International Consultant, Gender in Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction, Environmental Expert (Retainer)

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 on 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. UN Women is mandated to lead, coordinate, and promote accountability for the implementation of gender equality commitments across the UN System.

 Across Asia and the Pacific, UN Women promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment. UN Women implements programs (including normative and advocacy) in 41 Member States in the region, including Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam, through direct implementation as well as implementing partners, which include government entities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, UN agencies, and non-UN intergovernmental organizations.

At the global level, the Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda all recognize the commitment needed to address climate change and disasters respectively. These frameworks also recognize that combating, adapting to, and responding to climate change and disasters needs to be achieved while respecting and promoting human rights as well as gender equality and the empowerment of women. Commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment include promoting the leadership of women in all their diversity and people from marginalized groups, including those living with disabilities, ethnic minorities, among other groups, in climate action and DRR. To achieve these ambitious global goals, increased technical capacity will be necessary for national governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), regional institutions, and other stakeholders to meet these commitments and achieve sustainable development.

In this regard, UN Women supports national governments and other stakeholders to ensure that investments made to tackle climate change and disaster risk reduction adopt human rights approaches and are gender responsive. UN Women formulated its climate change and disaster risk reduction programs based on the evaluation of current progress, capabilities, and challenges facing the Asia and the Pacific region and based on consultation feedback. Currently, climate change and disaster risk reduction initiatives are being implemented at the regional level, but also in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, the Pacific region, and Viet Nam. In addition, UN Women also implements the 5-year program: EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies in Asia and the Pacific in partnership with the UN Environment Programme.

UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) aims to establish a diverse pool of consultants for placement on a retainer pool, accessible to the Regional Office, Multi-Country Offices (MCOs), and Country Offices. It is seeking technical support from international consultants under a retainer contract to contribute to program development, knowledge management, and coordination functions for the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Portfolio and targeted activities. The consultant will be integral in advancing UN Women’s deployable response capacity and serve as gender capacity to support UN’s coordinated responses in the region.

The detailed terms of reference for specific assignments will be developed by the hiring manager in consultation with selected consultants. Each consultant will be expected to work on specific deliverables as required by the relevant office, within their respective expertise.

*Note: While on retainer, there is no guarantee of work, and selected consultants retain the right to decline assignments based on their availability and expertise.

Objective of the consultancy 

The objective of this consultancy is to provide specialized support in conducting gender assessments pertaining to climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives in Asia and the Pacific region. The consultant will focus on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment within climate change and DRR discourse by conducting thorough analyses of gender dynamics and vulnerabilities. These assessments will encompass multiple factors and will serve to gather crucial data across gender and the environment.

Furthermore, the consultant’s work will lay a solid groundwork for UN Women programming on gender, climate change, and DRR, such as climate-resilient agriculture. By identifying key gender considerations and integrating them into climate change and DRR policies and programs, the consultant will contribute to building sustainable and inclusive solutions that address the specific needs of women and vulnerable communities, thereby fostering resilience and promoting equitable development across the region.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of Regional Portfolio Lead for disaster risk reduction and Climate Change, or regional specialists on disaster risk reduction and climate, and/or disaster risk reduction focal points/specialists, and/or deputy representatives in MCO/Country Offices, this retainer pool seeks experience in climate-resilient agriculture, gender-responsive climate finance, disaster risk management, sustainable development, environmental sustainability, community resilience building and more.

Below is a list of a wider range of skillsets relevant to disaster risk reduction, and climate change portfolio. We encourage applicants with relevant experience in any of the mentioned areas to apply. If you possess a subset of these skillsets, we would still be interested in considering your application. 

• Lead gender assessments focusing on the intersection of gender and climate change, disaster risk reduction and environmental changes in Asia and the Pacific region, including the gathering of data and case studies on gender and the environment to inform policy formulation and programme development Take a lead role in the preparation of concept notes, projects, and activity proposals related to gender, climate change disaster risk reduction and environmental action, including support to UN Women country offices.
• Expertise in designing and implementing gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation frameworks for climate change and disaster risk reduction projects and programs.
• Prepare the documentation of key findings, results, and lessons learned from gender assessments and feasibility studies within the context of climate and disaster risk reduction, providing analysis and concise reports and recommendations. Proficiency in disaster risk management frameworks and methodologies, encompassing early warning systems, risk assessment, risk reduction strategies, and anticipatory action, all approached through a gender-sensitive lens. Demonstrated experience in providing technical assistance and advisory services to governments, organizations, and communities to effectively implement these frameworks.
• Technical support to relevant partners in integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment into climate change and disaster risk reduction policy and programming, leading the design and implementation of capacity development activities as needed.
• Lead knowledge-sharing activities among stakeholders, including trainings, workshops and presentations, with a focus on climate and disaster risk reduction, and develop knowledge products summarizing key findings and recommendations for wider dissemination. 

*Note: The service will be rendered on “on call” basis.  UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of contract amount will be purchased during the term of the Agreement. While on retainer, there is no guarantee of work, and selected consultants retain the right to decline assignments based on their availability and expertise.

Competencies

In addition to aforementioned requirements and qualifications, it is important that the consultants share the core values and core competencies of the organization. 

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: 

• Technical credibility in the field of climate change/environment
• Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Strong networking and partnership building skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification

Master’s degree in Gender and Development, Disaster Management, Sociology, Statistics, Environmental science, or other relevant disciplines. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of relevant progressively responsible experience in providing policy and program advice on climate change, disaster risk reduction and/or environmental action and conducting assessments with a focus on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment within climate change discourse.
• Demonstrated experience working with government and non-government stakeholders to advance gender equality in disaster risk reduction and address climate change and environmental changes, particularly within the Asia and Pacific region. 
• Experience in organizing capacity development initiatives on gender equality, such as training workshops and seminars, contributing to the advancement of gender-responsive climate change disaster risk reduction.  
• Having UN experience and international organization will be an advantage.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of other languages spoken in the Asia-Pacific region, or any UN official language is an asset.

How to Apply 

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an electronic application to   with and in copy, not later than 26 April 2024, 23:59 hrs. Bangkok time. 

Submission package includes

• Personal History Form (P11) which can be downloaded from
• Application letter explaining your interest in the consultancy and why you are the most suited candidate for this position.
• Updated CV

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11).

If applying through the system, Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. So please consolidate your (all) required documents into 1 file prior to attachment.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. Please merge all documents into one document to attach.

Payments

Payments for this consultancy (retainer) will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payments will not be based on the number of days worked but on the completion of each stated deliverable within the indicated timeframes.

UN Women does not warrant that the maximum number of working days will be purchased during the term of the Agreement.  The consultant can only be engaged through the issuance of Quantum Purchase Order, based on the agreed Contract every time the UN Women wishes to procure the service.

UN Women Statement

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.)