Study on Gender and Water Resource Management At CTG

CTG overview:

• CTG staff and support humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world, providing a rapid and cost-effective service for development and humanitarian missions. With past performance in 17 countries – from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia, we have placed more than 20,000 staff all over the world since operations began in 2006.
• CTG recruits, deploys and manages the right people with the right skills to implement humanitarian and development projects, from cleaners to obstetricians, and mechanics to infection specialists, we’re skilled in emergency response to crises such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Key to successful project delivery is the ability to mobilise at speed; CTG can source and deploy anyone, anywhere, in less than 2 weeks and have done so in 48 hours on a number of occasions.
• Through our efficient and agile HR, logistical and operational services, CTG saves multilateral organisations time and money. We handle all our clients’ HR related issues, so they are free to focus on their core services.
• Visit www.ctg.org to find out more

Overview of position:

• Our client in partnership with FAO is implementing a resilience program in the irrigation & agricultural sector. The 3 year project has 3 outcomes namely: improve agricultural production & resilience to water scarcity, enhance livelihood opportunities & reduce water related conflicts in targeted locations. The project is being implemented in Wadi Hadramut within Yemen’s largest governorate Hadramout; Wadi Bana in the Abyan governorate & the Dhamar Wadi catchment in the Dhamar governorate. Our cleint is responsible for implementing outcome 3, with an aim to reduce water related conflicts & improve water management through awareness raising & disaster preparedness at local level.
• This project component will transform water resources management for the purposes of agriculture into a democratic & reconciliatory process that reconciles the demands for water, which ultimately contributes to turning water from a cause of conflict to a driver for peace. The project will enhance the institutional & technical capacity of Water User Associations (WUAs) to be able to serve their communities in the target areas of the project. The project will also enhance disaster risk management through awareness raising, ensuring farmers participation in early warning mechanisms at the community level & adopting practices & approaches that help to mitigate the risks associated with extreme weather events. In addition, the project will address water resource related conflicts through the establishment of community based & inclusive conflict prevention & mediation mechanisms in the project target areas.
• During the implementation of the activities in Hadhramout, Abyan & Dhamar, the project faced challenges in the integration of women into the WUAs or the Women Water User Groups (WWUGs), such as limited women participation in the administrative boards of WUAs, trainings workshops, participation in the decision making processes in WUAs, the requirement to bring male company, Mahram, for women attending workshops & events; etc.
• In order to have a more effective & positive impact on the role of WUAs, it is necessary to consider how women can be involved in WUAs activities & how they can effectively play important roles in sustainable water resources in general & in the other 2 outcomes of the above project.

Role objectives:
Under the direct supervision of the International Consultant, the National Consultants will conduct a study on gender & water resource management. The tasks include the following:

• Identify barriers & drivers for women involvement in WRM in agriculture in Yemen & with particular focus on the project target areas.
• Provide recommendations with lessons learned & good practices to the project & policy makers to promote active participation of women in WRM in agriculture in Yemen & with particular relevance to the project target areas.

The National Consultants will undertake a literature review & manage the field research to assess the status of womens role in WRM & challenges they face in Yemen & in the project target areas & provide preliminary policy recommendations for improvement. The review will also consider our client & FAO’s experiences faced during the implementation of the project, namely:

• Inventory of available policies, reports, studies & tools to mainstream gender into WRM including womens role & challenges in Yemen & with particular focus on the project target areas.
• Assessment of the current & planned projects of different donors & implementing organizations in the water sector for gender mainstreaming in Yemen specially within a WUA context, outlining good practices.
• Interviews with all relevant local stakeholders, local & traditional authorities, WUAs, NWRA, local NGOs & women themselves to map out barriers & enablers.
• Presentation of the most relevant data & information related to the role of women & men in WRM & their contribution to effective WRM & water related conflict management.
• Preliminary policy & practice recommendations in relation to gender sensitive water governance that can be implemented under the current circumstances in Yemen.
• Recommendations for follow up research & actions in relation to gender mainstreaming in WRM in Yemen & in project target areas in particular.

The following questions among others will be explored in this assignment focusing specifically on the target areas of the project & on Yemen in general:

• How did the role of women in WRM & in agriculture change due to the conflicts? Including role at the HH, community & national level? What the current structures established to enhance WRM? What are the available resources / access to services? How to ensure their sustainability & access to power / decision making? What are the constraints faced by these structures including unpaid care work, lack of skills, resources, etc.
• What are the policies, tools & capacity building needed to support active participation of women in WRM?
• Do women who participate in WUAs have a real voice? If no, why? Are WUAs conducive to women participation?
• What are the tangible benefits to women in terms of enhanced livelihoods accrued from being involved in decision making at the WUA level? Example: How does water infrastructure rehabilitation improve womens access to water & livelihood?
• How can women knowledge & experiences be shared for the upscaling of good practices & interventions?
• What are best practices, or previous good examples during which women participated in WRM including resolving water conflicts or water management?

The National Consultant will be responsible for performing the following tasks under the guidance of the International Consultant:

• Provide input on the relevant policies, research & reports produced on water & gender in Yemen.
• Support the process of reviewing documents & provide substantive support to defining evaluation scope, methodology & work plan.
• Contribute to the production of the inception report & finalisation of the evaluation design & methodology.
• Data collection as per the approved inception report & allocation of responsibilities as agreed with the International Consultant.
• Data analysis & drafting parts of the evaluation report as agreed on the division of labour with the International Consultant.
• Assist the International Consultant in finalizing the inception & evaluation report, audit trail & PowerPoint presentation.

Methodology:
It is expected that a desk study will employ a literature review of available relevant studies & other material. The National Consultant with support from other relevant staff will propose the list of documents & methodology, which will include:

• Secondary data collection: Review of all relevant studies & materials already produced by the government, donors, NGOs & / or research institutes in the recent past & in detail scan of the outcomes of these studies, as a starting point to map the status of women in water resource management in Yemen.
• Primary data collection: The research will employ a combination of both qualitative & quantitative evaluation methods collecting relevant data from identified stakeholders especially in the project sites, with water using agencies, farmers, Ministry of Water & Environment, Ministry of Agriculture & Irrigation, Energy, private sector, statistics agency, the meteorological agency, local & traditional authorities, WUAs, NWRA, as well as our client & FAO & their local partners in target areas. Interviews should cover 50% women. Research & interviews will be guided by our client & FAO.

Project reporting:

• The National Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the our clients Yemen Peace Operations Support Unit (POSU) Team Leader & will coordinate with relevant colleagues of our client’s Yemen Office including POSU Deputy Team Leader, the Gender Analyst & the Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist. The consultant will interact with other UN agencies especially the Food & Agriculture Organisation, relevant government ministries & local authorities.
• The National Consultant will work remotely from home (desk review & report writing) & will involve in field visits only, if the security situation allows & our client asks for the field presence in writing. Whilst the National Consultant will support from in country with the desk review, field data collection & analysis & community engagement. Our cleint will provide the consultants with logistical support in conducting the assignment, relevant background documents for review & support setting up meetings with national stakeholders. Our client’s Yemen Country Office Management is responsible for validating deliverables prior to the issuance of payments.

Key competencies:

• Bachelors Degree in Gender related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in gender & climate change with proven record in water resource management or a related field, preferably within the UN.
• In depth experience working in conflict affected countries.
• Demonstrated experience in / excellent knowledge & understanding of Yemen country context, national key stakeholders are considered an asset.
• Ability to conduct qualitative social science research in the field of gender, equity & social inclusion themes in climate change & WRM.
• Strong expertise in research & data collection.
• Fluency in English & Arabic is required.

Team management:

• This role has no team management responsibility.

Further information:

• The National Consultants will be responsible for the entire process & submission of the above mentioned deliverables.
• The 45 working days will spread over a period of 3 months to provide for delays & the need for additional time that may be required to access stakeholders, incorporate feedback, finalize the study report & deliver the presentations.
• The consultants must proactively inform our client should an extension be needed to complete the assignment.
• Prior written agreement from our client’s assignment manager must be secured before undertaking any additional workday.
• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.
• For exact deliverables & timelines associated with each deliverable, please refer to the actual advert posted on CTG portal.