International Consultant

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to advancing women's rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of all women and girls. Established as the lead UN agency on gender equality, UN Women works to shift laws, institutions, social behaviors, and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world for all women and girls. The organization collaborates with governments, women's movements, and the private sector to translate progress into lasting changes. UN Women operates in multiple countries, including Bangladesh, where it supports the government in implementing commitments to international standards on gender equality and women's human rights. The organization focuses on four key areas: leadership, economic empowerment, freedom from violence, and women, peace, and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, as well as humanitarian action. UN Women is committed to keeping the rights of women and girls at the center of global progress, emphasizing that gender equality is not just an objective but a core aspect of its identity. The organization is also involved in commemorating significant milestones, such as the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which serves as a comprehensive global policy framework for women's empowerment and gender equality.

Job Overview:
The International Consultant will play a crucial role in supporting the Communication unit of UN Women Bangladesh in curating a coffee table book that highlights 30 changemakers from Bangladesh who have significantly contributed to advancing gender equality. This consultancy aims to ensure the professional curation of the Beijing+30 commemorative publication, weaving together narratives of changemakers and artworks by young female artists into a coherent and advocacy-driven book. The consultant will lead the overall curation process, ensuring that the book reflects the commitments of the Beijing Declaration and resonates with diverse audiences. The consultant will also enhance the visibility and impact of the contributions made by changemakers and artists, aligning with UN Women’s communication and branding standards. The assignment will involve initial consultations, reviewing existing materials, refining stories, developing an introduction, editing for narrative alignment, incorporating feedback, and ensuring quality control of the final manuscript.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct initial consultations with the UN Women Communication team to clarify objectives, approach, and structure of the book, resulting in an agreed work plan and schedule.
• Review existing materials, assessing 30 changemaker stories and 30 artworks, providing recommendations on gaps and narrative emphasis.
• Refine stories through revised drafts, suggesting rewrites and additional research while maintaining original structure and length.
• Develop a draft introduction to the book, either standalone or aligned with the UN Women Country Representative’s introduction.
• Edit stories and the introduction to ensure journalistic flow and alignment with the themes of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
• Incorporate feedback from UN Women into the final versions of stories and the introduction.
• Conduct copy editing and quality control of the manuscript, ensuring it is ready for design.
• Select key highlights and pull quotes from the stories for emphasis.
• Curate a selection of accompanying artwork and photographs in collaboration with UN Women. 1
• Provide recommendations on layout and design in consultation with the designer. The total assignment is expected to take 36 days over a period of 4 months.

Required Qualifications:
The consultant must possess over 10 years of experience in editing, curating, and producing high-quality publications, including multi-author books and international reports. A strong command of narrative shaping for clarity, accuracy, and impact for diverse audiences is essential. The consultant should have proven ability in conducting in-depth research and transforming complex material into compelling human-interest stories, particularly in the context of women’s rights and human rights advocacy. Experience collaborating with various stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, is also required. The consultant should demonstrate a track record of aligning editorial content with advocacy agendas, especially in human rights and women’s rights, and possess strong project and content management skills.

Educational Background:
A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Literature, Development and Gender Studies, International Relations, Journalism, Mass Communication, or a related field is required for this position. This educational background is essential to ensure the consultant has the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge to effectively curate the publication.

Experience:
The consultant should have at least 10-12 years of experience in editorial leadership, content curation, and publishing. This includes commissioning, editing, and curating large-scale publications across print and digital formats. Relevant thematic expertise in human rights and women’s rights is required, demonstrated through research, reporting, and editorial work. Substantive experience working as a consultant or editor for international organizations, UN agencies, INGOs, and research institutions is essential, along with a proven ability to deliver high-quality knowledge products and reports. Regional experience in South Asia, particularly with a strong contextual understanding of political, social, and cultural dynamics, is also necessary.

Languages:
Fluency in English, including strong writing skills, is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an advantage, particularly if they are relevant to the context of the work in Bangladesh or the broader South Asian region.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy is home-based, with no daily subsistence allowance (DSA) paid at the duty station. Travel outside the duty station may be required, and any such travel will be covered by UN Women, with the consultant receiving a per-diem not exceeding the United Nations daily subsistence allowance rate. The assignment is expected to commence on 25 October 2025 and be completed by 25 February 202

• The consultant's performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of services delivered. UN Women is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and adheres to a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims and objectives.