Study On Gender And Water Resource Management

Description

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.
• Interviews with all relevant local stakeholders, local & traditional authorities, WUAs, NWRA, local NGOs & women themselves to map out barriers & enablers.
• 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.
• 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:

• What are best practices, or previous good examples during which women participated in WRM including resolving water conflicts or water management?
• 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?
• How can women knowledge & experiences be shared for the upscaling of good practices & interventions?
• 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 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?

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

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

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 client 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

• Ability to conduct qualitative social science research in the field of gender, equity, and social inclusion themes in climate change and WRM.
• Master’s or bachelor’s degree in gender studies or relevant disciplines.
• In-depth experience working in conflict-affected countries.
• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
• Demonstrated experience in/excellent knowledge and understanding of Yemen country context, national key stakeholders are considered an asset.
• Strong expertise in research and data collection.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience for the Master’s degree and minimum of 10 years of experience for the bachelor degree candidates in Gender and climate change with proven record in Water Resource Management or a related field, preferably within the UN.
• Education Qualifications of National Consultant:

Further information

• Prior written agreement from the Client assignment manager must be secured before undertaking any additional workday
• The consultants must proactively inform the Client should an extension be needed to complete the assignment.
• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.
• The 45 working days will spread over a period of three months to provide for delays and the need for additional time that may be required to access stakeholders, incorporate feedback, finalize the study report and deliver the presentations
• The National Consultants will be responsible for the entire process & submission of the above mentioned deliverables.