National Gender Specialist

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background, and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations, and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting:

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. The FAO-GEF partnership addresses critical challenges at the nexus between agriculture and the environment. FAO has a history of partnership with the Government of Mongolia (GoM), to eradicate poverty and malnutrition through the development of the agriculture sector. It has also been an active partner of the government in protecting the environment,promoting sustainable development and the disaster risk management strategies of the country.

The project “Promoting Dryland Sustainable Landscapes and Biodiversity Conservation in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia” is part of a global program led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO), the Global Environment Facility 7th replenishment (GEF-7) Sustainable Forest Management Impact Program on Dryland Sustainable Landscapes (SFM/Drylands IP). In Mongolia, the project is led by FAO in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and will be executed by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) in collaboration with the Ministry of Food agriculture and light industry (MoFALI) and other partners.

WWF works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife. Working with many others – from individuals and communities to business and government – WWF urgently seeks to protect and restore natural habitats, stop the mass extinction of wildlife, and make the way we produce and consume sustainable. As a part of WWF Network, WWF-Mongolia embraces the concept of being international and at the same time national. WWF-Mongolia focuses its efforts on critical conservation issues in 2 of the world’s outstanding places for biodiversity conservation, the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion in Western Mongolia and Amur-Heilong Ecoregion Complex in Eastern Mongolia.

Reporting Lines:

Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the NPM and in close collaboration with the Knowledge Management and M&E Specialist.

Technical Focus:

The objective of the project is to reverse and prevent dryland ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss through an inclusive, integrated landscape and value chain approach securing multiple environment benefits and sustainable, resilient livelihoods in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia.

Tasks and responsibilities:

Specific duties will include:

• Review annual work plans and budgets of 2021 and 2022 in compliance with GAP, and provide recommendations to ensure that project activities are gender sensitive;
• Support PMU to ensure that project activities include gender dimensions as relevant and in accordance with the project Gender Action Plan (GAP);
• Provide support and oversight in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the GAP and ensure its full integration into the project life cycle;
• Conduct tailor made training on gender issues for project/program staffs and local key partners, on topics such as conducting gender-responsive consultations, mainstreaming the GAP into the project, ensuring gender equality and social inclusion in the project interventions, reflecting gender aspects in the TOR;
• Review TORs (sub contract) and provide recommendation to relevant project staffs;
• Develop simple GAP monitoring check list on on gender equality and social inclusion and conduct training for project staffs (including sex-disaggregated data collection sheet and data management);
• Provide recommendation for integrated monitoring and evaluation plan incorporating indicators of ESMF, Stakeholder engagement plan and GAP and effective implementation of the GAP;
• Participate at regular and other missions and technical visits by the PMU, and work closely with the UN FAO and WWF Environmental and Social Specialists in ensuring the Project's compliance with relevant gender policies;
• Prepare Semi-Annual GAP implementation report and provide recommendation on monitoring and reporting for stakeholder engagement through the annual project progress report 2021;
• Facilitate consultations to discuss cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder landscape planning and management mechanisms with stakeholders addressing social and gender factors that impact landscape planning and utilization;
• Include social and gender-specific indicators in the defined land monitoring process;
• Incorporate gender and social issues into the guidelines and handbooks and that impact pastureland uses and biodiversity protection into the policy reforms, where possible;
• Ensure progress on gender mainstreaming, implementation and monitoring of the GAP are captured in progress reports; recommendations for adaptive management relating to gender-mainstreamed activities are included in all reports;
• Ensure that the PMU systematically informs and shares lessons with the NCGE Secretariat, Gender Councils of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry (MOFALI) and Ministry of Construction and Urban Development (MCUD) and Gender Committees of 3 target aimags on the GAP implementation processes;
• Document some best practice/results related to implementation of the UN Resolution on the “Improvements of Livelihood of Rural Women and Girls” and the 2018 “Ulaanbaatar Declaration” and levels of success in setting up enterprises for both women and men and the type of businesses that seems to appeal most to women and men, to capture learning;
• Any other tasks that is relevant to the assignment.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree in gender studies, social sciences, management, international studies, economic studies or political science.
• A minimum of 10 years directly experience in the field of social science working on Gender equality and women empowerment issues;
• Excellent command of language in English and Mongolian including ability to write clearly and concisely at technical level.
• Nationality of Mongolia or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiarity with relevant national laws and regulations and international policies and methods for environmental and social safeguard and gender.
• Strong participatory and facilitation skills, in leading stakeholder consultations and participatory planning.
• Previous experience with similar donor-funded project(s) is an advantage.
• Proven experience with statistical and data analysis; familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative information analysis tools.
• Excellent capacity to manage project planning, implementation and evaluation,
• Excellent inter-personal skills, including the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships at all levels,
• Teamwork and strong soft skills including interpersonal, ethical, listening and communication skills, proactive, problem solving, self-organizing, planning, organizing, setting priorities and efficient use of time;
• Computer literacy in MS Office;
• In-depth knowledge of programme and project implementation is considered a strong asset;
• Experience in international programme and project implementing organization is an asset;
• Willingness to travel in the field;

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.