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 resilience building interventions. UN Women’s engagement in humanitarian action and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is to ensure consistency and sustainability in addressing gender equality concerns across the humanitarian-development nexus. The importance of gender integration in Humanitarian and DRR is embedded in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, that acknowledges the impact of conflict and disasters on women, recognizing the importance of utilizing women’s contribution and active participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and relief and recovery. Additionally, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction [SFDRR], a global framework also promotes gender equality and inclusion of women and girls in addressing disaster impacts.

Southern Africa is one of the regions most affected by serious impacts of climate-induced natural disasters; since 2019 the region has been hit by 7 cyclones with varying intensity and impact. In 2023 alone, a succession of cyclones and floods resulted in significant loss of life and assets in Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In early March 2023, Malawi was hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy [TCF] that induced floods and mud slides in 15 districts across the Southern region where at least 184,000 people were displaced and 183 people lost their lives, while over 199,000 houses were destroyed or flooded. In Mozambique, TCF affected over 1 million people mainly in the Zambezia Province, while in Zimbabwe, 370,000 people were directly affected with 250,000 people displaced across Zambezia, Sofala, Tete, Manica and Niassa provinces. 165 people were killed, 10 injured and more than 30,000 houses were damaged by heavy rains and floods.

Women, children and youth are often recognized to be among the most vulnerable to natural hazards,[1]. Given that they are disproportionately affected by disasters, women and girls are more likely to die in disasters and have different and uneven levels of resilience and capacity to recover compared to men. Additionally, climate change, economic uncertainties, new pandemics, and food shortages exacerbate their vulnerabilities. The current understanding is that this is largely attributed to pre-existing gender-based inequalities and do not emanate from a single factor but reflect historical and culturally specific patterns of social institutions, culture and personal lives. However, there is need to research this further to understand how lessons learnt from past disasters can be triangulated to inform and what can be done better in the future with a view to strategically strengthen gender responsive resilience and response interventions.

In response, the Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD) Project an 18-month project that aims at initiating and providing a comprehensive package of services to strengthen women's resilience to natural disasters and threats, including climate change, contributing to sustainable, secure, and thriving communities in the disaster-prone districts in Malawi is under implementation. The objective of the WRD project in Malawi is to (i) support the development and adoption of gender-responsive decision-making and governance systems on DRR, and (ii) enable targeted action to build the resilience of women and girls. The project will be implemented in three disasters prone districts that were heavily hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy: Zomba, Blantyre and Phalombe. To achieve this, the project will address the three main dimensions of disaster risk [exposure to hazards, vulnerability and capacity, and hazard's characteristics][2] focused on strengthening the use of gender-responsive, prevention, preparedness and recovery frameworks as well as increasing women and girls’ resilience to future crises. 

Reporting to the Regional Humanitarian Specialist and working with the Reference Group focal points in each of the target countries, the Consultant will undertake a comprehensive analysis on the gendered impact of climate induced hazards. The Consultant shall be expected to travel to each target country where she/he will meet and engage with sector experts and stakeholders including government, INGOs, women and youth organizations. The Regional Office will coordinate this and offer appropriate support to the Consultant while in the field and throughout the entire process.

Objectives of the Assignment:

Given the magnitude and scale of recent climate related hazards affecting the Southern Africa region and their strong gender dimensions, there is need for a cross border initiative informed by current data to strengthen women’s resilience to disasters in the region. The findings of this analysis will be used to inform the development of a regional WRD programme.

• To explore how women and men in Southern Africa are differently impacted by climate change;
• To explore the physiological, political, economic and societal causes for the differences experienced;
• To explore the current coping and adaptation strategies and capacities to climate induced disasters and variability;
• To explore the capacity of women and men be strengthened to better adapt to climate change and climate variability;
• To explore the role of women and women led organizations in disaster preparedness and response planning;
• To review key DRM policies in target countries and identify key entry points for gender integration.

[1] UN Women Policy Brief on  Gender and Age Inequality of Disaster  2019 - https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/Policy-brief-Gender-and-age-inequality-of-disaster-risk-en.pdf

[2] Sendai Framework

Duties and Responsibilities

The international consultant shall undertake a comprehensive analysis on the gendered impact of climate induced hazards in the Southern Africa region which shall include development of data collection tools, data collection in the 3 target countries [Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe], collation, and compilation of key findings/gaps/opportunities [PPT] to UN Women Country Reps, RO and CO teams working closely with the Reference Group. The Consultant shall also prepare a Report on climate induced trends, impacts, possible interventions, gaps in key DRR frameworks and strategic entry points for gender integration as well as other key recommendations.

It is envisioned that the Report shall be publicly launched in one of the target countries within the Programme implementation period.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Prepare appropriate gender responsive data collection tools;
• Travel to each target country to collect relevant data on the gendered impacts of climate induced hazards in consultation with key stakeholders [including government, UN agencies, INGOs, women and youth organizations] in the Southern Africa Region;
• Prepare and present a PPT presentation to UN Women Country Reps, RO and CO teams and incorporate input virtually;
• Compile a report that identifies the climate induced trends, impacts, possible interventions and other key recommendations.

Expected Deliverables:

• Gender responsive data collection tools;
• Workplan [including field work] for the entire assignment;
• Validation workshop [PPT] to key stakeholders and incorporate input into final report;
• Final report that includes identified climate induced trends, impacts, possible interventions, gaps in key DRR frameworks and strategic entry points for gender integration as well as other key recommendations.

Work Schedule:

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrable experience of gender in Disaster Risk Reduction programming;
• Demonstrable experience in working with senior sector experts within and without regional entities, international and civil society organizations;
• In-depth knowledge of gender equality, and disaster risk management;
• Demonstrable experience to conduct desk research and collate findings reflecting viable recommendations;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships;
• Ability to complete complex assignments in a timely manner and delivery quality results.

Required Skills and Experience

Education Requirements:

• Master’s Degree in the field of, Disaster Risk Management, Humanitarian Affairs, Conflict Management, Social Sciences, Gender Equality, Program Management, statistics and/or other social or economic science related to the areas relevant for the assignment.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the development sector preferably in Disaster Risk Reduction and Gender;
• Experience conducting consultative policy research, data collection and preparing reports;
• Demonstratable knowledge of policies, legal frameworks and programming on gender equality, in the DRR context;
• Experience working with international organizations, regional entities and governments;
• Experience in communication, documentation and reporting with UN agencies is an asset.

Language skills:

• Excellent verbal and written English;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and Inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.