UN Women Young Women and Girls Engagement Consultant Role 2026 – Advancing Gender Equality Through Youth Leadership
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) has announced a new home-based consultancy opportunity focused on strengthening the engagement and leadership of young women and girls in global development processes. This 9-month role reflects the growing recognition that meaningful youth participation is essential to achieving gender equality, human rights, and inclusive development worldwide.
At a time when global commitments such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) continue to guide international gender equality efforts, this position plays a key role in ensuring that adolescent girls and young women are not only represented but actively shaping policy and decision-making spaces.
A Role Rooted in Global Gender Equality Priorities
UN Women was established to accelerate progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls across all regions. It serves as a global advocate, knowledge hub, and convener of partnerships aimed at eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunity.
This consultancy sits within the Civil Society Division, which works closely with grassroots organizations, women’s rights groups, and youth-led movements. The role specifically focuses on integrating young women and girls into intergovernmental and multistakeholder processes, ensuring their voices are reflected in global decision-making frameworks.
The timing of this role is significant, as the world marks Beijing+30, revisiting and reinforcing global commitments made three decades ago toward gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Strengthening Youth and Adolescent Engagement
A central focus of this consultancy is the meaningful inclusion of young women and adolescent girls in policy and advocacy spaces. The consultant will provide strategic guidance on outreach and engagement, ensuring that youth perspectives are embedded in UN Women programming and global processes.
Key responsibilities include:
- Supporting youth participation in intergovernmental and multistakeholder platforms
- Providing strategic advice on outreach to adolescent constituencies
- Facilitating engagement with girl-led and youth-led organizations
- Contributing to youth safeguarding policy development
- Supporting knowledge products and evidence-based documentation
This reflects a broader shift within the UN system toward participatory development approaches that prioritize lived experience, especially among marginalized and underrepresented groups.
Knowledge Management and Evidence Building
Beyond engagement, the role places strong emphasis on knowledge generation and learning. The consultant will support the development of reports, case studies, and best practice documentation related to youth participation in global governance.
This includes:
- Documenting lessons learned and success stories
- Supporting quarterly and donor reporting
- Identifying implementation challenges and solutions
- Strengthening monitoring systems for youth engagement initiatives
By capturing and analyzing data, the role helps ensure that youth engagement strategies are not only implemented but continuously improved.
Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
Another important dimension of the consultancy is strengthening partnerships and mobilizing resources to support youth and adolescent programming. This involves working with donors, civil society organizations, and international stakeholders to advance funding and support for youth-led initiatives.
The consultant will also contribute to proposal development and maintain information systems on potential partners and funding opportunities. This is critical for sustaining long-term investment in gender equality and youth empowerment initiatives.
Skills and Competencies Required
The role requires a strong academic background in social sciences, gender studies, international relations, communications, or related fields. A master’s degree is preferred, although equivalent experience may be accepted.
Candidates are expected to bring:
- At least two years of experience in civil society or youth engagement
- Strong understanding of gender equality and women’s rights issues
- Experience working with youth or girl-led organizations
- Strong communication, networking, and analytical skills
- Familiarity with UN systems or international development frameworks (an advantage)
Core competencies include accountability, inclusive collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and creative problem-solving, reflecting the participatory and multi-stakeholder nature of the role.
Why This Role Matters
Young women and girls remain among the most underrepresented groups in global decision-making processes, despite being directly affected by policies on education, health, security, and economic opportunity.
This consultancy addresses that gap by ensuring that their voices are not only heard but systematically integrated into policy discussions and program design. It reflects UN Women’s broader commitment to strengthening civil society engagement and ensuring that gender equality efforts are inclusive, intersectional, and youth-responsive.
The role also aligns with global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 on gender equality and Goal 16 on inclusive institutions.
A Platform for Youth-Led Change
By working closely with youth-led and girl-led organizations, the consultant will help amplify grassroots voices and support meaningful participation in global governance spaces. This includes strengthening networks, building communication channels, and facilitating engagement in high-level processes.
The emphasis on safeguarding policies also ensures that youth participation is conducted in safe, ethical, and empowering environments.
In this way, the role is not just administrative—it is transformative, helping reshape how international institutions engage with young people.
Final Reflection
The UN Women Young Women and Girls Engagement Consultant role represents a critical investment in the future of gender equality. By placing young voices at the center of global advocacy and policy processes, UN Women continues to advance a more inclusive and representative development agenda.
As the world reflects on 30 years since the Beijing Declaration, this role reinforces an essential truth: sustainable progress on gender equality cannot be achieved without the leadership, participation, and empowerment of young women and girls.
This consultancy is therefore more than a short-term assignment—it is part of a long-term shift toward more inclusive, participatory, and equitable global governance systems.
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