Gender Analysis Consultant

Terms of Reference
Vietnam Gender Analysis for PMI-LED Program

Program: Partnership for Municipal Innovation in Local Economic Development (PMI-LED)
Post Title: Gender Analysis Consultant
Organization: The Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN) - Secretariat
Location: Hanoi and the cities of Cao Lanh, Can Tho (optional)
Duration: 17 working days (maximum) within 2 months (July – August 2018)
Deliverables: Gender analysis on Local Economic Development (LED) in urban sector and a training workshop on gender equity with focus on women leadership and participation in LED
Report to: ACVN (Secretariat and PMI-LED National Program Coordinator)

Context

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been the voice of municipal government in Canada since 1901. Recognizing that municipal governments around the world are the closest to the people and bring concrete impacts to communities’ health and growth, FCM has since 1987 shared expertise and supported programs with counterparts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Through its international programs, FCM works with municipal governments and associations of local government to strengthen local governance and democracy, foster economic development, and promote gender equality and environmental sustainability.

As part of its commitment to the strengthening of municipal governments, the Partnerships for Municipal Innovation in Local Economic Development (PMI-LED) started in 2016 as a five-year partnership program supported financially by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and by in-kind contributions from Canadian municipalities. PMI-LED works to strengthen sustainable local economic development in Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bolivia, and Nicaragua.

The program aims to create an enabling environment so that local governments can plan a community-led economic vision, set up projects and adopt adequate policies and practices for inclusive and sustainable economic development. It also aims at facilitating greater access for women and youth to local economic development initiatives, and to promote trade and regional economic development opportunities at the local level. The program works through local government associations (LGAs) as partners and with local governments.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has adopted in 2017 a feminist international assistance policy that aims at strengthening gender equality throughout programs and projects implemented by its partners. This new policy encourages a more deliberate and systemic approach whereby evidence on gender equality results can be demonstrated through projects. The economic development strategies and actions of the PMI-LED program must be defined based on a sound assessment of social and cultural conditions prevailing where the program takes place. Communities are more than social groupings; they are comprised of distinct people, men and women, youth and older people, etc. Accordingly, PMI-LED as an inclusive economic development program needs to understand the diverse local economic issues, interests, needs, and obstacles specifically related to gender to ensure it is designed to bear positive impacts
equally on all members of communities.

The services of an experienced local gender equality consultant are required to assist the PMI-LED program and its partner local government associations to in complete a gender analysis with a set of recommendations following the guidelines and template proposed below.

The selected consultant will be expected to work between 15 and 17 days on the tasks outlined below, and to deliver a 15 to 16 page Gender Analysis report (excluding annexes) and one-day training workshop on gender equity in LED by August 30, 2018.

Objectives

The Gender Analysis will provide the PMI-LED team in Vietnam with accurate, up-to-date data, an assessment of LED related gender issues in the country and some recommendations tied to the PMI-LED program objectives, which will support the inclusive local economic development (LED) interventions leading to the achievement of the PMI-LED outcomes and the promotion of gender equality.

Scope

Because social norms, gender roles and expectations vary from one culture to another and from a place to another, it is vital to understand the specifics of gender issues as they relate to local economic development (LED) within a program aiming at inclusive economic development and the creation of an enabling environment. The nature of inequality, evidence-based data on status of men and of women, and the policy and normative environment that are key to allocation of resources, opportunities, and inclusiveness are elements of information that the PMI-LED program must use in order to meet its objectives in Vietnam. The Gender Analysis will
be national in scope but may focus on local economic dynamics and equal opportunities given to women in inclusive LED in Vietnam context. Accordingly, a Gender Analysis in Vietnam will cover:

• National and local context of demonstration project local governments (the cities of Cao Lanh and Can Tho)
• Gender equality issues and barriers/gaps (in general – doesn’t need to be specific to economic development)
• The different impacts of LED initiatives on women and men in country and locally
• Factors that could enhance gender equality in local economic development
• Recommendations on strategies, activities and mechanisms aligned with PMI-LED objectives and outcomes that could respond to gender equality issues (in Vietnam or /and urban sector)

Tasks Required (tentative allocation: 12 days)

1) Gender analysis:

• Review of relevant background documents: - 2 days
  
  • PMI-LED Vietnam national program implementation plan (NPIP), PMI-LED Logic model and Performance management framework (PMF)
  • Country specific Gender Equality related information collected during Inception phase (August 2016)
  • PMI-LED Gender Equality Strategy
  • Statistical data (from country or other sources such as UN, NGOs, international research centres, academics, donors…) about gender inequality, status of women, women’s rights, and data relevant to women in local economic activity (entrepreneurship, informal economy
  • Literature review of relevant LED reports, studies, analyses, good practices specifically related to gender equality
  • Global Affairs Canada Gender Equality Policy: http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/funding-financement/policy-politi...
  • Global Affairs Canada Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_develop...

• Summarize relevant information about country context in relation to gender equality, women’s rights and local economic development (LED) with statistical disaggregated data and other evidence-based data -1.0 day
• Through documentation review and consultations, identify and analyze key gender equality issues and barriers in relation to local economic development in the country and locally, including local partners capacity for gender equality programming -2.0 days
• Assess outcomes of PMI-LED in providing response to identified gender barriers and gaps and outline different impacts that some PMI-LED outcomes can have on women and men (Enabling environment and Regional Economic Development and Trade) – 2.0 days
• Identify opportunities and factors that could promote gender equality in LED in country, including potential partners, models, and collaborations -1.5 day
• Prepare a set of core recommendations for short-term (1 year to 18 months) to help enhance the impact of the program on gender equality -1.5 day
• Review and edit following feedback on initial draft – 1.0 day
• Discuss and present key findings with PMI-LED team in Vietnam – 1.0 day

2) Training workshop on gender equity with focus on women leadership and participation in LED

• Prepare the workshop agenda and presentations based on the findings and recommendations identified from the gender analysis paper – 2.0 days
• Facilitate one-day workshop on gender equity and inclusive LED – 1.0 day

Note: additional days may be required based on travel needs, access to information needs, etc. Planning of days allocation will be discussed with PMI-LED team upon selection.

Process and Timeframe:

The following timeline is proposed

• Mid August: Receive all relevant background documentation and clarify any questions regarding scope of work, process, timelines.
• Mid August – late September: Research and writing period
• Late September: Submission of draft Gender Analysis report
• Mid October: Feedback from PMI-LED team on draft Gender Analysis report
• Mid – Late October: Revisions based on feedback and final submission of the Gender Analysis report.

Qualification

The successful candidate will have:

• Professional experience and expertise in gender and development
• Demonstrated analytical skills, especially in literature review, report writing and editing.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience on gender analysis work in Vietnam
• Documented experience of performing gender analysis or gender equality assessment, preferably in community-based or local government settings;
• Proven capacity in organized documentary review and participatory data collection;
• Proven networking experiences or be familiar with different organizations working for gender equity in Vietnam (e.g., NGOs, UN Women Fund, relevant government agencies).
• Solid English writing skills
• Capacity to work independently but engage as needed with a team

To express interest in this consultancy, candidates should submit a covering letter, a CV of no more than four pages, and expected rate for the assigment before end of workday on 10 August 2018, addressed to: Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, at: [email protected]

The Gender Analysis Report will be written using the following outline in English:

PMI-LED Vietnam Gender Analysis Report Outline

Executive Summary (1 page)

1. Background (0.5 page)

• Purpose and rationale for the Gender analysis for PMI-LED program

2. Methodology (0.5 page)

3. Gender Equality Context (2.0 pages)

• Statistical information about gender equality in country; gender disaggregated data on educational levels; employment rates and sectors; access to economic development resources; participation of women/men in governance, markets, trade, etc.)
• Policy and regulatory framework (government and national PMI-LED partners: on gender equality, women’s rights, mechanisms to promote gender equality at national and at local levels)
• Gender roles on social, political, economic issues (norms, traditions, etc.)

4. Gender Dimensions of Local Economic Development (4-5 pages)

• Situation of women in decision-making in local government including statistics (mayors and councilors for the past 10 years, if available), trends, targets, etc.
• Overview of gender equality issues and barriers in relation to LED in country and locally (access to and control over economic resources; labour force and sectors of engagement; gender-based violence; formal and informal economy; participation in economic spaces and decision-making; distribution between women and men of paid vs unpaid labour (e.g. “care” economy); entrepreneurship; employment, wages and opportunities for advancement, etc.)
• Overview of situation of women entrepreneurs including data (what percentage of SMEs are owned by women), obstacles, key research that exists, women’s business associations, identification of women-owned businesses involved in regional/international trade, etc.

5. PMI-LED Outcomes and Gender Equality objectives (4-5 pages)

• Based on the program’s logic model:
  
  • assess whether and how the outcomes respond to identified gender barriers and gaps;
  • outline how can different capacities of men and women as contributors to the local economy be valued and strengthened, how different impacts on men and women that some PMI-LED outcomes can have (Enabling environment; Inclusive LED; Trade and Regional Economic Development);
  • illustrate how PMI-LED outcomes may contribute to some of the 6 priority Action areas of Global Affairs Canada Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP)

• Briefly comment on the capacity of LGAs to address gender equality issues (doing gender analysis, enticing women’s participation and leadership, specific training, past programs or initiatives, etc.)

6. Factors in support of gender equality in LED interventions: (1 page)

• Highlight opportunities and factors that can promote gender equality in LED, if possible with documented examples, models, local practices bearing results (what has worked to date and what can be built on by PMI-LED)
• Identify potential allies, partnerships or collaborations, that could further enhance gender equality in LED initiatives

7. Recommendations: (2 pages)

• A (bullet-point) set of recommendations that the PMI-LED program can consider in the short-term to strengthen gender equality impacts throughout PMI-LED key outcomes in Vietnam

Annexes

• Bibliography
• People interviewed
• Contacts and references on cooperation initiatives/programs that could be drawn on or researched further (other Canadian projects, UN-Women initiatives, other donor initiatives, etc.)