Provincial Gender and DRR Officer for Lumbini, Sudur-Paschim and Karnali Provinces

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 to 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. 

In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027), and the UN Women Nepal’s current Strategic Note (SN) 2023-2027, UN Women Nepal has identified “Environmental Sustainability, Climate and Disaster Resilience” as one of its key priorities highlighted in Outcome 1.3 that “By 2027, more people, especially women, youth, children, and the most marginalized and poor, increasingly benefit from and contribute to building an inclusive, sustainable, climate-resilient, and green society and reduced impacts of disasters at federal, provincial, and local levels”.

Under the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Humanitarian portfolio, UN Women Nepal is currently engaged in a joint program Strengthening Urban Preparedness, Earthquake Preparedness and Response in Western Region of Nepal (SUPER II), in collaboration with UNDP (lead) and UNICEF. SUPER II is being implemented in three provinces Birendranagar Municipality, Dhangadi Metropolitan and Nepalgunj Metropolitan. It focuses on addressing the specific needs of vulnerable groups and 

aims to upscale interventions through strengthened coordination, policy engagement, and enhanced disaster risk governance across all government levels.

Organizational Setting, Reporting, and Collaborators:

The consultant will report directly to the Programme Specialist who serves as the primary point of contact for contractual and payment matters. The officer will closely coordinate with provincial and local government, SUPER Project partners and UN Women provincial coordinators, UNDP and UNCIEF SUPER project staff.  In instances where there may be delays in submission, strong justifications must be provided.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Support in the implementation of SUPER II Project

• Ensure integration of GESI principles in all DRR policies and plans at the provincial and municipal levels, specifically in coordination with UNDP, UNICEF, and other consortium partners.
• Provide technical support and guidance on GESI to provincial and municipal government officials as required.
• Facilitate GESI-focused disaster preparedness and response planning and implementation.
• Support in the development of issue-based tabletop exercises focusing on GESI throughout the project period.
• Conduct consultations with women’s groups for disaster preparedness, aligning with cluster plans across three provinces and three municipalities, and provide training and capacity-building support.
• Coordinate with women’s groups, GBV stakeholders, and local governments to monitor GBV incidents during the monsoon and flood, facilitating GBV services as required.
• Implement and advocate for GESI considerations in urban preparedness and response interventions.
• Build the capacity of provincial and local government stakeholders on the use and collection of disaggregated data, providing technical support to create databases on the same.

1. Support Climate Change Initiatives

• Contribute to gender-responsive and inclusive climate resilience activities by providing technical support to provincial and local governments.
• Integrate gender and inclusion considerations into climate resilience activities across all project initiatives.
• Support the development and enhancement of gender-responsive climate action.

1. Support in Other Areas of UN Women’s Work

• Support the monitoring and evaluation of GESI integration in DRR and climate change activities.
• Contribute to regular project reporting, ensuring that gender and inclusion outcomes are documented and communicated effectively.
• Support the effective application of RBM tools and track the achievement of GESI results, ensuring the collection and use of disaggregated data.
• Develop and disseminate knowledge products, including case studies on gender-responsive and inclusive DRR and climate action.
• Advocate for the engagement and participation of local organizations and civil society networks in DRR and climate change initiatives.
• Identify and disseminate lessons learned and good practices in collaboration with the country office.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel:

This is a home-based assignment. The consultant will be required to frequently travel to project locations and field sites.

If consultants are required by UN Women to travel beyond commuting distance from their usual place of residence, UN Women will provide an airline ticket, or if not, the consultant will be entitled to reimbursement of airfare for UN Women authorized travel, upon presentation of used airline stubs in an amount not to exceed the economy class fare or excursion fare, if applicable. For UN Women authorized travel, the consultant will receive a daily subsistence allowance at United Nations authorized rates when traveling. Other necessary travel related expenses may be reimbursable on the basis of UN Women’s current practice and authorized rates.

Competencies

Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

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 Core Values and Competencies:  

 

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of GEDSI issues in DRR, particularly in the context of Sudurpaschim, Lumbini, and Karnali provinces.
• Strong knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in the fields of gender equality, protection, DRR, climate change, and humanitarian action.
• Strong networking skills and the ability to build partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to write policy papers, speeches, and briefings.
• Knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management, and reporting.

Required Skills and Experience

Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Humanitarian Action, Development Studies, Sociology, or related fields. Alternatively, a first-level university degree, combined with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in place of the advanced university degree. Required Experience: Minimum 5 years of professional experience in humanitarian, disaster risk reduction and management in Nepal Experience in GEDSI integration in Humanitarian action and DRRM. Substantive knowledge and practical experience of Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC), Gender in humanitarian and DRR sector, Sendai DRR framework, humanitarian architecture and UN humanitarian operation, UNDRR gender action plan and government coordination mechanism in Nepal on Emergency plan and DRR. Experience working in provincial and local levels. Experience in capacity building of diverse stakeholders in GEDSI integration in DRRM. Demonstrated experience in coordinating and organizing stakeholder engagement and consultations. Experiences working on the issues of women and vulnerable groups. Knowledge of Do No Harm and Leave No One Behind principles. Selection Criteria: Strong communication skills (both written and oral) in English and Nepali. Excellent analytical skills with a strong drive for results and the ability to work independently. Must be a Nepali national. Languages: Fluency in English and Nepali is required. Knowledge of local languages will be an asset. Evaluation Selection Criteria: The maximum score that the candidate can achieve for this consultancy is 100. Candidates who receive a score higher than 70 will be qualified for this position.  Minimum 10 years of professional experience in humanitarian, climate change, disaster risk reduction and management fields in Nepal. (15 points) Experience in GEDSI in humanitarian and DRR. (25 points) Substantive knowledge and practical experience of Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) humanitarian architecture and UN humanitarian operation and government coordination mechanism in Nepal. (20 points) Experience working in provincial and local levels. (20 points) Demonstrated experience in coordinating and organizing stakeholder engagement and consultations. (20 points) How to Apply: Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: ) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials. Preference shall be given to candidates from same province

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.