Background

Approximately 70% of Timor-Leste’s rural population (840,000 people) is highly vulnerable to climate changes, particularly increasing variability of rainfall and extreme weather events. Lives and livelihoods in the remote interior of the country and coastal regions are both highly exposed. Impacts of intensified extreme events include damage and degradation of decentralized small-scale critical infrastructure, particularly water supply and drainage structures, embankments, and feeder roads and bridges. Damages leave rural populations isolated, lacking basic services. According to climate change scenarios and risk models, occurrences of climate extremes and related damages will at least double towards mid- century.

The project objective is to safeguard vulnerable communities and their physical assets from climate change-induced disasters. It aims to address existing institutional, financial and legislative barriers, increasing the climate resilience of vulnerable small-scale rural infrastructure.

Output 1 : focuses on strengthening the capacity of mandated institutions to assess and manage climate risks in order to maintain local infrastructure services. Monitoring and recording of climate risk information will be enhanced, and these data will be integrated into policies, standards, guidelines, and long-term investment planning for small-scale rural infrastructure.

Output 2 : focuses on implementing climate resilient building measures to improve small-scale rural infrastructure in vulnerable areas. GCF funds will assist in the development and implementation of catchment management strategies, supporting long-term resilience and climate risk reduction via landscape restoration and enhanced land stability, particularly in vulnerable catchments where small-scale infrastructure is present.

The project is supporting an ongoing decentralized investment framework which is administered through the Municipality Development Investment Program ( PDIM) and Suco Development National Program (PNDS) processes, by embedding the knowledge of climate risks and skills of climate proofing design,

construction, operation and maintenance of rural infrastructure.   Through the project, local authorities’

capacity for climate-risk informed development of long-term investment plans will be enhanced, thereby strengthening de-centralized decision-making. Human resource capacity in managing climate risks to local development funding (including technical capacity for assessing proposals, ensuring performance standards, conducting safety, environmental impact and cost-effective evaluations of proposals, and monitoring local development projects) will be enhanced.

The  project aims to address the existing barriers and shift the baseline scenario towards climate resilience. The project will directly benefit 19,751 households, comprising 15% of the total population. The direct beneficiaries of the project are 175,840 (89,643 males, 86,197 females) and the indirect beneficiaries are 346,160 (176,473 males, 169, 687 females) living in the six selected municipalities. The proportion of men and women benefitted by the project is almost the equally balanced – 51% males and 49%  females.

Gender inequality and women’s disempowerment are the determining factors behind women and girls being disproportionately affected by climate change and disasters; and at the same time their ‘skills and life experiences are not identified as resources, and, therefore, are not incorporated into risk reduction and disaster preparedness, relief or recovery efforts’. Unless these inequalities are adequately assessed and incorporated into climate change adaptation and DRR measures, the disparities are likely to be exacerbated.

OBJECTIVE:

The overall objective of the consultancy assignment is to support the project and team to develop the Gender Responsive Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan which encompasses the priorities endorsed in the main national strategy and policy documents (including the National Climate Change Policy) and guide the mainstreaming of gender and social inclusion in local development planning frameworks while supporting the project implementation and ensuring women empowerment through appropriate strategies and actions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant/team is expected to work under the guidance of the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA), Project manager, Sustainable Development Unit and support ,UNDP Timor-Leste Country Office (CO), the Regional technical Advisor (RTA) and national counterparts.  The consultant is expected to conduct field visit to selected sites and scenarios in the municipalities under consideration and in collaboration with the project team, national and municipality stakeholders and counterparts, community members, civil society, in order to produce the required deliverables foreseen in the contract as per the following:

  1. Inception report summarizing the objectives, scope and outputs of the assignment, organization and methodology for achievement of the outputs, documentation review, meetings, findings, and setting out a detailed planning of the assignment, including the schedule.

  2. In collaboration with UNDP-GCF project, to conduct desk review of relevant documents such as prodoc, gender assessment report and any related documents to develop inception report, including the methodology to deliver outputsand the schedule

  3. Develop questioner for Focus Group Discussions at local level

  4. Design and facilitate consultations and workshops in each municipality, community consultation and document gender considerations to be incorporated int the action plan:

  5. In collaboration with UNDP-GCF project, to conduct field visit to selected municipalities of Aileu, Baucau, Ermera, Lautem, Liquica and Viqueque to meet with local authorities, community groups and local leaders;

  6. Organize and facilitate meetings and interviews with key stakeholders, including

     government counterparts i.e. Secretary of State for the environment (SEA), Ministry of State Administration (MSA), Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), Secretary of State for Civil Protection (SSCP), Secretary of State for Gender and Equality (SEI), Municipality authorities from Aileu, Ermera, Lautem, Liquica, Baucau, and Viqueque, local leaders, local contractors, local NGOs, Civil Societies, partners agencies of their experiences of gender equality and empowerment to rural infrastructure, agroforestry and reforestation;

  7. Conduct Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to community groups i.e. Grupo Manaje Fasilidade (GMF), community Forestry groups, agriculture groups, Suco Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), community groups regarding information gathering related to climate change and disaster risks impact to men and women;

  8. Conduct workshop in each municipality (6-municipalities) and validation workshop in Dili to relevant stakeholders. In coordination with project , conduct validation workshop in at both national and municipalities levelsto present findings and any clarification of the findings;

  9. Develop GenderResponsive Climate Change Strategy and Gender Action Plan to effectively mainstream gender concerns in the planning, prioritization and development of climate resilient to rural infrastructure, DRR and DRM.

  10. Develop gender-responsive management tool to integrate and corporate into PDIM, PNDS, GMF, CAMP, EVAS, Agroforestry, reforestation and DRM guidelines

  11. Develop Gender responsive standards, guidelines and specifications for rural infrastructure, encompassing both technical and functional standards based on international best practices

  12. Extensive consultation at national and sub-national levels (including local/suco levels) develop two types of training manual both in English and Tetun for experts and local community in the context of the project and Timor-Leste, facilitate the presentation and validation of the manuals developed.

  13. Review an existing CCA and DRM manual training and add Gender mainstreaming into the manual for INAP.

  14. Develop manual of training of gender responsive to be utilized for PNDS, PDIM, DRM, Agroforestry and agriculture practitioners;

  15. Training reports - Facilitate trainings workshops for key government stakeholders and experts, partner NGOs and PMU on gender mainstreaming, gender analysis and gender audit and social inclusion

  16. Develop training manual to support government counterparts for the deliver of gender training in the future

  17. Conduct validation workshops at both national and municipality levels to relevant stakeholders to present findings;

  18. Report submitted ontargeted technical support and advise for the development and integration of gender and social aspects in sub-national development planning and prioritization frameworks.

  19. Reports on the gender awareness raising eventsfacilitated in targeted municipalities/suco representatives implemented at AP levels, including preparation and dissemination of outreach materials

  20. Prepare and submit the final report including documenting lessons learned and case stories/best practices for scale-up.

The consultant is expected to support the concept preparation and all aspects related to each output, hosting and facilitation of the respective events, logistic arrangements such as venue, equipment, translator, materials, vehicle and supplies will be supported by the project.

Competencies

Knowledge Management and Learning

  • Demonstrated capacity in knowledge sharing and knowledge management and ability to generate innovative and new ideas and promote learning through leadership and personal example

  • In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues

  • Ability to conduct research and analysis and strong synthesis skills

Management and Leadership

  • Highly develop inter-personal, negotiation and teamwork skills, networking aptitude, ability to work in multi-cultural environment

  • Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, including the ability to liaise effectively at corporate and project management levels;

Corporate/Functional

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards

  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP

  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

  • An university degree (minimum Bachelor's degree level) in gender study / development studies / international relations / social science/ political science or in any relevant area is required.
  • Candidate with specialized knowledge (National) specialized in gender related works are invited to make a proposal for this contract.

  • A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in gender/social inclusion related roles (combination of programme development, advisory, project management, training/capacity building roles).
  • Previous work experience with the UN system, international NGOs and International Donors is desirable. Previous experience working with UNDP highly considered
  • Previous experience and knowledge relating to climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and how this impact on gender and social aspects

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the institutional arrangements, key stakeholders and existing policy instruments in the area of gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerement in Timor Leste

  • Have an experience of organizing/leading discussions, facilitating a variety of events, workshops, working with government, local authorities, community groups as well as providing analysis and reporting;

  • Experience undertaking similar projects and assignments in Timor-Leste. Previous expertise with the UN system or Government in Timor-Leste is an advantage;

  • Language: Proven capacity to produce outputs in both English and Tetun;

  • Tetum and English Language  – excellent written and oral communication skills. In addition to excellent command of Tetun and English , ability to communicate in Portuguese and/or Bahasa Indonesian will be considered beneficial to the assignment

Interested applicants is mandatory to apply online through: https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=96113. Supporting documents/filled templates to be submit along with the applications are following, and those templates can be download from:  https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=73616

  1. UN P11 Form

  2. Individual Contract Offerors Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability

  3. Individual Contract Reference Check (at least from two referee)

  4. CV

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to procurement.staff.tp@undp.org with subject line: JOBID:96113- Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist