UN Women: Individual Contract – International Consultant - Gender-Responsive Safety and Access Audit, Port Vila Reconstruction (Home Based)

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO) is based in Suva, Fiji and works alongside over 20 other UN agencies in the region and 14 countries and territories across the Pacific Region.  [1]Under its Strategic Note (SN) 2023 - 2027, UN Women Fiji MCO focuses on delivering on four interlinked programme areas underpinned by UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022 in line with international normative frameworks:

• Governance and Participation in Public Life.
• Women’s Economic Empowerment.
• Ending Violence against Women and Girls.
• Climate Action/Humanitarian Action and Resilience

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls / EVAWG – Pacific Partnership

In December 2024, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, businesses, and livelihoods across Port Vila and surrounding areas. The impact of the earthquake continues to be felt through significant ongoing disruption to Vanuatu’s primary economic hub.

The Port Vila Central Business District / CBD Vision and Concept Plan sets out a long-term reconstruction strategy positioning recovery not merely as restoration of what existed, but as an opportunity to ‘build back better’ — addressing longstanding urban challenges including congestion, inadequate pedestrian infrastructure, limited green space, and the reconstruction of key public facilities, including the central market.

Reconstruction decisions — encompassing design, spatial layout, access arrangements, and service provision — have direct consequences for women’s safety, mobility, and economic participation. Central to a rights-based approach to reconstruction is ensuring that women, girls, and other marginalized groups can safely access, use, and benefit from rebuilt public spaces. Without deliberate gender-responsive planning, reconstruction risks perpetuating or exacerbating pre-existing inequalities and exposure to violence and harassment.

UN Women is partnering with the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning in the Ministry of Internal Affairs to undertake a gender-responsive safety and access audit of the Port Vila market and the wider Central Business District (CBD), as outlined in the Port Vila Central Business District / CBD Vision and Concept Plan. This activity positions reconstruction not only as physical recovery but as an opportunity to embed safety, inclusion, and resilience into the design and management of public infrastructure from the outset.

UN Women brings specialized technical expertise in ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG), gender-responsive infrastructure assessment, and inclusive public space design.  This includes globally tested methodologies for assessing how design, location, governance, lighting, transport access, service provision, and management practices affect women and girls differently — particularly in relation to safety, mobility, and livelihood access. 

In Vanuatu and across the Pacific, UN Women has long-established programming through Markets for Change and the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (2024–2027), providing direct linkages to market governance, women’s economic empowerment, public space safety, and violence prevention. These programmes provide strong local knowledge, trusted stakeholder and community relationships, and practical entry points to support implementation of audit findings.

The gender audit will serve as a practical entry point to support gender-responsive reconstruction, identifying priority actions for integration into ongoing reconstruction processes and informing potential follow-on technical assistance. The audit aims to:

• →Assess the extent to which planned and ongoing reconstruction efforts for the Port Vila market and the wider CBD — including transport infrastructure — are safe, accessible, and appropriate for women, girls, and other marginalized groups;
• →Identify risks related to safety, harassment, and violence in public spaces, and opportunities to mitigate these through design, management, and service linkages; and
• →Develop a practical action plan outlining key steps to strengthen gender-responsive reconstruction across short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes.

The scope of the audit encompasses the Port Vila market, the wider CBD as covered in the Port Vila CBD Vision and Concept Plan, and associated transport and pedestrian infrastructure. The findings will provide a basis for ongoing collaboration between UN Women and the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning to directly inform reconstruction planning, design, and implementation. The audit will identify responsible actors, feasible entry points within existing programmes and investments, and provide context-specific recommendations that can be integrated into infrastructure design, construction, and management decisions.

Methodology

The audit will employ a mixed-methods approach, conducted in close coordination with relevant government stakeholders, including municipal authorities and national ministries, to ensure alignment with the broader reconstruction strategy. Core methods will include:

• →Desk review of the Port Vila CBD Vision and Concept Plan, relevant policies, gender and urban safety frameworks, and existing data on violence against women and girls in Vanuatu;
• →Key informant interviews (KIIs) with government representatives, infrastructure and planning partners, market management, service providers, and civil society organizations;
• →Focus group discussions (FGDs) with women and girls, including women market vendors, women with disabilities, and other marginalized groups;
• →Structured site visits and observational assessments of the market and CBD, including assessment of lighting, access, signage, sanitation, transport nodes, and surrounding infrastructure; and
• →User journey mapping, including assessment of travel to, within, and from the market, with particular attention to early morning and late afternoon periods when safety risks are commonly heightened.

All data collection will adhere to survivor-centered principles and ethical standards for research with and about women and girls, including informed consent, confidentiality, and do no harm protocols. The methodology will be developed in full during the inception phase and agreed with UN Women and key stakeholders prior to field implementation.

The consultancy comprises four phases. 

All deliverables, including their design, scope, and prioritization, will comply with survivor-centered standards and ethical guidelines for gender-based violence data management. 

The Lead Consultant will be paired with a National Consultant. The Lead Consultant will be expected to set and manage their workload. 

The Lead Consultant is expected to deliver the following deliverables in close collaboration with the UN Women Fiji MCO Ending Violence Against Women and Girls / EVAWG Programme Team: 

Lead the development of the Inception Report in collaboration with the assistant consultant. The Inception Report should comprise of:

• Refined gender audit framework and assessment tools, adapted to the Port Vila context and aligned with international good practice on gender-responsive urban safety;
• Summary of desk review findings, including analysis of the Port Vila CBD Vision and Concept Plan, relevant policies, and existing EVAWG data;
• Agreed scope, methodology, ethical protocols, and workplan for field implementation including clear delineation of work between lead and support consultant and UN Women technical team involvement; and
• Stakeholder mapping and engagement plan.

10 working days

Weeks – 2 to 3

20% upon acceptance by UN Women.

In close coordination with the assistant consultant, oversee and where appropriate, lead the collection of data through KIIs, FGDs, sites visits and observational assessments. 

Develop preliminary findings report, summarizing findings from data collection. This is to be done with the support of the assistant consultant. Present the Report to UN Women and the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning for feedback and refining. 

The Preliminary Findings report should reflect, at a minimum: 

• Clean, documented data from KIIs, FGDs, site visits, and observational assessments;
• Preliminary thematic findings from field data collection; and

Summary of emerging issues for discussion and validation with UN Women and key stakeholders.

20 working days

Weeks – 4 to 7

30% upon acceptance by UN Women.

Draft Gender Audit Report, comprising:

• Comprehensive analysis of findings against the gender audit framework, including assessment of safety risks, accessibility gaps, and design considerations across the market and CBD;
• Disaggregated findings reflecting the experiences and priorities of diverse groups of women and girls;
• Preliminary recommendations for reconstruction design, management, and service provision; and 
• Facilitation of a stakeholder validation workshop to review and refine draft findings and recommendations.

15 working days

Weeks – 8 to 12

20% upon acceptance by UN Women

Final Gender Audit Report and Action Plan, comprising:

• Finalized gender audit report incorporating stakeholder feedback from the validation workshop;
• Practical, prioritized action plan with concrete, implementable recommendations across short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes, identifying responsible actors, estimated resources, and feasible entry points within existing programmes and investments; and
• Executive summary suitable for dissemination to government partners and key stakeholders.

15 working days

Weeks – 13 to 16

30% upon acceptance by UN Women

All documents, including consultation material and reports should be written in the English language.  All documents and materials utilized will need to be returned to UN Women in electronic format.  All materials will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.

The selected consultant will report to and work under the direct supervision of the EVAWG Programme Technical Specialist, UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office. They will work closely with UN Women staff, including the Vanuatu Country Programme Coordinator and relevant EVAWG country-level staff and partners.

The International Consultant will also coordinate closely with the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning and other relevant government counterparts and stakeholders as agreed during the inception phase.

The duration of this assignment is up to 60 working days over approximately four (4) months, with a possible start date from Q3 2026. The precise start date will be confirmed upon contract signature. A detailed workplan will be submitted and agreed with UN Women as part of the inception deliverable.

The consultancy assignment will be home‑based, with expected travel to the Pacific Island Countries, in close consultation with the UN Women Fiji MCO EVAWG Team.

The International Consultant is expected to work during standard working hours along the Fiji Time Zone schedule.

Travel to Port Vila, Vanuatu is required for the field audit phase and for the stakeholder validation workshop. 

Travel costs, including economy class airfare and daily subsistence allowance (DSA) at applicable UN rates, will be covered by UN Women.

Any travel costs outside of home-based location will be covered separately by UN Women with prior approval based on agreed upon routing and in conformity with UN Women applicable travel rules and regulations. 

The International Technical Support Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Payments will be disbursed to the consultant in instalments, upon submission and approval of deliverables set forth in Section IV above “Expected Deliverables” and certification by the UN Women Fiji MCO Programme Specialist, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

• Demonstrated expertise in gender-responsive safety audits, urban safety assessments, or gender and public space programming;
• Strong qualitative research and analytical skills, with experience designing and implementing participatory methodologies including KIIs, FGDs, and observational assessments;
• Solid understanding of gender-based violence, women’s safety in public spaces, and survivor-centered approaches;
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively and sensitively with diverse stakeholders, including government counterparts, civil society organizations, and communities;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical findings in accessible, practical formats;
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment; and
• Proficiency in standard computer software, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s equivalent or higher) in Gender Studies, Urban Planning, Social Sciences, Public Health, or a related field is required.
• A first-level University Degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Minimum 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in gender equality, the prevention of violence against women and girls (EVAWG), gender-responsive urban planning, or related fields;
• Demonstrated experience conducting gender-responsive safety audits, gender audits, or substantively equivalent urban safety or gender assessments;
• Experience working with government counterparts and/or in post-disaster or reconstruction contexts, particularly in relation to infrastructure, urban planning, or public space design;
• Strong familiarity with gender-responsive planning and/or the prevention of VAWG in public spaces programming; 
• Experience with UN Women Safe Cities programming is strongly preferred; 
• Experience working in the Pacific region is strongly preferred; including familiarity with the Vanuatu context is an advantage; 
• Excellent English language writing skills, including demonstrated ability to produce high-quality technical reports and practical tools for diverse audiences.

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required
• Knowledge of Pacific languages is an asset.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

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