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.

The East and Southern Africa region (ESAR) region is grappling with a combination of cyclic natural and human induced disasters that often translate into humanitarian crises such as drought, floods/cyclones and displacements with severe consequences to the poor particularly women and girls. UN and government reports estimate that currently there are over 41 million people who are food insecure in ESA region. Of these, women and rural poor are the most affected given that they depend on rainfed and fragile livelihood systems. ESAR is also host to a huge case load of refugees and internally displaced persons estimated at over 4.7 million and over 14 million respectively.  The COVID 19 pandemic has exacerbated the humanitarian situation especially for marginal populations but more so refugees, IDPs women, girls & far-to-reach communities.

UN Women’s engagement in humanitarian action and DRR focuses on strengthening coordination of gender, capacity development of stakeholders and gender mainstreaming support across the humanitarian-development nexus. The importance of integrating gender in humanitarian and disaster risk reduction work is underpinned by key global commitments including the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR) as well as commitment from 2016 World Humanitarian Summit among others. UN Women seeks to achieve inclusive and gender responsive humanitarian responses by working with governments, INGOs, other UN agencies as well as CBOs, particularly women led CBOs.

The UN humanitarian architecture, coordinated by the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and working directly with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCTs) and the cluster system exists to support country level interventions in crises. It consists of five (5) elements coordinated in a systematic manner namely, i) Needs assessments and analysis, (humanitarian needs overviews- HNOs), ii) strategic planning (humanitarian response plan -HRP), iii) resource mobilization, iv) implementation and monitoring and v) operational peer review and evaluation. It brings together stakeholders (governments, UN agencies, development partners) in the Cluster system approach.

According to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) gender policy and accountability framework, the HCT is mandated to; demonstrate leadership in Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls (GEEWG) in all aspects of humanitarian action, establish and support a Gender Resilience/Working Group, consistently raise awareness of the Gender Policy and encourage ownership and coordinated actions among all actors. Additionally, they are tasked to integrate GEEWG in assessment, HNOs, HRPs, appeals as well as engage with national women’s rights organizations as per WHS commitment, Grand Bargain and Localization agenda.

Therefore, with the understanding of the critical role played by the HCTs and Cluster Leads in shaping how gender is integrated in all stages of humanitarian action, there is a need to understand their capacity needs and subsequently facilitate development to enable them effectively to lead and guide GiHA initiatives. To this end, UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office through the Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction Unit is seeking the services of a consultant to undertake this assignment.

Objectives of the assignment:

The objective of this assignment is to identify gender mainstreaming needs and opportunities within the humanitarian coordination system with a focus on the Humanitarian Country Teams and Cluster Leads in ESAR to inform UN Women’s capacity development strategy in this area.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work:

The scope of work will include working with Country Offices to gather the relevant data, development of a capacity strengthening strategy and conducting initial training for HCTs and Cluster Leads.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Liaise with 13 UN Women Country Offices in ESA region to undertake an assessment of the HCT/UNCT GIHA needs in their respective countries;
2. Conduct virtual interviews with relevant cluster/sector leads in each country to assess how gender is being integrated in humanitarian action, needs and opportunities;
3. Conduct a secondary data review on the current HNOs, HRPs to understand any gaps that are present as potential case studies during the training;
4. Compile a final assessment report with the key findings and recommendations;
5. Develop a capacity development strategy targeting HCTs and cluster/sectot leads;
6. Facilitate two trainings one focusing on HCT members and another focusing on cluster leads in ESAR. 

Deliverables:

1. Final assessment report that details the capacity needs and opportunities for engagement with HCT and cluster leads on gender in humanitarian action;
2. Capacity development strategy targeting HCT members and Cluster Leads;
3. Power points for two sets of training (HCTs and Cluster Leads);
4. Virtual training conducted with a training report that captures feasible actions on way forward by HCTs and Cluster Leads. 

Work Schedule:

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of gender equality, humanitarian action, conflict and disaster risk management;
• Strong understanding the UN humanitarian architecture;
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear reports and guidance with in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations in English in the humanitarian-development sector;
• Ability to design and conduct training;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships;
• Ability to complete complex assignments in a timely manner and delivery quality results.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced Degree in the field of, Disaster Risk Management, Humanitarian Affairs, Conflict Management, Social Sciences, Gender Equality, Program Management, or a closely related field.

Experiences:

• At least 10 years of experience in the management/coordination of programmes in the humanitarian-action and disaster risk reduction within sub-Sahara Africa;
• Demonstrable understanding of and engagement with the UN humanitarian architecture in ESAR;
• Knowledge of policies and legal frameworks on gender equality in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction;
• Demonstrable experience in designing training programmes and conducting trainings;  
• Experience conducting research on gender equality and women’s empowerment is an added advantage,
• Experience in communication, documentation and reporting.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Please attach a completed P11 to your application. Kindly note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment .

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need. 

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application. 

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)