Regional GESI Advisor

POSITION TITLE: Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor

NBS Climate Change Adaptation Project in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

POSITION LOCATION: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

REPORTS TO: Project Director

CONTRACT TERM: One Year, renewable

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

LANGUAGES: Fluency in both French and English are required

Background

The Guinean forest of West Africa has been identified as a “global biodiversity hotspot” due to its high concentrations of endemic species and exceptional habitats. Major climate challenges in the region include rising temperatures and more erratic rainfall, both of which are expected to increase in the future. The direct consequences are a shortening and shifting of the average growing season and a reduction in the productive potential of ecosystems. Furthermore, the ecoregion’s contemporary landscapes have been greatly altered by human activities, in particular slash-and-burn agriculture, lumber extraction and the extension of plantations of key commodities, including cocoa, coffee and more. This has been compounded by the negative impacts of biodiversity loss. Migration into these forest areas from northern regions of the Sahel, also severely impacted by climate change, is already creating population pressure on degraded forests and will likely continue in years to come. These challenges impact women and men differently, owing to their different roles and control over forest management and agricultural systems. Deforestation has increased the burdens on women in gathering firewood, medicine and other forest products, while decreasing women’s income potential and increasing time poverty. Unequal gender roles in forest livelihoods, and the different adaptations available to men and women, are shaped by complex social, cultural and economic relationships and unequal power relations that require careful attention to context and broad inclusion of diverse voices.

The Nature-Based Climate Adaptation in the Guinean Forests of West Africa project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is being implemented in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana by the World University Service of Canada (EUMC) and the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), in close collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Center for International Forestry Research and the International Center for Research in Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and ABANTU for Development. The project aims to strengthen the uptake of gender-responsive and inclusive climate change adaptation (CCA) solutions among communities residing in the Guinean forest region of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Guinea. This will be accomplished by improving women’s leadership in CCA planning processes, increasing the restoration of degraded forests and key habitats with biodiversity benefits, and increasing gender-sensitive investments that have a strong earning potential for women. The project will engage with a wide range of stakeholders including women’s organizations and local and national organizations to prioritize locally relevant solutions.

As part of the regional technical team supporting the implementation of the activities of the project in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor will be responsible for defining and implementing the GE capacity building strategies and activities for the project in the three target countries in close consultation with the other gender advisors and technical specialists mobilized on the project, as well as with key project partners ABANTU for Development, IUCN and CIFOR-ICRAF.

In this capacity and under the direction of the Project Director and with the technical support of CECI-Canada Gender Advisor, the Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor will assume the following main tasks:

Scope of work

In close collaboration with project partners and other GESI and technical advisors, the following tasks are to be carried in all 3 implementing countries (unless specified otherwise):

• • In collaboration with relevant project partners, prepare a community research protocol on gathering women’s local knowledge and perspectives of climate and biodiversity change and its impact on gender equality
  • Support relevant partners in undertaking research and consultations on local women’s knowledge and perspectives about climate change, climate adaptation and use of biodiversity;
  • Design and deliver training and quality assurance on gender transformative NbS, biodiversity and other restoration initiatives;
  • Support the formulation of gender transformative climate adaptation plans (landscape and community level);
  • Oversee the provision of a training of trainers (ToT) to partners on gender mainstreaming including gender responsive budgeting, in order to enable women to access resources to carry out relevant community led forest restoration / biodiversity activities;
  • Prepare gender responsive protocols to guide partner consultations with CSOs, government officials, policy makers during national budget planning and reporting process with a focus on the need for gender responsive NbS livelihood models

• Organize and facilitate awareness raising sessions for stakeholders (from the public and private sector including target communities) of the importance of gender in governance and decision making in local resource management, livelihoods, and climate adaptation;

• Ensure project’s Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process is gender sensitive and that appropriate feedback and grievance mechanisms are developed and deployed;
• Ensure market systems analysis of nature-based business opportunities and other livelihood initiatives that contribute to CCA are fully gender responsive;

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

Capacity Building

• Carry out participatory diagnoses with partners in the field of gender equality in regards to capacity building;
• Design training modules specific to approaches and concepts of gender in the context of NBS to climate change adaptation;
• Coordinate the process of identifying and mobilizing facilitators and building their capacity on GE in conjunction with established training programs;
• Supervise the GE theoretical and practical training sessions facilitated by the trained facilitators project team and partners in all 3 implementing countries and including a training of trainers’ (ToT) component;
• Ensure that gender mainstreaming strategies are taken into account in the development and implementation of all project activities;
• Assess trainings, make adjustments if necessary and disseminate lessons learned.
• Prepare gender sensitive training materials on the intersection of gender and nature based solutions for use by project partners and stakeholder

Advisory Support

• Provide advisory support as part of the design and implementation of other project activities on different issues such as CCA and gender, NBS and gender, market and economic opportunities analyses, incentives for adaptation and preservation, etc.
• Provide technical advisory support in Gender Equality (GE) to heads of CSOs and women’s organizations benefiting from the project;
• Carry out advisory support to partners for effective gender mainstreaming in their activities;

Communication, Coordination and Partnership Relations

• Ensure the development and dissemination of knowledge products (policy briefs on gender and Nbs, capitalization of best practices, innovative approaches and tools, etc.) with partners that highlight gender and NbS;
• As a cross-cutting position, provide support to team members in all 3 implementing countries to ensure that gender considerations are integrated in their work;
• Contribute to the refinement and oversee the implementation of the GE strategy by project team and partners

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Participate in the design of the project’s monitoring and evaluation methodology on the gender dimensions and collaborate with the project’s MEL Manager;
• Regularly monitor GE capacity building activities in order to identify problems and needs and make necessary adjustments;
• Undertake field monitoring visits nationally and in the region to support GESI implementation efforts for the project;
• Perform other tasks inherent to the position, such as drafting sections of annual work plans, narrative reports, analysis and other relevant project tasks.

QUALIFICATIONS

Training and Professional Experience

• University degree (preferably a Masters’ Degree) in gender equality, social development or other social science relevant field;
• At least 8 years of relevant experience in programme management, including in the design and dissemination of capacity building programmes focusing on gender equality;
• Proven experience in gender sensitive adult learning and training approaches and methodologies;
• Previous work experience with civil society organizations, agricultural producers’ organizations, economic interest groups and/or environmental organizations;
• Experience in gender analysis, capacity building of local partners and participatory approaches to local development.

Skills and Knowledge

• Proven technical skills on gender equality approaches, methodology and tools applied to the West African context required;
• Knowledge of climate change adaptation issues and nature-based solutions desirable;
• Knowledge of women’s rights and gender equality issues as they relate to the loss of biodiversity and climate change adaptation desirable;
• Knowledge of women’s entrepreneurship in rural farming or forestry;
• Knowledge of environmental sustainability desirable
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team;
• Bilingualism: verbal and writing skills in English and French required;
• Mastery of information and computer technologies (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google and Microsoft environments);
• Ability to simplify complex notions, facilitate and communicate effectively;
• Ability to travel to Guinea and Ghana including to remote areas and in the project sites in Côte d’Ivoire.

APPLICATIONS:

WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment.

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please.