UN Women: Consultant Technical Editing and Review of Gender Analysis of Regional CT Frameworks

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 is committed to delivering the highest quality research and data on gender equality, and through this work, giving gender advocates the evidence needed to make an impact on global and national policy debates.

The African Union (AU) and various Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have adopted a range of strategies, action plans, policies and other framework documents aimed at addressing violent extremism conducive to terrorism across the continent. At the same time, comprehensive regional frameworks have been developed to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (UNGCTS) [1] and relevant Security Council resolutions [2] have underscored the importance of gender-responsive approaches to preventing and countering terrorism.

Against this normative backdrop, it is timely to assess the extent to which regional CT/PVE frameworks uphold and align with WPS commitments at both the global and regional levels. The coherence between predominantly security-oriented regional frameworks and existing commitments to uphold women’s rights in conflict-affected and terrorism-affected contexts, remains insufficiently articulated and warrants closer examination. For example, while established continental gender equality and women, peace and security (WPS) policy frameworks provide a basis for gender-responsive approaches, the African Union’s new Continental Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action (2026–2030) provides limited attention to gender and does not sufficiently reflect existing regional gender commitments, notwithstanding evidence of the differentiated gendered impacts of terrorism and counter-terrorism measures.

In 2025/2026, UN Women prepared a comprehensive gender analysis of Africa main regional CT/PVE frameworks and other relevant frameworks. The gender analysis provides insights into the extent to which gender considerations are reflected in African regional approaches to CT/PVE and aligned with WPS commitments and priorities. It also highlights key strengths and gaps that can inform future policy and programmatic action aiming to advance women’s leadership in CT, PVE and peace and security decision making more broadly.

Under the supervision of the UN Women Counter-Terrorism Policy Specialist and in consultation with the author of the analysis, the consultant will be responsible for conducting a technical editing review of UN Women’s Gender Analysis of Regional Counter-Terrorism Frameworks in Africa document (approximately 35,000 words in English) to ensure that the study is analytically coherent, clearly structured, well referenced and updated, and meets high standards of publication quality.

The consultant will provide technical editing of UN Women’s Gender Analysis of Regional Counter-Terrorism Frameworks in Africa study, in accordance with the tasks specified below:

• Review and edit the overall text and adjust the structure as appropriate to ensure concise and succent chapters while preserving the study’s core themes and findings.
• Assess the study against its stated research objectives and address any substantive gaps, inconsistencies or areas that can be strengthened as may be needed.
• Review the analysis and conclusions to ensure that findings and recommendations are appropriately aligned and supported by the evidence and analysis…