International Consultant: Participatory Photography Project on Experiences of Rural Youth and Women Living in Climate Change-Induced Disaster Risk Area

Background

1. BACKGROUND

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The UN Women Cambodia Programme Office (CPO) Strategic Note (SN) 2019-2023 focuses on three key priorities to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). The priority is to strengthen government capacity and accountability to integrate international norms and commitments (CEDAW, SDGs, Beijing PfA, Sendai) into national legislative and regulatory frameworks, including supporting dialogue and CSO engagement in accountability for GEWE commitments. The second area of focus is Ending Violence Against Women where CCO’s focus includes creating an enabling environment to prevent, respond to and prosecute all forms of GBV as well as ensuring that marginalized women who experience violence, including women migrant workers, access services and protections. Thirdly, CCO works to enhance gender responsiveness in climate change action and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). A focus on empowerment, women’s leadership, challenging negative gender norms and leaving no one behind runs through the programme.

The Empower project: Women for Climate-resilient Societies is a unique partnership between UN Women and UN Environment, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency that aims to ensure that climate action and disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific respond to gender equality and human rights. From 2018 to 2022, EmPower phase I was implemented regionally across Asia and the Pacific, with national footprints in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Viet Nam. EmPower phase II (2023-2027) aims to scale up for regional implementation and generate new regional commitments and national policies, financial mechanisms and tools, methodologies, evidence, and knowledge to further impact. The project will contribute to the overall Impact: “People in Asia-Pacific are less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and experience greater gender equality and the full enjoyment of their rights, including equal access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” EmPower aims to achieve the outcomes bellow:

• Outcome 1: Asia-Pacific actors increase action on gender responsive climate change adaptation and mitigation.
• Outcome 2: Women in all their diversity and other marginalized groups are represented as key environmental actors in climate and DRR decision-making
• Outcome 3: Women and other marginalized groups in Asia-Pacific secure climate-resilient livelihoods

EmPower approach is to expand decision-making spaces, raise awareness and support the prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV) in the context of climate change and disaster. This includes empowering women and girls through amplifying their voice and sharing their stories. EmPower seek to not only explore women experience as the passive victims of the climate change and disaster but as change agents and the leaders for climate change action and disaster management.

In Cambodia EmPower phase I, implemented from 2018-2022, has collaborated with CSOs partner to provide support to rural women network to empower them to meaningful participate in the decision making in relation to climate change action and disaster management at local level. In the meantime, EmPower phase I have provided youth group (young women leaders) with capacity development opportunity on women transformative leadership via youth leadership academy program which allow youth group to apply critical gender analysis on their everyday live and in the reflection with the issue around GBV, climate change and disaster. In EmPower Phase II (2023-2027) which started in January 2023, the project aims to apply the learnings, methodologies, partnerships created so far and support implementation and scaling up the intervention toward climate change and DRR issue.  One of the focuses of the EmPower-II is to empower women in all their diversity to play active role and meaningfully participate in climate action and disaster management with a strong Leave No One Behind (LNOB) perspective. Therefore, the EmPower: Women for Climate-resilient Societies in Cambodia is seeking to apply an innovative and participatory approach to deepen understanding of the lived experience of women whose lives impacted by climate change and disaster as well as explore their participation in leading transformative change. The UN Women Cambodia Programme seeks to explore the potential of photography as a means for women to document the impacts of climate change and disaster on their lives as well recognize their actions to bring change as part of their leadership journey. The project will be built on feminist and participatory principles and will be designed not simply to extract information from participants but also to provide them with skills in self-expression, reflection, and critical thinking.  At the same time it is envisaged that participants’ photos will deepen and enrich understanding of women’s lives and experiences which will lend themselves to accessibly communicating those experiences to the wider community.

Duties and Responsibilities

2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The EmPower: Women for Climate-resilient Societies in Cambodia is seeking the services of a consultant to provide technical expertise for the design and implementation of the Participatory Photography Project with young women and women living in climate change-induced disaster risk area. The key responsibilities of the consultant will be as follows:

• Lead the design of the project including ethical guidelines and process for participants selection among EmPower phase I beneficiaries (young women leaders and women living in disaster risk area)
• Design and co-facilitate training workshops for selected women.
• Provide technical advice on specifications for photographic equipment and digital image collection, storage, and dissemination options.
• Provide ongoing technical guidance and support to participating women to apply the skills and knowledge learn and to map out the images and generate ideas for digital and other dissemination.
• Additional objectives related to M&E and establishing partnerships to institutionalize.

3. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES

4. SUPERVISION

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the programme team in Cambodia, primarily the EmPower team, under the direct supervision of Country Programme Coordinator. A workstation will be provided to the consultant to ensure effective consultation and support. The Consultant will bring his own personal computer to conduct this assignment. With facilitation of the CCO team, the consultant will also be expected to engage with external stakeholders, especially with the responsible partner.

5. CONTRACT PERIOD

The consultancy will take place over a multi-year timeframe, reflecting the life of the EmPower project.  It is expected to be carried out on a part-time basis for 77 days between 15 May 2023 and 15 July 2024.

6. DUTY STATION

Home-based with missions to Cambodia. The consultant may be required to travel outside of Phnom Penh as needed for the purpose of the assignment where required by UN Women-Cambodia. The standard UN Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will apply to any travel outside duty station that may be required in the fulfillment of this assignment.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Technical Competencies:

• Technical expertise in photography both from practical and academic perspective.
• Demonstrated capacity to train and support participatory/community photography practice
• A proven ability to work with varied stakeholders and partners, including from community, civil society and UN
• Knowledge and understanding of the Cambodian social, cultural and political context, including in relation to gender.
• A proven history of working collaboratively in a team through a style of mutual accountability and professional development.

Functional Competencies:

• Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example.
• Experience in group facilitation using a participatory, inclusive approach to managing differences and honing agreements. The capacity to liaise with a range of stakeholders to build rapport, working relationships, and exchange information in order to mobilize support and collaborative action.
• Strong understanding of gender equality and social inclusion in the context of visual communications
• Strong written and face-to-face communication skills in a cross-cultural context.
• Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact, and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles, implementing partners, and national and international personnel of varied nationalities and backgrounds.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Required Skills and Experience

7. REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

    Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in photography or other relevant discipline
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

   Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in participatory photography, including elements of practice, teaching and analysis.
• At least two years of work experience in teaching or training in photography, visual storytelling, or other relevant discipline.
• Experience in engaging with marginalized people and communities in photography.
• Experience in making and analyzing photographic images in the South-East Asian cultural context and experience in Cambodia would be an advantage.
• Proven experience in collaborating with development practitioners such as CSOs, UN organizations.

  Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Khmer language ability would be an advantage

8. EVALUATION

    Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis:

• Technical qualification (100 points); weight: (70%)
•  Financial proposal (100 points): weight (30%)

A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the applications, with evaluation of the technical application being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates who may be contacted for validation interview.

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allocated for the price component is 100.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

9. Submission of Application:

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an electronic application to cco.procurement@unwomen.org , with cc to hr.bangkok@unwomen.org not later than 4 May 2023.by 5 p.m. local time in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Late application submissions will not be considered.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters   Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Submission package includes: 

• Cover letter outlining relevant work experience.
• UN Women Personal History Form(P11); The P11 Form can be downloaded from the following: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc  or http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/about-us/jobs 
• Writing sample
• Financial proposal which shall specify a total lump sum amount, breaking down the daily professional fee, proposed number of working days. Please see the financial proposal template as below.

Payment

Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payment will not be based on the number of days worked but on the completion of each stated deliverable within the indicated timeframes on satisfactory completion of task.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)