Call for Proposals: Strengthening Women’s Climate and Disaster Resilience (Nepal)

Deadline: 22-Jul-24

UN Women has issued a call for proposals aimed at enhancing women’s climate and disaster resilience through the strengthening of climate-smart villages to promote gender-responsive climate and disaster risk reduction actions.

UN Women aims to build women’s climate and disaster resilience by strengthening existing climate smart villages in selected locations for increased gender-responsive climate and DRR action, based on the gender-responsive and inclusive framework developed by UN Women. The climate and DRR program at UN Women is focused on building climate and disaster resilience through advocating for gender-responsive plans and policies; increasing women’s voice, agency and leadership; promoting the generation and use of gender data and evidences and supporting women’s access to finance.

Objectives

• The selected partner will work towards achieving the below two objectives.
  • Strengthen capacity of duty bearers to develop GEDSI Action Plans and gender data to be integrated in provincial and local climate and DRR plans. 
    • The aim of this objective is to meaningfully engage local and province-level duty bears via capacity building workshops to create an enabling environment for discussions and development of Climate GEDSI Action Plans and DRR GEDSI Action Plans. These GEDSI Action Plans will guide local government to integrate GEDSI specific concerns in local level climate and DRR plans and will be integrated in Local Adaption Plan of Actions (LAPA) of the municipalities. These action plans will also aid in strengthening and continuing existing climate villages from gender and inclusive lens. Robust GEDSI Action Plan will be informed by gender data and its analysis. Some of the datasets for the gender data collection should include data from the project location for example, data on differential impact of climate change and disaster, roles and contribution of addressing climate action and disaster risk reduction, women’s participation and leadership, access to resources, health and wellbeing, socio economic factors, cultural and social norms, women’s time poverty and drudgery in selected sectors (food business, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, forestry and non-timber forest products), discriminatory practices, gender-based violence and climate security. This will ensure evidence based GEDSI data and analysis, resulting in targeted, equitable and inclusive climate action and disaster preparedness.
  • Strengthened women’s group’s voice, agency and leadership role in the project location. 
    • The aim of this objective is to empower women and vulnerable groups by creating an inclusive and participatory space and bringing together diverse women and women’s group, including indigenous women’s groups to form a women’s collective. This women’s collective will actively engage in discussions, build capacitates to actively seek solutions for climate challenges and participate in leadership roles in climate adaptation, mitigation, renewable energy technologies, NRM and DRR decision-making, resulting in enhanced voice and agency to advocate in climate actions and decisions. One key element of raising women’s climate resilience is securing access to finance for climate-smart interventions including renewable energy technologies, natural resource management (NRM) and green sustainable livelihood options. The project aims to map these financial institutions during the project period. Mapping will aid in identifying gaps and opportunities to access funding for climate-smart technologies for farm level, climate insurance packages, agricultural-based enterprises, and water-smart technologies including solar water pumps that improve lives and livelihoods for women and vulnerable groups.

Guiding Principles 

• Climate Justice
• Human Rights Based Approach
• Intersectionality
• Leave No One Behind (LNOB)
• Disability Inclusion
• Tackling social norms and harmful practice
• Result-based programming and management
• Mitigating negative impact
• Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
• Tailored and targeted solutions for women and vulnerable groups to enhance their leadership, economic and livelihoods
• Do no harm.

Funding Information

• The budget range for this proposal should be 60000- 75000 USD.

Timeframe 

• This project will be implemented from mid-August – December 2024.

Scope 

• To achieve the above objectives, the Responsible Party is expected to carry out the following proposed activities in close collaboration with UN Women.
  • Objective 1: 
    • Conduct workshops, based on in-depth vulnerability analysis, with duty bearers and multistakeholders, including women’s groups, CSO’s, private sector, GESI focal point, DRR focal point, GESI experts, to formulate Climate and DRR GEDSI Action Plans and gender responsive financing.
    • Conduct round-table discussions with duty bears and muti-stakeholders to strengthen the existing climate-smart village from GEDSI lens by using the Gender-responsive and Inclusive Climate Model Village Framework.
    • Collect primary and secondary data and analyze gender data on agreed 20 datasets by engaging local women and youth volunteers.
    • Conduct a round-table discussion (province-level) with climate and DRR committees, multi-political parties, climate and DRR government ministries and departments at the province level to strengthen their understanding on GEDSI responsive climate action and disaster preparedness, National and local level climate and DRR funds and making them gender responsive.
  • Deliverables
    • Documented commitment to integrate GEDSI responsive climate and DRR actions.
    • Local level Climate GEDSI Action Plan document. Local level DRR GEDSI Action Plan document. Detailed workshop report.
    • Decisions document to strengthen climate-smart village with GEDSI lens.
    • Primary data of 20 datasets of the project location and secondary data on province level as relevant. Data analysis report based on detailed datasets.
  • Objective 2: 
    • Support community-level women’s groups (mothers’ group, water user groups, community forest user groups, cooperatives, natural resource management groups, etc.) to conduct bi-weekly learning and discussion sessions on community-level climate and disaster related issues and collective actions, using REFLECT model.
    • Conduct capacity building training of women’s organizations and network on climate and DRR policies, plans and financing, including Gender-responsive and Inclusive Climate Model Village, to build solidarity among women’s group for climate and DRR advocacy.
    • Consultation and mapping of relevant government agencies, climate funders, banks, micro-finance agencies, cooperatives, insurance company, CBOs/CSOs and private sector actors for climate finance and investment opportunities in renewable energy, nature-based solutions, including women entrepreneurs engaged in climate-smart interventions.
    • Stocktaking of existing climate-smart technologies and tools being used and barriers for its utilization and adoption by women in the project location.
    • Conduct (digital) storytelling workshop among indigenous women to document and conserve indigenous knowledges and practices on climate adaption and disaster preparedness.
  • Deliverables 2.1 
    • Report on REFLECT sessions conducted, including participant lists, agendas, feedback from participants, key outcomes, follow-up actions. Identify community-level engagements for scaling future climate and DRR actions.
    • Women’s Solidarity Network created and documented.
    • Detailed mapping document of all relevant stakeholders with report outlining financing opportunities, challenges and key partnership opportunities identified.
    • Report on gap in adopting climate-smart technologies and tools.
    • At least five (Digital) story documentation of climate adaption and disaster preparedness.

Location 

• The proposed pilot initiative will be implemented in five rural municipalities in Kavre and Sindhuli districts in Bagmati Province. Bagmati province is ranked as a highly vulnerable province, and Kavre and Sindhuli are very highly climate-vulnerable districts.
• The selected five rural municipalities, selected where there are existing climate smart villages/ecovillages/model villages are:
  • In Sundhuli district= Marin and Hariharpurgadhi Municipalities
  • In Kavrepalanchowk district= Bethanchowk, Dhulikhel and Namobuddha Municipalites

Technical/functional competencies required 

• Below are the major technical and functional competencies required for prospective organizations to implement the project. The lead organization should have a strong background and proven expertise apin delivering climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction management initiatives focusing on sectors such as renewable energy sectors, promoting women led improved agriculture and enterprise efforts at the local level. Specifically, the lead organization and sub-partners should collectively demonstrate the following technical and functional competencies.
  • Demonstrated experience and expertise in implementing climate change adaptation, mitigation, and DRR projects and sound knowledge on mainstreaming GEDSI in climate adaptation, mitigation, and DRR. Demonstrated experience in formulating result-oriented programs, monitoring programs based on indicators, and quality reporting.
  • Proven experience in working and strengthening the voices and agencies of women, excluded groups, and marginalized groups to enable them to take the lead in project implementation and attain sustainable livelihood improvement. Sound understanding of gender, social and economic dynamics, with a track record of implementing projects that promote gender equality and social inclusion ideally at the local level.
  • Sound knowledge of the legal framework, policies, and interventions on climate change, climate justice, women’s empowerment, gender equality, and inclusivity in Nepal is required.
  • Demonstrated commitment to work with formal and informal partners including women, and vulnerable groups, youth agencies, data expert agencies that are economically, socially, culturally, or otherwise excluded or marginalized.
  • Experience in implementing climate-smart interventions for building the climate resilience of women and vulnerable groups through initiatives around renewable energy sectors, (such as renewable energy interventions for reducing the drudgery of women, appropriate green technologies such as solar pumps to address water scarcity and sustainable natural resources management, solar lights, dryers for processing NTFPs, medical herb etc, vermicomposting, improved agricultural practice and women-led agencies etc.)
  • Sound knowledge on advocacy and interventions related to climate justice and climate security.
  • Sound knowledge in developing training manuals, curriculum, briefing materials and providing training and orientation at the provincial and local level and producing research/assessment-based reports and policy briefs in the areas of climate justice, gender equality, and women’s empowerment is essential.
  • An in-depth understanding of local geography, social, economic, climate, and natural resources-related issues is crucial for tailoring interventions effectively to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of the project area.
  • Strong experience in building strategic partnerships with key stakeholders of climate change, gender equality, and networks with relevant partners, including women-led organizations, CSOs, government agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.

For more information, visit UN Women.