UNWOMEN: Knowledge Management Consultant, Home-Based, National Consultant

Background:

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan. UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security. 

The Balkh Sub-office intends to continue systemic knowledge management at sub-national level aimed at documenting innovative practices, developing knowledge products and assisting local KM networks with a focus on women innovators to scale up in targeted localities and beyond. Given the high fragility of the context regarding women’s rights, it is imperative to document the practices that work for women to generate learning, inform future programming, and foster replication and scale-up.

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support to UN Women Balkh Sub-office’s knowledge management efforts by:

• Documenting the findings of promising and innovative practices pilot tested in the Balkh Sub-office that promote GEWE.
• Producing a set of high-quality knowledge products that capture lessons learned, challenges, and recommendations to inform future programming.

Reporting to the Head of the Balkh Sub-office, the Knowledge Management (KM) Consultant will work closely with the Programme Analyst of the Balkh sub-office and the Coordination and Knowledge Management Analyst, based in the Kabul office. The Knowledge Management Consultant will provide technical advisory support to the Balkh Sub-office team in documenting working practices piloted by the team in close co-operation with local partners and developing knowledge products.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Deliverables

1. Desk Review

• Conduct a desk review of analytical documents and case studies related to gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives in Afghanistan — specifically the North and Northeast regions — to identify the context in which innovative initiatives were tested.
• Map the stakeholders who were involved in testing and adapting these innovative tools and practices, i.e. target areas of the Balkh Sub-office.

2. Development of a Documentation Framework and Methodology

The Consultant will develop a structured and participatory Framework for documenting working practices and tools. The Framework will include:

• Criteria for selection of practices/tools to be documented:
• Innovation and relevance to the Afghan context.
• Evidence of contributing to gender equality outcomes.
• Potential for replication and scaling.
• Context and Rationale: Why the tool or approach was introduced.
• Design and Implementation: How it was tested/developed, by whom, and with what resources and strategies.
• Results and Impact: Outcomes for women and girls; what changed and how.
• Adaptation and Learning: Modifications based on feedback or context shifts.
• Challenges and Enablers: Barriers faced and conditions for success.
• Scalability and Sustainability: Replication potential, local ownership, and financial viability.
• Semi-structured interview guides tailored for different stakeholder groups.
• Focus group discussion protocols that center women’s experiences and reflections.
• A data extraction matrix to organize insights from documents and interviews.
• Validation / reflection workshop with key actors engaged in testing tools/ implementing practices.
• Key dimensions to be documented for each practice:
• Methodological tools:

3. Primary Data Collection (Fieldwork and Remote Engagement)

• Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with the Balkh Sub-office team; UN Women Implementing Partners
• Facilitate Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) or individual storytelling sessions with women beneficia