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.

Globally, women and girls bear a significant share of unpaid care work (UCW), from cooking and cleaning to collecting water and firewood, to caring for children, the elderly, or sick family members. This care work is essential to the functioning of households and communities, yet it is often not recognized or valued. The greater involvement of women and girls in unpaid care work and the duration and arduousness of these tasks reduce their level of participation in the labor market, their ability to seize vocational training opportunities, and their academic performance. 

In Mali, as in many contexts, due to social norms and the sexual division of labor, unpaid care work is generally assigned to women and girls, while men are responsible for productive activities (in 2019, men produced 77% of labor income compared to only 23% for men). According to a study on the effects of care work on women’s empowerment (UN Women & GREAT, 2024), 88% of girls and women aged 5 and over participate in unpaid domestic and care activities compared to 69% of boys and men. In terms of duration, a woman spends almost 4 times more time on unpaid domestic and care activities than a man. Among women, participation in TSNR increases with age up to around 33 years, at which point this participation tends to decrease, largely due to the intergenerational transmission of family responsibilities (from mother to daughter, from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law, for example). This decrease in participation in TSNR also occurs when certain tasks are entrusted to domestic staff, which thus constitutes a substitution of TSNR by paid care work. 

There is considerable evidence that, due to its low recognition, its magnitude in terms of time spent, and its inequitable distribution within households, TSNR can significantly constrain efforts to reduce gender inequalities if it is not addressed by public policies, particularly at the local level. Policies and programs (infrastructure and basic social services, social protection, empowerment) that encourage the sharing of domestic tasks and care between men and women and that create more paid jobs in the care economy can accelerate women’s economic empowerment. Public funding for care services not only allows women to access labor markets but also increases tax gains and creates new decent jobs. 

TSNR has close links with issues of decent jobs, social protection, environment, energy, and climate change. Beyond this, these links can be seen with all the SDGs. For example, research in 26 sub-Saharan African countries  has shown that reducing the time spent searching for water by 15 minutes can contribute to a reduction in under-five mortality by 11%. The manifestations of climate change and the burden of unpaid domestic and care work influence each other. For example, droughts, floods, and desertification tend to increase the burden of unpaid care work (time spent fetching water, searching for wood and energy, etc.), and these activities also tend to affect the climate.  

UN Women and its partners are working to support governments, including at the decentralized level, to integrate climate action and solutions related to unpaid care work into development programs, in order to accelerate women’s empowerment and successfully transform the economy. In West and Central Africa, through its Economists Taskforce, UN Women supports national and local governments in formulating policies and strategies and investing in services and infrastructure to reduce the burden and hardship of unpaid care work for women and girls on the one hand, and reduce the effects of climate change on the well-being of communities on the other. 

It is important to work to strengthen the capacities of local development actors to take into account TSNR and the effects of climate change in development plans. According to the United Nations guide on the care economy “Transforming care systems in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and our Common Agenda” , “care” must be (i) considered as a public good to be valued and promoted, (ii) taken into account in a context-specific manner and in a multi-sectoral framework, (iii) considered from a life cycle perspective, with short-medium-long term benefits, (iv) addressed with interventions at different levels and different targets (care providers and recipients, State, Communities, businesses, households) and supported by a normative framework / based on laws and regulations and policy and programmatic frameworks). The Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plans (PDESC) constitute important strategic and operational frameworks for (i) implementing initiatives and reforms on “care” within communities and other stakeholders and institutions such as businesses or the labor market, (ii) highlighting the role of local authorities / public authorities (policies, services, regulations & rights) in meeting “care” needs and in climate action and (iii) demonstrating and promoting co-responsibility in providing “care” to vulnerable people and women for the transformation of the economy, including through climate action.

As part of its support to local development stakeholders, UN Women wishes to recruit, on behalf of the Municipality of Commune VI, a local development expert to support the operationalization of the consideration of gender, climate change and sustainable solutions related to care work in local planning in technical co-construction with the Bamako Regional Development Agency.  This service will allow the Agency to strengthen its support to Commune VI for the finalization of its endogenous process of developing the PDESC.

DESCRIPTION OF TASKS / DELIVERABLES AND DURATION OF THE MISSION

The overall objective of the mission is to promote a more inclusive and equitable approach to local development, ensuring that the invisible, but fundamental, contributions of women are recognized, valued and effectively taken into account in public actions and strategies at the local level. The approach is in line with the guidelines of the PDESC development guide developed by the General Directorate of Local Authorities, which encourages the integration of cross-cutting dimensions such as gender and social development. 

More specifically, this will involve conducting a pilot initiative to support the effective consideration of gender, climate action and sustainable solutions (with a view to recognizing, reducing and redistributing) in relation to care work in the process of developing the Economic, Social and Cultural Development Program (PDESC) of Commune VI of the District of Bamako. This integration must be done through a participatory, inclusive and gender-sensitive approach, mobilizing local stakeholders (elected officials, technical services, civil society organizations, particularly women’s organizations), in line with the guidelines of the PDESC Development Guide.

The recruited expert will be responsible, under the general supervision of the Resident Representative of UN Women, and the technical supervision of the Director General of ADR and the National Economist of UN Women:

1. to carry out a participatory diagnosis of the situation of unpaid care work and the problem of climate change in the municipality;
2. to propose concrete measures for integrating these dimensions into the different phases of the PDESC (diagnosis, strategic orientations, planning);
3. to co-host a session to strengthen community stakeholders in integrating gender, climate action and care work solutions into local planning;
4. to provide technical and methodological support for the preparation and facilitation of thematic workshops with stakeholders to ensure local ownership and enrich the content of the PDESC.
5. to produce progress reports and a final report documenting the process, the results obtained, the recommendations and the proposed actions.

The consultant will therefore have the following tasks: 

• to carry out an analysis of the current PDESC and the assessment report (Commune VI of the District of Bamako) to assess the level of consideration of gender, climate action and sustainable solutions for care work;
• based on the analysis of the level of consideration of gender, climate action and sustainable solutions for care work in the previous PDESC and the assessment report, identify the entry points for better integration of issues of interest to the mission;
• provide technical and methodological support for the work of finalizing/updating the assessment of the implementation of the PDESC 2016 – 2020 of Commune 6 of the District of Bamako;
• provide technical and methodological support to the work of developing the new PDESC for Commune VI (participatory diagnosis, strategic orientations, vision – planning), with an emphasis on:
  • solutions for the recognition – reduction – redistribution (3R) of unpaid care work and 
  • adaptation strategies – mitigation of the effects of climate change.     

The deliverables expected during this mission are presented in the following table: 

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1:

1. A report on the framing meeting with the ADR, the Town Hall of Commune 6, the National Observatory of the Demographic Dividend (ONDD) and UN Women
2. The methodological approach document including a timetable for carrying out the mission

Deliverable 2: An evaluation report on the level of integration of gender, climate action and sustainable care solutions in the PDESC of commune 6, including:

• an overview of the issue;
• an analysis of the level of understanding among local development stakeholders;
• an analysis of gaps and good practices for consideration, as well as the identification of opportunities and entry points for effective integration/strengthening in the PDESC, with an emphasis on: 
  1. the 3Rs: recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work 
  2. mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change

Deliverable 3: 

1. (a) the terms of reference of the workshop to strengthen the capacities of local actors in taking into account gender, climate action and care work solutions in PDESC, (b) the training module and (c) the report of the training workshop for local actors 
2. The updated and finalized assessment document of the implementation of the current PDESC

Deliverable 4: 

1. the terms of reference of the “planning” workshops: (a) participatory diagnosis, (b) vision and strategic orientations and (c) operational planning of the new PDESC of the commune 6
2. planning session reports;
3. the municipality’s new PDESC project 
4. a final report of the mission, including activities supporting the formulation/revision/finalization of the PDESC 

PAYMENT METHOD

Payment for services will be made upon completion of the various deliverables indicated in the table above, subject to the satisfaction and approval of UN Women in accordance with the agreed schedule. The final payment must be accompanied by the consultant’s performance evaluation and the Certificate of Payment (COP) for final payment to be made.

INSURANCE AND MEDICAL COVERAGE

The contract provides for the inclusion of all costs (all-inclusive); the Organization will not assume any costs or benefits beyond the remuneration for services. Therefore, it is the consultant’s responsibility to take out medical insurance for the duration of the contract and it is recommended that it include medical coverage. Medical coverage must be international in cases where the contract provides for international assignments or missions. 

If the consultant is selected for this vacant position, he or she will be required to provide proof of medical coverage within the first month of the contract.

The selected person will maintain ongoing coordination with the supervisor for the effective execution and development of the products requested in these terms of reference and will provide the information requested within the framework of the terms of reference. 

PLACE OF ASSIGNMENT AND TRAVEL ORGANIZATION

The consultant will work in Bamako, Mali and may participate in activities organized by UN Women or other stakeholders in the regions. In case of an in-country mission, UN Women will cover the contractor’s living expenses.

Skills:

Core Values:

• Respect for diversity
• Integrity 
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Sensitivity to gender equality issues;
• Responsibility ;
• Creative problem solving;
• Effective communication;
• Inclusive collaboration;
• Stakeholder engagement;
• Set an example.

Please visit  this link  for more information on UN Women’s Values ​​and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS: 

• Strong strategic planning skills;
• Understanding the context of decentralization in Mali;
• Familiarity with energy and climate change issues related to gender;
• Strong commitment and understanding of issues related to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment;
• Mastery of the issues of basic social services within a local authority;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Strong research and communication skills;
• Good command of MS Office and data visualization tools is an asset.
• Ability to prioritize and work under pressure with colleagues at all levels;
• Working in a Team: Demonstrate the ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relationships with people of different backgrounds, national and cultural origins;
• Communicate and share information: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication; 
• Self-management and emotional intelligence: Remaining calm and positive even in difficult times, handling situations with diplomacy and tact, and behaving consistently towards others;
• Conflict Management: Bringing conflicts to light and addressing them by proactively acknowledging different feelings and perspectives and directing energy toward a mutually acceptable solution;
• Continuous learning and knowledge sharing: Encourage learning and knowledge sharing.

SELECTION PROCEDURE AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

The selection procedure will be carried out by evaluating the file submitted by the candidates to assess their compliance with the requirements for the consultancy service and then by evaluating the technical offers.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

The consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on criteria such as: compliance with deadlines, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy and quality of delivered products.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Products/deliverables submitted on time and in accordance with the terms of reference.
• Quality of work.
• Achievement of expected results.
• Skills mentioned (Ref. Consultant profile).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION :

Holder of a Master’s degree or equivalent in development planning, local development engineering, gender and development, population & development, regional planning, environment and energy, social protection, sociology, development studies, economics or any other related field.

EXPERIENCE : the consultant must:

• have at least 5 years of professional experience in the field of decentralized strategic planning or support to local authorities in the formulation and monitoring and evaluation of development plans;
• have supported the development or evaluation of at least two local development plans, including at least one local urban municipality plan;
• have proven experience in taking gender into account in relation to access to basic social services and economic opportunities, particularly in the context of regional and local development (study or training provision);
• have proven experience in taking into account the environment and climate change, and its effects and implications on the living conditions of populations and women and girls, particularly in the context of regional and local development;
• have a good knowledge of instruments relating to human rights in general and the rights of children, women, older persons and persons living with disabilities (national and international)
• have a good knowledge of IT tools and word processing (Word) and presentation (PowerPoint for example) software;
• Have the expertise to map strategic directions in geographic information systems (GIS);
• experience working with a municipality in the District of Bamako is an asset.

Language(s):  Excellent command of French is required. Knowledge of English and national languages ​​is an asset.  

Female applicants are encouraged . 

Statements:

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, 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 are able to accommodate 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.)

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