TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to
provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its
mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve
their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services
encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement,
microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with
more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
CONSULTANT
FOR GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
BACKGROUND
GBV continues to be a growing concern where acute humanitarian pressures and violent conflict
constitute aggravating factors for GBV, particularly violence against women and girls. In recent years,
increased knowledge of and attention to GBV in emergencies has brought to light the prevalence and
effects of GBV, further highlighting the global community’s responsibility. In accordance with
international standards, UNRWA has progressively engaged in addressing GBV in emergencies both in
the sphere of prevention and response across its five fields of operation through the establishment of a
cross-sectoral referral system. While these efforts have been instrumental in improving access to
services for survivors of GBV, greater efforts are needed to ensure the wider emergency response
sustain and facilitate GBV responses in emergencies and that UNRWA’s emergency responders build a
stronger foundation for understanding gendered impacts of emergency operations as a means to ensure
GBV risks are addressed and risks mitigation mainstreamed across all sectors of operations.
In this perspective, UNRWA developed the project Building Safety: Mainstreaming GBV Interventions
into Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Response within the context of the Safe from the Start
Initiative. This project offers an important opportunity to strengthen UNRWA’s preparedness capacity to
mainstream GBV interventions in emergency operations and to incorporate a gender sensitive approach
to emergency response. The first level of action, which mainly concerns the scope of this consultancy,
involves the development and the establishment of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to address
GBV in emergencies. These will draw on international guidelines, such as IASC, GBV AoR, IRC’s GBV
emergency toolkit, and PSEA and will be tailored to define minimum common standards among all fields
of operation, building on existing emergency resources and structures. This approach will be also
mindful of the current Agency’s plans to develop an agency-wide emergency response framework.
Developing GBV SOPs will be an inclusive and collaborative process that will involve a series of
consultations within and outside the Agency including UNRWA’s emergency and protection programmes
across the fields. The overall process will include the following stages:
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A reference group comprising representatives of key programmes/departments within the Agency,
both from the HQ and the fields, such as Health/Psychosocial, Protection, Relief and Social Service,
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ICIP, Safety and Security and Planning sectors in addition to the gender unit will be formed
throughout the initial phase of the project. The reference group will have a consultative and
advisory role over the implementation of the project and will be particularly involved in the progress
stages of the GBV SOPs, including the roll-out phase.
An initial situational analysis, which will take from available information and documents, will be
carried out in order to determine: (i) current main areas of concern/gaps related to GBV; (ii) feasible
and sustainable ways through which GBV SOPs can be integrated and embedded into the current
UNRWA’ organizational structure. The wealth of knowledge gained from the initial situational
analysis will enable all following steps in the development of GBV SOPs to be based on informed
decisions.
The outcomes of the initial situational analysis will inform the development of the first draft of the
document, which will mainly provide an outline of the main content. Inputs to the draft plans will be
sought through a series of meetings, workshops and exchanges (held at different levels) that will
progressively lead to the advanced and final draft plan. The final plan will be presented in a
conclusive event and circulated on the basis of a dissemination plan.
The SOPs will describe the roles, guiding principle and minimum procedures for preparedness and
response to GBV affecting target communities as well as mitigation of GBV risks. They will include
guiding tools for assessing GBV related aspects in key emergency operations, including safety audit
tools, shelter checklists, multi-sectoral needs assessment checklists etc. as well as timeline for
implementation. Importantly along with the establishment of the GBV SOPs a plan delineating roles
and responsibilities for the SOPs implementation will be defined. Focal points in each field of
operations will be designated within the current emergency structures.
In addition to this level of action the project focuses on: (i) Strengthening the capacity of UNRWA
emergency responders on gender and GBV, both in terms of understanding and practice; (ii) Developing
evidence-based assessments on GBV prevention processes in emergencies, including the identification
of best practices; (iii) Enhancing understanding of GBV among individuals and communities and enabling
active participation of target communities in the framing of prevention and mitigation efforts, seeking
active participation of women, men, boys and girls through dedicated activities.
PURPOSE
The Gender Based Violence in Emergencies Consultant will assist in strengthening the organizational
capacity to addressing GBV in the context of emergency preparedness and response. In doing that, the
consultant will develop effective GBV Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which will provide
guidance for all relevant UNRWA staff concerned with emergency operations on how to address GBV in
emergency settings. The consultant is also expected to contribute to learning, evidence generation and
capacity development in line with the key objectives of the project.
EXPECTED OUTCOME
The outcome of this consultancy is to establish minimum operating standards to address GBV in
emergencies ensuring that these build on thorough review of the existing emergency resources in all
fields of operations and that are aligned with current Agency’s efforts to define an emergency response
framework. The development of the GBV SOPs will bring together the HQ and FOs in a participatory
manner and this approach is expected to enhance ownership and buy-in of the parties involved in the
process.
DELIVERABLES
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A detailed work plan, including step by step process of SOP development, methodology, timelines,
and all actors and stakeholders to be consulted throughout the process;
A report of the situational analysis;
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An SOP outline, including of all key SOP components and guiding tools and an implementation plan.
Finalized SOPs for GBV in emergencies, encompassing inputs and comments.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The consultant will report to the Senior Gender Advisor in HQ Amman and work closely with the Project
Coordinator. The consultant will be actively engaged in all different stages described above, with a focus
on the following tasks:
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Work with all relevant stakeholders engaged in emergency prevention and response within and
outside UNRWA towards the development of the SOPs for GBV in emergencies, in coordination with
the gender unit;
Work towards the establishment and coordination of the UNRWA reference group that will be
involved in the development of the SOPs and facilitate the consultation process in relation to that, in
coordination with the gender unit.
Conduct a situational analysis to identify gaps and points of intervention in existing programmes and
procedures;
Align work with ongoing preparedness efforts and other efforts to standardize humanitarian
response across sectors.
Develop comprehensive SOPs on GBV in emergencies based on the outcomes of the situational
analysis and the consultation inputs of all relevant counterparts involved in the project.
Conduct/Facilitate meetings and workshops, and present the finalized SOPs as well as the processes
used for their development at the final workshop.
Ensure that feedback provided through the follow up on the roll-out of SOPs is appropriately
incorporated and taken into account in the guidelines.
Contribute to learning, evidence generation and capacity development in line with the key
objectives of the project.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
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Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in gender studies, human
rights, international development, development management, or other related field;
Minimum 5 years of extensive experience in research and analytical work in gender and women's
advancement fields in the context of GBV programming in emergencies and/or conflict-affected
countries;
Fluency in spoken and written English;
COMPETENCIES
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Solid experience in actively engaging in preparedness and response programming to address GBV in
emergencies;
Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills including experience in drafting reports and
technical guidelines such as SOPs;
Experience in liaising with different counterparts, facilitating consultations, meetings and
workshops.
Knowledge of international standards for gender and GBV in emergencies;
Excellent Computer skills: MS Word, Excel, Power Point, and database software;
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
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A PhD degree from an accredited educational institution in gender studies, human rights, political
science, development management or other related fields;
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Understanding the political context situation of Palestine refugees and Palestinian women in
UNRWA’s fields of operation;
Previous work experience in the Middle East;
Previous work with a UN Agency;
Fluency in spoken and written Arabic.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Willingness and ability to travel to all UNRWA fields of operations as needed during the assignment.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
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The overall duration of the assignment is 22 months based on a twice 11 month contract.
Remuneration for this consultancy will depend on the qualifications and experience of the
candidate.
The consultant will be based at UNRWA Headquarters in Amman and will be carrying out travel
missions to the fields of operation (West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should submit the below via consultancy@unrwa.org clearly indicating the title of this
consultancy “Consultant for GBV Emergency Preparedness and Response” in the subject line of the
message:
- Cover letter;
- CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required
to meet the consultancy requirements;
- Brief outline of methodological proposal, which includes the proposed methodology, proposed
work plan with tasks, timeframe and budget.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 10 May 2015.
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men.
UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Due to a large
number of applications, only qualified applicants under serious consideration will be contacted. UNRWA
is a non-smoking environment.
21 April 2015
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