Evaluating Equality: Your Call to UN Women 2026 – National Consultant (Remote, Home-Based)

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is seeking a National Evaluation Consultant to support the final evaluation of the Twinning Initiative in Afghanistan. This remote, home-based consultancy is designed for experienced professionals with expertise in gender equality, program evaluation, and multi-stakeholder engagement. The assignment offers a unique opportunity to contribute to women’s empowerment and gender-responsive programming in one of the world’s most challenging humanitarian contexts.

About UN Women and the Afghanistan Program

UN Women is dedicated to eliminating discrimination against women and girls, promoting their empowerment, and advancing gender equality globally. Established in 2010 through a merger of four UN entities, UN Women supports programs in development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding settings.

Afghanistan remains a complex humanitarian and socio-political context, where women and girls face severe restrictions on their rights, compounded by economic and security challenges. The UN Women Afghanistan Country Office focuses on five programmatic pillars:

1. Integrated Programming and Localization
2. Women’s Civil Society
3. Policy and Research
4. Economic Resilience and Empowerment
5. Coordination, Access, and Humanitarian Response

Within this framework, the Twinning Initiative was launched to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of women-led organizations (WLOs) and enhance their engagement in humanitarian and basic human needs (BHN) programming. The initiative operates across eastern provinces (Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman) and western provinces (Herat, Farah) in partnership with three international NGOs and 14 WLOs.

Objective of the Consultancy

The National Evaluation Consultant will join a two-person evaluation team alongside an international consultant. The consultancy aims to:

• Assess the overall performance, achievements, and limitations of the Twinning Initiative
• Evaluate progress toward outcomes such as strengthened institutional capacities of WLOs, enhanced technical competencies, and improved engagement in coordination mechanisms
• Ensure culturally sensitive and accurate evaluation methods tailored to Afghanistan’s context

This position plays a key role in supporting UN Women’s commitment to localization, gender-responsive programming, and institutional strengthening of women-led organizations.

Scope of Work

The National Evaluation Consultant will support all phases of the evaluation process, including:

Inception Phase

• Review and adapt data collection tools and plans to ensure cultural sensitivity and accuracy
• Provide input to the inception report, ensuring methodology aligns with local context and gender considerations
• Translate final versions of evaluation tools into Dari and Pashto

Data Collection and Quality Control

• Collaborate with the international consultant during fieldwork in Kabul, Herat, and Jalalabad
• Facilitate interviews with stakeholders, including WLOs and INGOs, providing translation as needed
• Verify accuracy and cultural appropriateness of tools and protocols, ensuring a do-no-harm approach
• Summarize findings and maintain structured interview notes for reporting

Reporting Phase

• Contribute to preliminary findings, draft reports, and synthesis reports
• Review evaluation outputs to ensure alignment with cultural and contextual sensitivities
• Support presentations to key stakeholders as required

The consultancy is for 30 working days over two months, inclusive of travel, fieldwork, and reporting.

Qualifications and Requirements

UN Women seeks candidates with the following credentials:

• Education: Advanced degree in gender studies, development, sociology, political science, or related fields. A first-level degree with two additional years of experience may be considered
• Experience: Minimum of five years in evaluation, assessment, or review assignments with international organizations
• Proven expertise in gender equality programming
• Familiarity with Afghanistan’s socio-cultural and humanitarian context
• Knowledge of UN Women or UN system mandates is desirable

Language Requirements: Fluency in English, Dari, and Pashto, both written and spoken

Core Competencies

Candidates are expected to demonstrate:

• Integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity
• Awareness of gender issues and inclusive collaboration
• Effective stakeholder engagement and communication
• Creative problem-solving and accountability
• Ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions and lead by example

Functional competencies include excellent teamwork, leadership, and communication skills, along with strong interpersonal abilities.

Workplace and Travel

This is a home-based consultancy with travel to Kabul, Herat, and Jalalabad for data collection and stakeholder engagement.

UN Women emphasizes diversity, inclusion, and a safe working environment. Selected consultants must adhere to UN Women’s policies, ethical standards, and zero-tolerance principles for misconduct. Background checks, including verification of academic credentials and employment history, will be conducted prior to contract finalization.

Why This Role Matters

This consultancy offers a unique opportunity to contribute to women’s empowerment and gender-responsive humanitarian programming in Afghanistan. By supporting the evaluation of the Twinning Initiative, the National Evaluation Consultant helps strengthen the capacities of women-led organizations, enhances local participation in aid delivery, and ensures that humanitarian interventions are inclusive and effective.

Professionals in this role gain invaluable experience in program evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and UN Women operations, while making a tangible impact on gender equality in a complex humanitarian context.

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