National Consultant / Women Peace and Security Expert

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.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a protracted war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), significantly exacerbating a humanitarian catastrophe across the country. The conflict has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 30 million people in need of urgent assistance, widespread food insecurity, destruction of health systems, and severe protection risks for women and girls. More than 10.5 million people have been internally displaced and millions more have fled to neighboring countries. Women and girls face heightened risks from gender-based violence, barriers to essential services, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health care due to the breakdown of health systems. Humanitarian operations continue to struggle with severe underfunding, leading to gaps in life-saving services and protection mechanisms.

The ongoing conflict, including mass displacement, attacks on infrastructure and essential services, and increased sexual and gender-based violence, continues to undermine civilian safety and dignity. Women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding and political processes remain critical yet challenging priorities in the face of entrenched hostilities and limited formal inclusion in peace negotiations.

1. UN WOMEN SUPPORT TO SUDANESE WOMEN 

UN Women’s engagement in Sudan has combined humanitarian support for women and girls with strategic efforts to promote the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, in line with UNSCR 1325 and related resolutions

In response to the crisis, UN Women has supported research, advocacy, and multi-stakeholder dialogues to elevate women’s voices in national and regional policy spaces. In partnership with IGAD and the African Union, UN Women co-organized the Kampala Conference in October 2023, which brought together a wide representation of women’s groups to articulate priorities for peace and security. The conference produced the Kampala Feminist Declaration, which continues to inform advocacy and policy dialogue. UN Women has also supported women’s participation in regional WPS forums and coordinated workshops with UN and civil society partners to enhance coordination among women’s initiatives and political leaders.

UN Women facilitated the establishment of the Peace for Sudan group a coalition of women’s organizations inside and outside Sudan to unify voices around peace demands and gender-responsive peacebuilding. Despite ongoing conflict, women’s networks remain active in advocacy, service delivery, protection responses, and community resilience.

These efforts underscore the critical role of women’s leadership in humanitarian responses and peacebuilding, even as formal peace negotiations continue to exclude meaningful women’s participation.

UN Women seeks to recruit a Senior WPS Expert to build on these efforts by strengthening strategic support to the Peace for Sudan movement, consolidating women’s priorities for peace, linking women leaders with regional peace processes, and amplifying their advocacy in line with UNSCR 1325. This role will contribute to ensuring that women’s perspectives are integrated into peace initiatives and national and regional decision-making processes.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of the WPS programme Specialist and the day-to-day support from the National Program Analyst, the WPS Expert shall perform the following tasks: 

Technical Assistance 

• Establish a group of women mediators based on specific criteria and provide a series of training sessions on political analysis, stakeholder mapping, mediation, and negotiation. Link them with FemWise and other female mediators’ networks and support their recognition within the African Union (AU) and IGAD.
• Support a pool of WPS experts (political, security, humanitarian, legal, and advocacy) and provide opportunities for producing gender-sensitive analysis and policy papers.
• Provide technical support to women-led peace initiatives and national peacebuilding platforms to ensure gender-responsive and inclusive approaches, including technical guidance on WPS principles.
• Support women’s groups to produce policy briefs and political analysis related to peace and security, ensuring alignment with UNSCR 1325.
• Facilitate alliance-building between Sudanese women’s groups and regional women’s coalitions in neighboring countr