UNDP Jobs - 75883- Gender Specialist Consultant

Gender Specialist Consultant

Location :

Beijing, CHINA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

01-Dec-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Nine months

Languages Required :

English Chinese

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

China is a mega-diverse country, home to some 10% of all known plant species and 14% of fauna. Of its 34,984 known species of higher plants, 50% are endemic. Some 13,800 species of China’s flora and fauna have identified medicinal properties. The country’s long agricultural history has produced a rich diversity of agricultural varieties and subspecies, through natural and artificial selection. China’s population includes multiple ethnic groups in geographically diverse areas, who possess wide-ranging traditional knowledge related to crops, livestock, poultry, fish, traditional medicine, processing techniques, prescriptions and therapies, traditional farming methods and production models, traditional culture, folklore and biological products.

These biological resources and associated traditional knowledge offer huge potential for the development of biotechnology and for providing sustainable benefits to the country. However, the conventional means of reaping benefits from biodiversity has been changing internationally. To address this challenge, a new instrument was agreed upon in October. 2010, after ten years of negotiation under the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization to The Convention on Biological Diversity (Nagoya Protocol, NP hereafter). It is required in the Protocol that genetic resources shall only be accessed following Prior Informed Consent (PIC) granted by providers of such resources and holders of associated knowledge, and the benefits arising from utilization of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge shall be shared fairly and equitably with holders under Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) agreed by providers and users via signing contract. It is specifically stipulated in the Protocol that when access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge from indigenous and local communities (ILCs), PIC shall be granted by ILCs, and benefits sharing arrangements shall be negotiated with and agreed by ILCs.

Nagoya Protocol entered into force in October 2014, China officially became a party to the Nagoya Protocol on September 6, 2016, while national legislation, regulations, relevant policies and regimes that link up to the Protocol are still lacking. In order to overcome these barriers, GEF launched the Project of Developing and Implementing the National Framework on Access to and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge in China together with the Chinese Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The long-term goal that this project will pursue is a robust legal and institutional framework for implementing access and benefit sharing regime in China, ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge (ATK) with the providers of the genetic resources and the holders of ATK in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol and national laws and regulations. This framework will also contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

In China’s rural and agrarian economy, women play a predominant role, often as gatherers of food, firewood and livestock feed; as gardeners, plant domesticators, herbalists and seed custodians; and often as holders of medicinal knowledge. As is typical in many cultures, the preferences and utilization of biological resources differ between men and women. For these reasons, development of a national ABS framework, as well as pilot efforts, need to be gender sensitive.

The project is seeking to recruit a Gender Specialist to ensure that gender considerations are fully mainstreamed into all relevant components throughout the implementation process of the project, as well as produce a participatory gender analysis and action plan for the project. The objective of the work is to find out how can the project contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment, identify entry points for mainstreaming gender considerations in project components, ensure that the project activities are gender responsive and to develop a gender action plan to advance women’s empowerment and promote gender equality.

The consultant may assist with other capacity building and other aspects of project preparation to ensure gender considerations are mainstreamed into the implementation of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

The Gender Specialist is to perform the following tasks:

Carry out a participatory gender analysis to fully consider the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks and access to/control over resources of women and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.) given a project’s context, and appropriate measures taken to address and these and promote gender equality; collect gender responsive baseline data relevant to project planning and monitoring; identify the share of female and male direct beneficiaries.

Assist in organizing and carrying out gender responsive stakeholder consultation sessions in order to solicit inputs and ensure both male and female stakeholder involvement and buy-in to the project.

Guide the project team in using participatory techniques that involve both women and men in assessments and discussions

Ensure that all aspects of the project activities are gender responsive: work with the project team to devise the projects planning.

Develop a Gender Action Plan for the project with annual outputs to facilitate implementation of activities that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Provide inputs to the UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure including assessing potential negative impacts of the project on gender equality and specific activities to mitigate and/or minimize them.

Assist the project development team in identifying and developing partnerships with gender equality/women’s governmental institutions, local women’s NGOs/CSOs and relevant national stakeholders.

As requested by the project team, assist with capacity building and other aspects of project document to ensure gender considerations are mainstreamed into the project implementation.

Competencies

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The consultant shall prepare and submit:

Deliverable 1: Participatory Gender Analysis: This deliverable will be fully integrated into the project implementation plan. The participatory gender analysis may consist of:

Analysis the national and local context, and understand issues around gendered division of labour and time use, access and control, power and decision making, and knowledge and capacities. A review of national gender statistics, time-use surveys, national action plans, and qualitative data generated through policy and academic research and participation assessments should be used to inform the analysis;
Stakeholder consultation analysis, interviews and relevant information;
A survey on: (i)the likelihood that the proposed Project would have adverse impacts on gender equality and/or the situation of women and girls; (ii)the potentiality that the Project reproduces discriminations against women based on gender, especially regarding participation in design and implementation or access to opportunities and benefits; (iii) women’s groups/leaders that raised gender equality concerns regarding ABS; (iv) the ways to enhance women’s ability to use, develop and protect natural resources, taking into account different roles and positions of women and men in accessing environmental goods and services
(i) paying particular attention to the participation of women through inclusive approaches and processes in the implementation of planned project activities; (ii) Pilots will be monitored for their successful inclusion of women and corrective measures employed where this is not the case. The design of a benefit sharing mechanism will take special account of the need to ensure equitable distribution of any benefits that flow from ABS.

Due date: Within four months of the contract signing

Deliverable 2: Gender considerations fully mainstreamed into project implementation plan, including:

Working with the project team using the findings from the gender analysis, develop the project’s results framework ensuring that gender-responsive outcomes, baselines, targets, and indicators are included; ensure that all applicable indicators are disaggregated by sex and other relevant, intersecting forms of identity.
Working with the project development team using the findings from the gender analysis, develop a gender-responsive theory of change; ensure gender considerations are integrated into the project’s theory of change, including discussion of impact, assumptions, evidence and risks.

Due date: Within five months of the contract signing

Deliverable 3: Gender Action Plan: A Gender Action Plan for the project with concrete outputs to facilitate implementation of activities that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Due date: Within five months of the contract signing

Deliverable 4: Note to file on process to mainstream gender considerations into the project: The note to file is an opportunity for the consultant to highlight any key lessons, issues, risks and recommendations (for example, notes for the mid-term review, recommendations to Project Manager) related to gender mainstreaming during any aspect of the project implementation not covered elsewhere.

Due date: Within nine months of the contract signing

Institutional Arrangement:

The consultant will report to, seek approval/acceptance of outputs from the Project Management Office.

The contractor is expected to have her/his own office space, laptop and access to internet and a printer during the assignment.

Payment terms:

1. First payment: 20% contract price shall be paid after the work plan has been submitted and accepted by PMO.

2. Second payment: 50% contract price shall be paid after the Deliverable 1,2,3 has been submitted and accepted by PMO.

3. Third payment: 30% contract price shall be paid after the Deliverable 4 has been submitted and accepted by PMO.

All the payments will not be made unless the deliverables are reviewed and accepted by the PMO.

Duration of the Work:

The duration of the consultancy is 60 days within the period November 30, 2017- August 30, 2018.

Duty Station:

The analytic work is home based, but it is also expected that the expert should conduct field surveys by travelling to the pilot areas of the Project as well as other necessary places such as areas inhabited by the minority nationalities that are affected by the project implementation.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications

The selection of consultants will be aimed at maximizing the overall qualities in the following areas:

Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and sustainable development; at least 6 years of practical working experience in gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment and sustainable development in China;
Experience carrying out participatory gender analysis; experience collecting and formulating gender responsive indicators and sex-disaggregated data and preparing gender responsive project analysis; developing gender action plans.
Proven experience in analysis of gender issues in China;
Demonstrated understanding of the links between sustainable development, social and gender issues;
Demonstrated experience working on policy and programmatic issues with national and local governments and civil society organizations including community organizations.
Experience in facilitating gender responsive stakeholder meetings is highly desired;
Experience with project development and results-based management methodologies is highly desired/required;
Excellent analytical, writing, advocacy, presentation, and communications skills are required.

Education:

Master’s degree in gender studies, gender and development, environment, sustainable development or closely related area.

Language:

Chinese, English

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

Financial proposals must be all inclusive[1] and must be expressed on the basis of “a daily fee” in USD.
The applicants are expected to reflect the cost of travel (budget for travel up to 5,000 dollars) in their financial proposals.
Payment will be made upon monthly submission of a certificate of payment request, indicating outputs achieved and days worked to be verified and cleared for payment by the supervisor.

Other Considerations

2-3 reference contact information from current/former employers or institutions the expert has provided consultation service for are needed. The Project Management Office may request examples of past publications from applicants as part of the evaluation process. An interview via phone/Skype may be required.

[1] The term ‘all inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal.

Offeror’s Letter and proposal Download Link https://pan.baidu.com/s/1bp2g5p9

Selection criteria:

Technical evaluation - 70%; Financial Evaluation - 30%; The final offer goes to the highest combined score winner.