GEDSI-Sensitive DRR Expert

Result of ServiceThis assignment strengthens the collaboration between UNDRR, MINEMA and UN Women. The primary objective is to design, validate, and deliver a comprehensive, actionable, and budgeted National GEDSI DRR Strategy for Rwanda. The strategy must operationalize UN Women’s localized assessment data and guidelines while aligning directly with the water-centric goals, multi-hazard early warning benchmarks, and community-resilience targets of the Water at the Heart of Climate Action project. Work LocationHome based Expected duration3 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster risk reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 150 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyses action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community. Climate change in Rwanda manifests predominantly through water-related hazards. The country experiences a high frequency of destructive floods, water-induced landslides in mountainous terrains, and prolonged droughts that threaten both food and water security. Vulnerable groups, including women, children, youth, elderly populations, and Persons with Disabilities, frequently experience the worst impacts of these water-related shocks due to unequal access to resources, adaptive capacities, and early warning information. To address these vulnerabilities, this assignment is launched under the regional “Water at the Heart of Climate Action” (WHCA) project. This initiative focuses on protecting vulnerable communities from water-related climate hazards through integrated water resources management, climate-smart water services, and inclusive early warning systems. This assignment will be implemented in close coordination with UN Women in Rwanda. In Rwanda, UN Women is currently conducting a localized Gender-Sensitive Disaster Risk Assessment in high-risk districts and is developing a Roadmap for Strengthening Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction and Inclusive Early Warning Systems. The two assignments are designed to be complementary: the UN Women assessment generates the evidence base and district-level roadmap, while the present assignment translates that evidence into a national strategy. UNDRR, as an executing partner of the “Water at the Heart of Climate Action” project, is collaborating with MINEMA to scale up these localized insights into a comprehensive Rwanda GEDSI DRR Strategy that links water security, climate adaptation, and social inclusion. The assessment covers case study districts in the Western Province and additional districts in other provinces so that the evidence base reflects the diversity of hazards affecting Rwanda, including floods, landslides, drought and storms, and the different risk and vulnerability contexts across the country. This assignment will build directly on the UN WOMEN assessment, using its findings, recommendations and roadmap as the evidence base for the Rwanda GEDSI DRR strategy, validating and operationalizing them through broader national consultation. The Strategy will be anchored in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Policy, the National Gender Policy and MIGEPROF gender mainstreaming frameworks, and will contribute to Rwanda’s commitments under the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. This Rwanda GEDSI DRR strategy will be aligned with the UNDRR Sendai Gender Action Plan and forthcoming UNDRR Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan (GEDI-SAP) 2026–2030. Scope of Work The consultant will execute the following technical tasks: