National Gender Equality Specialist

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI):

NATIONAL GENDER EQUALITY SPECIALIST: NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR

BACKGROUND

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation driven by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Founded in the Netherlands in 1965, we have built a long-term country presence in over 24 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors works with local partners to equip communities, businesses, and organizations with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to markets and basic services - empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own development. Our work focuses on three sectors - Agriculture, Energy, and Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH).

SNV has been working in Viet Nam since 1995, and currently has over 30 national and international staff. SNV Viet Nam’s team works hand-in-hand with communities, government agencies, and businesses in more than 50 provinces, including the remotest and poorest areas of the country. We operate from a country head office in Hanoi and regional offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Dalat.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

Viet Nam is widely recognized as being one of the countries most adversely impacted by climate change mainly due to the large proportion of the population living in low-lying coastal and delta regions and dependent on land and agriculture for their livelihoods. SNV Viet Nam’s Agriculture sector portfolio of projects is therefore strongly oriented towards supporting the Government of Viet Nam’s international climate change commitments as well as domestic policies on adaptation to climate change and agricultural restructuring i.e. supporting actions that enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers in priority climate-vulnerable landscapes and aim to transform key sub-sectors towards clean and sustainable production and higher-value markets. In doing so, SNV promotes market-based solutions that benefit rural poor and marginalized communities through inclusive value-chain development, including with a significant emphasis on promoting women’s economic empowerment in agricultural value-chains.

SNV Viet Nam was recently selected in partnership with IUCN, UNEP and the International Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM) to lead the preparation of a new bilateral project as part of the German government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI). The project is entitled “Viet Nam Nature-based Solutions for Adaptation in Agriculture through Private Sector Transformation” (VN-ADAPT). The project aims to accelerate the adoption of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the agriculture sector with a focus on two key climate vulnerable landscapes – the Mekong River Delta (MRD) and the Central Highlands. It is expected that the detailed project proposal shall be prepared between May 2022 and January 2023.

To assist with the preparation of this exciting and much-needed project, SNV now seeks the services of an experienced national gender specialist to ensure that the project is designed in line with the donor (and SNV’s) gender strategy, requirements and standards and ensuring a gender-responsive project design.

KEY TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Consultant is expected to perform the following key tasks and responsibilities under the guidance of SNV’s International Team Leader and in coordination with other project preparation team members, as required:

1. As a contribution to the VN-ADAPT project preparation phase background assessments, contribute to the preparation of analyses of existing gender trends, inequalities and issues nationally, as well as any specific issues in the Central Highlands and MRD, especially as they relate to the agriculture sector and climate change adaptation.
2. Conduct a preliminary screening of likely/tentative project work packages and activities, and - considering both the IKI’s new Gender Strategy as well as SNV’s own commitment to the Gender Practitioner Collaborative’s Minimum Standards on Gender Equality Mainstreaming - identify relevant potential opportunities for the project to contribute positively towards gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, as well as aspects of the project where there is the potential to exacerbate existing gender inequalities (at least the project should ‘do no harm’).
3. Present the findings of the background assessment concerning gender trends, inequalities and issues, including preliminary screening, at the National Kick-off workshop for comments and feedback.
4. Develop a methodology and survey work plan including consultations and interviews key experts, stakeholders and participatory consultations in the project’s field sites with representatives of groups of intended beneficiaries or impacted by the project, especially local women’s organisations, women-led (and other) agribusinesses, cooperatives, and male and female smallholder farmers.
5. Conduct interviews in Ha Noi and field visits, surveys and consultations in the Central Highlands and MRD to better understand local contexts and perceptions, and assess potential opportunities to address existing gender inequalities and promote women’s economic empowerment as part of the project’s proposed activities.
6. Based on the field surveys and consultations, and working with technical team members, prepare a gender assessment report detailing the overall background context nationally, and in the project landscapes, and identifying clear strategies and measures to address existing gender inequalities, ensure a gender-responsive project design and promote women’s economic empowerment within the project work packages and activities.
7. Based on the findings and recommended strategies and measures (see (vi) above), draft a concise Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the project.
8. Working closely with SNV’s Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist, identify appropriate SMART indicators and M&E methods to ensure that the project captures its gender-related processes, outcomes and impacts.
9. Prepare materials for presentation of and consultation on gender equality-related opportunities and risks and the draft GAP, at a national consultation workshop.
10. Finalise the GAP based on comments and feedback from the national consultation workshop.
11. Contribute to the preparation of the project proposal document’s relevant sections on gender equality, as required.

For more details on the Expression of Interest process, submission requirements, and evaluation details, please see corresponding sections below:

Selection Process

SNV will review all Expressions of Interest received in accordance with the guidelines and criteria in this solicitation. SNV reserves the right to exclude any EOIs that do not meet the guidelines. Please note that SNV is unable to provide detailed feedback to those EOIs that are not selected.

Step 1: SNV will shortlist selected EOIs, and unsuccessful respondents will be notified. Successful applicants will be contacted by SNV.

Step 2: SNV will release Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the specific activities and contract with the selected organizations/ consultants.

Protection of Information

We request that Expressions of Interest responses be free of any intellectual property that the applicant wishes to protect. Should offerors wish to include proprietary intellectual property that they believe would be helpful for SNV, please note the proprietary nature of such information. Costing information will be kept confidential and will not be shared beyond SNV.

Issuance of this EOI does not constitute a commitment, award, or engagement on the part of SNV nor does it commit SNV to any future commitment or engagement.

Note: SNV reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement in the EOI/or solicitation process at any time.