Deadline: 30-Jun-2026
UN Women has launched a call for proposals to engage a Responsible Party to provide technical, analytical and convening services that strengthen gender equality and women’s rights engagement within the UN human rights system. The assignment will support country-level analysis of human rights recommendations, implementation roadmaps, regional workshops, stakeholder consultations and policy-oriented reporting.
The selected Responsible Party will work with approximately 6–9 UN Women country presences across different regions. The work will help translate international human rights recommendations into actionable national priorities through evidence-based analysis, strategic planning and engagement with stakeholders.
Programme Overview
UN Women is seeking proposals from eligible proponents to serve as a Responsible Party for an assignment focused on gender equality and women’s rights within the UN human rights system.
The selected Responsible Party will provide technical, analytical and convening support to strengthen how UN Women country offices engage with international human rights mechanisms and apply recommendations at the national level.
The assignment includes country-level analysis, regional workshops, stakeholder consultations, analytical products and a thematic retreat.
Main Objective
The main objective of the call is to strengthen connections between international human rights recommendations and national-level implementation for gender equality and women’s rights.
The assignment aims to:
- Support UN Women country offices in analysing human rights recommendations
- Translate recommendations into practical implementation priorities
- Strengthen engagement with UN human rights mechanisms
- Support strategic planning and programming
- Promote evidence-based advocacy for women’s rights
- Convene stakeholders for dialogue and learning
- Review the Human Rights Council’s contribution to gender equality and women’s rights
- Identify future opportunities for engagement within the UN human rights system
Key Focus Areas
The call focuses on technical analysis, human rights engagement and policy-oriented support.
Key focus areas include:
- Gender equality
- Women’s rights
- Girls’ rights
- UN human rights system engagement
- Country-level human rights analysis
- Human rights recommendation mapping
- Universal Periodic Review
- Treaty Bodies
- Special Procedures
- Implementation roadmaps
- Virtual regional workshops
- Stakeholder consultations
- Human Rights Council review
- Analytical reporting
- Strategic planning
- Thematic retreat facilitation
- Evidence-based programming
Role of the Responsible Party
The selected Responsible Party will provide technical, analytical and convening services.
The role will include:
- Conducting country-level analysis
- Reviewing relevant human rights recommendations
- Preparing concise analytical briefs
- Developing practical implementation roadmaps
- Organising virtual regional workshops
- Supporting consultations with stakeholders
- Mapping Human Rights Council outputs
- Preparing policy-oriented analytical products
- Designing and facilitating an in-person thematic retreat
- Supporting knowledge exchange and strategic dialogue
Country-Level Support
The Responsible Party will work with approximately 6–9 UN Women country presences across different regions.
This country-level work will focus on assessing engagement with key UN human rights mechanisms and identifying opportunities to advance gender equality and women’s rights.
The work will help country offices better use international recommendations in national advocacy, planning and programming.
Human Rights Mechanisms Covered
The assignment will examine engagement with major UN human rights mechanisms.
These include:
- Universal Periodic Review
- Treaty Bodies
- Special Procedures
These mechanisms generate recommendations that can help guide national action on gender equality, women’s rights and girls’ rights.
What is the Universal Periodic Review?
The Universal Periodic Review is a UN process through which the human rights records of all UN Member States are reviewed.
It provides recommendations that governments can use to improve human rights protection.
For gender equality and women’s rights, UPR recommendations may address issues such as violence against women, discrimination, access to justice, political participation, education, health and social protection.
What are Treaty Bodies?
Treaty Bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor how countries implement international human rights treaties.
They issue observations and recommendations that can help guide national reforms.
For UN Women, Treaty Body recommendations can provide important evidence for advocacy, policy engagement and programme planning.
What are Special Procedures?
Special Procedures are independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council.
They examine specific human rights themes or country situations.
Their reports and recommendations can provide important insights into women’s rights, gender-based discrimination and emerging human rights challenges.
Country-Level Analytical Briefs
The assignment will include the development of concise analytical briefs for participating UN Women country offices.
These briefs should identify:
- Relevant gender equality recommendations
- Women’s rights priorities
- Key implementation challenges
- Opportunities for national engagement
- Links with UN Country Team work
- Strategic advocacy entry points
- Programming implications
The briefs should be practical, clear and useful for country-level decision-making.
Implementation Roadmaps
The Responsible Party will also prepare practical implementation roadmaps.
These roadmaps will help country offices translate human rights recommendations into actionable priorities.
Implementation roadmaps may include:
- Priority recommendations
- Suggested actions
- Potential national stakeholders
- Entry points for advocacy
- Possible partnerships
- Timelines for engagement
- Links to future programming
- Follow-up opportunities
The goal is to make international recommendations easier to use in national planning and implementation.
Virtual Regional Workshops
The assignment includes virtual regional workshops for participating country offices.
These workshops will support:
- Shared learning
- Regional exchange
- Strategic planning
- Discussion of implementation challenges
- Identification of good practices
- Strengthened engagement with human rights mechanisms
- Practical use of recommendations in programming
Workshops should be designed to help country offices move from analysis to action.
Human Rights Council 20-Year Stocktaking
A separate component of the assignment will review the Human Rights Council’s contribution to gender equality and women’s rights during its first twenty years.
This stocktaking will examine how the Council has addressed gender equality and women’s rights through its outputs, processes and engagement.
The review will help identify trends, lessons learned, challenges and opportunities for future action.
Mapping Human Rights Council Outputs
The Responsible Party will map relevant Human Rights Council outputs related to gender equality and women’s rights.
This may include:
- Resolutions
- Reports
- Debates
- Panel discussions
- Special Procedures work
- Thematic initiatives
- Country-related outputs
- Recommendations
- Follow-up processes
The mapping will help show how gender equality and women’s rights have been addressed over time.
Stakeholder Consultations
The stocktaking process will include consultations with key stakeholders.
Stakeholders may include:
- Governments
- Civil society organizations
- UN entities
- Special Procedures representatives
- Treaty Body stakeholders
- Human rights experts
- Gender equality advocates
- Women’s rights organisations
These consultations will help capture diverse perspectives on the Human Rights Council’s contribution and future priorities.
Policy-Oriented Analytical Product
The findings from the mapping and consultations will be consolidated into a policy-oriented analytical product.
This product should highlight:
- Key trends
- Lessons learned
- Gaps and challenges
- Good practices
- Opportunities for stronger engagement
- Future priorities for gender equality and women’s rights
- Strategic recommendations for stakeholders
The product should be accessible, evidence-based and useful for policy dialogue.
Thematic Retreat
The Responsible Party will design and facilitate an in-person thematic retreat.
The retreat will bring together approximately 30–40 participants.
It will provide a platform for focused dialogue, knowledge exchange and reflection on emerging priorities related to gender equality and the rights of women and girls within the UN human rights system.
Purpose of the Thematic Retreat
The retreat will support deeper discussion on a priority issue related to gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights.
The retreat may help participants:
- Exchange knowledge
- Discuss emerging human rights priorities
- Identify strategic opportunities
- Reflect on institutional engagement
- Strengthen partnerships
- Share country and regional experiences
- Develop ideas for future action
Expected Outputs
The selected Responsible Party is expected to deliver practical and analytical outputs that support UN Women’s engagement with the UN human rights system.
Expected outputs may include:
- Country-level analytical briefs
- Implementation roadmaps
- Virtual regional workshops
- Stakeholder consultation summaries
- Mapping of Human Rights Council outputs
- Policy-oriented analytical report
- Thematic retreat design and facilitation
- Documentation of key findings and recommendations
Who is Eligible?
Eligible proponents must meet the mandatory requirements and pre-qualification criteria outlined by UN Women.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate capacity to deliver technical, analytical and convening services related to human rights, gender equality and women’s rights.
Suitable proponents may include organisations with expertise in:
- Gender equality
- Women’s rights
- UN human rights mechanisms
- International human rights law
- Policy analysis
- Stakeholder consultations
- Research and reporting
- Workshop facilitation
- Strategic planning
- Convening multi-stakeholder dialogues
Proposal Assessment
Proposals will be assessed based on compliance with eligibility requirements and the ability to deliver the required services.
Assessment will consider whether the proponent can provide:
- Strong technical expertise
- High-quality analytical capacity
- Experience with UN human rights mechanisms
- Gender equality and women’s rights knowledge
- Convening and facilitation skills
- Ability to work across regions
- Capacity to prepare practical implementation tools
- Clear methodology and work plan
- Credible delivery arrangements
Why This Assignment Matters
International human rights recommendations can support stronger national action on gender equality and women’s rights.
However, recommendations often need to be analysed, prioritised and translated into practical implementation steps.
This assignment matters because it helps bridge the gap between global human rights mechanisms and country-level action.
By supporting UN Women country offices with analysis, roadmaps and convening, the project can strengthen advocacy, programming and national stakeholder engagement.
How the Assignment Will Work
The assignment will combine country-level analysis, regional learning, global stocktaking and thematic dialogue.
Step 1: Select the Responsible Party
UN Women will assess proposals and select a Responsible Party that meets the required eligibility, technical and pre-qualification criteria.
Step 2: Engage UN Women Country Presences
The selected Responsible Party will work with approximately 6–9 UN Women country presences across different regions.
This engagement will help identify country-specific priorities, challenges and opportunities.
Step 3: Analyse Human Rights Recommendations
The Responsible Party will review recommendations from the Universal Periodic Review, Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures.
The analysis will identify recommendations related to gender equality, women’s rights and girls’ rights.
Step 4: Prepare Country Briefs
Concise analytical briefs will be developed for participating country offices.
These briefs will summarise relevant recommendations, implementation challenges and strategic opportunities.
Step 5: Develop Implementation Roadmaps
Practical implementation roadmaps will be prepared to help country offices translate recommendations into actionable priorities.
These roadmaps will support planning, advocacy and engagement with national stakeholders.
Step 6: Conduct Virtual Regional Workshops
The Responsible Party will organise virtual regional workshops to support learning, exchange and strategic planning.
These workshops will help country offices apply the analysis and roadmaps in their work.
Step 7: Conduct Human Rights Council Stocktaking
The Responsible Party will map the Human Rights Council’s contribution to gender equality and women’s rights over its first twenty years.
This will include document review, consultations and analysis.
Step 8: Prepare Analytical Product
Findings from the Human Rights Council review will be consolidated into a policy-oriented analytical product.
The product will identify lessons, trends, challenges and future opportunities.
Step 9: Facilitate Thematic Retreat
The Responsible Party will design and facilitate an in-person thematic retreat with approximately 30–40 participants.
The retreat will support dialogue and reflection on a priority issue related to gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid the following mistakes:
- Submitting a proposal without meeting mandatory eligibility requirements
- Providing weak evidence of gender equality expertise
- Failing to demonstrate knowledge of UN human rights mechanisms
- Treating recommendations as general advocacy points without implementation planning
- Offering vague workshop or consultation methods
- Providing unclear methodology for country-level analysis
- Not explaining how roadmaps will be practical and actionable
- Ignoring the role of UN Women country offices
- Providing weak plans for stakeholder consultations
- Failing to show capacity to produce policy-oriented analytical products
- Not demonstrating strong convening and facilitation experience
Tips for a Strong Proposal
A strong proposal should:
- Clearly demonstrate expertise in gender equality and women’s rights
- Show strong understanding of the UN human rights system
- Explain a practical methodology for analysing recommendations
- Include clear plans for developing implementation roadmaps
- Demonstrate experience with stakeholder consultations
- Show ability to facilitate virtual workshops and in-person retreats
- Include a realistic work plan
- Present strong analytical and writing capacity
- Explain how outputs will support country-level action
- Show capacity to work across regions and with diverse stakeholders
FAQ
1. What is UN Women seeking through this call?
UN Women is seeking a Responsible Party to provide technical, analytical and convening services that strengthen gender equality and women’s rights engagement within the UN human rights system.
2. What will the selected Responsible Party do?
The Responsible Party will conduct country-level analysis, prepare implementation roadmaps, organise regional workshops, support stakeholder consultations, prepare analytical reports and facilitate a thematic retreat.
3. How many UN Women country presences will be involved?
The assignment will work with approximately 6–9 UN Women country presences across different regions.
4. Which UN human rights mechanisms will be covered?
The work will examine engagement with the Universal Periodic Review, Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures.
5. What is the Human Rights Council stocktaking component?
This component will review the Human Rights Council’s contribution to gender equality and women’s rights over its first twenty years through mapping, consultations and analytical reporting.
6. What is the purpose of the thematic retreat?
The thematic retreat will bring together approximately 30–40 participants for dialogue, knowledge exchange and reflection on a priority issue related to gender equality and the rights of women and girls.
7. Who can apply?
Eligible proponents must meet UN Women’s mandatory requirements and pre-qualification criteria and demonstrate the ability to deliver technical, analytical and convening services.
Conclusion
UN Women’s call for proposals seeks a Responsible Party to strengthen gender equality and women’s rights engagement within the UN human rights system.
The assignment will help connect international human rights recommendations with national-level action through analysis, implementation roadmaps, workshops, consultations and policy-oriented reporting.
Eligible proponents should demonstrate strong expertise in gender equality, women’s rights, UN human rights mechanisms, stakeholder engagement and practical implementation support.
For more information, visit UN Women.
