Consultancy: Gender Specialist, Climate and Emergencies – Req. #552882

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope.

Consultancy Title: Gender Specialist, Climate and Emergencies

Section/Division/Duty Station: Gender Section, Programme Group –HQ New York (Home based, remote position)

Duration: 15 August 2022 to 1 June 2023 (45 days)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Adolescent girls―already disadvantaged by discriminatory gender norms that heighten their risks and weaken their resilience to shocks―continue to disproportionately bear the harmful impacts of climate change. The increased frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters has resulted in more adolescent girls than ever before living in drought-impacted communities; fearing walks to school during rainy season; and migrating to seek refuge from floods, fires, or water-or food-scarcity. , And research has noted reductions in educational attainment, lower academic performance, and higher absenteeism among girls who have experienced climate shocks. Countries with higher rates of women in climate leadership and increased schooling for girls fare better in terms of their country’s overall vulnerability to climate-related disasters., iv Yet key actors including UNICEF continue to under resource and overlook girls’ voice and leadership. With strategic investments and feminist mentorship, adolescent girls are taking bold actions to address climate change and to mitigate its impact on them, their families, and their communities.

Grounded in UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action – the agency’s global framework guiding the organization’s humanitarian action – UNICEF is focused on ensure that adolescent girls’ voice and leadership is influencing its humanitarian action including disaster preparedness and climate action. As outlined in the CCCs, UNICEF adopts an inclusive, equitable, and rights-based approach to humanitarian action that prioritizes the needs of the most disadvantaged within families and communities to realize the rights of every child. In addition to integrating gender within sectoral commitments, the recently revised UNICEF CCCs outline an inaugural set of three cross-cutting gender commitments. These three programming essentials are: (1) preventing and mitigating risks to gender-based violence, with an equitable focus on risks to women and girls; (2) engaging women, girls, and other marginalized groups and the organizations they lead; and (3) designing gender-responsive programming including tailored programming for adolescent girls, mandatory gender analysis, and data disaggregation.

i. UNFCCC (2019) Differentiated impacts of climate change on women and men, Synthesis report by the Secretariat, June 2019

ii. Otto et al (2017). Social vulnerability to climate change: a review of concepts and evidence. Regional Environmental Change volume 17, pages 1651–1662 (2017).

iii. Norgadd & York (2005). Gender Equality and State Environmentalism. Gender and Society. Vol. 19 No. 4, August 2005 506-522

iv Global Labor Organization (2018). Gender and climate change: Do female parliamentarians make difference? Discussion Paper.

Purpose

Skills

Relying on excellent analytical, management, documentation, communication and writing skills, the Consultant will be responsible for working with the Gender Section and its extended network to undertake the following

UNICEF’s Gender Equality Section at NYHQ is seeking a qualified consultant to support the rollout of programmatic work on Gender in Humanitarian Action, with an emphasis on supporting activities and outputs that advance girls’ leadership in climate action and disaster preparedness. Please see the deliverables section for specific tasks and responsibilities by quarter.

• Support the Gender Section’s humanitarian action portfolio in select countries, with a focus on girls’ engagement in climate action
• Contribute to and coordinate the development and dissemination of guidance and tools related to UNICEF’s work in gender in humanitarian action, including briefing notes, presentations, documentation of good practices, and annual reporting.
• Contribute to knowledge management on gender in emergencies, working with Gender Section KM personnel to ensure timely updates to the team site, yammer, website, annual reporting, and other channels
• Document implementation learning, good practices, and case studies in select countries
• Document guidance uptake and the results of Gender Thematic Funds to advance the Gender CCCs and girls’ leadership in climate action and disaster preparedness. Draft quarterly newsletter.
• Draft practitioner-friendly briefs and case studies for UNICEF Country Offices and implementing partners.

In addition to the general role outlined above, the specific deliverables include drafting an investment case on adolescent girls and climate change and the documentation of learning and results from UNICEF’s efforts to advance women and girls’ meaningful participation and gender-responsive programming across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Reporting To The Programme Specialist In The Gender Section, The Incumbent Will Support The Rollout Of Programmatic Work On Gender In Humanitarian Action, With An Emphasis On Supporting Activities And Outputs That Advance Girls’ Leadership In Climate Action And Disaster Preparedness, As Follows

Q3 2022 | Advocacy briefs for COP27 – Up to seven, 1-2 pagers on key regional viewpoints from girls’ responses to a global U-Report on Climate Change, with key policy or programme implications

• Synthesis report of U-Report results
• Outline/template for the one-pagers
• Draft advocacy briefs
• Final briefs
• Summary PPT for virtual briefings with policymakers

Support portfolio documentation and documentation

15 October 2022 / (15 Days)

Q4 2022 | Adolescent girls and climate action investment case (2-5 pager) to complement an existing resource mobilization package; at least one proposal; and gender assessment checklist/guide for the Readiness Proposals for the Green Climate Fund.

• Outline
• Desk review / KIIs
• Draft 1, Draft 2
• Final two-pager & complementary PPT deck

Support portfolio resource mobilization & partnerships

15 Jan 2023 / (15 Days)

Q1 2023 | Action briefs / case studies / blogs capturing lessons learned and results from CO initiatives advancing girls’ leadership in disaster risk-reduction and climate action. (Min 7 briefs)

• Outline/template
• Drafts
• Final action briefs

Support portfolio documentation and knowledge management, including annual results reporting on CCC and GAP implementation in humanitarian settings.

15 May 2023 / (15 Days)

Qualifications

• Education
• Advanced university degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Humanitarian Assistance, Public Health, Behavioral and other Social sciences, International Development, Women’s or Gender Studies, Environmental and Climate Studies, or another field relevant to international development and humanitarian assistance.
• Disciplines: Business; Social Sciences; Gender Studies; International Development; Humanitarian Response; Communications
• Excellent English oral and written skills; proficiency in another UN language is an asset
• Work experience
• At least 8 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the UN or other international development organization, national government, or the private sector.
• Field experience overseeing programming or research in humanitarian settings and climate-related disasters/migration is required.
• Relevant technical experience with gender analysis, gender mainstreaming in humanitarian assistance, climate action, and disaster preparedness is required.
• Relevant experience supporting targeted humanitarian programming that reaches and engages sub-populations of displaced and host communities who are often among the hardest to reach, least mobile and/or least likely to access available services, including women and adolescent girls
• Relevant experience with the prevention and response to gender-based violence and engagement of local civil society organizations in humanitarian response.
• Experience supporting and building the capacity of local civil society organizations advancing the rights of women and girls, including those organizations led by women and girls themselves is an asset.
• Experience developing relevant guidance and tools, especially practitioner-friendly resources that are actionable and results-oriented is an asset
• Experience working with research universities and training institutes considered an advantage
• Competencies
• Strong writer, with three examples of written work submitted with other application materials is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of an additional UN language will be considered an asset.

Requirements

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Upload three (3) writing samples of your work specifically where you have been the lead author of a relevant deliverable.
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html
• travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
• Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
• Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa Information

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.