National Consultant – Mapping and Costed Roadmap for Women in Fisheries in Somalia

• Job Identification37895
• Posting Date11/05/2026, 12:16 PM
• Apply Before11/10/2026, 07:59 AM
• Job SchedulePart time
• Locations Mogadiscio, Somalia
• GradeNot Applicable
• Job FunctionEconomic Empowerment
• Initial Contract Duration25 Working Days
• Education & Work ExperienceMaster's Degree - 7 year(s) experience OR Bachelor's Degree - 9 year(s) experience
• Required LanguagesEnglish, Somali
• Vacancy CategoryConsultancies
• Vacancy Timeline1 Week

Job Description

Background:

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.

Guided by the principle of leaving no one behind, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action. In Somalia, UN Women works with the Federal Government, Federal Member States, civil society and partners to advance women’s leadership, economic empowerment and participation in governance, peace and security, and humanitarian action.

Somalia’s fisheries and wider Blue Economy offer significant opportunities for inclusive growth, food security, employment and resilient livelihoods. Women contribute substantially across the fisheries value chain, particularly in processing, trading, marketing and small-scale enterprises, yet their participation and benefits remain constrained by limited access to finance, markets, infrastructure, technology, skills, business services and decent working conditions. Their contributions are also insufficiently captured in gender-disaggregated data, and their representation in fisheries governance and decision-making remains limited. The Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy (MoFBE) leads policy, coordination and oversight of the sector, and the Fisheries Development and Management Law No. 008/2023 provides a legal foundation for fisheries governance, licensing and compliance.

On 6–7 September 2026, MoFBE convened the National Women Fisheries Conference in Mogadishu, bringing together women in fisheries, Federal Member State (FMS) and Banadir representatives, government institutions, cooperatives, civil society, UN Women, the United Nations Transition Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) and other partners. The Conference endorsed the establishment of the Somali National Women Fisheries Union (SNWFU) as a national platform for women’s representation, leadership, advocacy and economic empowerment. It adopted a Communiqué, called for a costed Roadmap and Action Plan and regional consultations before the end of 2026, and proposed a 20-member Interim Technical Committee under MoFBE oversight. Operationalizing these commitments requires consultations across the FMSs and Banadir, stakeholder and membership mapping, a needs assessment, and a costed two-year roadmap setting out priorities, responsibilities, timelines, resources, indicators, governance arrangements and a process for electing permanent leadership.

The assignment comes at a critical juncture, following the conclusion of the UNTMIS mandate on 31 October 2026. It will help sustain gains from UNTMIS-supported work on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Women in Maritime Security (WIMS), including the WIMS National Action Plan 2023–2027, by ensuring that relevant lessons, partnerships and capacity-development initiatives inform SNWFU’s development and continue through national institutions, women’s networks and partner-supported programmes. Recognizing the close links between women’s economic empowerment in fisheries and their participation in maritime security and governance, the consultancy will promote coherence, avoid duplication and strengthen practical synergies across these agendas.

In line with UN Women’s mandate and the UN Women Somalia Strategic Note 2026–2030, a national technical expert consultant is therefore required to support MoFBE in translating the Conference outcomes into an evidence-based, costed and implementable two-year roadmap for SNWFU’s establishment and operationalization. The roadmap will provide a practical framework for coordination, accountability and resource mobilization; connect SNWFU with women’s fisheries associations, maritime networks, FMS institutions, civil society, the private sector and development partners; and safeguard the Union’s representative character, transparency, sustainability and Somali ownership. Particular attention will be given to rural, displaced, minority and other marginalized women, women with disabilities and young women, to ensure that the Union reflects the diversity of women in Somalia’s fisheries sector.

Objective of the Assignment:

The overall objective is to provide technical support to MoFBE to conduct FMS consultations, map women and organizations involved in fisheries, assess their needs and institutional capacities, and develop a practical, inclusive and fully costed two-year roadmap for establishing and operationalizing SNWFU with support of UN Women Somalia. The findings will directly inform the costed two-year roadmap for SNWFU and may be adapted by MoFBE, UN Women and partners for policy briefs, advocacy, resource mobilization and future programming on women’s economic empowerment in the Blue Economy.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Somalia Country Representative and in close coordination with the Programme Specialist, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Conduct a desk review of the needs, challenges, existing laws, policies and strategies, programme documents, research, the September 2026 Conference Communiqué and outcome documents, and available fisheries and gender data;
• Plan and facilitate consultations in Kismayo, Baidoa, Dhusamareeb, Jowhar, Las Anod, Garowe and Banadir, engaging women across fisheries value chains and relevant government and non-government stakeholders, both in person and online, as appropriate;
• Map women fisheries actors, groups, cooperatives, associations, women-led organizations, relevant institutions, service providers and partners, including their geographic coverage, value-chain roles, membership, governance and capacity;
• Assess women’s needs, opportunities and barriers in relation to finance, markets, infrastructure, cold-chain and processing equipment, technology, skills, services, licensing, safety, decent work, leadership and participation in fisheries governance;
• Assess existing organizational capacity and identify support required for representative, transparent and accountable SNWFU governance, including FMS chapters and membership and leadership selection processes;
• Develop a two-year costed roadmap and implementation plan with sequenced activities, deliverables, indicators, responsible actors, estimated resource requirements, risks and mitigation measures;
• Recommend practical arrangements for gender-disaggregated data collection, monitoring, reporting and accountability to women fisheries stakeholders and MoFBE;
• Work closely with the Interim Technical Committee and identify opportunities for partnerships, resource mobilization and linkages with relevant WPS and WIMS initiatives to sustain SNWFU.

Required Qualification:

Education: 

• Master’s degree in fisheries or marine sciences, security, intelligence and strategic studies, economics, development studies, gender studies, business administration, public policy or a related field;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: 

• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in women’s economic empowerment, fisheries, the Blue Economy or private sector development, including research, assessments and stakeholder mapping;
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in marine and maritime work and the Blue Economy, preferably in Somalia;
• Proven experience in the institutional development of cooperatives, associations or member-based organizations, including governance and membership arrangements;
• Demonstrated experience in developing costed strategic plans, roadmaps or action plans with results frameworks;
• Experience facilitating consultations with federal and state governments, communities and women’s groups in Somalia;
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports, Excel databases and PowerPoint presentations for government, UN and development partners;
• Experience with the United Nations system and knowledge of UN Women’s mandate, Women, Peace and Security, or Women in Maritime Security is an asset.

Language Requirements:  

• Fluency in English and Somali is required;
• Knowledge of any other UN official language is an asset. 

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.