project aims to strengthen women's economic opportunities, improve gender-responsive social protection systems, and enhance the quality and accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services. This consultancy is framed within project. 

This consultancy will contribute to ongoing regional efforts to adapt and pilot this tool in the OECS specific context and countries. The consultant will be responsible for localizing the tool for English-speaking Caribbean institutions and facilitating its use among selected financial stakeholders. This includes working directly with institutions to assess readiness, identify constraints and opportunities, and support the design of a roadmap for gender-responsive financial strategies. 

Additionally, the consultant will support the organization and delivery of a regional knowledge-sharing event, where the adapted tool will be presented and discussed among stakeholders to encourage adoption and scale-up. 

This consultancy will contribute to regional efforts to foster innovative financing with a gender lens by: 

Mapping and analysing the landscape of financial service provider institutions (FSPIs) across four OECS countries: Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines., with a focus on their products, systems, practices, and levels of gender integration. 

• Preparation: Engaging institutions through interviews and focus groups t