CRC Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Consultant (Filipino Nationals Only) AT Catholic Relief Services

CRS was founded by the US Catholic Bishops Conference. With headquarters in Baltimore, the organization has approximately 3000 staff globally. CRS Philippines was established in 1945 and is the longest-running CRS country program in the world. Currently, CRS Philippines focuses its work on peacebuilding, emergency response, disaster risk reduction, and homes and communities. The Philippines country program has more than 120 staff with the main office in Manila and sub-offices in Davao, Tacloban and, Cotabato. CRS programs are implemented through a national network of partners, in close coordination with local, municipal and, national government agencies. The Country Program also provides support to CRS’s work in Indonesia, Timor Leste, and the Federated States of Micronesia, and has drawn international recognition for the impact, timeliness, and innovation of its programs and approaches.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the CRC project is a five-year activity that embodies a consultative and collaborative approach for advancing benchmarks for urban climate resilience in the Philippines. The CRC project supports six cities; namely, Batangas, Borongan, Cotabato, Iloilo, Legazpi, and Zamboanga. Four of CRC’s partner cities (Batangas, Iloilo, Legazpi, and Zamboanga) are Cities Development Initiative (CDI) 1 partners of USAID Philippines Mission.

The Climate Resilient Cities (CRC) project, in partnership with USAID, is a five-year initiative aiming to enhance cities’ adaptive capacities to climate change. Six cities—Batangas, Legazpi, Iloilo, Borongan, Cotabato, and Zamboanga—are part of the CRC project, focusing on climate data utilization, access to finance, and nature-based solutions. CRC is working with the LGUs and project team to enhance their knowledge of GESI as well as mainstreaming GESI into the activities of CRC. CRC is defining GESI as Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion of vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations may include persons with disability, indigenous peoples, youth and urban poor.

Scope of Work
Contract Period: January 1 to September 30, 2024 (Year 3 of CRC project)

CRS is seeking a consultant(s) to enhance the Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Plan of the CRC Project and integrate GESI in the climate adaptation activities and knowledge products of the project. The 5 outputs of this consultancy are to:

1. Review and enhance the existing CRC’s GESI Strategy
2. Lead the development of the GESI action plan for the second half of the project
3. Conduct trainings for CRC staff on mainstreaming GESI into Climate Adaptation and Climate Financing project activities
4. Review and mainstream GESI into Climate Adaptation and Climate Financing CRC lead trainings
5. Review and contribute to GESI narratives and objectives in the project mid-term review, quarterly reports and Annual Implementation Plan

   Outputs
   Task 1: Review and enhance the CRC’s GESI Strategy. The consultant may refer to Annex 10.3 of the Annual Implementation Plan for Year 2 for the GESI Action Framework and Section 4 of the Annual Implementation Plan for Year 3 for the GESI Action Plan for Year 3. The CRC’s GESI Action Framework will serve as a critical input into the CRC’s GESI Action Plan in item #2.
   Key Actions

   1. Review and refine CRC’s GESI Action Framework (GAF), conducting a detailed analysis of GESI concerns, barriers, or challenges across the three project outcomes.

   2. Identify GESI guiding principles specific to the CRC project.
   3. Define objectives under each of the three project outcomes related to GESI.
   4. Short-list and prioritize GESI activities and mainstreaming interventions in collaboration with various consortium activity leads and potentially involving LGU representatives.

   Consultation Process:
   The consultant will organize six virtual meetings or interactive sessions with CRC project staff (output 1.1; output 1.2; output 1.3; output 1.4; outcome 2; outcome 3) and, where applicable, external local government partners. This process aims to strengthen the GAF to align with the project’s goals and enhance its effectiveness in promoting gender equality and social inclusion across all aspects of CRC’s operations.

   Expected Outputs:
   An Enhanced GESI Action Framework for the CRC Project, comprising:
   a. A detailed analysis of GESI concerns, barriers, or challenges for each of the three project outcomes.
   b. GESI guiding principles.
   c. Objectives under each of the three project outcomes.
   d. Priority GESI activities and mainstreaming action points.

   Task 2: Develop CRC’s GESI Action Plan. Building on the first task, the CRC consultant will systematically review and enhance the existing GESI Action Plan and including the CRC GESI Strategy, expanding it into a comprehensive GESI Plan for Year 3 onwards. The focus is on refining the plan to ensure its effectiveness in meeting the project’s objectives and addressing the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups. This enhanced GESI Action Plan aims to strengthen the project’s relevance and impact, particularly in reaching vulnerable and marginalized groups, aligning with the CRC’s broader goals and objectives.

   Key Actions:
   1. Define GESI activities and mainstreaming interventions, outlining a clear timeline, tasks, and roles for various members of the CRC consortium and external local government partners over the next three years.
   2. Define GESI indicators for the CRC project, working closely with consortium activity leads and the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team.
   3. Identify two to three flagship GESI activities for the CRC project, providing detailed overviews and designs that describe their contribution to meeting GESI objectives.

   Expected Output:
   a. An Enhanced GESI Action Plan for Years 3 to 5 of the CRC project, comprising:
   b. GESI activities and mainstreaming interventions with a clear timeline, tasks, and roles for various project stakeholders.
   c. Proposed enhanced GESI indicators for the CRC project.
   d. Identification and detailed overview of two to three flagship GESI activities, including their designs and contributions to meeting GESI objectives.

   Task 3: Conduct GESI Trainings. The primary objective is to provide comprehensive GESI training to the CRC GESI Working Group (WG) and CRC staff. The focus is on various priority topics and areas of GESI within the context of the three outcomes of the CRC Project. This training will enhance the GESI capacity within the project team, ensuring a shared understanding and commitment to integrating GESI principles across the CRC Project’s diverse activities and outcomes.

   Key Actions:
   1. Conduct a two-day Training of Facilitators (ToF) to equip CRC GESI WG members and CRC staff with in-depth knowledge and skills in GESI.
   2. Organize four 2-hour internal webinars tailored for internal CRC project staff to delve into specific GESI topics and areas relevant to the three project outcomes.

   Expected Output:
   Successful implementation of the GESI training initiative, comprising:
   a. Two-day Training of Facilitators providing comprehensive knowledge and skills to CRC GESI WG and CRC staff.
   b. Four 2-hour internal webinars, each addressing specific GESI topics and areas pertinent to the three outcomes of the CRC Project.

   Task 4: Develop GESI Mainstreaming Guidelines, Frameworks and Tools. Close coordination with the CRC Project Manager, Climate Finance Technical Advisor (Outcome 2 lead), and the Capacities Building Working Group will be required to incorporate the GESI perspective into various aspects such as project proposals, trainings, and city plans. This integration aims to enhance the inclusivity and GESI sensitivity of CRC project proposals, as well as contribute to the success and impact of the proposed initiatives, particularly those related to natural-based solutions.

   Key Actions:
   1. Collaborate closely with the CRC team and CRS GESI Regional Technical Advisor to gain a thorough understanding of the specific requirements and objectives associated with project proposals, plans, and natural-based solutions supported by the project.
   2. Develop comprehensive guidelines, frameworks, and tools that will assist the CRC team in seamlessly integrating the GESI perspective during the development phase of project proposals, natural-based solutions, and city plans. This approach ensures a holistic and inclusive CRC strategy.

   Expected Output:
   The creation of GESI guidelines, frameworks, and tools. These resources are intended to support the CRC team in effectively incorporating GESI considerations throughout the project lifecycle, ultimately contributing to the successful integration of GESI into CRC initiatives.

   Task 5: Embed GESI into CRC Trainings. Offer technical assistance to diverse technical teams to seamlessly integrate GESI principles into CRC training modules. This task aims to enhance the effectiveness of CRC training modules by fostering a more inclusive and gender-sensitive learning environment.

   Key Actions:
   1. Collaborate with technical teams to understand the content, goals, and audience of the designated training modules.
   2. Develop strategies to effectively embed GESI considerations within the training content, ensuring relevance to diverse participants.
   3. Work closely with trainers to provide guidance on incorporating GESI principles into the delivery methods and materials of each module.
   4. Ensure that GESI is interwoven throughout the training experience to foster inclusivity and sensitivity.

   Expected Output:
   Successful incorporation of GESI principles into CRC raining modules, demonstrated by:
   a. Clearly defined GESI elements within the content of each module.
   b. Implementation of GESI-sensitive approaches in the delivery and facilitation of the training.
   c. Feedback and insights from participants reflecting an increased awareness of GESI considerations.

   Task 5: CRC Reports – GESI Coordination. Collaborate with the CRC Program Manager and Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to guarantee seamless integration of GESI outputs and deliverables into the project mid-term review (MTR) findings, recommendations, and subsequent post-MTR action plan as well as CRC quarterly reports and the annual implementation plan.

   Key Actions:
   1. Liaise with the PM and MEL team to understand the specific requirements for integrating GESI-related information into the mid-term review and donor reports process.
   2. Ensure that GESI findings, outputs, and deliverables align with the overall objectives of the MTR and donor reports.
   3. Collaborate on synthesizing GESI-related insights, recommendations, and lessons learned for inclusion in the MTR report and reviewing the GESI section in donor reports.
   4. Contribute to the development of an action plan post-MTR, highlighting key steps and adjustments related to GESI considerations.

   Expected Output:
   Smooth coordination between the GESI initiative and the MEL team, resulting in the integration of GESI outcomes into the mid-term review process, along with a comprehensive post-MTR action plan that addresses identified GESI-related improvements. This ensures that GESI considerations are integral to the project’s ongoing monitoring and adaptive management strategy and updated in quarterly reports.

   The detailed TOR can be found here.