Background

The GEF Council has recently approved the Project Identification Form (PIF) for the full sized project titled “Eliminating POPs through Sound Management of Chemicals” (PIMS 5918) implemented through the UNDP.  UNDP is now commencing a detailed project preparation phase expected to last 40 days.  The PIF was approved by the GEF Secretariat on 2nd May 2017. At the end of the preparation phase, UNDP will finalize a project document for approval/endorsement by the GEF CEO.

The project aims to reduce the risks of POPs on human health and the environment through strengthening institutional capacity and the policy and regulatory framework for the sound management and disposal of chemicals, POPs and wastes, and developing sustainable systems for the sound collection, labelling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals and waste.

According to the National Implementation Plan (NIP) developed under the Stockholm Convention on POPs, the two highest ranking national priorities are:

1.) The implementation of measures to strengthen the institutional and regulatory framework (including: Developing legislation for chemicals management; Strengthening institutional capacity; Improving data collection and management systems and Conducting research on the effects of POPs); and

2.) Developing an action plan to eliminate PCB-containing equipment and its wastes by 2025 (including Identifying, labeling and mapping where PCBs and equipment containing PCBs are located in the country; Put in place labelling mechanism for all PCB containing equipment; Establishing adequate storage facilities for replaced equipment containing PCBs; Formulating guidelines for disposal of equipment containing PCBs; and Disposing safely of equipment containing PCBs).

Since the ratification of the Stockholm Convention in 2006, there has been no specific action towards the environmentally sound management of POPs of hazardous wastes at national level. The Environment Protection and Preservation Act (Law no. 4/93) of the Maldives has particular provisions for the sound management of hazardous waste. However, limited data, capacity, resources and a general lack of understanding related to the management of POPs and hazardous wastes have hampered the substantive realization and implementation of these specific provisions, or POPs related interventions. Now that the NIP process has nearly been concluded and the country’s national priorities related to POPs have become more defined, the Government is committed to start addressing the most pressing POPs priorities.

In order to reduce the risks of POPs on human health and the environment and address the challenges that the Government of the Maldives faces in achieving the sound management and disposal of POPs, POPs containing wastes and reducing releases of POPs to the environment, the project proposes the following interventions:

Component 1. Strengthening the regulatory and policy framework and institutional and technical capacity for the sound management and disposal of POPs, chemicals and wastes

Component 2. Establish systems for the sound collection, labeling, storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals and wastes

Component 3. Monitoring and learning, adaptive feedback, outreach and evaluation

UNDP is seeking to recruit a Gender Specialist with experience in Social Risk Assessment to ensure that gender considerations are fully mainstreamed into all relevant components of the project document as well as produce a participatory gender analysis and action plan for the project. The objective of the work is to explain how the project will contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment, identify entry points for mainstreaming gender considerations in project components, ensure that the project results framework and theory of change are gender responsive and to develop a gender action plan to advance women’s empowerment and promote gender equality. In addition the consultant will review the comments received on UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure pre-screening process and reassess the risks as indicated by the UNDP GEF Results Management Specialist.

The project preparation phase will include stakeholders’ consultations and data collection for the establishment of baseline data for the project results framework, including but not limited to developing a safeguard reduced and complaint ProDoc. The consultant will work with the project development team to ensure that stakeholder consultations are gender responsive, to integrate the gender analysis results into the project document and to use the results to identify opportunities and gaps to help better understand and address gender concerns within the project context. In addition, to ensure the ProDoc activities and results reflect safeguards-related outputs.

The consultant may assist with other capacity building and other aspects of project preparation to ensure gender considerations and safeguards are mainstreamed into the development of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP is seeking to recruit a Specialist Consultant for Gender and Social Risk Assessment to perform the following tasks:

  1. Carry out a participatory gender analysis to fully consider the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks and access to/control over resources of women and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.) given a project’s context, and appropriate measures taken to address and these and promote gender equality; collect gender responsive baseline data relevant to project planning and monitoring; identify the share of female and male direct beneficiaries. 
  2. Follow gender methodology in  “Guide to Gender Mainstreaming in UNDP Supported GEF Financed Projects”
  3. Participate in the Inception and Validation Workshops.
  4. Assist in organizing and carrying out gender responsive stakeholder consultation sessions in order to solicit inputs and ensure both male and female stakeholder involvement and buy-in to the project.
  5. Guide the project development team in using participatory techniques that involve both women and men in assessments and discussions.
  6. Assess the gender aspects to ensure the participation, representation and buy-in of vulnerable worker and community populations and mainstream gender into all activities, and to ensure equally empowered decision making within the project across genders
  7. Carry out a participatory gender analysis to fully consider the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks and access to/control over resources of women and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.) given a project’s context, and appropriate measures taken to address and these and promote gender equality; collect gender responsive baseline data relevant to project planning and monitoring; identify the share of female and male direct beneficiaries. 
  8. Assist in organizing and carrying out gender responsive stakeholder consultation sessions in order to solicit inputs and ensure both male and female stakeholder involvement and buy-in to the project.
  9. Guide the project development team in using participatory techniques that involve both women and men in assessments and discussions.
  10. Ensure that all aspects of the project documents are gender responsive: work with the project development team to devise the projects results framework and theory of change: develop gender-responsive outcomes, baselines, targets, and indicators for the project results framework and ensure that all applicable indicators are disaggregated by sex and other relevant, intersecting forms of identity; ensure that gender considerations are integrated into the project’s theory of change, including in the discussion of impact, assumptions, evidence and risks
  11. Review Pre-Screening feedback received on Social and Environmental Screening Procedure and reassess the risks related to Human Rights, Community Health/Safety and Pollution, assess potential negative impacts of the project on gender equality and specific activities to mitigate and/or minimize them and if required, produce an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP).
  12. Finalize the PRF in coordination with the International Coordinator and ensure that the PRF contains appropriate objective-level and outcome level quantitative and qualitative indicators (Verify the inclusion of socio-economic and gender disaggregated indicators), and end-of-project targets.
  13. Working closely with the Finance Expert, suggest socio-economic indicators for inclusion in the PRF
  14. Ensure that all aspects of the project documents are gender responsive: work with the project development team especially with the Finance Expert to devise the projects results framework and theory of change: develop gender-responsive outcomes, baselines, targets, and indicators for the project results framework and ensure that all applicable indicators are disaggregated by sex and other relevant, intersecting forms of identity; ensure that gender considerations are integrated into the project’s theory of change, including in the discussion of impact, assumptions, evidence and risks
  15. Develop a Gender Action Plan for the project with annual outputs to facilitate implementation of activities that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
  16. Assist the project development team in identifying and developing partnerships with gender equality/women’s governmental institutions, local women’s NGOs/CSOs and relevant national stakeholders. 
  17. As requested by the project development team, assist with capacity building and other aspects of project preparation to ensure gender considerations are mainstreamed into the project document.
     

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The consultant shall prepare and submit

The consultant will work closely with the International Coordinator, National Coordinator and rest of PPG team to achieve the deliverables. S/he will be responsible for the timely submission of the following;

 

Expected Deliverable

Expected Time

Expected Deadline

Detailed PPG work plan approved by the UNDP CO, Ministry of Environment and Energy and BRH RTA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 days (10%)

November 16, 2017

Inception Workshop, Field Visit and Back to Office Reports

5 days

December 5, 2017

Participatory Gender Analysis: This deliverable will be fully integrated into the project document and used to inform the process of developing the results framework and theory of change.  The participatory gender analysis may consist of:

  • Analysis using the guiding questions in the gender analysis template (Annex 2) to understand the national and local context, and understand issues around gendered division of labor and time use, access and control, power and decision making, and knowledge and capacities.  A review of national gender statistics, time-use surveys, national action plans, and qualitative data generated through policy and academic research and participation assessments should be used to inform the analysis;
  • Stakeholder consultation analysis, interviews and relevant information;
  • Conduct required baseline survey

 

7 days (10%)

January 16, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gender considerations fully mainstreamed into project document, including:

  • Working with the project development team using the findings from the gender analysis, develop the project’s results framework ensuring that gender-responsive outcomes, baselines, targets, and indicators are included; ensure that all applicable indicators are disaggregated by sex and other relevant, intersecting forms of identity.
  • Working with the project development team using the findings from the gender analysis, develop a gender-responsive theory of change; ensure gender considerations are integrated into the project’s theory of change, including discussion of impact, assumptions, evidence and risks.

 

7 days (10%)

February 22, 2017

Gender Action Plan: A Gender Action Plan for the project with concrete outputs to facilitate implementation of activities that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

 

8 days (10%)

March 20, 2018

Final Social and Environmental Screening Procedure and if required the Final  Environmental and

Social Management Plan (ESMP): With guidance from the UNDP team, review and reassess the SESP prescreening feedback on the risks related to Human Rights, Community Health/Safety and Pollution, assess potential negative impacts of the project on gender equality and specific activities to mitigate and/or minimize them and if required, produce an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP)

7 days (30%)

April 17, 2018

Note to file on process to mainstream gender considerations into the project document: The note to file is an opportunity for the consultant to highlight any key lessons, issues, risks and recommendations (for example, notes for the mid-term review, recommendations to the Regional Technical Advisor or Project Manager) related to gender mainstreaming during any aspect of the project document development process and project implementation not covered elsewhere.

 

3 days (10%)

May 15, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will be home based with travel to the Maldives, twice; one for inception workshop and one for the validation workshop. Field Visit to the Project Sites will be included during the initial mission for the inception workshop. S/He will be supervised by the Assistant Resident Representative (ARR) of Resilient and Climate Change UNDP Country Office and will work closely with the International Coordinator and National Coordinator including rest of the PPG team, Designated Official from Ministry of Environment and Energy, and Regional Technical Advisor in Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH). In order for the smooth implementation of the deliverables the consultant must liaise with other consultants recruited for PPG. Regular updates between the consultant and the National Coordinator must take place.  The frequency and medium of updates/feedback between the PPG team will be mutually agreed upon contract signature. He/she should carry out his/her tasks in accordance with the rules and procedures of UNDP and those of the Government of Maldives. Any other task that are not included above but during the assignment period later deemed important to ensure the quality of the deliverables could be proposed by the incumbent and shall be agreed jointly.

 

Duty Station

The consultant will be home-based with travel to Maldives as indicated in the travel plan.

 

Duration of the Work

The Consultant will perform his/her assignment with the following timeline:

  • S/he will work  60 working days within 10 months to complete the assignment
  • The expected effective working date is 12 November 2017
  • Delay in submitting report will impact on the completion of work and release of payment.
  • The Final UNDP/GEF project Document must be ready for UNDP internal review by latest 30th May 2018.

 

Travel

  • The assignment foresees two missions to Maldives;   one for inception workshop (tentatively set for late Nov 2017) and later for the validation workshop (tentatively set for April 2018) All travel expenses associated with the trips (tickets, accommodation DSA) will be included in the financial offer (which needs to include (i) consultancy fees and (ii) estimated travel cost) as per UNDP rules and regulations.
  • The Basic Security in the Field II and Advanced Security in the Field courses must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
  • Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director.
  • Consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/
  • The consultant will report to, seek approval/acceptance of outputs from the task team leader(s) and UNDP team

 

Below is an indicative travel plan for the duration of the assignment. There may be also unforeseen travel that will come up during the execution of the contract which will be agreed on ad-hoc basis.

No

Destination

Frequency

Duration/days

1

Mission to Maldives for inception workshop

1

1

2

Old sites (identified in the PIF)

1

3 days

3

Possible New sites (if required)

1

3 days

4

Mission to Maldives for Validation workshop

1

1

 

TOR Annex 1: List of Documents to be reviewed by the Gender Specialist

  1. The PIF document, and Review Sheet document: hyperlink to PIF
  2. UNDP-GEF Gender Toolkit (UNDP intranet access required)
  3. UNDP Gender Equality Strategy
  4. GEF Gender Action Plan
  5. UNDP Social and Environmental Standards
  6. UNDP Training Manual: Gender Mainstreaming

TOR Annex 2: Guide to Conducting a Participatory Gender Analysis for projects supported by UNDP with GEF financing[1]

When: A gender analysis must be carried out during the PPG phase to inform the design of the project.  The findings should be fully incorporated into the project document, including into the project’s theory of change and results framework. 

Who: A gender expert (with specialized expertise in gender issues and/or sector-specific and region/country expertise) – in the form of an external consultant or internal expert – should work as part of the project document development team to carry out the gender analysis and integrate gender considerations into the project document.

What: Gender analysis is a fundamental component of gender mainstreaming and is used to fully consider the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks and access to/control over resources of women and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.) given a project’s context, and appropriate measures taken to address and these and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, when relevant. 

Why: A gender analysis helps ensure women’s and men’s equal opportunities to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from project resources, activities and results. A gender analysis provides concrete approaches to address gender inequalities and identifies strategies to advance women’s and other marginalized groups’ participation and empowerment.  It can reveal the linkages between inequalities at different societal levels and how these inequalities may impact the participation of women and other vulnerable social groups in the project. Since neither women nor men form a homogeneous group and gender relations intersect with many categories of social identities, such as religion, political affiliation, ethnicity, social status, age, and sexual orientation, if we don’t make those linkages we run the risk to reinforce the existing imbalances and limit meaningful participation of women and other vulnerable social groups.

How: Use the guiding questions in the gender analysis template below to analyse the national and local context, and understand issues around gendered division of labour and time use, access and control, power and decision making, and knowledge and capacities.  A review of national gender statistics, time-use surveys, national action plans, and qualitative data generated through policy and academic research and participation assessments should be used to inform the analysis. Information from stakeholder consultations and interviews should be incorporated into the analysis.  A site visit to the proposed projects sites may also be necessary depending on the project context and availability of data. 

Gender Analysis Template

  1. What is the context?

 

To help better understand: legal rights and status; the status of women and gender relations in the local and national context and project substantive technical area; relevant background information. 

Guiding questions: What is the legal status of women in the country of intervention?  Are there national policies, plans or commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment?  How are women and men regarded and treated by customary and formal legal codes and the judiciary system (this includes an assessment of state issued documentation such as identification cards, voter registration, and property titles, the right to land, inheritance, employment, atonement of wrongs, and legal representation)?  What are the gender norms and values? What are commonly held beliefs, perceptions and stereotypes relating to gender? Are there differences between women and men in the local context in terms of rights, resources, participation, and gender-related mores and customs?  Identify and analyze any additional issues related to the context of specific areas of work and types of interventions, outcomes and impacts related to the proposed project.

  1. Who does what?

 

To help better understand: Time use and the gendered division of labour.  How the gender division of labour and patterns of decision-making effect the project, and vice versa, how the projects effects the gender division of labour and decision- making.  Information on time use and decision making recognizes gender differences surrounding various needs of availability and allotment of time. It examines the implications that gender differences have on commitments and in turn the effect on poverty and work-life balance and acknowledges the division of productive and reproductive work. We can infer how this determines the contribution of men and women to the welfare of the family, community, and society.

 

Guiding questions: What is the division of labour among women and men? What is the participation of women and men in the formal and informal economy? Who makes decisions and manages household time and resources? Who takes responsibility for the care of children and the elderly? Are there certain tasks that only women or men are expected to perform? Are there shifts in the household division of labour? Are these shifts shared equitably? Discuss the gendered division of labour relevant to the project’s interventions including how the gendered division of labour and patterns of decision-making effect the project, and vice versa how the project could affect the gendered division of labour and decision-making.  Include an assessment of the gender differences surrounding various needs, availability and allotment of time examining the implications that gender differences have on commitments and in turn the effects on poverty and work-life balance.  What is the gendered division of productive and reproductive work; how do women and men spend their time throughout the day, week, month, and/or year, and during the seasons? Identify and analyze any additional issues related to who does what in the specific areas of work and types of intervention related to the project.

  1. Who has access and controls what?

 

To help better understand: Activities surrounding access to control over resources. It includes a perception of gender differentials of access to and control over resources, income, time, technologies and services. In addition, it helps us identify who has the better means to opportunities.

 

Guiding questions: Who has access to and control over resources? Do women and men benefit equally from resources and are women and men likely to benefit equally from the resources, products or activities proposed by the project during its different phases? Identify who benefits from opportunities, for example in regards to land, livestock, financial services, health and education, employment, information and communication. What are the barriers and opportunities in relation to mobility, as well as in access to services? Part of this is understanding the risks and barriers that women and men, and girls and boys take when entering public or private sector spaces and accessing services. What are the barriers they face in accessing quality services that are accountable, transparent and responsive to their needs and interests? Identify and analyze any additional issues related to meaningful access, participation and control in the specific areas of proposed project work/types of interventions.

  1. Who decides?

 

To help better understand: Power and decision-making; women’s priorities, restraints and motivations. This set of information refers to people’s ability to decide, influence, control, and enforce individual and governmental power. It examines the capacities of existing institutions and the mechanisms in place to reach out equitably to girls and boys, women and men, and to promote gender equality among target groups. It also refers to one’s capacity to make decisions freely, and to exercise power over one’s body, whether in one’s household, community, municipality, and state.  This category also includes a review of the different, but equally significant, needs and interests of women and men; depictions of the barriers faced by women in seeking to meet their practical and strategic gender interests; an identification of opportunities for greater equality and empowerment for women and other vulnerable social groups in the contexts of the proposed project.

Guiding questions: Who participates in the decision-making in the household, the public sector and the private sector?  Are the bargaining positions of women and men different? Are women involved in making economic decisions? What are the decision making structures related to the proposed project? Who is likely to participate in the proposed decision making structures at the different levels or phases of the project? What are women’s and men’s capacities to make decisions freely, and to exercise power over one’s body, whether in one’s household, community, municipality, and state. In what kinds of decisions do women in the household participate? Or which ones do they decide on their own (household management, schooling for children, family decision-making, family planning, etc.)? In what avenues or strategies do women engage to influence household decisions? What barriers do women and other vulnerable social groups face in meeting their practical needs and interests? Identify and analyze any additional issues related to decision-making in the specific areas of work and types of intervention related to the project. 

  1. Who knows what?

To help better understand: capacity needs, skills, knowledge level and the value associated women’s and men’s knowledge and capacity. This can help identify practical and strategic needs and constraints related to knowledge and capacity.

 

Guiding questions: What are the training, education and literacy levels of women, men and other social groups in relation to the proposed project?  Do women and men have equal access to education, technical knowledge and/or skill upgrading? Do men and women have different skills and capacities and face different constraints? What is the value associated with women’s and men’s respective knowledge and skills?  Are women’s or men’s knowledge or skills in specific areas valued differently? Identify and analyze any additional issues related to knowledge and capacity in the specific areas of work and types of intervention related to the project.

 

 

The results of the gender analysis are the foundation for taking gender into account in all steps of a project cycle. Conducting a gender analysis should provide the basis to:

 

  1. Respond to gender issues within the scope of project interventions;
  2. Answer questions in regard to the baseline situation;
  3. Develop a gender-responsive theory of change;
  4. Develop a gender responsive results framework;
  5. Develop a Gender Action Plan with outputs and activities that respond to the gender analysis.
  6. Develop a gender responsive budget.
  7. Comply with UNDP’s project quality assurance standards.

Both the gender analysis and action plan should be attached as annexes to the project document.


Additional tools for conducting a gender analysis:

  1. UNDP-GEF gender toolkit: https://intranet.undp.org/unit/bpps/sdev/gef/SitePages/Gender.aspx
  2. UNDP (2015). Mainstreaming Gender in Mitigation and Technology Development and Transfer Interventions Capacity Building Package, particularly pp 12-14.
  3. UNDP (2010). Gender, Climate Change and Community-based Adaptation Guidebook.
  4. World Agroforestry Centre. Compilation of Gender Research Methods and their Application.
  5. UNDP Gender Inequality Index
  6. UNDP Gender Development Index
  7. FAO Gender and Land Rights Database
  8. World Bank Gender Databank

[1] This guide aligns the latest requirements to meet UNDP and GEF standards on conducting a gender analysis as of August 2016.  For more information on gender mainstreaming requirements see the UNDP-GEF gender toolkit available here: https://intranet.undp.org/unit/bpps/sdev/gef/SitePages/Gender.aspx

Competencies

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
  • Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
  • Demonstrates ability to manage complexities and work under pressure, as well as conflict resolution

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • Master’s degree in gender studies, gender and development, environment, sustainable development or closely related area.

Experience

  • Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and sustainable development; at least 7 years of practical working experience in gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment and sustainable development in South east Asia will be an advantage
  • Experience carrying out participatory gender analysis; experience collecting and formulating gender responsive indicators and sex-disaggregated data and preparing gender responsive project analysis; developing gender action plans.
  • Proven experience in analysis of gender issues in SID countries will be desired
  • Demonstrated understanding of the links between sustainable development, social and gender issues;
  • Demonstrated experience working on policy and programmatic issues with national and local governments and civil society organizations including community organizations.
  • Understanding of and practical exposure to the institutional framework governing chemical and waste management in middle income countries, countries with economies in transition and Small Island Developing States would be an advantage;
  • Experience in facilitating gender responsive stakeholder meetings is highly desired;
  • Experience with project development and results-based management methodologies is required;
  • Excellent analytical, writing, advocacy, presentation, and communications skills are required.

Language

  • Good Communication Skills in English

Travel

It is expected that the expert will be requested to undertake mission travel to Maldives twice during the contract period.

  • DSA and terminals, should be identified upon the travel is agreed/approved by the supervisor and will be reimbursed by UNDP

Application Documents

  • The application must include a letter of interest to undertake this task, the CV, Personal History Form (P11), and a financial proposal (indicating the daily fee (in USD) for the assignment).
  • The applicant must also submit the reference letters from past supervisors/clients. To download P11, kindly please visit the link: http://www.mv.undp.org/content/maldives/en/home/operations/jobs
  • Please combine all the documents into one single file, as the system will allow for only one document to be uploaded.
  • We will only accept online applications

If you cannot access the links provided in this advertisement, please email to aminath.shaliny@undp.org