Organizational Setting

Professional Organizations (POs) play an important role in the development of fisheries and aquaculture. They contribute significantly to increasing the role of trade corporations in strengthening food security and combating poverty, and they support fishers and aquaculturists in the sustainable management of their operations, primarily through supervision and advisory support.
In this regard, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources issued Executive Decree No. 22-405 of November 24, 2022, on fisheries and aquaculture cooperatives, which sets out the rules governing the creation and management of cooperatives. This decree defines fisheries and aquaculture cooperatives as non-profit entities with legal personality and financial autonomy, while also establishing their modalities for creation and management.
This measure was welcomed with great satisfaction by professionals, whose efforts have quickly resulted in the creation of 27 cooperatives in various fields, including a cooperative of women net menders, with 477 others in the process of formation.
Sectoral cooperatives could play a key role in achieving one of the most important objectives expected from the fisheries and aquaculture sectors: (i) to provide high-quality fisheries products at competitive prices for the benefit of consumers, (ii) to contribute to productivity growth through the joint and rational use of resources, equipment, materials, and facilities, (iii) to promote the cooperative spirit among their members, (iv) to improve the level of training and expertise of their members in managing their businesses and trades, (v) to participate in promoting human resource potential to stimulate job creation, and (vi) to contribute to the economic and social development of fisheries and aquaculture value chains.
Aware of the importance of the cooperative network for the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, the FAO Representation in Algeria, in close collaboration with the FAO Sub-Regional Office for North Africa (SNE) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, developed this TCPF, which will strengthen national institutional capacities and the profession to enable them to fully play their role in the sector’s development.

Reporting Lines

The specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Algeria, the technical officer in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture (LTO) at the FAO Sub-Regional Office for North Africa (SNEMD), and in close collaboration with the Program Officer.

Technical Focus

The National Gender Specialist will conduct a needs analysis of women in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, collecting sex-disaggregated data to map gender-sensitive value chains.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Submit a work plan with methodology and schedule.
•    Support a needs analysis (training and/or support) for women in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
•    Collect and analyze baseline information, including qualitative and quantitative data disaggregated by sex (and age, if possible), to provide an overview of the gender division of labor in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and make women’s work visible in the various value chains. This “gender-sensitive” value chain mapping will help identify components or activities that may affect certain aspects of gender equality and social inclusion and identify options for risk mitigation and possible trade-offs.
•    Identify and analyze gender constraints related to access to and control of resources that limit women’s productive and entrepreneurial potential, and propose concrete actions to address and strengthen women’s voice and action, responding to the identified obstacles.
•    Assess how the project will benefit other vulnerable groups/communities in general, with a focus on various social dimensions (gender, age, disability, socioeconomic status, etc.).
•    Work closely with the two cooperatives’ experts.
•    The analysis must align with FAO’s approach to gender-sensitive value chain development and use the analytical tools included in the publication: “Developing Gender-Sensitive Value Chains: A Practical Guide for Practitioners” and the online course available on the FAO platform: https://elearning.fao.org/course/view.php?id=543.
•    Support the organization and facilitation of the results dissemination workshop.
•    Support the organization and facilitation of one or more training sessions on the role of professional organizations (cooperatives, associations, and others) in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
•    Contribute concrete recommendations to the drafting of the national program to strengthen the capacities of professional organizations in creating and managing cooperatives.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in Gender studies, social sciences, international development, rural development, agricultural economics, sustainability, or related fields.
•    Minimum of 5 years in integrating gender perspectives and addressing social considerations in large-scale climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and programs in the broader agricultural sector.
•    Working knowledge of English, French.
•    National of Algeria or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Work experience in value chain analyses in the agricultural and fisheries sectors, socio-economic assessments, and vulnerability evaluations for planning, monitoring, and evaluation purposes, with knowledge of community-based and participatory approaches.
•    Experience working in rural livelihoods based on agriculture and fisheries, with a deep understanding of gender issues related to the agricultural and fisheries sectors, agri-food value chains, and the differentiated impacts and opportunities posed by climate change according to gender.
•    Familiarity with UN policy and procedures is an asset.