Consultancy assignment for Protection, Gender & Inclusion (PGI) in Anticipatory Action

Overview of Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian INGO with over 80 years of experience in working to advance children’s rights around the world focusing specifically on promoting girls’ rights and gender equality. Plan International UK (PIUK) is one of 20 national organisations which support programmes in over 50 low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas

The PIUK Humanitarian Unit (HU) is a leader in the development of Plan International’s global humanitarian work and is committed to becoming a centre of excellence in key technical areas. In line with the PIUK strategy, the HU team aims to support Plan International (PI) country offices dealing with rapid onset and protracted crises. PIUK uses its expertise to specifically address the needs of girls and boys, women and men and their communities affected by disasters and crises with a particular focus on Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience, Protection, Cash and Voucher Assistance and Education. We also robustly mainstream Gender and Inclusion in our humanitarian work by aiming to adapt our programmes to the differentiated needs, and participation of girls, women, men, and boys in all their diversities.

Background

Thanks to the increasing availability of risk analysis and forecasts Anticipatory Action (AA) has, in recent years, been gaining momentum to provide a faster, earlier and more dignified response without having to wait for the hazards to hit the communities. AA to a predictable hazard can help communities and responders be better prepared and act collaboratively to reduce human suffering, losses and damages. Donors and organisations are increasingly promoting AA given the growing availability of high-quality risk and forecasting information.

PIUK, through the initiatives led by HU, has been building innovative models and partnerships to promote AA in our work internationally, with protection, gender and inclusion robustly integrated throughout its processes and phases.

AA has huge potential to help address the vulnerabilities of certain at-risk groups. Although there is increasing recognition of the importance of integrating protective, gender-transformative, and inclusive approaches in AA, these are not yet consistently applied and typically lack the capacity, resources, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure effective prioritization and implementation.

Consultancy rationale:

• Addressing Critical Gaps: This work is crucial for addressing critical gaps in the application of protective, gender-transformative, and inclusive approaches within Anticipatory Action, ensuring a more holistic and equitable response to crises.
• Enhancing Effectiveness: Integrating PGI in AA will enhance the effectiveness of anticipatory actions by recognizing and addressing the specific vulnerabilities of diverse at-risk groups. This, in turn, will contribute to more targeted and impactful humanitarian interventions.
• Promoting Equity and Inclusion: By prioritizing protection, gender equality, and inclusion, we ensure that the most marginalized and at risk groups receive adequate support.
• Learning from Experience: Collating Plan International’s experiences and best practices will provide valuable insights for improving future interventions to the wider sector. Documenting challenges and successes will facilitate continuous learning and adaptation.
• Empowering Practitioners: The guidance will empower practitioners, humanitarian workers, and local communities by providing practical guidance and tools to implement PGI in AA effectively. This empowerment is essential for building resilience and reducing.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultancy will:

• ​​​Collate Learning and Best Practices (maximum of 10 days):​​
• ​​​Review and consolidate existing Plan International documentation, reports, and materials related to Protection, Gender, and Inclusion in Anticipatory Action.​​
• ​​​Conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders within Plan International to gather insights and experiences.​​
• ​​​Develop a comprehensive report highlighting key learnings, challenges, best practices and recommendations in PGI in AA.​​
• ​​​Design and Develop Toolkit (maximum of 40 ​​days):​​
• ​​​Based on the gathered insights, design a practical and user-friendly toolkit to support the integration of Protection, Gender, and Inclusion in Anticipatory Action.​​
• ​​​Map existing tools and guidance on PGI in AA.
• ​Ensure the toolkit is adaptable to various contexts, scalable, and applicable for diverse at-risk groups.​​
• ​​​Include guidelines, checklists, and case studies that offer actionable steps for implementing PGI in AA initiatives.​​
• ​​​Provide recommendations for monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact of PGI in AA interventions.​​

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Deliverables

The following are the expected deliverables for this ​​assignment:

1. PGI in AA learning and best practice report collating the findings from learning exercises and project reports from multiple country offices.
2. PGI in AA toolkit inception report – initial plan detailing the structure and content of the PGI in AA tool. This is expected to involve consultations with a number of external stakeholders​ to ensure inclusion and relevance. ​
3. PGI in AA tool mapping​ ​​​Development of a tool mapping exercise that identifies and categorizes the most pertinent existing guidance and toolkits related to Protection, Gender, and Inclusion in Anticipatory Action​​.​ ​
4. PGI in AA toolkit – ​fully ​complete toolkit for PGI integration in AA
5. Deck for the dissemination of the toolkit​ Preparation of a presentation deck designed for the effective dissemination of the PGI in AA Toolkit to different audiences.​​ ​
6. Workshop(s) – ​​Conducting workshops to share the report’s findings and facilitate discussions on the implementation of the toolkit. These workshops will serve to chart the way forward for Plan International UK (PIUK)​​, and support engagement with PI Country Offices.​​​​​​​​

Timeframe

The timeframe for the work outlined under this consultancy is February-June 2024.

The consultancy is expected to take a maximum of ​5​​0 ​working days to be completed by June 2024.

Duty Station

Home-based

Profile of Consultant:

Essential

• university degree or equivalent work experience in a field relevant to humanitarian preparedness and response.
• ​​extensive knowledge and demonstrable experience in anticipatory action (AA), early warning for early action (EW/EA), forecast-based action (FbA) initiatives, providing technical inputs, advice and recommendations.​
• ​​​sound expertise in Protection, Gender, and Inclusion, with a focus on integrating these elements in humanitarian contexts.​​
• strong analytical skills including experience of collecting and analysing primary and secondary data​, and documenting gender sensitive and inclusive practices.​​ ​
• ​​experience in developing toolkits/training materials/guidance​, with a particular focus on protection, gender and inclusion.​​
• strong research, analysis, and documentation skills, especially in the field of gender-sensitive and inclusive practices.
• significant experience in planning, design and implementation of anticipatory action initiatives.
• extensive experience working with project stakeholders including officials from government agencies, research organisations, weather, climate and risk modelling sector.
• experience of working with a variety of organisations to collaboratively design or deliver projects.
• excellent communication skills both written and ​verbal​​,​ including ability to write ​complex concepts ​succinctly and clearly.
• good working knowledge of key humanitarian donors including Start Network, FCDO, ECHO, UN and innovative funding mechanisms for AA.
• good working knowledge of main AA actors, networks and partnerships including Start Network, Anticipation Hub, REAP (Risk-informed early action partnership), IFRC, RCRC, German Red Cross.
• politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
• computer proficiency particularly with MS Office packages.

Desirable

• first-hand experience in a range of humanitarian contexts, particularly linked to natural hazards-induced disasters.
• experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability, especially safeguarding.
• understanding of Cash and Voucher Assistance, Social Safety Nets, social protection systems.
• experience in vulnerability analysis and tackling inequality and exclusion.

How to apply

Application Process

Plan International UK welcomes a response to these Terms of Reference with:

• A CV (maximum two pages) including examples of relevant previous work.
• A cover letter demonstrating how you meet the required qualifications and competencies.
• A short, written statement (maximum one page) outlining how you would approach the task, and the potential challenges that you might expect to encounter.
• Contact details for two referees (one from your latest client/employer)
• Anticipated total fee (all inclusive) to deliver the tasks outlined, in GBP.
• Availability during the requested time period.

Responses should be sent via email to huadmin@plan-uk.org by the 5th of February with PGI in Anticipatory Action consultancy as the title line, applications will be reviewed as and when received. If you have any questions about the consultancy, please contact: huadmin@plan-uk.org.