Consultant Trainer, Women Mediators' Network at International Alert

Background

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), unanimously adopted in October 2000, stressed the importance of the equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security. In the years since, eleven additional resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) have been adopted. That created a robust framework for implementing the WPS agenda and reinforced global commitments, treaties and conventions on women’s rights, including the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. To deliver these commitments at the national level, the United Nations has encouraged Member States to adopt National Action Plans on WPS (NAPs-WPS) to implement the resolutions and monitor the progress of the WPS agenda. As of September 2019, 82 countries have adopted NAPs-WPS.

However, the role of women and the gender dimensions of conflict remain marginal in conflict resolution; and post-conflict reconstruction processes, despite significant progress towards gender equality and protection of women’s rights at the policy level, largely lack implementation. The absence of and lack of women’s participation in formal mediation processes and at the peace table, is an important area of the 1325 agenda that remains poorly implemented, especially in Nigeria. In addition, women’s significant contribution to and strong role in Nigeria – whether national or sub-national mediation and conflict prevention initiatives, continue to be largely unrecognized and weakly supported. There is no doubt that women should take an integral part in decision-making during peace processes.

In order to contribute to an increase in women’s access to and participation in peace mediation and negotiation in Nigeria, women’s capacity in mediation and negotiation skills needs to be improved and extended to all areas of work including security sector reform, financing and power-sharing. The impact of conflict on women and their role in peace processes need to be better exposed and reflected on; and the implementation of various policies related to Women, Peace and Security needs to be accelerated and monitored. A comprehensive response from all stakeholders is necessary to ensure gains made are not reversed.

In recent past, UN Women have successfully initiated a network of Women Peace Mentors in Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau States, to complement the development and implementation of the WPS State Action Plans. These have resulted in the creation of Women Peace and Mediators’ Networks in these States, providing women at top and grassroots levels, the opportunity to increase capacity and strengthen local early-warning, mediation and security architectures to mitigate evolving conflicts in these States. There is, however, a need to replicate these networks across Nigeria, to increase the participation of women in peace processes in a sustainable manner.

As a build-up to its support to the government of Nigeria to meet its commitments on UNSCR 1325, UN Women is implementing a 2-year programme on WPS, in partnership with International Alert, and with funding support from the Government of Norway. The initiative is designed to achieve the broad goal of gender-inclusive and sustainable peace in Nigeria through:

Increased women’s effective participation in peace and security processes, peace negotiations, conflict prevention and resolution.

Improved public perception on the role of women in peace and security, at all levels through opportunities for engagement and dialogue.

Against this background, International Alert seeks to hire a consultant to deliver capacity strengthening training to a select group of women who will subsequently join a mediators’ network. The consultant will be supported by the Department of Women and Gender at the Ministry of Women Affairs and International Alert’s project staff.

Scope of Work   

• The consultant will peruse and familiarize themselves with the training resource pack developed by Alert for the women mediators’ network in liaison with Alert’s Gender and Peacebuilding unit.
• produce a 5-day training design including the methodology and delivery process, based on a training resource pack developed by International Alert
• The training will cover both Bauchi and Benue States with a maximum of 40 participants.
• The trainer will provide guidance and supervision of participants during the training in the development of a community-based Early Warning Early Response system, to ensure they thoroughly understand it, and are able to align it with local context peculiar to their state and communities.
• Trainer will provide participants with thorough guide for stepping down training in their locales.

Deliverables

• An outlined training plan and what the training will cover.
• Produce a report on the training.

Requirements for Consultant

• 5-8 years’ experience in relevant field in conducting training, humanitarian works in peace building, mediation, and other relevant fields.
• At least 5 years professional experience in training development
• Demonstrated experience in working with government partners and other stakeholders in public sector development programs especially around capacity development.
• Experience in training and research, policy development, management and program related.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of local languages (Hausa and Sayyawa for Bauchi; Tiv and Idoma for Benue) will be an added advantage.
• Be able to travel to conduct training in Bauchi or Benue State.

Evaluation Criteria

Technical Proposal

• A description of the methodology and work plan for performing the training.
• CV demonstrating experience in conducting training, humanitarian works in peace building, social works, and other relevant fields.
• Graduate level qualification in relevant or peacebuilding related field – or equivalent experience.

Financial Proposal

• Consultants shall indicate the total price of the services including all applicable taxes.
• Consultants shall express the price of their services in Naira.