Baseline Assessment and Inception Phase Support (2 Positions)

BACKGROUND/CONTEXT UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls, advance women’s empowerment, and achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. UN Women Country Office (CO) in the Kyrgyz Republic (KR) was established in 2012 to support implementation of international and national commitments of the country on gender equality and women’s empowerment, including the CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Security Council’s resolutions on women, peace and security, and the Sustainable Development Goals. UN Women CO in the Kyrgyz Republic leverages its mandate of normative support, UN system coordination and operational activities for results in line with UN Women Strategic Plan and the Country Strategic Note. UN Women Kyrgyzstan implements programmes that eliminates all forms of violence against women and girls; advances women’s full, equal and effective participation in the peace and security agenda and in all aspects of decision-making; strengthens financing for gender equality; and expands women’s economic empowerment. Violence against women and girls (VAW/G) is one of the most systemic and endemic human rights violations which disproportionately affects women and girls worldwide. Domestic violence remains one of the most widespread forms of VAWG, with one in four women aged 15–49 experiencing violence, and cases continuing to increase. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 19,995 cases of family violence were registered in the first 11 months of 2025, marking a 27.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024. During this time, over 15,800 protection orders were issued, the vast majority (94%) against male perpetrators, with women comprising most survivors. Administrative enforcement remains significant, with over 5,000 protocols registered, resulting in arrests and community service sanctions; however, accountability gaps persist, particularly in enforcement of protection orders and corrective programmes. At the criminal level, 516 cases were initiated, including serious offenses such as murder (31 cases), grievous bodily harm (35), rape (28), and other forms of sexual violence, underscoring the severity of abuse. Despite these responses, underreporting remains widespread due to stigma, economic dependence, and social pressure, with many survivors returning to abusive environments. While civil society organizations play a critical role in service provision and advocacy, shrinking civic space and limited funding continue to constrain their capacity, highlighting the urgent need for strengthened, survivor-centred and systemic responses to VAWG. The EU-UN Women Action “Zero VAWG Program” in the Kyrgyz Republic aims to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by preventing and responding to violence against women and girls (VAWG), through a gender-transformative, community-led approach. The 3-year programme prioritizes creating and strengthening leadership spaces for women’s and youth civil society organizations, particularly in rural areas, building on results of the EU–UN Spotlight Initiative (2020–2023), and directly empowering around 140 organizations and 1,400 change leaders, while engaging a wider network of actors and organizations. Its three interlinked components focus on: (i) capacity development to enhance technical, organizational and adaptive leadership for effective EVAWG advocacy and programming; (ii) development and institutionalization of innovative “Zero VAWG” community models, including Standard Operating Procedures; and (iii) consolidation and digitization of knowledge on EVAWG through academic, media and other platforms. The Action is fully aligned with the Kyrgyz Republic’s international and national commitments, supports the National Gender Equality Strategy (2022–2030) and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Strategic Outcome 4, and contributes to UN Women Kyrgyz Republic’s Strategic Note. Prior to full-scale implementation, the Zero VAWG programme will carry out an inception phase to ensure strategic preparedness and alignment with national and local stakeholders. This phase will include a comprehensive baseline assessment in line with the results logical framework, validation of programme assumptions, and participatory consultations with key stakeholders, including survivors, women’s and youth organizations, and national and local authorities, to ensure contextual relevance and inclusivity. It will also result in the development of a detailed implementation, monitoring and evaluation framework with clear indicators, accountability mechanisms, and coordination structures to guide effective and adaptive programme delivery. It is also important to note that the programme management and coordination structu