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 Fiji Multi Country Office (MCO) covers 14 Pacific countries, with field offices/presence in 6 countries, and six ‘focus countries’ (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga and Samoa). Each field presence is led by a national Country Programme Coordinator with a Programme Officer in Tonga. UN Women, in partnership with Pacific Islands Governments, regional organizations, CSOs, donors and UN agencies, focuses on delivering within four interlinked programme areas:

• Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership (WPEL)
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE)
• Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action (GPiHA) and Disaster Risk Reduction

In the Pacific, disaster risks converge with critical socio-economic vulnerabilities, environmental degradation and climate change. Disasters and climate change are widening inequalities and undermining poverty reduction in the region.  Threats such as COVID-19 are further exacerbating the inequalities and hardships faced by women and girls including those with disabilities. 

Women and girls face greater vulnerability and exposure to disasters, yet women remain largely ignored and their capacities unleveraged in conventional resilience building processes. As a result, women are generally absent in the development of resilience strategies and decision-making processes for prevention, preparedness, and recovery.  This is compounded by significant gaps at the global, regional and country level in relation to the availability and use of sex, age and disability disaggregated data (SADDD), knowledge sharing on women’s resilience; an enabling environment for building women’s resilience (including capacities, leadership and funding); translation of commitments into action; coordination and private sector partnership; and a need for transformative change to tackle the underlying drivers of disproportionate risk.

Within the Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action Outcome areas (Outcome 5), UN Women Fiji MCO works on integration of gender and protection in all phases of humanitarian response, including preparedness, disaster risk reduction and management and recovery. UN Women implements two gender and disaster risk reduction programmes in the Pacific. Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD) Programme at the global, regional and national levels with a strong focus on the Pacific with three pilot countries including Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati. WRD programme proposes a comprehensive package for building women’s resilience to disasters, climate change and threats (including COVID-19).   The aim of the WRD Programme will be to render women’s and girls’ lives and livelihoods disaster-resilient, contributing to sustainable and secure communities, by promoting gender responsive prevention, preparedness and recovery systems, plans and tools; and by enabling targeted action to help women and girls withstand hazards and threats, recover fully from disasters and increase their resilience to future risks. 

UN Women is also implementing Addressing the Gender Inequality of Risk and Promoting Community Resilience in Solomon Islands (GIR Project) jointly with UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The GIR project is designed to ensure the effective integration of gender in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and at a broader level, to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project aims at reducing the gender inequality of risk, promoting community resilience and delivering the commitments to gender and disability-responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR) inscribed in the Sendai Framework and the related Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific - An Integrated Approach to Address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (FRDP) 2017 – 2030 ([1]).

[1] SPC, SPREP, PIFS, UNDP, UNDRR and USP (2016). The Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific An Integrated Approach to Address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (FRDP) 2017 – 2030.

Objectives of the assignment

UN Women Fiji MCO is looking for an individual to support management and technical support of disaster risk reduction and gender programming.

For this purpose, the Consultant will work under the overall guidance and supervision of the UN Fiji Multi-Country Office Deputy Representative and Gender and Protection Specialist in close coordination with Humanitarian and DRR Programme Team.

Objectives:

Provide programme development technical support to the WRD and GIR Programmes:

• Provide technical input, oversight, quality assurance and close guidance and direction to ensure strategic focus, result orientation and effectiveness and efficiency of the overall GIR and WRD programming;
• Ensure synergies of the programmes within and with other programme/project teams in UN Women;
• Provide technical support to other UN Women programmes to integrate gender and DRR as requested;

Support the implementation and management of the WRD Programme:

• Finalize workplans and budgets and implementation process for WRD Programme for the regional and national components;
• Support WRD National Partnership Consultant;
• Organize a regional programme kick-off meeting in consultation with the UN Women Humanitarian Action and Crisis Response Office (HACRO)
• Ensure compliance to standard UN Women procedures in planning and implementation of programmes/projects;
• Manage the technical implementation and conceptualization of the programme;
• Organise a launch in each of the 3 focus countries for WRD
•  Prepare reporting on WRD as required, including for Programme Board meetings, national governments, and the Government of Australia
•  Liaise with national governments on project commencement for WRD, engagement with government protection clusters and committees, and any required protocol or approvals.

Support the implementation and management of the GIR Programme:

• Liaise with programme implementing partners;
• Provide oversight and quality assurance towards the management of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Participate in the Programme Steering Committee, review and/or evaluation meetings;
• Provide technical support to key GIR activities including finalization of CBDRM manual, Provincial Protection Committee capacity development, Gender in Humanitarian Action Workshop on revision of Post-Disaster Needs Assessment tool and programme evaluation;
• Prepare updates and briefing to the Government of Australia.

Support coordination of the Humanitarian and DRR Programme Team:

• Attend internal office meetings;
• Support fortnightly team meetings;
• Provide advice and guidance to team members on their work as required;
• Manage substantive work on WRD and GIR.

Duration of the Assignment

The duration of this assignment will be up to 155 working days over 7.5 months work assignment as per schedule of deliverables.

Expected Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs.

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 7.5 months, not exceeding 155 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs: 

• Monthly report for May to November on all activities carried out
• Report of the WRD Programme Kick-Off Meeting
• Programme workplans of the WRD Programme for the regional and country components (Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati)   
• Final report on all activities carried out, results and challenges and other recommendations relevant for this work and to the assignment.  

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women within one week.

All the deliverables should be agreed with UN Women and be provided in English hard and electronic copy.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials.
• UN Women will only cover Consultant’s travel outside of Suva should the need arises and upon prior approval by UN Women.
• UN Women will provide an e-mail access and a laptop computer.
• The Consultant will be provided a workspace in the UN Women Office.

Performance evaluation

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payments will be disbursed on a monthly basis to the consultant, upon submission and approval of timesheets, monthly report and certification by the UN Women Deputy Representative or Gender and Protection Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

No DSA or relocation costs will be provided for the position.  Applicants are expected to reside in Suva, or to be able to meet their own relocation costs if they are based in Fiji outside of Suva.

Travel

UN Women will not cover transportation cost within or to Suva.  Travel costs outside Suva will be covered separately by UN Women with prior approval. 

During the consultancy assignment’s related missions, UN Women Fiji Multi Country Office will cover travel cost for the Consultant for the agreed upon routing and in conformity with UN Women applicable rules and regulations.

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

• Ability to think conceptually, strategically and analytically;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Results oriented, flexible and problem-solving skills.

Required experience and qualifications

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Location:

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, applicants will only be considered if they currently reside in Fiji.  The position is open to both national and international applicants.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, gender, international relations, international development, international law or other social science fields is required.
• A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in project / programme formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience and Skills:

• At least 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience in designing and managing humanitarian, development and DRR programmes in diverse cultural settings;
• Experience in programme management, including project / programme formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building;
• Substantive and technical experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Experience working in the region;
• Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors, and civil society organizations internationally and in the field;
• Knowledge and experience in gender and climate change is an asset;
• Experience working with the UN is an asset.

Language and other skills:

• Fluency in verbal & written English is required.

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Currently based in Fiji.
• Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, gender, international relations, international development, international law or other social science fields is required. A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in project / programme formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.
• At least 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience in designing and managing humanitarian, development and DRR programmes in diverse cultural settings.

The shortlisted individual consultant will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis process, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.

Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated based on its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

Financial Qualification Evaluation Criteria: In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).