Local consultant for gender-responsive climate action, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Consultancy

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. 

BiH’s economy is marked by high carbon and energy intensity and the country routinely tops the list of those with the highest air pollution levels in the world. The country is at significant risk of natural hazards due to extreme climate events, with over 20% of its territory prone to floods and more than 283,000 people exposed to significant risk of flooding. These climate change impacts translated into damage amounting to USD 1.7 billion, with economic losses exceeding USD 1.5 billion. The floods demonstrated that the greatest impact of hazards on livelihoods tends to be in the informal economy where women make up a large part of the workforce.

Whilst women are disproportionately affected by the economic, environmental, and social effects of climate change, they remain excluded from decision-making processes related to environmental management and adaptation. The capacities, skills and resources that women possess to effectively address climate change risks remain untapped due to social stereotypes that devalue their knowledge and result in their exclusion from decision-making. Women’s ability to bounce back and adjust after extreme climatic events and disasters, to reconstruct their lives, and adapt to climate change is compromised by entrenched gender inequalities.

UN Women is seeking to build capacities for relevant national, entity and local partners regarding gender-responsive climate policies. Notably, this includes the development of up-to-date knowledge products and data on climate impacts on women and necessary responses, the enhancement of women’s participation in decision-making in climate and environment-related decision-making bodies in BiH, and the support to four local government units to conceptualize and implement innovative local initiatives to address climate change, while taking into consideration gender aspects. 

In this context, UN Women is contracting a consultant to assess the capacities and involvement of women across multiple fields which are relevant to ensure gender-responsive climate action. Notably, this includes scientific research, climate political and activist engagement, and the gender balance in management of public companies in sectors related to climate change issues. UN Women also seeks to establish and define the scope of activities of a science-policy-business platform for dialogue that would unify issues of gender equality and adaptation/mitigation of climate change in BiH.

The consultant will be under the overall supervision of the Country Representative and the direct supervision of the Programme Analyst, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The objective of the assignment is to assess the existence and development of gender inclusion in various fields of climate action, by determining capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women’s involvement in climate research, in management of public companies related to climate change, and in climate politics and activism. The focus should be on scientific research and findings related to the impacts of climate change and environment-related phenomena on women and men. The consultant will be expected to work on a proposal for the establishment of a science-policy-business platform for dialogue that would unify issues of gender equality and adaptation/mitigation of climate change in BiH.

Scope of work

The consultant is expected to undertake the following activities:

1. Assessment of scientific research (personnel) capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women dealing with issues related to climate change.
2. Assessment of capacities and personnel availability in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women’s political engagement/activism in climate change issues.
3. Assessment of capacities and personnel availability in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women’s managerial positions in public companies in sectors related to climate change issues (forestry, energy, mining, water management, agriculture, etc.).
4. Proposal for establishing and defining the scope of activities of a science-policy-business platform for dialogue that would unify issues of gender equality and adaptation/mitigation of climate change in BiH.

Deliverables

All deliverables should be delivered in English.

DeliverablesExpected completion time (due day) Work plan, detailing timeline, contacts and main axes, shared with and approved by UN Women.

(4 consulting days)

22 February 2025Assessment of scientific research (personnel) capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women dealing with issues related to climate change

(19 consulting days)

20 March 2025 Assessment of capacities and personnel availability in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women’s political engagement/activism in climate change issues.

(19 consulting days)

30 April 2025 Assessment of capacities and personnel availability in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to women’s managerial positions in public companies in sectors related to climate change issues (forestry, energy, mining, water management, agriculture, etc.).

(19 consulting days)

15 July 2025 Proposal for establishing and defining the scope of activities of a science-policy-business platform for dialogue that would unify issues of gender equality and adaptation/mitigation of climate change in BiH.

(5 consulting days)

1 August 2025Final report and preparation of a presentation of main conclusions of previous deliverables and key findings, share and approved by UN Women. 

(4 consulting days)

10 August 2025

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. 

As part of this assignment, there may be a maximum of 6 data-collection trips to meet relevant partners across BiH. Costs related to travel between the Consultant’s home base and locations will be covered by UN Women. 

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender 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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Sound expertise in climate and environment sciences or policies, particularly in the context of BiH
• Sound expertise in analyzing public policies, particularly regarding financing of policies
• Outstanding networking, team building, organizational and communication skills
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds
• Ability to produce well-written documents demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Fluent in Microsoft Word, Excel, e-mail, web-based applications, and databases

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in environmental or natural resource management sciences, environmental policy or a related field is required. (pass/fail)
• A PhD in environmental or natural resource management sciences, environmental policy or a related field is an asset (5 points).

Experience:

• At least seven years of progressively responsible work experience in environmental policy, natural resource policy, and/or climate change is required. (40 points)
• Experience in conducting research or analysis including a gender perspective is required (10 points).
• Experience in conducting natural resource and climate policy research, and/or capacity assessment is required, with at least two analyses conducted. (35 points)
• At least three natural resources or socio-environmental (or relevant) research papers published in recognized scientific journals in the past five years. (10 points)

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required (pass/fail). Professional writing sample (e.g. from scientific publication) must be provided.
• Fluency in BHS is required. (pass/fail)

How to Apply 

• Completed and signed P11 form
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

Statements :

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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