Gender Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Technical Specialist

Gender Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Technical Specialist

Position Description

Contract type: Full time

Background

The Vanuatu Community-based Climate Resilience Project (VCCRP) is the largest locally led adaptation project to be delivered in the Pacific region. VCCRP is designed to reduce climate-related vulnerabilities of communities across all 6 provinces of Vanuatu. This project aims to increase communities’ resilience to climate variability, climate extremes, and other effects of climate change and to build the adaptive capacity required by communities to ensure that the standards of living are not adversely affected by climatic impacts. VCCRP seeks to accomplish this by:

1. developing and implementing scalable, locally appropriate actions to meet immediate and future adaptation needs of communities.

2. strengthening and supporting government and civil society to facilitate local level adaptation.

3. facilitating dialogue between communities, government, civil society, and the private sector on ways to work together to address the challenges that climate change will continue to bring.

VCCRP is managed by a Program Management Unit (PMU) located at the Department of Climate Change (DoCC) within the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC). Project activities will be delivered by Area Council and Provincial-level partners alongside the Department of Local Authorities (DLA) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA); and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and the Vanuatu Fisheries Department (VFD) within the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity (MALFFB); and the Department of Water Resources (DoWR) within the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MoLNR).

Save the Children Vanuatu has core programming in Child Rights, Child Protection, Gender and Disability Inclusion, with clear focus to ensure all children in Vanuatu attain the right to survival, protection, development and participation by 2030.

Save the Children Vanuatu will be a core implementing partner for VCCRP working closely together with Government of Vanuatu to deliver project activities with funding support from the Green Climate Fund, and across Save the Children’s portfolio of Child Rights Programming.

This role will support the VCCRP (60%) and Save the Children Vanuatu (40%).

Role Purpose

The Gender Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Advisor is responsible for providing technical advice, program leadership, and guidance on Gender Equity, Disability and Social Inclusion as it relates to climate change resilience-building and other VCCRP priorities in Vanuatu. This role will have access to technical support from regional and specialist GEDSI Advisors based in Save the Children Australia.

For 60% of their time, the GEDSI Advisor role will work closely with the Project Management Unit (PMU) for VCCRP, the MoCC and the Department of Women’s Affairs (DWA) and other relevant stakeholders such as the Vanuatu Society for People with Disabilities and the Disability Desk at the Ministry of Justice and Community Services (MoJCS), to ensure project activities are designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated to mainstream and embed gender equity, inclusion of people with disabilities, as well as the social inclusion of other vulnerable groups. This position will report directly to the Team Lead for the PMU for VCCRP.

The PMU for VCCRP is located within the DoCC and is responsible for the day-to-day technical support, management and coordination between government ministries and departments at national, provincial and area council level to ensure project plans are implemented in line with project documents and in line with the compliance requirements of the GCF, Accredited Entity and Government of Vanuatu.

The role will also support Save the Children Vanuatu for the remaining 40% of their time, working to ensure programs are developed, advocacy points are pursued, and technical advice is provided to programs in Child Rights, Child Protection, Gender Equality and Gender Based Violence, and Disability Inclusion.

Key Areas of Accountability

Technical Leadership

· Lead the implementation (including updating and revising as required) of a comprehensive and tangible Gender Equity, Disability and Social Inclusion strategy and action plan for VCCRP (Gender Action Plan) with an aim to increase the resilience of vulnerable population groups to a changing climate.

· Work with key project team members, including the MEAL Specialist, the CCA and DRR Advisor, along with community and government stakeholders, to establish systems for monitoring the inclusiveness of the VCCRP in consideration of the project log-frame and Theory of Change.

· Develop inclusive and transformative Gender and Social Inclusion indicators and mainstreaming approaches throughout the project’s life cycle.

· Provide technical leadership into Save the Children Vanuatu programming design, implementation, and evaluation where it relates to Child Rights, Child Protection, and Gender and Disability Inclusion

· Work with the Save the Children Advocacy Manager to lead efforts in advancing Save the Children’s priorities in Child Rights, Child Protection, Gender and Disability Inclusion.

Project Implementation

· Lead the implementation of the VCCRP Gender Action Plan and the VCCRP Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM)

· Provide Technical Assistance (TA) in the delivery of the Vanuatu GCF project to enhance their impact on gender equity and social inclusion.

· Provide GEDSI training and technical support to program officers and partners to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge, tools, skills, and resources to mobilise communities effectively and deliver an inclusive project.

· Drive equitable and inclusive climate action by leading the implementation of gender-responsive, disability-sensitive, and socially inclusive approaches to addressing climate hazards, vulnerabilities, and impacts. Enhance the program's effectiveness through scaled-up interventions.

· Conduct and contribute to research and analysis on the intersection of climate change, gender, disability, and social inclusion.

· Provide TA to Save the Children Vanuatu Project Managers working in programs related to Child Rights, Child Protection, and Gender and Disability Inclusion

Project Quality

· Support the development of an evidence base for gender equality and disability inclusive approaches, both integrated and standalone

· Ensure real-time lessons learned are shared and integrated into the project for improvement and/or course correction of the interventions, with the implementation team and in agreement with the PMU.

· Keep up to date on relevant national, policy and programming relating to gender equity, disability, and social inclusion in Vanuatu, the Pacific and within and beyond the Save the Children movement.

· Participate and/or present in gender and disability forums, cluster meetings and other advocacy platforms in-country and regionally as required.

· Ensure Save the Children Vanuatu programming follows best practice of Child Rights, Child Protection, and Gender and Disability Inclusion

Capacity Building

· Provide information resources to educate the country project team and management on different stakeholders in terms of their priorities in relation to gender equity and social inclusion.

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