Historique

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.

In Kenya, the UN Women Country Programme contributes to the development objectives of Kenya’s blueprint- the Vision 2030, the SDGs particularly, SDG 5 and is aligned to the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF) 2018-2022 as well as UN Women Global Strategic Plan. The Kenya Country Programme aims to achieve the following results: (i) Increased women’s leadership and participation in governance; (ii) Strengthened women’s economic empowerment; (iii) Increased protection of women against gender-based violence & access to justice for women; and (iv) Strengthened women’s leadership in peacebuilding and humanitarian response.

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS), Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction- (WPS/HA/DRR) programme in Kenya Country Office is conceived and anchored within the framework of the current country Strategic Note (2019-2022) and in line with UN Development Assistance Frameworks (2018-2022) and Kenya Vision 2030. UN Women supports the government to implement its Second-Generation National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325), including localization, and to achieve targets of SDG 5 and 16. The programme embodies the “Leave No One Behind” principle, by ensuring the inclusion of women, youth and other marginalized groups in peace, security and humanitarian initiatives. The Programme focuses on two key areas; a) Development and implementation of gender-responsive policies and frameworks on peace and security and DRR, and b) Women and girls have access to DRR and humanitarian services.

Context:

Kenya is a critical peace anchor in the East and Horn of Africa region; hence its stability politically, socially and economically is of great importance. In recent years, Kenya has experienced a shift in its security landscape, which is profoundly complex, ranging from inter-communal and pastoral violence, political competition, violent extremism, against a backdrop of wider social marginalization, poverty, social inequality, high youth unemployment and climate change which has resulted in resource-based tensions. This situation is exacerbated by regional instability and spill-over effects from Somalia, South Sudan and the Great Lakes Region resulting in displacement and higher numbers of refugees and internally displaced people within Kenya. In addition, the country experiences regular and overlapping disasters particularly drought, floods, conflict and epidemics that have significantly impacted livelihoods and economic development in Kenya.

These phenomena have a unique and disproportionate impact on women and girls. They are more likely to be victims of sexual and gender-based crimes, experience restrictions on education, limited livelihood choices, access to basic services, exclusion from decisions on peacebuilding and disaster recovery processes and participation in public life. Insecurity and disasters in Kenya, therefore, require tailored responses to address the root causes of conflict and emergencies through a gender-responsive conflict and disaster analysis.

All of these vulnerabilities and discriminations have been exacerbated by the socio-economic impact of the COVID19 crisis which has disproportionally affected women and girls.

Considering this context, there is increased understanding that gender is critical in determining conflict and working towards peace and social cohesion and the Government has taken notable efforts by advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda through the implementation of Kenya’s Second National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325. Despite this gain, most of the analysis of the multiple conflicts and disaster dynamics in the country and peacebuilding strategies continue to remain gender blind.

Rationale for Gender-Responsive Conflict and Disaster Analysis

Integrating gender into conflict analysis does not only enhance the inclusiveness and effectiveness of peacebuilding interventions but also deepens the understanding of the underlying gender power relations and how they in turn influence and are affected by conflict and peacebuilding. Peacebuilding initiatives are more likely to be successful if they are driven by a thorough study of the complexities of conflict that recognizes both the influence of gender norms on conflict and conflict on social gender norms.

Through a comprehensive gender-responsive conflict and disaster analysis, gendered paths to conflict and disasters as well as peace can be identified, understood, and addressed. Such analysis is essential according to UNSCR 1325 for sustainable peace. The results from a gender-responsive conflict and disaster analysis can be used as an evidence base not only to inform/continued support for gender mainstreaming in policy development, WPS prioritization and programming but to feed into broader programs- straddling the humanitarian-peace-development nexus.

In addition, it will subsequently be used to guide strategic programming and will feed into a variety of ongoing and forthcoming processes such as the work of the United Nations Country Team’s Prevention and Integrated Analysis Group, inform the Deeping Democracy programme on election basket, the development of Kenya’s United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. Furthermore, it provides analysis and data on the importance of advancing the WPS agenda as part of the 4th Medium Term Plan development process in 2022.

The Objectives

The objective of the gender audit is to provide information on the level of gender mainstreaming, specifically examining the conflict analysis used to develop peacebuilding interventions using a gender lens. The gender audit will proffer recommendations for improving a gender-responsive conflict and disaster analysis, representation of women in direct and indirect peacebuilding processes and actions for the empowerment of women. The gender audit will be a baseline for the UN Women strategic planning, programming identify critical gaps and challenges, and recommend ways to address them, suggesting possible improvements and innovations for building a gender-responsive sustainable peace.

The following are the objectives for carrying out the gender audit:

1. To understand how engendered the data collection for conflict assessment and early warning and response systems are.
2. To generate an understanding of the extent to which gender mainstreaming has been internalized and acted upon by peace actors and peacebuilding institutions in conducting conflict analysis and developing gender-responsive peace projects in Kenya. 

Devoirs et responsabilités

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Peace and Security Specialist, the consultant will undertake a gender audit of existing conflict analysis and identify gaps and opportunities for inclusive analysis and secondly elaborate a comprehensive Gender Responsive Conflict and Disaster Analysis of Kenya.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Undertake a gender audit of recent conflict and disaster analysis undertaken from 2018 to date.
• Undertake a gender-responsive conflict and disaster analysis, moving beyond documenting the gendered impact of conflict and disaster to assessing the gendered dynamics that can fuel conflict and can contribute to peace.
• Identify the key factors and gender drivers contributing to conflict and sustainable peace in Kenya.
• Understand the differentiated impact on men, women, and diversities.
• Reflect on how power relations based on gender impact or are influenced by these factors/drivers, as well as by sustaining peace efforts in the country.
• Identify current and potential roles of women as active agents of peace and promote inclusive recovery post-disaster.
• Undertake a system analysis of conflict and gender, an assessment of interconnectedness between factors (causes, consequences) and actors and dynamics of conflict which can help identify underlying causes of conflict and uncover opportunities to promote/consolidate peace.
• Locate leverage points or opportunities to increase the gender sensitivity, effectiveness, and sustainability of the peace processes.
• Draft an action plan to address issues raised/findings of the gender audit

The consultant is expected to carry out the following:

• Desk review of existing conflict and disaster analysis in Kenya from 2018 to date.
• Data Collection: Consultations through semi-structured interviews with state actors, Women organizations, CSOs, non-state actors (including the private sector) UN agencies, NGOs are organized across the country, most likely remotely.
• Analysis and Drafting of Report
• Validation (including a feedback loop with the groups consulted)
• Finalization.

Considering the COVID-19 related gathering and travel restrictions, the assignment will be undertaken home based with data collection done virtually.

Duration

The consultancy is expected to be completed within 45 working days from the date of the contract signing with close collaboration with the Peace and Security Specialist, UN Women Kenya Office.

III Scope of Work

Final products and deliverables

Compétences

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

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills

• Strong knowledge of Results-Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of Women, Peace, and Security 
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education and Certification:

• A Master’s Degree or equivalent in gender/women's studies, Peace Studies, international development, conflict studies, Law, Access to justice, social sciences, human rights, or a related field is required.

Experience:

• At least 10 years progressively responsible experience in conflict prevention and peacebuilding programming, training, and/or analysis with significant experience mainstreaming gender into analysis processes.
• Technical experience working on the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
• Strong understanding of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, normative frameworks, and WPS programming.
• Demonstrated experience in doing research and analysis on areas of gender, development, peace, and security and demonstrate publications.  
• Demonstrated working relationships with state actors at the national, county level, peace actors, women’s human rights and gender equality organizations, development partners that can be activated for the purposes of the data collection and analysis.
• Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills in English. 
• Experience working with the UN and multilateral organizations
• Ability to work independently and deliver on tight timelines.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Kiswahili is an asset.