National Consultant, MSR to Gender-based violence (GBV) in Kazakhstan

The Position:

National consultant to implement activities to strengthen national capacity on prevention and multi-sectoral response to domestic/gender-based violence in Kazakhstan.

The organization of the events and their logistics will be organized by the UNFPA implementing partner - the WEF ORKENDEU Foundation, led by K. A. Bekenova.

 

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.


 

Job Purpose:

National consultant to implement activities to strengthen national capacity on prevention and multi-sectoral response to domestic/gender-based violence in Kazakhstan

Since 2016, UNFPA has been providing technical support to the Government of Kazakhstan to develop mechanisms for the system of multi-sectoral response to gender-based violence (MSR to GBV), the creation of which is reflected as one of the objectives in the Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030, led by the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As part of the activities in this area, international Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the provision of services to survivors of gender-based violence were adapted for the health, psychosocial and police sectors, taking into account the special needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs), as explored in the needs assessment of people with different disabilities.

UNFPA supported the strengthening of coordination of state agencies' activities to address domestic violence, strengthening multi-sectoral cooperation and increasing the efficiency of authorized government agencies, local executive bodies and service providers (aid organizations), and also supported the piloting of a system of multi-sectoral response to domestic violence in the Turkestan region and is providing training to regional and district health, psychosocial and law enforcement officials, as well as of Family Support Centers on the use of SOPs aimed at identifying, documenting and providing assistance to GBV survivors.

As a follow-up to the ongoing measures to support the Government of Kazakhstan, within the framework of the project "Strengthening the Prevention of and Response to Violence against Women and Girls in Central Asia", UNFPA is planning a series of activities to strengthen national capacity for prevention and interagency response to domestic/gender-based violence in Kazakhstan. These activities will be implemented from July 2025 to March 2026. A national expert will be engaged to implement the activities.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

National consultant is expected to:

Organize and implement the following activities:

1.    Building the capacity of Family Support Centers (FSC) - training of heads/deputy heads of Family Support Centers on issues of prevention and MSR to GBV mechanisms (conduction of a 3-day training, 40 people - August 2025).

2.    Building the capacity of Family Support Centers - training of social workers to provide MSR to GBV services with a focus on the special needs of people with disabilities who have experienced violence, based on an adapted regional training package (conduction of a 3-day training for 40 people - September 2025).

3.    Building the capacity of Family Support Centers - training of FSC psychologists on the principles and mechanisms of the MSR to GBV system; taking into account the special needs of people with disabilities subjected to gender-based violence; providing social and psychological support to Muslim women have experienced gender-based violence (conduction of a 3-day training, 40 people - February 2026).

4.    Providing technical support to the Ministry of Culture and Information to strengthen prevention and response measures to gender-based violence in newly created Family Support Centers (improving the regulatory framework, practices, etc.) – July-January 2025.

As part of this intervention, the consultant is also expected to:

- develop a Program for the Prevention of Gender/Domestic Violence adapted for the FSCs’ functioning; 

- prepare training materials (for FSC staff) on working with family members who have suffered from gender-based/domestic violence - witnesses of violence and integrate the developed material into the training of FSC staff.

5.    a) Review and analysis of the content of social work education programmes (bachelor's and master's degrees) in the context of determining the presence and, if necessary, the inclusion of components/training modules related to the functions of prevention and response to gender-based/domestic violence, taking into account the special needs of people with disabilities (in cooperation with the Association of Women with Disabilities ‘Shyrak’) - August-October 2025. 

в) Following the review, a round table with representatives of the relevant governmental structures of the education and social support systems to present the results of the analysis and recommendations (20 people).

6.    Conducting a two-day training for religious leaders, imams, ustazes and theologians on gender equality, maternal and reproductive health, family planning, prevention and response to gender-based violence, taking into account the humanitarian values of Islam and scientific/medical aspects (40 people) - February 2026.

7.    Additional activities will be implemented based on UNFPA’s request and in response to initiatives proposed by national government partners.

In line with the above, the tasks of the national consultant include the following:

1. Organization and implementation/facilitation of designated training and consultative events (including round tables), namely:

-    development of the program and content of training events;

-    development and provision of participants with educational and presentation materials on the content of training and consultations;

-    in coordination with the Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Information (MCI), agreeing on the dates, venues and content of trainings;

-    ensuring interaction with authorized state bodies - entities involved in the prevention and response to gender/domestic violence, authorized structural divisions of akimats involved in the system of MSR to GBV, for the purpose of organizational support for conducting training events and consultations (logistics, coordinating the location of events, coordinating participants and forming lists of participants, and other organizational issues);

-    organizing the participation in training events of co-facilitators from among the heads and specialists of advanced FSCs of the Turkestan region to provide participants from the regions with successful practices in providing psychosocial and legal support to persons who have experienced violence;

-    facilitating training events and meetings to identify problems and develop appropriate recommendations;

-    participation in the development of the regulatory framework for the FSCs in terms of responding to gender/domestic violence and other conceptual documents at the request of the Ministry of Culture and Information;

-    provision of a substantive report on the results of the work performed with the attachment of all developed documents.

2. Communication with representatives of the MCI and implementation of assigned tasks within the framework of providing technical support;

3. The Review of the Educational Programme involves teamwork, joint analysis and preparation of a report on the work done.

4. Conducting training for religious leaders also involves working together with an expert – a theologian/Islamic scholar.
Results and timeframes (indicative)

Results	Time frame	Payment for consultant services
Providing technical support to the Ministry of Culture and Information	July 2025 - January 2026	Upon completion of the activity. No later than February 2026
Conducting training for the heads of the FSCs	August 2025	Upon completion of the activity. No later than September 8, 2025
Review/analysis of the content of social work curricula. Conducting a round table	August-October 2025	Upon completion of the activity. No later than November 10, 2025
Conducting training for social workers of the FSCs	September 2025	Upon completion of the activity. No later than October 15, 2025
Conducting training for psychologists of the FSCs	February 2026	Upon completion of the activity. No later than March 31, 2026
Conducting training for religious leaders, imams, ustazes	January-February 2026	Upon completion of the activity. No later than March 31, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qualifications and Experience: 

 

Education:  

•    Higher education in social sciences and/or health.

 

Knowledge and Experience: 

•    Experience in conducting research and projects on gender-based violence for at least 15 years, including experience in developing regulatory legal acts in this area

•    At least 15 years of experience in studying and developing documents on multi-sectoral response to gender-based violence (MSR to GBV), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for providing services to survivors of gender-based violence in the sectors of health, psychosocial assistance and access to justice, taking into account the special needs of people with disabilities

•    Having clear knowledge of the guidelines and system of MSR to GBV implemented in the Turkestan region

•    Availability of a knowledge system in the field of response to gender-based violence in Kazakhstan, including the functioning and activities of Family Support Centers

•    At least 3 years of experience in the development and implementation of psycho-correctional programs for perpetrators of gender/domestic violence

•    Knowledge of international treaties and conventions on human rights.

•    Knowledge of laws, national programmes and plans related to issues of gender equality and gender-based violence.

•    Deep understanding of the special needs of people with disabilities in Kazakhstan.

•    Experience in conducting relevant trainings.

•    Experience in providing assistance to survivors of GBV.

•    Knowledge of UN development programmes and working methods, especially UNFPA policies and procedures, is an asset.

 

Languages: 

•    Fluent in written and spoken Kazakh and Russian.

 

Required Competencies: 

Values:

Exemplifying integrity, 

Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 

Embracing cultural diversity, 

Embracing change

 

Core Competencies: 

Achieving results,

Being accountable,

Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,

Thinking analytically and strategically,

Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

 

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.