Ref.
2025/CGSE/12853
Job offer type
Experts
Type of contract
Service contract
Deadline date
2025/04/13 23:59
Duration of the assignment
Short term
Duration
6 months
Gender equality and Inclusion expert (short term) - Connectivity for Central Asia (M/W)
Departement Economie Durable et Inclusive - EDIN > Pôle Entreprenariat et Innovation
Published on : 2025/03/24
ASIE
KAZAKHSTAN
Mission description
General Objectives
The objective of this assignment is to contribute to prepare a Gender Strategy and Gender Action Plan for the Connectivity for Central Asia Action (C4CA) during its inception phase until June 2025, ensuring gender mainstreaming throughout all components. This includes establishing a baseline reference on gender issues in Central Asia and analyzing the Action’s objectives, outputs, and activities to propose both theoretical and practical recommendations for enhanced gender equality integration.
Special attention will be given to Component 2, which specifically focuses on gender equality by promoting access to digital connectivity services, especially for marginalized communities, with a key emphasis on rural areas, women, and other underrepresented groups.
Specific Objectives and Main Duties
In preparation of the inception report for the Action, the specific responsibilities and main duties of the gender expert under this assignment are:
1. Develop the C4CA Gender Strategy
Developing a comprehensive Gender Strategy aligned with C4CA’s objectives and EU regulations in coordination with the consortium partners of the action. This will include meetings and interviews with different stakeholders: representatives of the 5 consortium partners (including Project Management Unit but also Gender experts of each Agency), Country Advisors, local civil society representatives, local gender experts, etc.
The gender strategy will include:
· Clearly identified gender-related goals and objectives of the Action, aligned with broader gender equality and women's empowerment principles as well as the EU GAP III strategy.
· Measures to ensure gender mainstreaming throughout the Action, integrating a gender sensitive approach in all Action activities, outputs, outcomes and indicators.
· Recommendations to successfully reach the target group to ensure their meaningful participation during Action activities.
· Identified and flagged potential gender-related risks and vulnerabilities that the Action might unintentionally exacerbate and develop strategies to mitigate these risks.
· Proposed strategies for raising awareness about gender equality and the Action's gender-focused objectives.
· Proposed strategies to ensure sustainability and continuity of Gender mainstreaming efforts.
· Defined metrics and methods to measure the effectiveness of the Gender Strategy.
2. Develop a C4CA Gender Action Plan
Developing the Action Gender Action Plan, outlining specific activities, tasks, timelines, responsible parties required to implement the strategy, in consultation with the Action team.
The Gender Action Plan will include:
· Review of activities and indicators to be included in the workplans and logical framework, to ensure taking full account of gender considerations. The expert shall take into account the existing action documents, and tools already developed by the implementing partners.
· List of specific tasks and activities that need to be completed to execute the Gender Strategy.
· Proposed mechanisms for coherent and adapted collaboration within the Action team (PMU, Consortium partners, Country Advisors) on gender issues (assigning individuals or teams responsible), evaluating needs throughout the Action duration (4 years).
· Proposed key performance indicators with recommendation on mechanisms to collect gender-disaggregated data to track progress and outcomes and evaluation methodology adapted to gender and women empowerment.
Methodology
The methodology will include, at a minimum:
· A literature review on gender issues in Central Asia in relation to digital connectivity, including policy documents, research papers, and sociodemographic surveys.
· Baseline analysis, including gender-disaggregated data, an assessment of barriers and constraints affecting men’s and women’s participation, and a gender risk and opportunity analysis.
· Interviews with implementing partners and any other key informants to gather qualitative insights.
· Analyze and review the Action’s logical framework to ensure gender considerations are integrated from the inception phase, incorporating gender-sensitive indicators and outcomes.
· Identify gender-related goals and objectives, aligned with broader gender equality and women's empowerment principles.
· Field surveys, if necessary, to collect primary data.
· One or more workshops for the co-construction of the Action's Gender Action Plan. The format (virtual or in-person) will be confirmed with the Expertise France Action team.
· Regular meetings with Expertise France and consortium partners, at least at the beginning and end of the assignment, with an inception phase mid-term workshop, and additional meetings if needed.
· A detailed methodology description, justifying methodological choices and allocation of time for field activities.
Expected deliverables
|
Deliverables |
Format |
Timeframe |
|
1. Revised methodology description |
10 pages max |
T0 + 20 days |
|
2. C4CA Gender Strategy first draft |
TBD with EF TeamIncluding minutes of interviews
|
T0 + 60 days |
|
3. C4CA Gender Strategy first draft |
See “Specific Objectives and Main Duties” section
|
T0 + 80 days |
|
4. C4CA Gender Action Plan draft version |
TBD with EF TeamIncluding minutes of workshops
|
T0 + 100 days |
|
5. C4CA EPCC-DRR Action Plan including revisions |
TBD with EF TeamIncluding all Annexes
|
T0 + 120 days |
All reports must be submitted in English.
Project or context description
Expertise France is the French public international cooperation agency. It designs and implements projects which aim to contribute to the balanced development of partner countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the priorities of France’s external action.
The Connectivity for Central Asia Action (C4CA) is part of the wider Team Europe Initiative on Digital Connectivity in Central Asia, funded by the European Union (DG INTPA) for a period of 4 years. The TEI additionally includes Hard Pillar focused on connectivity infrastructure; both actions shall together provide the conditions for safe and inclusive deployment of satellite connectivity across the region.
The C4AC Action is implemented by a consortium of leading European development agencies, including CFLA (Latvia), CPVA (Lithuania), e-Governance Academy (Estonia), Expertise France, and HAUS Institute (Finland). Expertise France is leading the consortium.
The Action aims to bridge the digital connectivity divide in Central Asia, through the development of an enabling, safe and inclusive environment for satellite connectivity use, with the overall objective of increasing equal access to basic public services and socio-economic inclusion. The Action activities will be implemented with a regional approach and cover Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The TEI Digital Connectivity - Soft Pillar will be implemented in four main components:
1. Policies and regulations: support in the development of enabling policy and regulatory environments for digital reforms including digitalization, connectivity and personal data protection;
2. Connectivity: improve access to public and private connectivity services and strengthen users’ capabilities to benefit from digital public services, with a specific focus on rural areas, gender equality and inclusion;
3. Digital innovation: foster the creation of a dynamic regional innovation ecosystem and support the development of local digital innovations, in particular satellite-based, to tackle local challenges.
4. Cybersecurity: support the development of harmonized cybersecurity frameworks and strengthen capacities of the industry stakeholders, as well civil society across the region.
Required profile
Qualifications and Skills
· Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Political Science, International Development, or a related field.
· Proven experience (4+ years) in gender mainstreaming, preferably in development projects.
· Previous experience working in Central Asian countries, including socio-cultural and policy aspects of gender equality.
· Experience in designing Strategy and Action plans with multiple stakeholders
Professional skills:
· Experience in projects under international funding mechanisms (EU, AFD, etc.) is mandatory.
· Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
· Very good knowledge of the monitoring and evaluation tools used in cooperation projects and coordinating mechanisms to mainstream gender and collect indicators in monitoring systems,
· Experience in running workshops with a view to organizing and co-constructing intervention methodologies,
· Excellent written and spoken command of English (good writing, synthesis and analytical skills…).
· Proficiency in Russian would be considered favorably.
Additional information
Coordination arrangements
The expert will work under the supervision of the Program Coordinator for the entire assignment. He/she will also be in regular contact with the project team, based in Astana, Kazakhstan and the Expertise France head office in Paris.
To carry out the assignment, he/she will have the following technical collaboration tools: Teams access.
Working Conditions
As part of this assignment, the project will cover the following expenses: per diem including accommodation, and transport during any missions outside of the expert’s place of residence, visa fees if necessary.
Additional expenses, such as accommodation and transport to their place of residence, will be the responsibility of the expert.
The working language will be English and Russian.
Location and Length of Assignment
The total contract amount is 39,999€ (excl. VAT).
Desired start date: April/May 2025
Maximum length of assignment: 5 months
The assignment will take place remotely, with field visits to Central Asia partners ‘countries when required. A preference will be given to experts based in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Application Process
Candidates interested in this opportunity are invited to submit their application as soon as possible:
A technical proposal, including:
· A curriculum vitae highlighting skills and experience relevant to the required qualifications (maximum 5 pages);
· 3 references;
· A memo outlining an understanding of the context and challenges of the mission (2 to 5 pages);
· A detailed work plan.
A financial proposal, including the number of person-days per activity and the daily fees.
Expertise France reserves the right to pre-select candidates before the deadline for applications. If you do not receive a reply from us within 3 weeks after the deadline, please consider that your application has been unsuccessful.
The selection process will take place in two stages:
1. Firstly, a shortlist will be drawn up by Expertise France.
2. Secondly, the shortlisted candidates will be invited to a videoconference interview.
Application deadline:
13/04/2025 à 23.59 (Paris CET Time)
Selection criteria for applications
The selection process for candidates will be based on the following criteria :
- Candidate’s training/skills/experience
- Candidate's knowledges related to local context (country or region intervention)
Deadline for application : 2025/04/13 23:59
Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :
- democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
- peace, stability, and security ;
- climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
- health and human development ;
In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results.