Guided by the global UNDP Strategic Plan (2022 – 2025) and UNDP Country Programme Document (CPD) for Lao PDR (2022 – 2026), UNDP in Lao PDR works closely with the line Ministries, mass organizations, civil society, development partners, and the private sector at both national and international levels in pursuit of the national socio-economic development priorities defined in Lao PDR’s five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNDP’s work is strongly focused on the provision of policy advice and technical support to the Government of Lao PDR in the design and implementation of national legislation and strategies across four broad Priority Pillars – (1) inclusive growth and reduced inequalities, (2) UXO clearance and risk education, (3) natural resources, climate change and disaster risk reduction, as well as (4) effective, responsive, and accountable governance.  

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is, per capita, the most heavily bombed country in the world. More than forty years after the end of the 1964-1973 Indochina Conflict, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) remains a major humanitarian and socioeconomic challenge to the country, causing deaths and injuries, limiting access to potentially productive land, and adding substantial costs to processes of development. The Government of Lao PDR has been active in the process of clearance since shortly after the conflict. Lao PDR has advocated for the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and hosted the first Meeting of States Parties in 2010. It also embraced the UXO issue as a key development matter by locally establishing the Sustainable Development Goal 18 (SDG18), “Lives Safe from UXO”.

The UXO sector in Lao PDR consists of the National Regulatory Authority (NRA), Lao national Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao), humanitarian operators (INGOs), several accredited commercial companies providing UXO services, and humanitarian clearance teams within the Lao People’s Army. The overall coordination / lead from the Government side is mandated to rest with Ministry of Labour & Social Welfare (MLSW) and the Minister is also the Chairperson of the UXO Sector Working Group and NRA Board.

UNDP is the leading development partner in supporting the UXO sector in Lao PDR, since mid-1990s. UNDP with other partners have helped create the two key state institutions in UXO sector – UXO Lao and the NRA, and have been supporting the capacity development of these institutions from the beginning. UNDP serves as Co-Chair of the UXO Sector Working Group, together with the MLSW and the United States. The Government of Lao PDR, with support from UNDP, finalized and endorsed a new long-term sector strategy, Safe Path Forward III (2021-2030) and is in the process of developing associated implementation/work plan (UXO Sector 5-year Work Plan) The Government of Lao PDR and UNDP launched a new strategic Programme, Supporting Effectiveness and Efficiency in the UXO Sector to contribute to the achievement of SDG 18 and Safe Path Forward III (SPF III), 2022- (2022-2026) that will provide the programmatic and technical support necessary for the national institutions within the UXO sector (NRA and UXO Lao) to pursue the targets set out in the Sector Strategy (SPFIII) and UXO Sector Five Year Work Plan 2022-2026.

UNDP support to the UXO sector in Lao PDR has focused on two axes, notably: 1) support to strengthening the capacity and technical competency of the National Regulatory Authority, to be able to oversee and steer the sector in pursuance of national strategic goals and obtaining Lao PDR’s unique UXO Action Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 18: Lives Safe from UXO. 2) To provide capacity support for survey and clearance, through support to UXO Lao and the Humanitarian teams of the Lao People’s Army (Unit 58), thus hastening progress towards clearance in impacted communities. 

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of the consultancy will be to conduct a gender analysis of the UXO sector in areas where UNDP supports the decision-making process, UXO risk education, survey and clearance, and subsequently assess the impact as well as obstacles of women’s engagement in the sector.  As a result of a thorough gender analysis, the consultant will use it as the main input for setting effective measures to eliminate gender disparities, integrating a gender perspective into the UXO programme, developing gender-responsive and effective interventions to address gender inequality and meet the different needs of women and men, and ensure female participation in all elements of the UXO programme, engagement in the decision-making process, females in leadership positions and etc.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant should undertake a comprehensive desk review of all relevant project documents and other examples of Gender Analysis of UXO and Mine Action sector during the inception phase. The inception report should bring together learning from previous experiences in the country, and in other UXO and Mine Action contexts. The report should also clearly detail the methodology including a literature review, sampling (both criteria for geographical location and sample size of respondents) and primary data collection tools. The inception report should be presented to a committee comprising of NRA and UNDP UXO Unit staff to ensure the work will be meeting the clients’ expectations.  The inception report should include an activity plan, detailing expected activities against an anticipated timeline.

Field research, undertaken in Lao PDR by the consultant, should be undertaken in UNDP programme areas, Xiengkhouang and Bolikhamxai provinces, or other areas, if necessary. A short weekly progress report should be submitted to the consultancy supervisor to update the client on progress, and to enable the client to assist should there be any logistical challenges or blockages. The report should report against the timeline as drafted in the inception report. The draft report should detail the objectives of the study, the methodology, approach, and findings of each of the impact assessments (pre-clearance and post-clearance) as well as a comparison against a control. Annexes should include questionnaires, as well as details of communities and individuals consulted.

The final report should also detail clearly the gender disparities and inequalities at the central and local levels in the sector. The underlying causes of gender inequalities should be clearly qualified and demonstrated with examples. Further, the report should detail specific recommendations and action plans for UNDP and the wider sector with a view to minimizing the gender disparities and inequalities and maximizing women’s engagement in the sector. The recommended action plan should be achievable and appropriate to the Lao context. As the inception report, the final report should be presented to the client for review and a possible shift in emphasis, if required.

UNDP will hire a national consultant to act as a research assistant and interpreter/translator for a period of 40 days on a separate consultancy contract.

The successful applicant will be expected to be responsible for the following:

(Edit sections as necessary)

Task 1: Conduct a gender analysis of the UXO Programme

• Conduct a robust gender analysis using intersectional approach through desk review, literature review, survey and other form of assessment activities in the UXO sector.
• Consider domains such as (1) access, (2) knowledge, beliefs, and perception, (3) practices and participation, (4) time and space, (5) legal rights and status, and (6) power and decision-making between men and women while conducting gender analysis.
• Draw on existing qualitative and quantitative report findings as a basic for evidence-based data
• Coordinate and work closely with national consultant, UXO Unit, partners and relevant staff to plan for gender analysis and determine methodology of data collection on gender gap and issues in the UXO sector
• Identify gender disparities and inequalities at the central and local levels in the sector, and the underlying causes of gender inequalities and seek to examine and address the cause of problem to fully meet the different needs of women and men in the sector.
• For thorough gender analysis, may need to travel to target project provinces to identify gender gap and understand comprehensively on current gender situation across all UXO operation units in provinces under UXO programme
• Based on key findings of gender analysis, integrate a gender perspective into UXO programme and define concrete measures to be undertaken and provide a clear set of recommendations for reducing gender disparities and inequalities in the sector
• Write report on key findings of gender analysis and share it with various stakeholders, UXO Unit Team, Implementing Partners and concerned staff through consultation meeting for collecting feedback, or suggestions for finalization of report

Task 2: Develop the gender action plan for the UXO Programme.

• Based on the analysis of gender, agreed actions and recommendations, develop gender action plan for the UXO sector for the next four years (2023-2026)
• Define and set target gender indicators to be achieved in the UXO sector for the next four years and create Gender Results Framework and Monitoring for tracking progress periodically, quarterly and annually on status of gender indicators achievement in the sector
• Coordinate and work closely with national consultant, UXO Unit Team, implementing partners and relevant staff, assist in drafting, revising and finalization of gender action plan after receiving feedbacks from consultation meeting with all stakeholders, UXO Unit Team, concerned staff and partners.
• Provide guidance on implementation of gender action plan for key actors in the UXO sector and recommendations on follow-up, monitoring and tracking progress of gender action plan execution

• Strong analytical skills
• Competency in the usage of computers and office software packages (Microsoft word, Power Point and Excel)
• Proven excellent communication and report writing skills in English

• At least Master’s degree (PhD level preferred) in gender studies, community development, development studies, social science and other related fields
• Previous experience working for an International Non-Government Organization (INGO), UN agencies and/or Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) development projects in regional and international levels
• Proven professional experience and extensive knowledge on intersectional gender analysis, gender strategy and action plan development and gender mainstreaming into programme.
• Evidence/proof of previous experience in performing similar assignments (if any)
• Minimum 8-10 years of relevant experience related to gender equality, gender and social inclusion, women empowerment-related issues, women’s right, gender training and other related fields

LANGUAGE :   Fluency in English is required

Requirements for submission of proposals 

All interested and qualified International or National Independent Consultant should apply on-line using the following links: 

UNDP Lao PDR Country Office website at https://www.undp.org/laopdr/jobs

In order to make your submission, please read the relevant documents available on the link below 

1.     TOR RPS_278_2022  (Annex I)

2.     IC General Terms and  Conditions Annex II

3.     Offerors Letter to UNDP Annex III

4.     P11 Form

5.     IC - Contract Template

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: 

1.     Technical Proposal (Free-Form):

• Explaining why you are the most suitable for the work; 
• Providing a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work, including the work schedule for the delivery of outputs/deliverables; 
• P11 Form: Education and work experience, including past experience in similar projects and contact references of at least three references for whom you have rendered preferably the similar services; 

       2. Financial Form (OFFEROR's LETTER): Lump sum offer with clear cost breakdown against each deliverable.

Instructions for Online Submissions: 

• Step 1:  Please prepare all required documents electronically; 
• Step 2: Combine all the required documents in ONE SINGLE FILE (preferably in PDF; however, Word format can also be accepted) and upload to the UNDP Jobs website using the link above; 
• Step 3: After that, you will receive an auto-reply from the UNDP Jobs website if your offer is received successfully. 

Incomplete Proposals or Proposals received after the deadline will be rejected. 

Note:  Any request for clarification must be sent in writing before the submission deadline to the following email: surith.sengsavang@undp.org