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Background and Context
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. The UN Women India Country Office works in collaboration with national and state governments, civil society partners, and development organizations to advance women's political participation, economic empowerment, and gender-based violence prevention.
The One Hundred and Sixth Amendment to the Indian Constitution (2023) mandates one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies and marks a historic step towards enhanced womens participation in governance. To realize the full potential of this landmark legislation, there is a recognized need to build a robust pipeline of women leaders equipped with the technical skills and policy awareness required for effective legislative and administrative participation.
She Leads, UN Women India’s flagship programme to strengthen women’s public and political leadership, is designed as a strategic intervention to build capacities and nurture a dynamic network of women leaders across the country. The programme facilitates meaningful dialogue, enables the exchange of lived experiences, and creates opportunities for engagement with experts, thereby equipping women leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to lead effectively and drive inclusive governance.Building on the success of three national-level SheLeads workshops, UN Women is now contextualizing this capacity-building initiative at the state level. The programme provides non-partisan, skills-based training to women in public life, equipping them with the technical knowledge, governance skills, and leadership capacities needed to participate effectively in decentralized administration and decision-making.
Uttar Pradesh presents a highly strategic opportunity for this localized intervention due to its vast demographic scale and its extensive network of women already active at the grassroots level. With state legislative assembly elections anticipated in 2027, there is a critical window to focus on governance, leadership, and resilience building among these women. By enhancing their capacities now, our programme SheLeads aims to support the development of a strong, self-reliant cohort of women leaders in Uttar Pradesh, ready to contribute to gender-responsive governance and sustainable public administration at scale. This cohort will be selected through a competitive application process anchored by UN Women under the She Leads Uttar Pradesh initiative. It will comprise a diverse group of women leaders from across the state, including grassroots change-makers, elected representatives, administrators, and other emerging leaders. The selection will aim to ensure representation across geographies, bringing together women who demonstrate leadership potential, a commitment to gender equality, and the ability to drive transformative change within their communities.
Objective of the Assignment
In this context, UN Women is seeking the services of a Consultant to lead the delivery of the “SheLeads: Uttar Pradesh” initiative, a state-level capacity-building workshop for women aspiring to take on greater roles in public life and local administration. This pioneering programme in Uttar Pradesh aims to equip a cohort of credible, capable, and confident women with the technical skills required for effective governance and leadership. By doing so, it directly supports the national momentum toward increasing the meaningful representation and participation of women in decision-making at both state and sub-national levels.
The Consultant will serve as the primary focal point for the “SheLeads: Uttar Pradesh” workshop, providing end-to-end coordination and support across planning, execution, and post-workshop follow-up. The role encompasses strategic programme coordination, multi-stakeholder engagement, supporting the development of a gender-responsive governance curriculum, logistics management, and comprehensive documentation.
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