National Consultant to Support the Preparation of the State of Palestine’s Replies to the List of Issues – CEDAW Committee

Background:

UN Women (UNW), 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level. 

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

•     Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.

•     Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.

•     Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.

In line with the State of Palestine’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), as the national machinery responsible for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, is leading the preparation of the official national replies to the List of Issues issued by the CEDAW Committee.

This process is being undertaken through a coordinated national approach involving relevant governmental institutions, and in consultation with civil society organizations, including the national CEDAW coalition. The preparation of the replies comes at a critical juncture marked by the Israeli aggression in OPT, which has had profound humanitarian, economic, and social consequences, disproportionately affecting Palestinian women and girls, since October 2023. This context necessitates the development of a comprehensive and evidence-based response that reflects both national efforts and the structural challenges posed by the occupation.

UN Women have signed an MoU with MoWA to collaborate on key frameworks such as CDEAW, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UNSCR 1325 as well as in coordination of emergency and humanitarian responses that prioritize women’s safety, dignity and leadership.

Within this framework, and in line with the signed MoU between UN Women and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, UN Women seeks to engage a qualified national expert to provide technical support in facilitating a structured, participatory, and coherent process for the preparation of the national replies, in accordance with the CEDAW Committee’s guidelines and expectations, with the assignment to be carried out in close collaboration between UN Women and OHCHR.

Objective of Consultancy: 

The main objective of this consultancy is to support the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in developing a comprehensive, coherent, and evidence-based national document responding to the CEDAW List of Issues, ensuring alignment with the Committee’s reporting requirements while accurately reflecting the Palestinian context, including how the context of occupation and war has impacte