UN WOMEN Jobs – 116906

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. 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.

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, and children 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 vulnerability of women and girls 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 that negate their roles and contributions. 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.

Reporting to the Regional Humanitarian Specialist and liaising with the Reference Group focal points in each of the target countries, the Consultant will undertake a comprehensive review of the preliminary findings of the Cross-border Analysis of the Gendered Impacts of Climate Induced Hazards in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe Reports. The Consultant shall be expected to review the country specific reports and prepare a summarized report (35 pages) and PowerPoint Presentation that shall be used to facilitate the validation workshop with key sector experts and stakeholders including government, INGOs, women and youth organizations.

Insert a paragraph on organizational setting, reporting and collaborators.

The consultant will be reporting to Title, and will be supported by Title, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

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 Report and its findings will be used to inform the development of a regional WRD programme.

Specifically, the Report will reflect:

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

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work:

• The consultant shall undertake a comprehensive review of the preliminary findings of the Cross-border Analysis of the Gendered Impacts of Climate Induced Hazards in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe Reports.
• Given the copious volume of data gathered from stakeholders in the 3 countries, the Consultant shall be responsible for consolidating this into the 35 pages -page report and preparation of a PowerPoint presentation that shall be used to facilitate a validation workshop with UN Women Country Reps, RO and CO teams working closely with the Reference Group.

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

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

1. Summarize the country specific reports into a single 35-page report that reflect the reflection areas mentioned above that identifies the climate induced trends, impacts, possible interventions and other key recommendations;
2. Prepare and present a PPT presentation to UN Women Country Reps, RO and CO teams and Incorporate input virtually

Deliverables

1. Facilitate Validation workshop [PPT] to key stakeholders and incorporate input into Final report;
2. 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

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy and there will be no Travel

Competencies

Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity 
• Integrity 
• Professionalism 

Core Competencies: 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues 
• Accountability 
• Creative Problem solving
• Effective Communication 
• Inclusive Collaboration 
• Stakeholders 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 and Certification:

• Master’s Degree in the field of, Disaster Risk Management, Humanitarian Affairs, Conflict Management, Gender Equality, Program Management, or other social or economic science related to the relevant areas for the assignment;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• A [project/programme management] certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least (7) years of experience in the development sector, preferably in Disaster Risk Reduction and Gender;
• Demonstrable experience conducting consultative policy research, data collection and preparing high quality Reports;
• 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.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of any other UN official language is an asset.

All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc

Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Notes:

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.

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