Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works on the elimination of discrimination and violence 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. UN Women provides support to the Government of Mozambique in meeting its gender equality goals and in building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts in Mozambique to ensure commitment to gender equality. Therefore, consolidating the institutional capacity of the Country Office is one of the enablers to increase delivery. It is in this context that a Technical Assistant is needed to support the Programme Unit.

Mozambique is prone to climate disasters due to its geographical location in the intertropical convergence zone and downstream of river basins with neighboring countries in the Southern African Region, its long coastline and the existence of extensive areas with an altitude below sea level (INGC, 2019). From 2017 up today, Mozambique went through an unprecedented climate disturbance including cyclones namely Idai, Kenneth, Eloise, Freddy and floodings, conflicts in the Northern Mozambique and COVID-19. As of April 2023, the conflict has displaced over one million people, both IDPs and returnees.

Humanitarian crises in Mozambique are becoming increasingly complex and protracted, with most displacements lasting multiple years, meaning that the provision of short-term, life-saving services are becoming less and less sufficient, with people affected by crisis requiring additional skills and opportunities for survival, especially, women and girls. Pre-existing gender-based discrimination and inequalities exacerbate the impact of crises on women and girls and reduce their likelihood to receiving the humanitarian services they need to survive and recover. Inequality tends to worsen in humanitarian contexts, leaving women that are already facing enormous challenges, doubled with exacerbated inequality and fewer options. Intersectional vulnerabilities can additionally further determine how people are affected, among other women with disabilities, women-headed households, adolescent girls, women affected by HIV & AIDS and older women. A recent multi-year humanitarian funding evaluation found gender to be the single biggest determinant of a person's agency in and out of crisis (ODI, 2019). When displaced, women and girls face an elevated risk of gender-based violence including trafficking, prostitution, child and forced marriages unwanted/teen pregnancies.

The aim of UN Women’s engagement in humanitarian action is to ensure effectiveness in addressing gendered needs, working across the humanitarian– development–peace continuum, and embodying two approaches: i) supporting the mainstreaming of gender in the coordination, planning, prioritization and financing of humanitarian responses in the immediate aftermath of emergencies and humanitarian crises; and ii) contributing to long-term recovery and protecting the rights of women and girls in emergencies and protracted crises through the nexus approach. UN Women’s triple mandate of enabling gender equality and women’s empowerment through coordination of the UN system, normative and intergovernmental engagement and development-focused operational programming will significantly improve the effectiveness of humanitarian action, reduce vulnerabilities, including to gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse, and aid women’s recovery. The role and expertise of UN Women has become increasingly critical with a continuous cycle of crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in addressing not just humanitarian assistance but also the root causes of crisis.

Building on its tripartite mandate, its new role as a full member of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and its journey for the implementation of the Strategic Note (2023-2026), UN Women Country Office intends to strengthen its engagement to integrate gender in the humanitarian action, strengthen humanitarian coordination and respond to the immediate and long-term needs of women and girls victims of multiple and recurrent crisis.  It is in this regards that UN Women Mozambique is seeking to recruit an International Consultant - Gender and Humanitarian Advisor who will work under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative to oversee UN Women Humanitarian Action in close collaboration with the Country Programme Team based in Maputo and in the field, specifically in the Northern and Central Provinces.  

Objectives of the assignment:

• Provide administrative and technical support provide advisory services at the strategic and technical levels, leveraging the newly membership of UN Women at the IASC;
• Represent UN Women and advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment by engaging with the National Counterparts, UN Agencies, Humanitarian Actors; CSOs, particularly Women’s Organizations;
• Identify areas of work and opportunities of collaboration with key partners, accordingly to the needs of women and girls;
• Work closely with the Thematic Lead Teams, especially the WEE, EVAW and WPS; follow up on different interventions in the Northern Mozambique and timely inform on the way forward and making sure that the triple nexus is applied;
• Participate in the Country Office Resource Mobilization Efforts;
• Support the CO to produce high quality and timely reports; and
• Support Country Office´s efforts in Resource Mobilization in the above areas.

Scope of Work:                

The Consultant will contribute to the achievement of the UN Women’s results on:

Output 4.1.1 More women and girls affected by conflict and intersecting multiple discrimination are empowered to actively participate in and lead conflict prevention, community-led stabilization, social cohesion, peacebuilding, and recovery initiatives (aligned with CF 4.1- SN Output 1.1.1)

Output 4.2 UN Women effectively leverages and expands its partnerships, communications and advocacy capabilities to increase support for and financing of the gender equality agenda, while securing sustainable resourcing for the delivery of its own mandate.

Output 6.1.2 Improved State’s accountability for the implementation of global norms and standards  through the review and/or development of gender  responsive policies, strategies, national plans, laws  on EVAW, WEE, and WPS, DRR & HA.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.Technical leadership and Strategic Planning

• Advise, support, guide and provide substantive inputs to ensure that Gender Assessments, Immediate and Long-term Gender Sensitive Humanitarian Interventions in the emergency, recovery and post emergency are timely and effectively done;
• Provide inputs in the formulation and implementation of the Country Office AWP and SN applying the nexus Humanitarian-Peace and Development;
• Ensure that the gender perspective is well reflected in the Humanitarian Response and women and girls needs are well considered in all interventions;
• Help to position UN Women as a convening entity on Gender and Humanitarian within different UN Clusters, especially the HCT clusters;
• Identify the role that potential partners in the Northern Provinces of Mozambique, especially in Cabo Delgado could play towards ensuring implementation of a gender sensitive humanitarian responses during the emergency and recovery periods and engage with them for appropriate action;
• Work closely with other UN agencies present in the Cabo Delgado and inform the Country Office Team for further actions;
• Ensure strict compliance of programme activities with UN Women national and global policies and procedures and with relevant donor regulations and agreements
• Regularly revise and adjust the Country Office Humanitarian Strategy in response to emergency, recovery and post emergency development stages;

    2. Inter-agency coordination Support

• Represent UN Women at the HCT technical related working groups, such as the Gender Humanitarian Working Group and the Protection Cluster;
• Participate and provide gender related inputs to the inte-agency UN coordination mechanisms, governmental mechanisms and other relevant sectoral level processes focusing on humanitarian issues including the various assessments;
• identify the role that potential partners at the local level could play towards ensuring implementation of a gender sensitive humanitarian responses during the emergency and recovery periods and engage with them for appropriate action;
• Actively participate in country level programming processes, in particular assessments and recovery planning efforts to ensure that UN Women is strategically placed within Humanitarian and Recovery periods and engage with them for appropriate action;

• Have a strategic approach with the partners and ensure that specific needs of women and girls are being addressed.
• Assist the HCT on behalf of UN Women, to secure expertise that will ensure commitment, quality control and resources for gender equality programming;
• Provide linkages with the local gender machinery and the Gender Theme Group for a sustainable approach to coordination efforts in the humanitarian action;
• Participate in Flash Appeals for Joint planning and resource mobilization;
• Share good practices and case studies to shape the CO strategies and programme approaches, and contribute to broader sector learning. Support the GiHA WG co-chairs to build, maintain alliances and strategic partnerships for the advancement of humanitarian action
• Provide inputs to the briefs on country developments and contribute to the preparation of the situational analysis used by stakeholders, clusters, CO, RO and HQ.

3. Strategic partnership building and resource mobilization:

• In coordination with the Programme Team, propose programmatic areas of cooperation with and approach relevant UN Agencies, Government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society, women’s organizations in particular, and other specialized humanitarian partners to establish a partnership based on strategic goals of UN Women, and country priorities in DRR and humanitarian action;
• Support the design of UN Women’s tailored projects on gender and humanitarian action.

4. Capacity Building:

• Develop capacity strengthening initiatives targeting relevant stakeholders including CSOs and women-led organizations
• Contribute to enhancing the CO’ staff capacity and the Humanitarian Working Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action;

5. Advocacy and Communication:

• Support UN Women’s advocacy efforts to help raise awareness and stimulate action in addressing specific needs of displaced women and girls and advancing gender equality and women's rights in Mozambique, especially in the most affected districts;
• Identify opportunities and contribute to resource mobilization through contribution to proposals related to the Flash Appeals or any other Resource Mobilization Approach;
• Develop Gender Alert, SitReps, press release or other communication pieces as agreed with supervisor.

 6. Reporting

• Produce high quality and timely reports and within agreed reporting schedules as required;
• In coordination with relevant team members based in Maputo, ensure the preparation of a timely programme delivery and submitting the donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal requirements and any relevant external donor requirements. Provide support to conducting research and developing analytical reports, research papers, briefing notes, background papers, summaries, correspondence, and knowledge products on humanitarian action;
• Support identifying promising practices on gender in humanitarian action;
• Manage the compilation and storage of various knowledge products in coordination with the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Officer. Provide support to GiHA WG monitoring missions and engagement in the field;
• Draft reports on monitoring missions, programme results, outputs and outcomes;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports, including on GiHA coordination activities.

Deliverables

1. Roadmap/work plan and proposed approach to implementation of the projects under his/her responsibility;
2. Represent UN Women at the HCT technical related working groups, such as the Gender Humanitarian Working Group and the Protection Cluster;
3. Monthly monitoring reports and activity reports on project activities and results, including contributions to the 5Ws;
4. Provide Technical Support to INGD for the formulation and implementation of the new generation of the gender strategy in the Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction sector;
5. Disseminate the UN Women Mozambique Humanitarian Response Strategy and engage into the HCT Protection Cluster Coordination mechanism;
6. To enable CO seize emerging programming and resource mobilization opportunities, including through communication of UN Women’s work.

Work Schedule:

Competencies

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

• Good understanding of national context including the development plans; social protection mechanism and the gender equality situation
• Strong analytical skills on gender and economic policy and women’s economic empowerment;
• Strong communications skills in spoken and written English
• Strong drafting skills and ability to produce a variety of knowledge products for different audiences and purposes
• Ability to produce impactful communications materials and knowledge products
• Strong commitment to knowledge-sharing within a multicultural environment
• Ability to design and deliver training and other capacity building strategies in the area of gender and economics to a variety of audiences
• Basic project management skill

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, international relations, public administration, gender issues, or other development-related fields.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of experience in humanitarian and recovery programming preferably in the area of gender equality, including in disaster/conflict and post-disaster/conflict settings; 
• Substantive and technical experience in inter-agency coordination, experience working with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field; 
• Proven experience with gender, socioeconomic policy analysis and mastery of quantitative and qualitative analysis and method; 
• Experience in drafting quality and timely research reports, policy brief, and position papers.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Portuguese (written and spoken) is required.

UNWOMEN is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.