UN Women: Consultant for Advancing Gender-Responsive Civil-Military Engagement in Humanitarian Action, Home-Based, Jakarta, National Consultant

Background:

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.

UN Women Indonesia is currently implementing BRIDGES 4 PEACE project, a two-year regional initiative (2026–2028) across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, with support from the Government of Canada through the Canada's Military Training and Cooperation Program (MTCP). The project aims to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda within defense institutions by strengthening its relevance to emerging security challenges and fostering greater civil-military engagement across the region.

A critical pillar of the project specifically seeks to strengthen the understanding and operationalization of the WPS agenda within defense institutions and armed forces. A key area of work focuses on enhancing civil-military engagement, particularly in humanitarian settings where effective collaboration among civil society organizations (CSOs), government institutions, and military actors is essential to delivering life-saving assistance to crisis-affected populations. Civil-military coordination in humanitarian action refers to the structured interaction between civilian humanitarian actors and military institutions to ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered effectively, safely, and in accordance with humanitarian principles.

Crises and disasters are not gender neutral. Women, girls, men, and boys may experience different risks, responsibilities, barriers, and access to humanitarian assistance due to pre-existing gender inequalities and intersecting factors such as age, disability, displacement status, location, socioeconomic status, and other forms of exclusion. Women and girls may face heightened risks of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, disrupted access to sexual and reproductive health services, loss of livelihoods, and exclusion from information and decision-making. At the same time, women play essential roles in preparedness, response, recovery, community engagement, and social cohesion.

For UN Women, military engagement in humanitarian action should adhere to appropriate safeguards to uphold the independence of humanitarian action and preserve the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. Such engagement must also ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and affected populations, protect humanitarian access and freedom of movement, and safeguard women’s and girls’ meaningful participation in decision-making, while minimizing their exposure to gender-based violence (GBV). A gender-responsive and protection-centered approach is therefore essential. In civilian–military coordination, gender-responsive approaches can improve situational awareness, enable responders to identify different needs and protection risks, strengthen trust with affected communities, and support more effective operational decisions. In Indonesia, humanitarian response is governed by a civilian-led disaster management system established under Law No. 24/2007 on Disaster Management, with overall coordination led by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Military involvement in humanitarian response is recognized and further reinforced through Law No. 3/2025 on Amendment of Law No. 34/2004 concerning the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), which reaffirms humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) as part of the TNI’s Military Operations Other Than War (OMSP). This HADR mandate is operationalized through the Ministry of Defense Regulation No. 6/2015 on Guidelines for Military Involvement in Disaster Management. Under these frameworks, the TNI plays a critical role in evacuation, search and rescue, health services, relief distribution, and logistical support, in coordination with BNPB and local governments.

Operational multistakeholder coordination for humanitarian response is facilitated through the Disaster Emergency Response Command System (SKPDB), established under BNPB Regulation No. 4/2014 on the Incident Command System (ICS) and strengthened through BNPB Decree No. 308/2024 on National Disaster Management Clusters. The system brings together civilian, military, and humanitarian actors through six disaster management clusters to support an integrated response, with TNI personnel frequently serving in operational coordination roles under civilian leadership.

Alongside government-led efforts, CSOs, including women’s humanitarian CSOs, play a vital role throughout the humanitarian continuum, from emergency response to recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. From a policy perspective, civil-military engagement is guided by international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which recognize that military assets can provide indispensable support when civilian capacities are overwhelmed, particularly during large-scale disasters and complex emergencies. Effective civil-military coordination therefore requires clear roles, information-sharing mechanisms, and operational boundaries that enable military capabilities to complement, rather than replace, civilian-led humanitarian action while safeguarding humanitarian space.

Against this backdrop, UN Women Indonesia seeks to engage an individual consultant to develop a strategy for fostering a gender-responsive approach civil-military engagement in humanitarian preparedness and response based on lessons learned and stakeholder consultations; co-design and facilitate a table-top exercise (TTX) that enables civilian and military stakeholders to integrate practical WPS framework and humanitarian principles such as the protection standards, GBV-risk mitigation, and accessibility to affected populations; and provide technical and facilitation support to the national and regional civil-military policy dialogues, ensuring that the experiences, knowledge, and leadership of women, and women-led organizations are meaningfully reflected. The consultant will work closely with UN Women programme personnel, particularly the Governance/Women, Peace and Security (G/WPS) Programme Analyst and the Humanitarian-Peace Nexus Project Coordination Analyst. Reporting directly to the Governance, Peace and Resilience (GPR) Programme Manager, the consultant will contribute to the implementation of the BRIDGES 4 PEACE Project and UN Women’s strategic engagement with BNPB, the Ministry of Defense, TNI, UN OCHA, and civil society organizations, including through the Indonesia Humanitarian Coordination Platform (IHCP). The overall assignment will also be aligned with Indonesia’s commitment to advance implementation of WPS agenda.

The main objectives of the consultancy assignment are to:

1. Develop a gender-responsive strategy and operational plan for fostering an inclusive civil-military engagement;
2. Co-design and facilitate a table-top exercise (TTX) that enables civilian and military key stakeholders to integrate WPS and humanitarian principles into an operational scenario-based humanitarian response;
3. Lead the technical and facilitation support for the national-level civil-military policy dialogues, involving government actors, defence and security actors, civil society organizations, and academia/researchers;
4. Support the substantive design and implementation of a regional dialogue on WPS and Civilian-Military Engagement in Crisis.

Across all objectives, the consultant will apply a gender responsive, protection-centred, conflict-sensitive, accessible, and participatory approach, recognizing women as diverse actors and decision makers rather than treating them only as beneficiaries or vulnerable groups.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance and supervision of UN Women Indonesia's Governance, Peace and Resilience Programme Manager and in close collaboration with UN Women designated personnel to support the assignment, including but not limited to, G/WPS Programme Analyst, Humanitarian-Peace Nexus Project Coordination Analyst, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Task 1: Develop a gender-responsive strategy and operational plan for fostering inclusive civil-military engagement

• Conduct targeted consultations with selected humanitarian and WPS-focused CSOs (including women-led organizations, organizations representing people with disabilities, youth-led organizations, etc.), as well as relevant government institutions, including BNPB, MoD, TNI, and other key stakeholders, to identify intersections in institutional mandates, priorities, challenges, interests, and opportunities to strengthen civil-military engagement in humanitarian settings.
• Assess how gender gender-related institutional and operational considerations are currently reflected in civilian–military coordination arrangements, relevant policies and SOPs, preparedness and response mechanisms, and institutional capacity-development initiatives.
• Develop a concise strategy (of maximum 10 pages) and refined workplan for advancing civil-military engagement in humanitarian response including opportunities for institutionalizing women’s participation and leadership, drawing on existing policy analyses, standard operating procedures (SOPs), assessment reports, project baseline/survey results, and relevant national and international policy and operational frameworks.
• Prepare a policy brief outlining practical recommendations to strengthen existing military SOPs for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, considering recent policy developments and enhancing alignment with WPS agenda, humanitarian principles, and good practices in civil-military coordination.

Task 2: Co-design and facilitate a table-top exercise (TTX) to strengthen civil-military engagement in humanitarian settings

• Design a scenario for a table-top exercise (TTX), facilitation package, and its Terms of Reference (TOR) that reflects the differentiated impacts of crises on women, girls, men, and boys, including people facing intersecting barriers related to disability, age, displacement, location, and socioeconomic status tailored to the Indonesian humanitarian context to test gender-responsive civil-military coordination in a crisis setting. The exercise design should incorporate jointly defined objectives, success indicators, and reflective questions for a structured After-Action Review (AAR), drawing on relevant national and international frameworks, institutional mandates, and the operational roles of participating stakeholders. The scenario should enable participants to examine coordination arrangements, information sharing mechanisms, decision making processes, underlying considerations influencing decisions, and resulting actions, while identifying opportunities to strengthen collaboration and adherence to humanitarian and WPS principles.
• Lead the implementation of the TTX, facilitating participant engagement throughout the exercise, documenting how gender considerations influenced key discussions, decisions, and coordination processes, and guiding a structured AAR to capture lessons learned, good practices, and areas for improvement.
• Develop a TTX report documenting the exercise methodology, scenario, key findings, decision making dynamics, lessons learned, and recommendations. The report should include gender-specific findings and practical recommendations for strengthening and institutionalizing civil-military engagement within existing country-level humanitarian preparedness and response exercises, including regular TTX initiatives led by UN OCHA, and BNPB.

Task 3: Lead and facilitate national policy dialogue on Civil-Military Engagement

• Provide strategic and technical inputs to the development of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the national policy dialogue, ensuring clear articulation of the event’s objectives, methodology, format, key thematic areas, guiding questions, and overall implementation plan. This includes advising the identification, selection, and engagement of relevant institutions, subject matter experts, speakers, and panelists to ensure diverse, balanced, and high-level representation.
• Lead the facilitation of the national policy dialogue on civil-military engagement in humanitarian action, ensuring that discussions effectively achieve the intended objectives and generate actionable insights. The consultant will foster inclusive and constructive dialogue, capturing diverse perspectives, experiences, shared priorities, and emerging good practices to inform and strengthen gender-responsive humanitarian policies, frameworks, and operational practices.
• Prepare a comprehensive activity report on the national policy dialogue on civil-military engagement in humanitarian action, documenting the key discussions, findings, recommendations, and agreed follow-up actions, including implications for advancing gender-responsive humanitarian policy and practice.

Task 4: Support the implementation of Regional Policy Dialogue on Civil Military Engagement

• Provide technical inputs to the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the event under the leadership of UN Women’s Regional WPS Team, in close coordination with the UN Women Indonesia BRIDGES Project team. This will include contributing to the development of the agenda, identifying priority issues and emerging challenges in Indonesia to inform event content and discussions, and recommending potential resource persons and speakers from Indonesia and other BRIDGES programme countries. Specific technical support in developing comparative questions that enable participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam to exchange practical approaches is expected with a close coordination and consultation with UN Women Regional BRIDGES 4 PEACE Team.
• Support technical preparation of the event, including ensuring inclusive facilitation and accessibility arrangements, including appropriate briefing of moderators, interpreters, and sign-language interpreters on the event’s terminology and objectives.
• Develop an Indonesia case study illustrating both progress and remaining institutional or operational gaps in gender-responsive CIV–MIL collaboration which will be used as a reference for Indonesia delegation.
• Consolidate regional lessons and recommendations on how WPS, gender analysis, protection, and women’s meaningful participation can be embedded in CIV–MIL preparedness, response, training, and policy frameworks.
• Submit a final consultancy report summarizing all assignments undertaken, key outputs delivered, results achieved, and supporting evidence generated throughout the consultancy period.

Expected Deliverables

Deliverables	Expected completion time (due date)
Deliverable 1: A Gender-responsive Strategy and Workplan for Civil-Military Engagement A concise strategy and workplan outlining objectives, priority activities, stakeholder engagement approaches, implementation milestones, and expected results for strengthening civil-military engagement in humanitarian settings under the BRIDGES Project, with a focus on promoting coordination, inclusive dialogue, and gender-responsive humanitarian preparedness and response.	20 November 2026
Deliverable 2: TTX Report and Documentation Package A comprehensive TTX report documenting the planning, preparation, implementation, key outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations. The documentation package will include supporting materials such as the finalized ToR, revised agenda/timetable, participant list, facilitation materials, exercise outputs, and other relevant records to support future civil-military engagement initiatives.	26 February 2027
Deliverable 3: National Policy Dialogue Report A concise report summarizing the national policy dialogue on civil-military engagement in humanitarian settings, including key discussions, insights, good practices, challenges, recommendations, and agreed follow-up actions to strengthen coordination and advance gender-responsive humanitarian policies and practices.	30 March 2027
Deliverable 4: Final Consultancy Report A final consultancy report outlining consultant notes on the results of assignment, Indonesia case study, reflective learnings and recommendations, as well as a complete package of all deliverables and their supporting documents	30 September 2027

All deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports, should be submitted in writing in English, unless otherwise specified. Upon receipt of each deliverable and prior to payment of the corresponding instalment, UN Women will review and approve the deliverable within one week of receipt.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This consultancy is home based. The consultant may be required to travel as assigned by the hiring unit.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• 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:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong administrative and organizational skills
• Knowledge of programme and financial management processes
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Strong documentation and reporting skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Attention to detail and problem-solving ability

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master's degree in social sciences, development studies, gender studies, disaster management studies or humanitarian action, security studies or a similar discipline is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 5 years (for master’s degree) and 7 years (for bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience on gender equality and/or humanitarian, Women, Peace and Security (WPS), is required.
• A combined experience and expertise in training design or facilitation of the above-mentioned issues is preferred.
• Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues, both at the national and regional levels, involving government, civil society, and academic participants is required.
• Proven experience in conducting gender analysis, and/or WPS and humanitarian programming, gender and security analysis, and civil society organisation engagement is required.
• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating participatory and inclusive consultation methodologies, using scenario-based learning, such as simulations, interactive games, case studies, role-plays or table-top exercises is an asset.
• Prior experience engaging with defence, security or military institutions is an asset.
• Familiarity with Indonesia's Disaster Management governance and policies, National Action Plan on WPS (RAN P3AKS) and relevant Ministry of Defence gender-mainstreaming frameworks is an asset.
• Experience in using software or digital tools to create well-organized, systematized, and interactive materials or presentations is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Bahasa Indonesia is required, with the ability to produce well-written training materials and reports in both languages.

Statements :

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

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