Result of Service

The consultant’s work will directly contribute to strengthening the LAC Women’s Network, empowering women across the region to take a leadership role in DRR and resilience-building efforts. Through enhanced coordination, impactful research, and strategic support, the Network will serve as a dynamic platform for advancing gender-sensitive DRR approaches, fostering capacity-building, amplifying women’s voices in decision-making, and promoting sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Work Location

Home based

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 150 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses, and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action, and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk by working with the U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, and the science and technology community. This consultancy is in keeping with the commitments of UNDRR’s Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean to the key aspects of the United Nations Joint Study of Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership in disaster risk reduction (DRR) (https://unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/Research-paper-Beyond-vulnerability-to-gender-equality-en.pdf). Through its 13 Guiding Principles, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) emphasizes the need to pay special attention to those people most disproportionately affected by disasters, and that gender, age, disability, income, and intercultural perspective should be integrated into all policies, programmes, and practices, while also calling for a multisectoral, multi-hazard and multi-stakeholder approach to disaster risk reduction with the appropriate mitigation, prevention, risk reduction, and risk management measures. Building on the priorities for action and targets set out in the Sendai Framework and through a conceptual shift towards the mainstreaming of the systemic nature of disaster risk as an integral and determining factor in development processes, UNDRR recognizes the importance of the active and meaningful engagement of all sectors and stakeholders, ensuring the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity, as well a multi-hazard approach, to accelerate the Sendai Framework’s implementation and ensuring that no one is left behind in the Americas and the Caribbean. Gender-responsive DRR implies understanding how people’s lives are affected by gender norms, roles and relations within a given culture and society, which is fundamental to understanding the underlying factors of risk and thus reducing disaster risk. Women, girls, boys, men, and people of diverse gender identities face different vulnerabilities in different contexts. Each context has different vulnerabilities that affect how different individuals and population groups experience and thus recover from disaster impacts but also how they can best prepare to avoid the occurrence of disasters as well as recover more effectively in the case that a disaster does occur. UNDRR supports gender-transformative disaster risk reduction that not only identifies and meets the different and intersectional needs of women and girls, men and boys, and people of diverse gender identities but seeks to redress the underlying causes of vulnerability and risk through a gender lens by putting women’s resilience and leadership at the center of DRR strategies, policies, and programming to promote more inclusive and comprehensive risk-sensitive development with a view to leaving no one behind. In this context, the Regional Office of UNDRR for the Americas and the Caribbean is seeking a consultant to provide Strategic Support to the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Women’s Network for Disaster Risk Reduction to support the activities of LAC Women’s Network for Disaster Risk Reduction, enhance the communications strategy, and contribute to the Network’s internal processes and products. Duties and Responsibilities This consultancy is home-based. Under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer and Regional Coordinator for Early Warning for All, the consultant will support initiatives in three key areas: 1. Management of the LAC Women’s Network for DRR – Steering Committee Transition: Facilitate the handover from the outgoing to the incoming Steering Committee, ensuring adherence to the 2024 governance document. – Women’s Network Coordination: Oversee the organization of Women’s Network events and monthly meetings, ensuring alignment with governance goals and supporting engagement with external stakeholders. Deliver a calendar and logistics report covering all capacity-building activities, including supporting materials, participant feedback, and recommendations for future improvements. – Network Plenary Sessions: Support the organization of at least two plenary sessions. – Women’s Network Working Groups: Support the facilitation of Working Group meetings and related tasks, such as organizing the meetings, producing communication materials related to the meetings and/or supporting the groups to reach out their goals, whether they are related to events, publications, or advocacy activities. – Communication Strategy: Develop and execute a communication strategy to enhance visibility, engagement, and transparency within the Women’s Network, including internal updates and external outreach. – Engagement Tracking: Monitor and report on member engagement in network activities to inform strategic decision-making and enhance participation. – Capacity-Building Initiatives: Design and coordinate a calendar of capacity-building activities tailored to Network members’ needs, handling logistics, materials, and post-activity assessments. 2. Coordinate the review, revision, and production of the Regional Assessment Report 2024 (RAR 2024) Annex on gender-sensitive financing in DRR, ensuring alignment with UNDRR standards and objectives. – Support the finalization process by overseeing translation, proofreading, and ensuring the quality of the document in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. – Facilitate the design and layout process by liaising with graphic designers and communications specialists, ensuring the document is visually engaging and accessible. – Provide input on research findings, trends, and best practices to enhance the gender perspective in financing and resilient infrastructure strategies. 3. Ad Hoc Project Coordination Support – Assist with other project activities as needed, such as event coordination, communication planning, and outreach strategies. Flexibility to adapt to emerging UNDRR projects within the scope of DRR and gender will be expected. -Assist with research and communication activities as needed, including producing reports, policy briefs, and other informative materials.

Qualifications/special skills

– Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Urban Development, or Economic, with a focus on Gender Equality Perspectives, Human Rights, Public Policy or Administration, International Development, Disaster Risk Management, or related fields, is required. A first level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. – A minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible working experience in sustainable development, human rights, policy, gender, urban development, marginalized groups, disaster risk reduction, or related topic is required. – Working experience in Latin America and the Caribbean is desirable. – Working experience in a multicultural context is desirable.

Languages

– Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

Additional Information

*FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY*. UNDRR values diversity among its staff. We welcome applications from qualified women, men, and people with disabilities. Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.