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.

BiH’s economy is marked by high carbon and energy intensity and the country routinely tops the list of those with the highest air pollution levels in the world. The country is at significant risk of natural hazards due to extreme climate events, with over 20% of its territory prone to floods and more than 283,000 people exposed to significant risk of flooding. These climate change impacts translated into damage amounting to USD 1.7 billion, with economic losses exceeding USD 1.5 billion. The floods demonstrated that the greatest impact of hazards on livelihoods tends to be in the informal economy where women make up a large part of the workforce.

Whilst women are disproportionately affected by the economic, environmental, and social effects of climate change, they remain excluded from decision-making processes related to environmental management and adaptation. The capacities, skills and resources that women possess to effectively address climate change risks remain untapped due to social stereotypes that devalue their knowledge and result in their exclusion from decision-making. Women’s ability to bounce back and adjust after extreme climatic events and disasters, to reconstruct their lives, and adapt to climate change is compromised by entrenched gender inequalities.

UN Women is seeking to build capacities for relevant national, entity and local partners regarding gender-responsive climate policies. Notably, this includes the development of up-to-date knowledge products and data on climate impacts on women and necessary responses, the enhancement of women’s participation in decision-making in climate and environment-related decision-making bodies in BiH, and the support to four local government units to conceptualize and implement innovative local initiatives to address climate change, while taking into consideration gender aspects.

In this context, UN Women is contracting a consultant to engage with selected local government units in order to identify and provide roadmaps for the implementation of one to two pilot initiatives to address climate change in a gender-response manner. The consultant will be expected to meet with a variety of stakeholders at the local level, such as members of the local government council, local government executive, relevant civil society organizations and private sector companies. UN Women will be present at some meetings, but the consultant will be expected to conduct some meetings autonomously.

The following municipalities have been identified by UN Women to pilot the initiatives: (1) Istocna Ilidža (2) Bijeljina (3) Lukavac (4) Tešanj

The consultant will be under the overall supervision of the Country Representative and the direct supervision of the Programme Analyst, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of the assignment is to work towards the mainstreaming of gender issues across all levels of government policies, particularly regarding the impact of climate change. This objective will be pursued through the piloting of support to four cities and municipalities to conceptualize and implement innovative local initiatives to address climate change.

Scope of work

The consultant is expected to undertake the following activities:

1. Through consultations with relevant local stakeholders, including local councils, local executive bodies, civil society organizations and private sector companies, identify the actions undertaken and needs of the four selected municipalities regarding gender-sensitive climate change policies and programmes. (16 consulting days)
2. Based on consultations and research, develop the concept for two initiatives to be implemented in the selected communities, including through identifying relevant stakeholders, budget needs, and estimated action. One of the two initiatives should focus on building the capacities of local decision-makers to develop gender-sensitive and climate-responsive initiatives, policies and programmes. The concept notes should contain the relevant information, acquired through consultations and desk research, to conceptualize and provide a roadmap to implement innovative local initiatives to address climate change, while taking into consideration gender aspects. They should also complement UN Women’s current interventions related to the combination of gender-responsive budgeting climate finance tracking. The concept notes should also take into consideration selected municipalities’ specificities. Initiatives could for instance be training local stakeholders on the differences men and women face due to climate change, or setting up small grants to women entrepreneurs to increase their resilience to climate change. (8 consulting days)
3. Support UN Women in piloting the two initiatives in the four selected local communities, by developing roadmaps and providing insight into the functioning of each municipality and how the approach can be adapted to the municipality. To do so, map relevant stakeholders and avenues to implementing policy or programmatic change (as relevant and established in the concept notes) in the four selected municipalities and provide support in the piloting of the initiatives by advising UN Women. (8 consulting days)

Deliverables

All deliverables should be delivered in English.

Competencies

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:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Sound expertise in climate and environment sciences or policies, particularly in the context of BiH
• Sound expertise in analyzing public policies, particularly regarding financing of policies
• Outstanding networking, team building, organizational and communication skills
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds
• Ability to produce well-written documents demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Fluent in Microsoft Word, Excel, e-mail, web-based applications, and databases

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in environmental sciences, environmental policy, public policy or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. (pass/fail)

Experience:

• At least 3 years of progressively responsible work experience in environmental policy, gender and climate change, climate financing is required. (45 points)
• Experience in gender analysis is an asset, with at least one analysis involving gender previously conducted (10 points)
• Experience in working with governmental stakeholders is required, with at least two projects conducted involving government stakeholder interaction. (25 points)
• Analytical background, with at least one gender or climate policy analysis conducted previously. (20 points)

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required. (pass/fail)
• Fluency in BHS is required. (pass/fail)

How to Apply:

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)