Consultant - Study on Women's Economic Empowerment in (Post) Crisis Settings

Dec 6, 2015 | UNDP
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Women’s Economic Empowerment is a key dimension of women’s empowerment, and is the focus of attention of both the gender cluster and the sustainable development cluster (livelihoods and economic recovery team) within UNDP’s central Bureau for Policy and Programme support (BPPS). Women’s Economic Empowerment integrates complementary dimensions related not only to access to economic opportunities, but also to improved legal status and rights of women (e.g. for access to land) and enhanced participation and inclusion in public life of the community, municipality and country.

Addressing gender equality and women’s empowerment is a key aspect of UNDPs approach to achieving its core vision. Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment are seen as goals in their own right and are also central to the achievement of UNDPs development mandate.  UNDP is guided in its work by its Gender Equality Strategy 2014-2017 which details how UNDP works towards gender equality in each of the goals and key results set out in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2014-2017.

UNDP is committed to fulfill its obligations under the UN Security Council Resolution 1325/1888 to strengthen women’s participation in all aspects of peace building, including the promotion of gender equality and protection of vulnerable groups in conflict and post-conflict settings.

Supporting women’s economic empowerment in conflict and post conflict settings is in particular critical given the generally acknowledged importance of women in the household economy in developing countries and their specific fragility to crisis situations. When it comes to recovering from crises and building resilience of women in the direct aftermath of conflicts or disasters, UNDP has gained valuable experiences at the country level. The objective of this consultancy is precisely to do an inventory and capitalize these initiatives supported by UNDP in the area of WEE at the grassroots and national level in fragile, conflict and post conflict settings, and propose the best suited way forward and strategic recommendations for UNDP policy and programme in support to the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will work off-site under the technical supervision of the Livelihoods and Economic Recovery team, Sustainable Development Cluster, BPPS, UNDP and of the Gender Cluster, BPPS. He/she will interact with other relevant technical teams from HQ, regional hubs and country offices, if needed.

The consultant’s work will be organized as a two-fold assignment.

First, based on secondary data, contacts with key informants and country offices, and (if necessary) field missions to some key countries, the consultant will undertake a review of the portfolio of UNDP past and present projects in the field of Women’s Economic Empowerment in crisis or post-crisis environments (covering both disaster and conflict settings). The study will focus on the early recovery and recovery phases.

Second, looking forward from that initial project review, the consultant will contribute to identify good practices (including innovation and potential for replication) and lessons learned, added value as well as entry points for UNDP taking into account the new framework of Sustainable Development Goals, the current strategic positioning of UNDP in the area of gender, the trends in current practice in women’s economic empowerment, and the evolution in the typology of crises.

The consultant is expected to write a report following the indicative outline proposed below:

Part One:  Definitions and concepts

  • Definition of WEE and its various components (e.g. economic potential for women, women’s rights and legal issues, inclusion and participation of women);
  • Gender/WEE in the SDGs;
  • Institutional positioning of UN agencies;
  • Specificities of (post) conflict environments.

Part Two:  Taking stock of UNDP programs in WEE in (post) conflict

  • Overview of UNDP portfolio in WEE in (post) conflict environments;
  • Country examples, highlighting good practices and lessons learned, potential for innovation and replication, organized by components;
  • In-depth presentation of 2-3 flagship programs (based on field mission);
  • Description of UNDP’s programming and advocacy in the area of (early) recovery and how it can contribute to addressing GBV.

Part Three: Orientations for UNDP policy and programme development, implementation and support

  • Provide key entry points UNDP should focus on to improve the effectiveness, sustainability and impact of policy work and programs in the area of women’s economic empowerment in crisis and post crisis environments
  • Propose clear niches for UNDP policy and programme support in view of UNDP comparative advantages

Competencies:

Functional:

  • Solid understanding of jobs/livelihoods, women’s economic empowerment, gender eqality and their relevance to crisis response and sustainable development.
  • Strong analytical and policy development skills.
  • Good organizational and project management skills.
  • Experience of working and networking with counterparts in international organizations, governments, civil society organizations and the private sector.
  • Experience in producing or facilitating knowledge products and services.
  • Strong written and oral communications skills.
  • Strong advocacy skills.

Corporate:                           

  • Commitment to UNDP’s core values.
  • Ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Managerial:

  • Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.
  • Ability to work effectively with UNDP Staff members in various regions and offices.
  • Ability to contribute to building and nurturing partnerships.
  • Ability to coordinate multiple units and teams to achieve a common objective.
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure.

Behavioral:

  • Strong interpersonal skills required to ensure cultivation of the daily working relationship and promote effective coordination among the UN family of agencies.
  • Strong networking skills required to support UNDP positioning and relationship building with development partners.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree in a development related field (Economics, Political Science, Sociology, International Relations, Gender Studies, or other relevant field).

Work experience:

  • At least 7 years of relevant professional experience, including experience working on Women’s economic empowerment (WEE), jobs/livelihoods in (post) crisis environments;
  • Field experience with UNDP or other development organization desirable, for the implementation or evaluation of WEE programs.
  • Research and academic publications in the field of Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment, with specific focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment;
  • Working knowledge and experience of UNDP programming in the area of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, with specific focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment, and in Livelihoods and Economic Recovery in (post) conflict settings;
  • Computer literate (being able to use MS Windows, office applications, Internet search).

Languages:

  • Fluency in spoken and written English with excellent drafting skills is a must.
  • Written and spoken knowledge of another UN Language is a plus.

Duration: 

  • Estimated to about 60 working days between December 2015 and March 2016

Duty Station:

  • Home based, with field visits in 3 countries (exact location of the field visits to be defined).