UN WOMEN Jobs - 68481- UN Women: International Consultant (SSA) on Gender

UN Women: International Consultant (SSA) on Gender Equality and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Kathmandu, NEPAL

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

10-Oct-2016

Application Deadline :

26-Sep-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

up to 31 March 2017

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP 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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Country Representative and in close consultation with the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Unit Managers; the incumbent is responsible for UN Women’s engagement in supporting gender responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Nepal. While working in close collaboration with UN Women Nepal programme units and in consultation with the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor, the Consultant on Gender Equality and DRR will be responsible for operationalizing UN Women’s mandate to promote a coordinated approach across the humanitarian-DRR continuum focusing on ensuring the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the DRR.

The consultant will provide technical guidance and capacity strengthening for preparedness and response; lead in advocating for a coordinated and coherent approach on gender equality integration in DRR initiatives; be responsible for ensuring that substantive technical and strategic support is available to the UN System, the relevant government structures and implementing partners; lead in establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships with multi stakeholders - government, inter-agency mechanisms, CSOs and women’s groups - to continuously promote gender equality programming in disaster risk reduction initiatives and; and ensure that specialized technical and strategic support is available to the existing coordination mechanisms at both national and district levels.

The scope of work requires substantive experience and in-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues in disaster risk reduction, climate change preparedness and field level expertise in coordinating gender equality interventions in humanitarian-DRR continuum, to translate UN Women’s strategic plans into results. It also requires experiences in developing and nurturing mutually reinforcing partnerships with national entities, civil society, relevant UN entities and bilateral donors to enhance awareness, commitment, accountability as well as visibility and resources to advance gender equality and women empowerment. The position also requires experiences in guiding and documenting piloting initiatives with a view to inform up scaling at different levels using lessons learnt.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within the UN Women Nepal Country Office and under direct supervision of the Deputy Country Representative and in close collaboration with the Peace and Security Unit Manager and Programme Officers, the Consultant will support the translation of gender responsive DRR by carrying out the following functions:

Analysis and monitoring of trends, opportunities and challenges related to gender equality and DRR

Map and analyze the landscape on gender equality and DRR identifying strengths, gaps and areas that require further focus;
Explore strategic opportunities with Country Office and the Government of Nepal to maximize synergies between gender equality, DRR and SDGs related activities;
Participate in policy dialogues at the national level with key partners, including key line ministries, donors, NGOs, private sector, and civil society on gender equality and DRR;
Provide policy support and information in the context of multilateral negotiations/discussions on gender equality and DRR;

Programme development and technical support

Support the development and implementation of the country programmatic approach to gender, and DRR and recovery and reconstruction in line with the Country Office strategic note 2014 -17 and annual work plan for 2016 -17;
Review the national DRR policies and National Disaster Management Bill from a gender perspective and prepare key recommendations from gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) perspective;
Provide substantive inputs to Government of Nepal on gender-responsive disaster risk management and climate-resilient development strategies and plans;
Support the development of strategic and thematic partnerships with governmental agencies, UN agencies and other important actors in DRR;
Support the implementation of the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and Post-Disaster Recovery Framework (PDRF) recommendations in collaboration with the relevant Government and civil society partners;
Support the programme officer to lead the capacity development of UN/Government of Nepal/women’s groups on the gender equality dimensions of disaster risk, particularly in terms of women’s vulnerabilities, capacity and exposure to hazards;
Develop and share technical and strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes;
Support the District Gender Coordinator and Recovery and Reconstruction Officer, and DRR Programme Officer in day to day programmatic issues;
Support the organization of the South Asia Peer Learning Regional Consultation on Gender Responsive Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction
Capture the good practices and lessons learned from the field so that they can be more widely disseminated and utilized in alternative settings.

Establish and strengthen interagency coordination and strategic partnerships with key stakeholders

Provide technical support to the building of strategic alliances and partnerships for gender equality and humanitarian action, climate change and disaster risk reduction related strategies and initiatives;
Maintain close liaison with relevant donors and other actors supporting efforts on gender and humanitarian action, climate change and DRR to monitor funding trends and identify new sources of support for UN Women’s initiatives;
Provide technical support to the programme officer to actively participate in inter-agency level programming processes ensuring that UN Women is strategically placed within UN humanitarian and DRR coordination mechanisms and UNDAF planning for 2018 - 2022;
Identify and explore funding opportunities for UN Women’s gender equality and climate change/DRR programming in line with the Flagship Initiative.

Timeframe

This is Kathmandu based consultancy with field visits for a five-month period.

Deliverables

Strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes briefs on gender equality and DRR;
Policy briefs on gender equality and DRR;
Comprehensive proposal for resource mobilization (long and short version and a presentation) on gender inequality of risk and promoting community resilience to natural hazards in a changing environment
Technical support to South Asia Peer Learning Regional Consultation on Gender Responsive Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction;
Gender responsive monitoring framework and evidence based guidelines in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction;
Good practices and lessons learned report with key recommendation for future programming.

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Functional Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Master’s Degree in climate sciences, environmental sciences, earth sciences, natural resource economics, political science, related social sciences or related discipline.

Experience

Minimum 7 years of relevant work experience on issues related to gender responsive DRR, climate risk, vulnerability reduction, humanitarian action and capacity development;
Proven expertise in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women;
Strong experience in partnership building;
Experience in working with government, donors or the UN previously is an asset;
Proven track record in policy analysis, development work in the area of climate change/DRR and related issues.

Language:

Fluency in written and oral English is required.

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.