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.

In Türkiye, in line with its global,  Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and Country Strategic Note (2022-2025) https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2023/05/brochure-strategic-note-2022-2025-turkiye , and the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Turkiye (UNSDCF) (2021-2025)https://turkiye.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/UNSDCF_17.03.22.pdf UN Women works towards the overarching goal of “Women and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socio- economic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Turkey”. UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction.

Following the devastating earthquake on February 6th 2023, UN Women’s response focused on identifying the needs and priorities of women and girls affected by the earthquake and advocating for them to be addressed throughout the humanitarian response, working in partnership with the Government of Türkiye at central and local level, civil society, private sector and other UN agencies. Since the earthquake, UN Women has been leading the inter-sectoral and inter-agency Women Empowerment in Humanitarian Action (WEHA) Working Group (WG) with representation from all sectors. WEHA WG has offered technical and advisory support to the HCT/UNCT+ and sectors to ensure that the humanitarian and recovery response is tailored to address the specific needs of women and girls and strengthening the dimensions of women’s empowerment across the different sectors. Local Women Led Organization (WLOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who have been active/ still active in the humanitarian response are crucial members in the WEHA WG per different sectors[1]. UN Women has also focused on the localization and support to civil society organizations (CSOs) in particular women-led organizations (WLO), which play critical role as first responders, providing women and girls affected by the earthquake with needs and services, and as advocates for their rights across the response.  In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, UN Women conducted consultations and survey encompassing 85 CSOs which shared their experiences and perspectives on the impact of the earthquakes on the women and girls, as well on their own programmes, operations and priorities going forward.

Purpose of the consultancy

Through this consultancy UN Women Türkiye Office would like to;

1. assess the role (including good practices and challenges) and the needs  of  Women Led Organizations (WLOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in recovery response almost two years after the 6 February 2023 earthquakes that hit the southeast regions of Türkiye
2. review how Women Led Organizations (WLOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are engaged in and how UN led interagency coordination bodies, including WEHA, in humanitarian and recovery response.
3. Review the humanitarian/recovery needs of women and girls in the earthquake region as identified by the WLOs and the CSOs.

Scope of the consultancy:

The consultant is initially expected to map, in consultation with UN Women Türkiye Office, the local WLOs and CSOs actively engaged in humanitarian/recovery response and the interagency coordination systems. He/she will be preparing a survey to be sent to all of them to understand their roles, needs, good practices and challenges of the organizations’ vis a vis delivery of gender responsive humanitarian/recovery response. Additionally, the survey needs to capture remaining humanitarian and/or recovery needs of the women and girls in the earthquake impacted regions after almost two years since the 6th of February earthquake, as perceived by the WLOs and CSOs active in the field. In addition to the survey, he/she is expected to hold focus group discussions (FGDs) in Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Hatay and Kahramanmaraş. The final report is expected to cover analyzes of data, the gaps to be addressed, case studies to be highlighted, and recommendations to be put forward to different stakeholders (local & international humanitarian actors, and donors). UN Women expects the consultant to assess the familiarity of the CSOs/WLOs with UN interagency coordination system, sectors and especially WEHA WG in the report as well. The results will be compiled into a report to be used by UN Women and partners as a tool to advocate for continuous funding and resources for CSOs/WLOs to enhance their role in providing women and girls with the unmet needs and services during the recovery phase.

Functions:

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will work closely with the Gender Analyst and the Programme Analyst for technical follow-ups, and logistics and under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, Crisis Response.

Desk review:

• Coordinate with UN Women Türkiye office to map the WLOs and CSOs who are actively engaged in the humanitarian/recovery response and the interagency coordination systems.
• Review of documents to analyze what WLOs and CSOs have done during the humanitarian response, and how they have engaged with the sectors and WEHA.
• Prepare a survey to be sent to all the identified WLOs/CSOs to understand their roles, needs, good practices and challenges of the organizations vis a vis delivery of gender responsive humanitarian/recovery response.
• The survey should also capture remaining humanitarian and/or recovery needs of the women and girls in the earthquake impacted regions almost after two years of the earthquake, as perceived by the WLOs an CSOs active in the field.
• Meet with CSOs/WLOs, and representatives from the Response Sectors (via WEHA) who coordinated with WLOs/CSOs to provide overall assistances to women and girls affected by the earthquakes.

Development of Methodology:

• Based on the initiative finding of the desk review, present a detailed methodology that includes the questionnaires for the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and the online in-depth questions to be conducted with the CSOs/WLOs.
• Develop the questionnaires for focus group discussions (FGD) with CSOs/WLOs for qualitative data collection.
• Develop semi-structured in-depth interviews to be conducted online (and where possible face-to-face)

Conducting Fieldwork:

• hold focus group discussions (FGDs) in Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Hatay and Kahramanmaraş.
• Special focus on assistance provided to women and girls facing multiple vulnerabilities such as refugee women and girls, adolescent girls, and women and girls with disabilities.
• The FGDs with the CSOs/WLOs should lead to qualitative data collection.

Analysis of the qualitative data, validate the findings and develop the report:

• Report the findings of the desk review and the meeting with sector members,
• Report the findings from the FGDs and the online in-depth interviews,
• Include findings to Inform the humanitarian actors and donors on the needs and impacts of different assistance and services provided for women and girls, not only during the immediate aftermath of a humanitarian disaster, but also during the recovery phase.
• Conduct a validation workshop for representatives of different humanitarian response sectors for feedback.
• Conduct a one-day workshop (after the validation workshop) with the CSOs to further introduce them to WEHA, and discuss ways of enhancing cooperation and integration with the WEHA WG that will strengthen their position to provide recovery assistance to the women and girls affected by the earthquakes,
• Assess the familiarity of the CSOs/WLOs with UN interagency coordination system, sectors and especially  WEHA WG, and reflect it in the report.
• The results will be compiled into a report to be used by UN Women and partners as a tool to advocate for continuous funding and resources for CSOs/WLOs to enhance their role in providing women and girls with the unmet needs and services during the recovery phase.
• The final report is expected to cover analyzes of data, the gaps to be addressed, case studies to be highlighted, and recommendations to be put forward to different stakeholders (local & international humanitarian actors, and donors).

Deliverables:

The Duration of the consultancy is 20 days, from 25 November – 23 December 2024. The Consultant is expected to spend up to 15 days field work, in Hatay and Adiyaman.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

As part of this assignment, there may be a maximum of 4 trips to Adiyaman and Hatay. Including travel, the trip will be maximum for 20 days and the expenses will be covered by UN Women Turkiye based on UN Women rules and regulations.

Key Performance Indicators

• Adherence to UN Women mandate, standards and rules.
• Timely and quality delivery of the training and capacity building services and technical support as stipulated under Part II.
• Willingness to shares knowledge and experience,
• Demonstration of excellent written and oral communication skills and communicating sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies,
• Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported,
• Ability to review a variety of data, identify & adjust discrepancies, identify & resolve operational problems,
• Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource,
• Provision of quality and timely monthly reports and the final report.
• Positive feedbacks from UN Women’s stakeholders regarding the substantive support provided by the Consultants.

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:

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies,
• Knowledge of local administrations in Türkiye in general and especially in relation to the Earthquake response,
• Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues in general, and Türkiye specific context,
• Strong knowledge of Gender Sensitive Humanitarian and Recovery Response related areas,
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings,
• Good knowledge of technical area, and especially in developing findings, recommendations and guidelines,
• Excellent research and analytical skills,
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail,
• Focuses on impact and results for client,
• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity,
• risk management, change management, negotiation, commitment to continuous improvement,
• building, marketing, accounting, research, business planning.
• Culturally sensitive, able and interested in working with a multi-ethnic team.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience 

Statements:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

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.)