Background

Climate change and gender equality have become issues of common concern for all mankind. On the one hand, in this climate crisis faced by all mankind, women at various levels of society are still in a vulnerable position due to insufficient control of resources and decision-making power. On the other hand, this lack of power has led to the fact that the potential of women in promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation has not been fully realized. Although many studies around the world have shown that climate affects people of different genders differently, in Kyrgyzstan, we have not fully understood the specific linkage between climate and gender, specifically, a portrait of gender-responsive vulnerability is in urgent need. In the other words, figuring out how vulnerable different gender people are to climate change will lead to a better understanding of the complicated relationship between gender and climate change and to what we can do.
Regarding implications of climate change in Kyrgyz Republic, the country is one of the most vulnerable countries in Central Asia to climate change risks due to the high occurrence of climate-related disasters, its dependency on climate-sensitive economic sectors and its ageing infrastructure. According to Climate Risks Country Profile, the Kyrgyz Republic is projected to experience temperature rises significantly above the global average. Warming could reach 5.3°C by the 2090s, under the highest emissions pathway, and many other climate challenges bear potential negative impacts on women and men. Women make 51% population of the country and 65% of women live in rural areas and being more disadvantaged because of their limited access to natural and economic resources. They fall into the most affected group since they usually have a greater responsibility for household maintenance, child and family members care, farming, water collection, cooking and stove refueling and the latter points affect negatively since they tend to spend more hours indoors in comparison to men, and women spend long hours in close proximity to the source of heat. 
Despite the fact of country’s water resources capacity, the limited access to safe water and sanitation for women and girls has an incomparably greater negative impact on the quality and conditions of their lives. Adverse sanitation and hygiene conditions are also particularly dangerous during pregnancy and childbirth. Access to irrigation water for women in the country remains complicated. Irrigation water is an economic asset, but traditionally this asset has been managed by men. Irrigation water is managed by water associations, of which there are 477. Women's representation in them leaves less than 10%.  Taking into account women role in agricultural labor in all sub-sectors, including greenhouse and crop farming, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and the processing of a variety of agricultural products, and yet their precise contributions along agricultural value chains remain obscured. 
UNDP conducted Stockholm +50 National Consultations in Kyrgyz Republic in spring 2022 and it provided more insights on women’s vulnerability to climate change, especially poor rural women, they are more dependent on environmental conditions and are less adaptable to climate change due to limited social and financial resources. The proportion of the poor is generally higher in rural areas (29.3 percent in 2020) than in urban areas (18.3 percent). Compared to 2019, there was an increase in poverty in both rural (6.1 percentage points) and urban areas (3.6 percentage points) in 2020. The poverty rate for rural women is 29.6 percent in 2020.The National Consultations became a platform to address gender aspects of climate change and as the result it highlighted sufficient gender equality recommendations to address climate change gender gaps, strengthening Government gender actions, women participation in climate change policies, decision making, participation of women in climate change action plans on adaptation and mitigation and in green economy.
Kyrgyzstan declares its intention to increase its climate commitments reflected in Nationally Determined Contribtions (NDC), submitted in October 2021. By 2025, Kyrgyzstan will reduce its GHG emissions by 16.63% under the “Business as Usual” scenario, and with international support by 36.61%. By 2030, Kyrgyzstan can reduce GHG emissions by 15.97% of the GHG emission levels under the “Business as Usual” scenario, and by 43.62% with international support. These results will be achieved by a joint effort from  sectors, including energy, agriculture, land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF), Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) and waste.  In the meantime, there are no mechanisms for gender mainstreaming into policies. As a result, some government agencies are currently using a gender-blind approach in their activities on climate change without any action plans/policies for ensuring equal opportunities and gender equality.
According to the UN Report on progress of SDG achievement in the Kyrgyz Republic, by 2020 there is the lack of data disaggregated by different dimensions such as information on sex, age, location, ethnicity, disability status and other identifying characteristics to assess the various degree of vulnerability for different groups of women and men in Kyrgyzstan within the “Leave No One Behind Principle”.  The detailed context-specific information collected as part of this research will be valuable for understanding the complex nature of climate change vulnerabilities and can be used as a guide for policy-making, project and local planning, as well as providing a broader picture of lived realities for women and men in Kyrgyzstan.
UN Women CO and UNDP in Kyrgyzstan are partnering on the initiative to develop or adopt a methodology and tool of gender-responsive vulnerability assessment in the agriculture and water sectors to assess how natural disaster risks impact vulnerability in these sectors and support the team of national consultants/company to conduct an assessment in the disaster-prone areas in up to 10 pilot settlements in Naryn, Talas, Chui, Osh and Batken regions in the Kyrgyz Republic. 
Based on data, evidence, and qualitative analysis, the research will make a case for why it is necessary to include women’s voices, needs, and expertise in climate change policy and programming and to provide evidence-based information on the gender impacts of climate change as well as identify how gender equality and women’s empowerment can be strengthened across climate change and DRR policies, institutions, and projects. The research will provide key policy recommendations for the Kyrgyz government to draw upon to enable gender-responsive climate action and facilitate women’s empowerment through national climate and environmental-related policies and action plans.
The report “Dimensions and examples of the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change, the role of women as agents of change and opportunities for women” released at the Bonn Climate Change Conference in June 2022 was prepared by UN Climate Change and synthesized information submitted by Parties, organizations and the research community.  The aim of the report is to strengthen the evidence base and understanding in relation to the matters of impacts of climate change, the role of women as agents of change and opportunities for women.   According to the submissions and the desk review, more sex-disaggregated data are needed so as to avoid homogenizing women as a group by making general inferences on the basis of the limited data collected so far, which would be problematic as women exist and behave in a variety of sociocultural contexts. To improve understanding of the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change, the role of women as agents of change and opportunities for women in the context of climate change, more sex-disaggregated data need to be collected and gender analyses of climate policies and actions conducted systematically.
To implement the initiative, UN Women in partnership with UNDP is seeking to recruit International DRM and Gender Lead Consultant to be supported by the team of local consultants (National Climate Change Consultant, Gender Consultant and National Field Consultant) to formulate a universal methodology and conduct a vulnerability assessment in the disaster-prone areas in up to 10 pilot settlements in Naryn, Talas, Chui, Osh and Batken regions in the Kyrgyz Republic. Findings of the research will be used to inform policy with key policy recommendations for the Kyrgyz government to draw upon to enable gender-responsive climate actions and facilitate women’s empowerment through national climate and environmental-related policies and action plans.
* The research will be based on in-depth and evidence - based analysis of women’s and men’s roles in sectors impacted by climate change using desk review, secondary data analysis and primary data collection (interviews, focus group discussions) as well as the recommendations from women’s group collected during S +50 consultations are required to be considered. The conceptual and methodological approach will be developed as a part of the selection process of a service provider. 
The International DRM and Gender Lead Consultant will work in close partnership with the team of the National Consultants under the direct supervision of UN Women’s Regional Data Advisor and SDGs Data and Partnership Coordinator at the UN Women CO and the Team Leader of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Cluster and the Gender Specialist at UNDP in Kyrgyzstan.
Overall objective: to develop or adopt a methodology and tool of gender-responsive vulnerability assessment in the agriculture and water sectors to assess how natural disaster risks impact vulnerability in these sectors and support the team of national consultants/company to conduct an assessment in the disaster-prone areas in up to 10 pilot settlements in Naryn, Talas, Chui, Osh and Batken regions in the Kyrgyz Republic. Based on the findings of the assessment, the international DRM and gender lead consultant will develop key policy recommendations to enable the Kyrgyz Government to strengthen gender-responsive climate actions and facilitate women’s empowerment through national climate and environmental-related policies and action plans.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of UN Women’s Regional Data Advisor and SDGs Data and Partnership Coordinator at the UN Women CO, the Gender Specialist and the Team Leader of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Cluster at UNDP in Kyrgyzstan, the International Climate Change and Gender Consultant in close partnership with the team of national consultants/company will perform the following tasks below:

1. Prepare for methodology development.
   1. Desk review of all relevant reports and documents on climate and gender in Kyrgyzstan.
   2. Assess the climate and gender data ecosystem and to which extent main stakeholders have the capacity to govern, collect, analyze and use of the gender data and evidence to inform climate change and disaster risk management policies and actions.
   3. Review the national matrix of gender related SDG indicators and compile the list of priority indicators on gender equality and climate considering the national policies and programmes, national and international commitments such as Kyrgyzstan’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), SDG, BPfA, CEDAW.
   4. Map national climate change relevant policies, plans, strategies, and regulatory frameworks and undertake gender analysis of key climate-relevant policies to identify gaps related to gender considerations. Assess the capacity of national policymakers to integrate gender equality considerations in climate change strategies, policies, programmes and projects as well as a short assessment of current state of women’s political participation in climate related processes.
   5. Assess the coordination mechanisms/dialogue platforms enabling women’s participation in climate related policy and decision-making.
2. Develop or customize a robust gender-sensitive methodology.
   1. Methodology can be replicated in different areas and can influence the nature of bottom-up approaches to measuring climate change vulnerability in the country. The proposed research methodology will need to employ an intersectionality lens to the data collection and analysis. As such, information on age, location, ethnicity, disability status, marital status and other identifying characteristics will need to be collected in order to build a contextualized and nuanced understanding of vulnerability for different groups of women and men in specific areas in Kyrgyzstan.
3. Provide support to the team of national consultants/company in conducting a pilot assessment in the disaster-prone areas in up to 10 pilot settlements in Naryn, Talas, Chui, Osh and Batken regions in the Kyrgyz Republic on the ground by running trainings on the use of the proposed methodology and the gender responsive vulnerability assessment and tool as well as revising this methodology based on feedback from the team of national consultants/company.
4. Formulate key policy recommendations for consultations with gender and climate experts as well as women’s organizations. As result of consultations finalize the key recommendations for the Kyrgyz government to draw upon to enable gender-responsive climate action and facilitate women’s empowerment through national climate and environmental-related policies and action plans.

Tasks, timeframe, payments

Timeframe: The duration of the consultancy is through 31 July 2023 for up to 20 fee days:

The payments will be made in USD in two installments per reported number of fee days based on submitted and approved deliverables, as follows:

Expected deliverables

Reporting requirements:

The International Consultant is expected to be using her/his own computer with frequent visits to UN Women CO office and UNDP CO in Kyrgyzstan.

Consultancy report should be provided in both in printed and electronic versions in English with detailed description of the fulfilled tasks, according to the present Term of Reference, and the contribution of the expert as well as recommendations for further programme development for the year of 2023. Analytical documents, reports and other materials developed by expert should be attached to the report as annexes, which will serve as a justification for payment.

Competencies

• Knowledge of gender equality and women rights issues
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of climate change, gender equality, conflict sensitivity and sustainable development
• Proven experience in Formulating documents related Gender Equality area
• Excellent inter-personal communication and team-working skills
• Effective planning and time-management skills in mass communications, marketing or event management.
• Good analytical and writing skills
• Commitment to quality and timely results.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in environment science, climate studies, gender studies, development studies, or relevant social science. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of professional work experience in climate change and gender-related studies/research/surveys.
• Strong experience in working with government authorities especially on climate change and gender related topics.
• At least 5 years of working experience in data analysis especially in the area related to gender and climate change
• At least three references for (co)authored research
• Excellent analytical and writing skills
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Working experience with UN and/or international organizations is an asset.

Language:

• Fluent written and oral skills Fluency in English. Working level of Russian is an asset.

Other Skills

• Knowledge of Internet communications (Zoom, Skype, email) and command is required
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills, and verbal and written communication skills

Application procedure:

Applications should include:

1. Cover Letter confirming interest and availability for the assignment.
2. Financial proposal, indicating a total lump sum to include all costs relating to the delivery of activities as per above description.

P-11 form including experience in similar assignments. This form can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment

Financial proposal format:

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period. The financial proposal should be provided in USD.

Evaluation of applicants

The evaluation starts with shortlisting of potential candidates and received applications against the mandatory requirements. Only full applications will be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be then evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants' technical qualifications and experience, and financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

1. Technically responsive/compliant/acceptable to the requirements of the ToR; and
2. Having received the highest cumulative (technical & financial) score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.

The selection of candidates will be done in 3 stages:

1st stage: Prior to detailed evaluation, all applications will be thoroughly screened against eligibility criteria (minimum qualification requirements) as set in the present ToR in order to determine whether they are compliant/ non-compliant.

2nd stage: Technical Evaluation/ Desk review.

Short-listed candidates will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

3rd stage: Financial evaluation will be conducted according to the method described below:

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion.

A suggested formula is as follows: p=30 (µ/z)

Where:

p - points for the financial proposal being evaluated;

µ - price of the lowest priced proposal;

z - price of the proposal being evaluated

The candidate achieving the highest cumulative score for both Technical and Financial evaluations will be recommended by the Evaluation Committee for contracting.

Attention:

All online applications must include (as an attachment) the completed Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.