National Gender-Sensitive Disaster Risk Assessment and a Roadmap for Strengthening Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Warning Systems in Rwanda

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.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of disaster risks in Rwanda, undermining development gains and exacerbating existing gender inequalities, particularly in rural communities that depend heavily on climate-sensitive livelihoods whereby climate-related shocks such as floods, landslides, droughts, and severe weather events continue to disproportionately affect women, girls, youth, and persons with disabilities. Specifically, the Western Province districts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro, and Ngororero remain among the most vulnerable due to recurrent disasters, loss of livelihoods, displacement, food insecurity, and heightened risks of gender-based violence. However, women are not only vulnerable groups but also key agents of change whose leadership, knowledge, and resilience are critical to strengthening community preparedness, recovery, and climate adaptation when they are meaningfully empowered and included in decision-making processes.

UN Women Rwanda Country Office, guided by its mandate on gender equality and women’s empowerment, seeks to strengthen gender-responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate resilience in Rwanda through the regional multi-country programme “Strengthening Gender-Responsive Climate Resilience, Disaster Preparedness and Early Warning Systems,” implemented in Rwanda in partnership with the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) and other relevant partners.

To this end, the Country Office aims to commission the consultancy which aligns with UN Women Rwanda’s Strategic Note (2026-2029) priorities on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW), women’s leadership, gender responsive disaster prevention and early warning systems, and resilience building, while contributing to broader regional multi-country climate resilience and DRR programming. It also supports Rwanda’s national DRR and climate adaptation priorities, including gender-responsive early warning systems and inclusive resilience planning, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and national climate and disaster management frameworks.

By generating evidence on gendered disaster risks, resilience capacities and access to climate-resilient livelihood opportunities, the assessment will inform policy, programming, coordination, and accountability to advance women’s economic empowerment, leadership and participation in decision-making, protection from violence in disaster settings, and inclusive governance of disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation initiatives.

The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the National Programme Management Specialist and the direct supervision of the Program Coordination Analyst who will be the technical point for the assignment.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

1. Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to:

1. Conduct a comprehensive gender-sensitive disaster risk assessment in Rwanda with a focus on the districts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro, and Ngororero as case studies
2. Assess how women and youth access and benefit from climate-resilient livelihood opportunities and services;
3. Analyze existing policy, institutional, coordination, accountability, and data systems related to gender-responsive DRR and climate resilience;
4. Identify barriers and gaps affecting women and girls in disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience-building;
5. Develop actionable recommendations and a roadmap for strengthening gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and inclusive early warning systems at national and local levels. Scope of Work

The consultancy will cover:

• National-level policy and institutional analysis;
• And conduct case studies through field assessments in:
  • Nyabihu District
  • Rubavu District
  • Rutsiro District
  • Ngororero District

The consultant will engage key stakeholders including:

• Government institutions;
• Local authorities;
• Women’s organizations;
• Youth groups;
• Community leaders;
• Local Cooperatives;
• Civil society organizations;
• Disaster management committees;
• Development partners;

Financial institutions and private sector actors where relevant.

Deliverables

Deliverable Time frame Payment Schedule (optional) Inception Report 7 days 20% Data Collection and Stakeholder Consultations 7 days N/A Submission of First draft Assessment Report and Draft Roadmap for Gender-Responsive DRR and Early Warning Systems for review by UN Women and MINEMA 12 days 30% Presentation and collection of Stakeholder inputs through a Validation Workshop. 2 days N/A Submission of the Final Assessment Report and Roadmap 2 days 50%

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, as part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of 30 days, including 1 week of field trips across 4 districts that will serve as case studies for this assignment

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Good budget and finance skills
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
• Good analytical skills
• Knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Environmental Studies, or related fields
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated experience in: Gender analysis and assessments, disaster risk reduction and climate resilience, climate adaptation programming, policy and institutional analysis, community-based research and field assessments.
• Proven experience conducting gender-sensitive assessments, research and data analysis, stakeholder consultations and facilitation.
• Strong knowledge of Rwanda’s DRR and climate policy landscape, gender equality frameworks and Local governance systems.
• Previous experience working with Government institutions, UN agencies, Development partners, Civil society organizations and rural communities

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Kinyarwanda is an asset.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Technical understanding of the assignment; Proposed methodology and work plan as well as the financial proposal

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 need any reasonable accommodation to support 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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.