International Consultant on gender-responsive sustainable finance to develop knowledge products and a diagnostic of WEPs signatories in the financial sector in Azerbaijan

UN Women exists to advance women’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As the lead UN entity on gender equality and secretariat of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, we shift laws, institutions, social behaviors and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world for all women and girls. Our partnerships with governments, women’s movements and the private sector coupled with our coordination of the broader United Nations translate progress into lasting changes. We make strides forward for women and girls in four areas: leadership, economic empowerment, freedom from violence, and women, peace and security as well as humanitarian action. UN Women keeps the rights of women and girls at the center of global progress – always, everywhere. Because gender equality is not just what we do. It is who we are.

UN Women defines economic empowerment as a transformative, collective process through which economic systems become just, equitable and prosperous, and through which all women enjoy their economic and social rights, exercise agency and power in ways that challenge inequalities and level the playing field and gain equal rights and access to ownership of and control over resources, assets, income, time and their own lives. The key elements of economic empowerment are equal rights and access to ownership and control over resources; agency, power and autonomy; and policies, institutions and norms.

UN Women is implementing the project “Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment and Resilience through Private Sector Engagement Anchored in the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in Azerbaijan”, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The project builds on UN Women’s WEPs engagement in Azerbaijan. Its overall objective is to advance women’s economic empowerment and resilience in Azerbaijan by strengthening private sector adoption and institutionalization of the WEPs, enhancing public–private–IFI collaboration, and supporting evidence-based policy dialogue to expand women’s access to quality employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, leadership, finance and markets. The project is structured around three outputs: Output 1.1 on strengthening private sector capacities to implement WEPs-aligned policies and practices; Output 1.2 on enhancing public–private–IFI collaboration to expand women’s access to finance, quality jobs and markets, particularly for rural women and women-led MSMEs; and Output 1.3 on strengthening evidence and policy dialogue through targeted knowledge products and technical support to policymakers. This consultancy contributes directly to Outputs 1.2 and 1.3.

Women’s economic empowerment and access to finance are reflected in Azerbaijan’s national priorities. Azerbaijan is a State Party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and is committed to the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably SDG 5 and SDG 8. At the national level, the Law “On Ensuring Gender (Men and Women) Equality” (2006), the Strategy for Socio-Economic Development 2022–2026 and the National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2026–2028 provide the policy basis for advancing women’s economic participation. The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2026–2030, under Priority Area 1 on inclusive socio-economic growth and human development, supports an enabling business environment for MSMEs and the unlocking of the economic potential of all population groups. In the financial sector, the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan (CBAR) identifies financial inclusion as a strategic priority in its Financial Sector Development Strategy 2024–2026, which also promotes sustainable and digital finance and the diversification of financial products. The State Program on Expanding Financial Inclusion in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2027–2030, approved by Presidential Order in May 2026 and coordinated by CBAR, aims to expand access to financial services for the population and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), strengthen financial literacy and improve the quality of financial products, and thereby provides an enabling framework for gender-responsive financial products and services.

Despite this policy momentum, women’s access to finance and entrepreneurship remains constrained. According to the State Statistical Committee (AZSTAT), women-owned enterprises accounted for 23.3 per cent of newly registered enterprises in 2025, and women held 36.2 per cent of managerial positions in 2024 (SDG indicator 5.5.2). The World Bank’s Breaking Barriers to Women’s Employment in Azerbaijan (2024) point to persistent barriers for women entrepreneurs, particularly rural women and women-led MSMEs, including high collateral requirements, gender-biased lending practices, standardized financial products that do not reflect women’s business realities, limited financial literacy and limited access to tailored financial and non-financial services. CBAR statistics on loans by region and average interest rates also show geographic disparities in lending conditions, with businesses outside major urban centres often facing higher financing costs. In addition, no official legal definition of “woman entrepreneur” has been identified in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan Standardization Institute has adopted a national standard based on ISO International Workshop Agreement IWA 34:2021 “Women’s entrepreneurship – Key definitions and general criteria”, which defines women-owned and women-led businesses; how women-owned and women-led businesses are identified by financial institutions, and the availability of sex-disaggregated data across the financial sector, still need to be reviewed.

Businesses from the financial sector have been especially active in implementing the WEPs in the South Caucasus, demonstrating strong potential to advance gender equality not only within the workplace, but also through their financial products, services, investment approaches and engagement with customers and communities. In Azerbaijan, WEPs signatories from the financial sector have, for example, introduced women-focused loan products for women entrepreneurs together with entrepreneurship and financial literacy support, alongside leadership, mentoring and family-friendly workplace measures. Globally, gender-smart and sustainable finance, including gender bonds, gender conditionalities in thematic bonds, gender-responsive credit mechanisms, alternatives to traditional collateral and guarantee schemes, is opening new ways to mobilize capital for women-led businesses. However, there is no systematic overview of how WEPs signatories in the financial sector in Azerbaijan perform across the workplace, marketplace and community dimensions of the WEPs, nor of how sustainable finance modalities could be adapted to the Azerbaijani market.

UN Women provides technical support to financial institutions, business associations and private sector partners to integrate gender-responsive approaches into financing, employment and business support initiatives, supported by structured public–private–IFI dialogue and partnership building. UN Women also translates existing and emerging evidence into practical, stakeholder-specific recommendations for policymakers, the Central Bank, commercial banks and other financial institutions, IFIs, business associations, WEPs companies and women entrepreneurs. In parallel, the project facilitates dialogues to advance gender-responsive financing, expands economic opportunities for women, including access to loans, makes tailored research, data and knowledge products available, and convenes policy dialogue platforms.

Engagement with the Central Bank is a priority of the project. UN Women will work with CBAR, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and other relevant stakeholders, to ensure that the findings and recommendations of this assignment are aligned with the Financial Sector Development Strategy and the State Program on Expanding Financial Inclusion, and can inform CBAR’s work on gender-responsive financial inclusion, including on the definition of women entrepreneurs and on sex-disaggregated data and reporting by financial institutions.

Against this backdrop, UN Women intends to engage an international consultant to (1) provide technical assistance to targeted WEPs signatories, namely financial institutions and business associations, to integrate gender-responsive approaches into financing, employment and business support initiatives, including through a diagnostic of WEPs signatories in the financial sector, and (2) generate evidence and knowledge products on gender-responsive sustainable finance. These will cover the Azerbaijani landscape, key trends and practical modalities, such as gender bonds, gender conditionalities in thematic bonds, alternatives to collateral, guarantee schemes and credit mechanisms, illustrated with examples from other countries and WEPs companies. The products should be practical, build on existing studies without duplication, and respond to the needs of CBAR, commercial banks and other financial institutions, IFIs, business associations, WEPs companies and women entrepreneurs, including women-led MSMEs.

The consultant will be reporting to Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme Specialist and Portfolio Manager for South Caucasus, Programme Analyst from WEE portfolio and the Project Assistant from the same portfolio who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

• →In close consultation with UN Women, prepare an inception report setting out the work to be carried out, including a detailed workplan, timeline, methodology, consultation plan and draft diagnostic tool. Conduct an initial desk review of the policy, regulatory, market and data landscape on women’s access to finance and sustainable finance in Azerbaijan, including the Financial Sector Development Strategy 2024–2026, the State Program on Expanding Financial Inclusion 2027–2030, the National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2026–2028, CBAR statistics and existing studies, to avoid duplication. Submit the inception report to UN Women for review and approval.
• →Review international (including IWA 34:2021) and national approaches to defining “woman entrepreneur”, women-owned and women-led businesses, and propose a working definition and criteria, together with recommendations on how financial institutions and CBAR can identify and report on women-owned and women-led MSMEs through sex-disaggregated data.
• →Design and implement the diagnostic jointly with selected WEPs signatories in the financial sector in Azerbaijan, in coordination with UN Women. Build on the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool and cover governance and leadership, workplace policies, gender-responsive products and services, access to credit and alternatives to collateral, sex-disaggregated data and reporting, investment and sustainable finance practices, and community engagement. Support signatories to complete the self-assessment questionnaire, conduct interviews with them and jointly review and validate findings to identify priority gaps and tailored follow-up actions.
• →Draft and submit the diagnostic report presenting the findings, good practices and gaps among WEPs signatories in the financial sector, and recommendations for tailored technical support, including further capacity development needs.
• →Develop an evidence-based policy brief on gender-responsive sustainable finance and women’s access to finance in Azerbaijan, supported by a structured review of existing national and international publications, studies and available data. Map what is already known, assess the relevance and limitations of existing evidence, and identify missing evidence, sex-disaggregated data gaps and gaps in policy and financial products and services, with particular attention to rural women and women-led MSMEs. Include an evidence-review and gap-analysis annex identifying the sources reviewed, remaining knowledge gaps and priorities for further research and action, avoiding duplication of existing work. Cover sustainable finance modalities (gender bonds, gender conditionalities in thematic bonds, gender-responsive credit mechanisms, alternatives to collateral and guarantee schemes), the Azerbaijani landscape and key trends, and provide stakeholder-specific recommendations for CBAR, the Ministry of Economy, commercial banks and other financial institutions, IFIs and business associations. Submit the draft brief and annex to UN Women for review and feedback before finalisation, and incorporate UN Women’s comments and relevant feedback from the validation and policy dialogue session into the final versions for UN Women’s approval.
• →Develop a good practice brief (maximum 5 pages) showcasing best practices and lessons learnt from WEPs companies in the financial sector in Azerbaijan and from international experience on gender-responsive sustainable finance, with illustrative cases of how financial institutions are integrating gender considerations into financial products, investment decisions and sustainability frameworks. Submit the draft to UN Women for review and feedback before finalisation, and incorporate UN Women’s comments and relevant feedback from the validation and policy dialogue session into the final version for UN Women’s approval.
• →In coordination and organized by UN Women, consult with CBAR, the Ministry of Economy and other relevant stakeholders during the assignment to ensure that the diagnostic, the definition proposal and the knowledge products are aligned with national financial inclusion priorities and respond to institutional needs.
• →Prepare and facilitate a validation and policy dialogue session with CBAR, WEPs signatories from the financial sector, IFIs and other stakeholders to present and discuss the findings and recommendations, and to promote peer learning on gender-responsive sustainable finance.

This is a home-based consultancy.

As part of this assignment, there will be one trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, to facilitate the validation and policy dialogue session and hold meetings with CBAR and WEPs signatories.

• 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: 

• Technical credibility in policy research
• Technical credibility in financial sector policy and regulatory analysis
• Business acumen
• Negotiation 
• Partnerships building

• Advanced University degree (at least Masters) in Economics, Finance, Sociology, Law, Gender, Human Rights, Labor relations, or similar fields is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree.

• At least 7  years with Master’s degree or minimum 9 years with Bachelor’s degree of relevant professional experience in the field of gender-smart and sustainable finance, gender-lens investing, financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment.
• At least 7  years with Master’s degree or minimum 9 years with Bachelor’s degree of working experience in conducting assessments or diagnostics of financial institutions (such as gender gap analyses, gender-responsive product reviews or sustainable finance assessments) and in producing research, policy briefs or other knowledge products on women’s access to finance is required.
• Previous experience in working with UN agencies, international financial institutions and other international organizations would be a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience working with central banks, financial regulators or ministries on financial inclusion, sex-disaggregated data, definitions of women’s entrepreneurship or sustainable finance policy would be a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a resource person, expert speaker or technical advisor on sustainable finance, gender-smart finance, gender bonds, gender lens investing, women’s access to finance or related topics would be a strong asset.

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Knowledge of Azerbaijani or Russian would be 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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