Indian Feminist || UN Women - India is looking for a Consultant – Gender Responsive Implementation of MGNREGA

Date of Issue:     26 June 2015 Closing Date: 03 July 2015          SSA Announcement No. UNWOMEN/MCO/2015/020   I.  POSITION INFORMATION   Title Consultant – Gender Responsive Implementation of MGNREGA* Duty Station Home based with Travel to Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh Type of Contract SSA  Contract Duration Three Months (15 working days) No of Positions One Contract Supervision Programme Specialist, Women’s Economic Empowerment Unit, UN WOMEN MCO *Open to Indian Nationals Only   II.  CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT   Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a flagship programme of the Government of India which provides workers with employment guarantee along with opportunities to be part of governance structures - in implementation and monitoring, and in ensuring administrative transparency and accountability, through the provision of social audits and the practice of appointing worksite supervisors. The law is particularly significant for women workers belonging to marginalised communities, who otherwise have no access to just employment opportunities.   However, research studies and figures show that there are states where the participation of women is below the mandated 33%. With a view to understand the reasons for low participation of women and propose recommendations which specifically target an increase in female participation, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and UN Women decided to jointly undertake a four state action research study in June 2014. The year- long research has resulted in the completion of an extensive baseline survey in Shergarh Block in District Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh and Beldanga I Block in District Murshidabad, West Bengal. The baseline data was collected in collaboration with the two state governments through focused group discussions and field surveys administered on rural women workers previous employed under the Act. State specific Gender Action Plans have been prepared and presented to the two state governments. These plans are based on a comprehensive mapping of gender outcomes, entitlements assured under the programme and delivery mechanisms that are in place and primarily focus on strengthening gender responsiveness of NREGA vis-à-vis the nature of work, worksite facilities and implementation modalities.   Following the submission of the Gender Action Plans to the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, a need to build capacities of grassroots functionaries for implementation of the recommendations has emerged. A Consultant is therefore to be recruited to lead the training of government functionaries under MGNREGA to ensure successful implementation of the Gender Action Plans with an overall goal of empowering rural women through provision of just employment opportunities. III.  ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Lead the process of planning for and conducting the capacity building of government functionaries on gender responsive implementation of MGNREGA in the two states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Provide accompaniment to relevant state government and district level officials in the detailing of the strategies and the activities under the Gender Action Plans Develop a template for monitoring and documentation of the Gender Action Plans Undertake meetings with relevant officials at the district, state and national level, with regard to the above-mentioned activities.  IV.  EXPECTED OUTPUTS   The Consultant will ensure that: i.  Relevant government functionaries and implementing agencies have better capacities for the rollout and implementation of the Gender Action Plans under MGNREGA in select project sites in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. ii.  The proposed Gender Action Plan, relevant indicators and a monitoring/documentation template is adopted by the government functionaries   Specifically, the Consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables: Building capacities of government functionaries on implementation of Gender Action Plans under NREGA through training workshops and handholding and supervision of implementing agencies. Report on training workshops conducted and accompaniment provided in 2 states and documentation of the finalized implementation strategies. Submission of progress report as per payment schedule.   V.  TIME FRAME   Time Frame: 15 days over a period between 15 July 2015 and 30 September 2015   VI.  DELIVERY & PAYMENT SCHEDULE   Deliverable Time-frame and Person days Percentage payment 1.   Training of government functionaries of 1 state 1 August 2015 (6 person days) 40% 2.   Training of government functionaries in 1 state   1 September 2015 (6 person days) 40% 3.   Finalisation of training report on capacity building of government functionaries for implementation of Gender Action Plans in 2 states 30 September (3 person days) 20%   Travel and DSA will be booked and settled as per SSA norms directly by UN Women on submission of F-10 form with original ticket stubs, vouchers, etc. as per actuals.   VII. RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS, COMPETENCIES & SKILLS i.  Advanced (Masters/Ph.D) Degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences or other Development-related field ii. Minimum 15 years’ of relevant experience on gender and development iii.Sustained experience on engendering policies and programmes related to rural livelihoods, employment and social protection iv. Analytical ability to articulate field level research findings with concrete recommendations v. Understanding of gender in the context of MGNREGA is preferred vi. Proven ability to dialogue with senior government functionaries and experience of working closely with the Government stakeholders vii. Strong written skills in English and good command over Hindi viii. Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision   Interested applicants should apply for the vacancy, using the “Personal History Form-P 11” and latest CV.   Application to this vacancy should be sent to jobs.india@unwomen.org   Please insert SSA Announcement Number in the Subject line of the E-mail. Applications without the SSA Number or with the incorrect SSA Number will not be accepted. Applications received after the close date will not be accepted.   NOTE: Only short- listed candidates will be contacted.

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