Background:

UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) has been created to accelerate up the process of meeting the needs of women and girls across the world. Since 2014, UN Women Tajikistan, in partnership with the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan (CoES) and UN agencies and partners, has been actively involved in humanitarian work, in particular, disaster risk reduction and management.

In previous years UN Women has supported CoES in gender mainstreaming of its Action Plan on implementation of the Medium-term State Programme for the Protection of the Population and Territories from Emergency Situations for 2023–2028. It continued rendering technical support of CoES and stakeholders on the introduction of gender approaches, namely, taking into account such areas as the involvement of women and girls in the work to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian activities, recovery and development after disasters; reducing vulnerability and managing risks to protect women and girls; meeting their needs and protecting their rights in relation to various vulnerabilities and real opportunities. UN Women pays attention to engagement of the specialized groups of population, including people with disabilities, elderly and others, and calls on partners to take disability & inclusion systematically into account in their planning and implementation of activities, including their presence in the decision-making structures.

CoES and development partners jointly implement the Early Warning for All (EW4All) initiative in Tajikistan, and the Medium-term State Programme for the Protection of Population and Territories from Emergency Situations for 2023–2028. UN-Women is in the process of launching a project on “Strengthening the capacity of national partners to integrate gender perspectives into disaster risk management policies”. In this regard, 

UN Women intends to hire a national consultant (GENDER and DRR CONSULTANT) to enhance the capacity of national partners to integrate gender perspectives into disaster risk management policies.

UN Women’s continued engagement in Tajikistan in supporting the integration of gender considerations into national and local policies — and in strengthening the capacity of community leaders and government personnel in the areas of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation — is particularly relevant in light of the following developments:

1. The adoption and commencement of implementation of the Gender Action Plan in support of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Sendai GAP). 
2. The extension of the Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and the development of a new implementation plan. 
3. The upcoming development of an Action Plan for 2026–2028, within the framework of the Medium-Term State Programme of the Republic of Tajikistan for the Protection of the Population and Territories from Emergencies for 2023–2028, further underscores the need for gender expertise and continued support.

UN Women's project activities in Tajikistan are guided by the key priorities and objectives set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, long-term national strategies, and medium-term state programmes in the areas of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, as well as the Gender Action Plan in support of the implementation of the Sendai Framework. The main priority areas include:

1. Understanding disaster risk.

2. Strengthening legal and institutional frameworks for disaster risk governance.

3. Investing in disaster risk reduction to enhance resilience.

4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and applying the “build back better” principle in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

Objective 

To support the further integration of gender-responsive approaches and the key provisions of the Sendai Framework Gender Action Plan into disaster risk governance policies at the national and local levels. 

Scope of Work and Responsibilities

The scope of activities includes 2 key areas:

1. Integrate gender priorities and objectives of the Gender Equality Action Plan of the Sendai Framework into the Action Plan for 2026-2028 within the framework of the Medium-Term State Programme on Protection of Population and Territories from Emergency Situations for 2023-2028. 
2. Increase gender capacity of staff of ministries, national agencies and local authorities dealing with DRR and climate change adaptation.

National Consultant in partnership with the CoES, the Government Working Group for the development of the Action Plan for 2026-2028 under the Medium-Term State Programme on Protection of Population and Territories from Emergency Situations for 2023-2028, members of the National Platform and in consultation with UN women, will:

А. Provide expert support to the Government of Tajikistan's working group on the integration of gender perspectives into the draft action plan.

1. Provision of expert support to the Government's working group on the Action Plan for 2026-2028 under the Medium-Term State Programme on Protection of Population and Territories from Emergency Situations for 2023-2028 (Draft action plan), and development of proposals on the integration of gender perspectives into the draft Action Plan.
2. Active participation in the discussions of the Action Plan drafts.
3. Within the framework of consultations with local community leaders to discuss the draft Action Plan for 2026-2028: development of the program and other necessary documents for consultations at the local level (1 district in Sughd region and 1 district in Khatlon region) with participation of CSOs and local communities; preparation of generalized recommendations to the draft Action Plan based on the results of consultations.

В. Develop a specialized training course on “Gender Aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” 

1. Development of a specialized training course on “Gender Aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation”. 
2. Preparation of the program and other necessary materials for piloting the developed specialized course. 
3. Conducting briefing on the behavior of the training for the trainer. 
4. Finalization of the training course based on the piloting results and preparing supporting documents for submission to the CoES.

Please, note: UN Women will cover training arrangements, i.e., logistics, (hall rent, meal and handouts), travel costs and accommodation for participants as per local market prices.

Deliverables (in-person and/or online) :

Ownership: 

The developed products belong to the UN Women solely.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;
• Experience in providing training for adult audience;
• Experience in analytics, report writing, and communication skills.

Qualifications

Education: 

• University (diploma) degree in social sciences, ecology, disaster risk management, gender studies, public policy/administration, economy, and development studies relevant to this ToR.

Knowledge and professional experience:

• 5 years of experience of cooperation with the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan (CoES) or close structures in mainstreaming gender through DRR and/or Climate Change programming;
• 3 years of experience in capacity building of state and non-state partners on gender and inclusion, including Leave No One Behind principle;
• 3 years of experience in drafting learning materials and/or in adjusting them for different categories of audience, including grass-root level.

Language: 

• Fluent in written and spoken Russian language; knowledge of Tajik is an asset. 

Application procedure:

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application:

• Letter of Interest, signed copy should be submitted;

Candidates should have the ability to quickly produce degree certificates and medical certification (of good health) should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy post.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.