About NAMA
NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) was founded in 2015 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah.
At NAMA, we are determined to mobilise the means required to create environments that enable gender equity and inclusive economic and social growth. NAMA’s efforts stem from its core philosophy that the advancement of women is a fundamental requirement for the sustainable development of nations.
Through its three affiliates; Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC), Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council (Irthi), and Badiri Education and Development Academy (Badiri), NAMA designs and implements initiatives that support women across economic, professional and social sectors.
NAMA also engages with grass-roots and international organisations as part of its comprehensive approach towards developing an ecosystem in which women’s full potential is realised.
Background
NAMA, as part of its vision and mission, recognises that women having an active role in society is key to stability and prosperity and that the private sector plays a crucial role in creating an environment in which women can more meaningfully participate in the economy and the community.
According to the 2020 Global Gender Gap report, progress towards gender equality is lagging and will take another century to be achieved.[1] Currently, women are still under represented in the most essential areas of the economy, including leadership, workplaces, marketplaces and education. In order to support efforts to accelerate gender equality, NAMA has launched a platform to bring businesses in the Global South together to apply gender equitable practices, based on the global Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The platform fosters understanding of the business and social value of women’s economic inclusion.
Through this platform, NAMA will aim to support the private sector by providing technical support to increase the uptake of gender-responsive business practices while encouraging South-to-South and private-to-private partnerships.
While businesses may endorse and support women’s inclusion, many struggle to implement the required policies and practices needed to yield tangible results.
To this effect, NAMA seeks to engage a consultant to develop a comprehensive and adaptable toolkit based on innovative approaches and best practices to enable private sector organisations to implement explicit actions in support of women inclusion in the economy and society.
The areas of technical support will aim to:
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Raise awareness of the business and social value of women participation and inclusion
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Share practical guidance to facilitate women’s labor participation and career advancement including access to leadership positions through implementation of effective workplace policies
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Share practical guidance to stimulate women’s entrepreneurship and women-owned businesses access to supply chains
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Share practical guidance to improve women’s access to finance and productive assets
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Share practical guidance to design educational, training and capacity building initiatives for women and girls
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Share practical guidance to measure and report gender-segregated data to track progress on measures implemented
Scope of Work
1) Inception
§ Carry out desk review of relevant gender-equity related resources such as researches, evaluations, benchmark studies and impact reports identifying best practices, successful tools and actions for gender mainstreaming and inclusion
§ Consult with NAMA team and other relevant stakeholders for inputs
§ Develop methodology and draft outline of the toolkit
§ Present methodology and draft outline in inception report for validation and feedback
§ Finalize inception report
2) Toolkit development
§ Develop guidance notes to raise awareness of economic and social value of women inclusion
§ Identify, develop or adapt (existing) tools, templates and guidance notes to enable business entities to:
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address gender gaps within their organisations and corresponding solutions to address them
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support women employees’ inclusion and advancement
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support women access to (senior) leadership positions
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support women entrepreneurs through business opportunities or access to resources (financial or other productive resources)
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support women education, professional development and upskilling
§ Present toolkit at validation workshop for feedback
§ Finalize and submit toolkit in English (and Arabic, based on language skills)
The toolkit will include the following
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An introduction to the toolkit, its objectives, contents and methodology;
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Key definitions and concepts;
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Guidance notes on areas identified;
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Appendixes including templates, tools;
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References
3) Training
§ Design training based on toolkit developed
§ Provide training to NAMA staff to develop their capacity to provide technical support based on toolkit
Expected Deliverables
§ Finalized inception report
§ Finalized toolkit in English (and Arabic, based on language skills)
§ Technical guidance to NAMA staff
§ Minutes from consultation with stakeholders
§ Validation workshop report
Required Skills and Experience
The consultancy firm or team of consultants should have:
§ Master’s degree in Women Studies, Economics, International Studies or other relevant Social Science fields;
§ At least 7 years professional experience in the stated qualifications
§ Comprehensive and documented knowledge of issues related to gender equity, women inclusion, women economic empowerment with private sector and other stakeholders
§ Proven experience with developing and implementing practical, adaptable approaches to advance gender equity in various areas (workplace, entrepreneurship, education)
§ Proven experience on toolkit and manual development, training and facilitation skills
§ Proven experience in mentoring and training on women empowerment
§ Strong writing and oral presentation skills in English (Arabic is an asset)
§ Excellent interpersonal and professional skills in interacting with private, public and international development partners
How to apply
Kindly send a detailed proposal outlining relevant experience, expression of interest, bios of consultant(s), proposed workplan and budget to info@namawomen.ae with the subject line "Toolkit on women's inclusion in business environments" by September 18, 2020.
