Legal Consultant to assess discriminatory Laws Affecting Women and Girls in Somalia

A new consultant opportunity for a Legal Consultant to assess discriminatory Laws Affecting Women and Girls in Somalia has been announced by UNWOMEN in Homebased. The ideal candidate will have 7 - 8 years of professional experience in the Consultancies field. Interested applicants should submit their applications before Sep, 30.

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.

UN Women Somalia, through the Women and Legal Reform Fund (WLRF), seeks to support a comprehensive assessment of discriminatory laws and legal practices affecting women and girls in Somalia. The assessment will generate evidence to inform legal reform, gender-responsive governance, access to justice, and advocacy for equality before the law.

Somalia operates within a plural legal environment in which statutory law, customary law (Xeer), and Sharia-based principles and practices may overlap. Women and girls encounter impediments to these systems in relation to family matters, inheritance claims, property disputes, access to justice and finances, land, violence against women and girls, compensation, custody, marriage, divorce and community-level dispute resolution.

This consultancy will go beyond a conventional review of written law. It will examine legal texts, gaps in protection, implementation challenges, the interface between formal and informal justice systems, and practical reform opportunities affecting women and girls, while remaining sensitive to Somalia’s constitutional, religious, cultural and federal governance context.

The consultant will report to the UN Women Somalia Country Programme Manager, with day-to-day coordination with the WPS and Rule of Law team. UN Women will provide strategic guidance, facilitate access to key documents where available, support stakeholder coordination as feasible, and review deliverables before acceptance.

Overall Objective

The overall objective of the consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive gender analysis of Somalia’s statutory, customary (Xeer), and Sharia-based legal frameworks to identify discriminatory laws, legal gaps and challenges, implementation barriers and reform opportunities affecting women and girls, and to provide evidence-based and practical recommendations for legal and policy reform.

Specific Objectives

• Job Identification 37058
• Posting Date 09/23/2026, 10:06 AM
• Apply Before 09/30/2026, 06:59 AM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations Home Based
• Agency UN Women
• Grade IPSA-11
• Vacancy Type Individual Consultancy
• Job Function Peace and Security
• Initial Contract Duration 50 Working Days
• Education & Work Experience Master's Degree - 7 year(s) experience OR Bachelor's Degree - 9 year(s) experience
• Required Languages English
• Desired Languages Somali
• Vacancy Category Consultancies
• Vacancy Timeline 1 Week

• Map and analyse federal statutory laws, policies, regulations and relevant Federal Member State legal instruments that affect women’s and girls’ rights;
• Identify discriminatory provisions, gender-neutral provisions with discriminatory impacts, legal gaps, and implementation weaknesses;
• Examine how customary law (Xeer) practices affect women and girls, particularly in relation to meaningful participation in public life, marriage, divorce, inheritance, compensation, land, and property rights, violence against women and girls, and participation in dispute resolution;
• Examine Sharia-based legal principles and their application in areas affecting women and girls, including family relations, inheritance, guardianship, custody, maintenance and access to justice;
• Analyse interactions, contradictions and gaps among statutory, customary and Sharia-based frameworks and their implications for women’s legal equality and access to justice;
• Develop a prioritized legal reform roadmap and practical recommendations for government, parliament, justice institutions, religious and customary leaders, civil society and development partners including short-, medium-, and long-term actions.

About Homebased

Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa and has a growing job market, particularly in the humanitarian, development, and private sectors. Major employment hubs include Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe, Baidoa, and Kismayo, with opportunities from international NGOs, UN agencies, government institutions, and an expanding private sector.

Ereyada Soomaaliga (Somali Keywords): Shaqo Cusub • Shaqo Soomaaliya • La-talinta • La-talin

Education and Certification:

Experience:

Languages:

• Advanced university degree in Law, Human Rights, Gender Studies, Islamic Law, Legal Reform, Public Policy or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in legal analysis, law reform, gender equality, access to justice, women’s rights, or human rights.
• Experience conducting gender analysis of legislation, legal reform assessments, policy analysis, legal mapping or access-to-justice research.
• Experience engaging government, parliament, judiciary, religious leaders, traditional leaders, civil society, women’s organizations and development partners.
• Experience with, the United Nations, rule of law programmes or gender-responsive governance initiatives will be an asset.

• Fluency in English is required;
• Somali language skills are highly desirable;
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable

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

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