Kenya: Consultancy to Develop a Gender Strategy, Inclusive Gender Analysis and Action Plan for BRIDGE and CREATES Transboundary Basin Projects

Mar 17, 2024 | International Union for Conservation of Nature
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About IUCN IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Headquartered in Switzerland, IUCN Secretariat comprises around 1,000 staff with offices in more than 50 countries. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous people’s organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

The following details are excerpts of the full Request for Proposals (RfP), which includes, but not exclusive to: Concept and methodology, Qualifications and Experience of proposed consultants, Evaluation of Proposals, Explanation of procurement procedure, Conditions for participation in this procurement, Confidentiality and data protection.

Objectives of the Consultancy 

The overall objective of this consultancy is to conduct gender equality and social inclusion analysis in the project areas to identify key challenges and to develop an action plan to address these challenges while creating opportunities for diverse members of the society to provide input on their needs and experiences, building capacity for stakeholders to integrate theses needs into the project activities. These actions will ensure that gender is mainstreamed in every stage of the project, from (development to) implementation to monitoring and evaluation.

The Proposal must consist of the following three documents:

  • Signed Declaration of Undertaking   
  • Technical Proposal  
  • Financial Proposal

Proposals must be prepared in English.

Specific Activities

  • Task 1: Review the two project documents and identify key entry points in terms of activities that would support gender equality and social inclusion;
  • Task 2: Review the IUCN Global and ESARO Gender Policy/Strategy and and Practice to identify entry points, challenges and experiences;
  • Task 3: Conduct gender equality and social inclusion analyses in the project areas to identify key challenges. The gender analysis should elaborate on gender roles in socio-economic activities and natural resource management, dependencies on natural resources, environmental degradation, women’s access to productive resources and their legal rights, as well as their influence in collective decision-making. The gender analysis should also include a review of national, regional and international gender equality and environmental mandates and policies, specifically in areas related to women’s rights, land rights, natural resources including water, climate change among others. It should explore gender dynamics across six core thematic areas: (1) legal and customary laws; (2) attitudes, customs and beliefs related to gender norms; (3) division of time, space and labour; (4) participation, inclusion and representation; (5) access and control of resources and services; and (6) environmental stressors and vulnerability.
  • Task 4: Map local and national stakeholder groups to engage in project activities, including in conducting the gender analysis. As part of the gender analysis methodology, consultations with a wide-network of in-country gender experts is encouraged. It will be important for consultants to develop a contact list of gender-related groups, women’s organisations, indigenous peoples’ rights organisations and other relevant stakeholders that participate in consultations to help ensure these stakeholders are engaged throughout the project.
  • Task 5: The consultants should ensure that gender equality and social inclusion is considered and addressed as a cross-cutting component in the two projects. The consultants should ensure participatory and inclusive methods are used and gender-disaggregated data and information is collected from local consultations. The consultants are encouraged to provide inputs to the recruitment process for the following CREATES Technical Advisors: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Monitoring and Evaluation and the Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS). These positions will ensure that the project activities contribute to reducing gender gaps in sectors related to the project.
  • Task 6: Develop a gender action plan to guide and advise gender mainstreaming in the two projects. The gender action plan should draw upon results from the gender analysis and include actions to overcome barriers (gender gaps) identified during the gender analysis. The gender action plan should not only focus on external outcomes, but also provide guidance to the internal management and organization of the project (e.g. staff communication, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, etc.). The gender action plan for the project should provide guidance in relation to strategies; capacity building initiatives; strategic alliances with gender and women’s organizations, as well as relevant civil society organizations with strong work on gender in the project sites.

See full RfP for further information about the consultancy deliverables.