National Gender Training Consultant

Organizational Setting:

Women play a significant role in agriculture given that 55.9 percent of all those who work in agriculture, including informally employed individuals, are women (SSC 2017). However, only 20.7 percent of all those who are formally employed in agriculture are women. Women face a number of challenges such as gender pay gap; informality of jobs; and poor access to social services. Women's limited access to productive resources, financial assets and lack of marketing opportunities prevent them from engaging in successful business strategies.

Rural women’s empowerment through agriculture has a great potential considering that already 32 percent of all female entrepreneurs are engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing, compared to 24.4 percent of men among of all male entrepreneurs (ibid). In addition, 77 percent of all women in Azerbaijan reside in rural areas.

FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan is currently implementing “Improved food security and rural livelihoods through women´s economic empowerment – WEP” project under FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme (FAPP), which aims to improve food security, socially inclusive rural development and sustainable livelihoods through rural women’s improved access to agricultural information, knowledge, credit, means for processing.

Reports to:

Mr. Bariz Mehdiyev , Assistant to the FAO Representative

Technical Focus:

Under the overall supervision of the Head of FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan, direct supervision of AFAOR , the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer and Leading Project Consultant, in close cooperation with National Project Coordinator (NPC), other national authorities, international experts, national and local consultants, the National Gender Consultant will carry out the following activities:

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Review experiences, and identify and collect good practices on rural women’s economic empowerment and gender mainstreaming of agricultural policies in Azerbaijan.
• Assist the project team to collect data for baseline indicators.
• Support the Leading Project Consultant and the project team in preparing bidding documentation, and ensuring technical support to the project beneficiaries.
• Design and provide training to national authorities and other relevant stakeholders on gender sensitization and gender mainstreaming based on survey results and soft skills for working with both women and men, and with vulnerable groups.
• Support the development of the TOT manual with focus on business development as a means of women’s empowerment
• Provide technical support to the National Consultants involved in the development of CGA in gender responsive data collection;
• Assist in organization and contribute to all gender related capacity development events, workshops, Training of Trainers (ToTs), assessments and all other activities planned in the project;
• In coordination with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs, and with technical advice from the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (FAO REU) gender team, support the Agency for Agro Credit and Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant institutions in the development of a joint gender mainstreaming action plan for gender responsive rural development;
• Provide technical support to the above-mentioned institutions in mainstreaming gender in their existing and upcoming policies and action plans;
• In coordination with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs, and with technical advice from the FAO REU gender team, support the rural advisory services in mainstreaming gender in Rural Advisory Services (RAS) policies and action plans, and on the development of gender-equality action plans;
• In collaboration with FAPP Communication Advisor contribute to the project’s awareness raising and advocacy campaign, by developing visibility materials, and contents for the TV and , including organizing interviews and providing other support, as required;
• Identify the relevant FAO e-learning courses and materials on gender mainstreaming, get it translated and uploaded onto the project website

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in gender studies, sociology, social sciences, economics, development economics, or other related disciplines;
• At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in conducting gender and socio-economic research
• Working knowledge of English
• Nationals of Azerbaijan.

FAO Core Competencies:

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Completes tasks in a timely, cost-effective way and/or escalated properly
• Training designing and facilitation skills
• Prior experience in conducting similar tasks with the Humanitarian sector ,UN System or FAO would be an asset
• Excellent knowledge of the key gender equality, social equity and women’s empowerment issues