BACKGROUND

Women’s participation is essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to strengthening inclusive, equitable societies. Yet progress remains uneven due to persistent barriers to women’s leadership, limited access to resources, and gaps in legal and institutional protections. These challenges are further compounded by inadequate gender-disaggregated data, weak monitoring mechanisms, and insufficient gender-responsive budgeting.

ASEF is seeking an experienced Consultant / Facilitator to support the design and facilitation of a three-day capacity-building programme on gender equality and women’s participation. The programme will aim to:

 →  Equip 20–25 diverse Asian and European participants with actionable tools to mainstream gender equality and women’s leadership in policymaking, programming, advocacy, and community-level initiatives

→  Strengthen relevant participants’ ability to promote and enhance women’s participation and leadership across sectors

→  Build practical skills in using gender-sensitive data, gender-responsive budgeting, and monitoring frameworks

 →  Highlight the cross-cutting importance of women’s participation for achieving SDG 5 and related Goals, including climate action, peace and security, digital transformation, and inclusive governance.

SCOPE

The selected Consultant/ Facilitator will work in close partnership with ASEF to facilitate the delivery and evaluation of the training programme. While ASEF will provide overall coordination and institutional guidance, the Facilitator will play a central role in shaping the learning process, moderating discussions, and ensuring an inclusive, participatory training environment.

The assignment will support ASEF’s objectives of strengthening capacity, enabling knowledge exchange, and fostering cross-regional collaboration in response to shared challenges between Asia and Europe.

Core Responsibilities

The Facilitator will be expected to:

• Co-design the training programme with ASEF, including the curriculum structure, target group, methodology, and supporting materials;
• Recommend and coordinate with co-trainers and subject-matter experts and facilitate two to three sessions during the three-day programme;
• Design and administer pre- and post-training assessment tools to evaluate participant learning and training effectiveness;
• Prepare a concise training report summarising the facilitation process, key outcomes, participant feedback, and recommendations for follow-up capacity-building initiatives.

Follow-up Engagement

To foster lasting impact, we encourage interested Facilitators to develop a follow-up activity or initiative that engages participants in concrete and/or long-term actions after completing the training.

For full logistical and technical details, please refer to Call for Facilitator for Capacity-Building on Gender Equality – Background, Criteria and Proposal Submission

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR FACILITATOR

Expertise in Gender Equality & Women’s Participation

1. At least 7–10 years of professional experience in gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s leadership, or gender mainstreaming within the sustainable development and governance context.
2. Demonstrated understanding of the barriers to women’s participation in governance and decision-making, and of effective strategies to promote inclusive, gender-responsive leadership and institutional practices.
3. Strong familiarity with international treaties and standards on gender equality, including CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the UN 2023 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 Training & Facilitation Skills

1. Proven experience designing and delivering gender-related training, including participatory and adult-learning methods in an English-speaking environment.
2. Ability to facilitate discussions with diverse stakeholders (government, civil society, academia, private sector).

Technical Knowledge

1. Practical experience in gender analysis, gender-responsive budgeting, and use of gender-disaggregated data.
2. Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress on women’s participation.

Regional & Cross-Cultural Experience

1. Experience working in ASEM member countries or multi-cultural environments.
2. Demonstrated ability to integrate intersectional and inclusive approaches.

Others

• Availability to travel to Yunnan, China, during the first half of September 2026.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

Proposals should be no more than 4 pages, and include:

• Name(s) and affiliation(s) of Facilitator
• Name(s) and affiliation(s) of proposed expert trainer(s) or co-facliator(s)
• Objectives and expected learning outcomes
• Proposed target group and relevance of the target group to the overall theme of the training
• Training methodology (interactive elements are encouraged)
• Any technical or logistical requirements
• Proposed budget (including economy travel and accommodation in Kunming, Yunnan, China)

See Proposal Template for further details. 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

Please note that the deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, 6 April 2026.

All proposals must be submitted online through this designated submission link.