OPPORTUNITY – Gender and energy expert on efficient, clean cooking and heating

Terms of Reference

Short Term Consultant – Gender and Energy Expert

Efficient, Clean Cooking and Heating

Background

Worldwide, three billion people rely on solid fuels, such as wood or coal, for cooking and heating, which results in severe health, environmental and climate impacts. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), household air pollution from cooking kills over 4 million people every year[1]—more than the number of deaths from malaria and tuberculosis combined—and sickens millions more from lung and heart diseases. Women and children are disproportionally affected by health impacts, and bear much of the burden of cooking and collecting firewood or other traditional fuels. Women can play a key role in catalyzing the efficient clean cooking and heating (ECCH) market for fuels and stoves by influencing the design and uptake of products and engaging in income-generating opportunities along the value chain.

To address this global issue and increase access to ECCH solutions on a large scale, investment needs are estimated to be at least US$4.4 billion annually.[2] A key rationale for increasing public sector support is to realize the multiple public goods in climate mitigation, public health and improved gender equality, associated with ECCH. Increases in public sector support must also mobilize private sector investment if they are to achieve the level of investment needed. An approach in which public sector resources are used to pay for verified climate, health and gender impact-level results offers the promise of both linking public support to achievement of demonstrated benefits and mobilizing private sector investment beyond existing, and overly limited, funding sources and vehicles.

As a response to the need to scale up global efforts, ESMAP launched the Efficient, Clean Cooking and Heating initiative in 2015. It has the objective of providing technical assistance to client countries, supporting policy and regulatory reforms, and mobilizing finance to scale up access to clean and efficient cooking and heating solutions. The ECCH program is co-led by a cross-sectoral team from energy, climate, health and gender at the World Bank Group (WBG).

Objective of the Assignment

Under the ECCH work is ongoing which is specifically focused on understanding what the gender-specific impacts and opportunities of clean cooking and heating are and how these can be monitored and measured at the project level. Additional support is needed on the gender aspects of the ECCH engagements across various key tasks that are outlined below. These activities may have to be slightly modified based on changing priorities and the needs of the clients depending on how the proposed engagement develops.

  1. Lead gender assessment of the ECCH projects in the WBG portfolio through a desk level assessment and Task-Team Leader (TTL) interviews (60%): Review pipeline, active and closed ECCH operations to assess the gender-specific impacts and opportunities of clean cooking. Conduct desk-level review of key documents (Project Appraisal Documents and Implementation Status and Results etc.) and lead TTL interviews to assess what projects have delivered on gender in terms of consultation, governance and decision making, job creation, innovative consumer interface, marketing and economic empowerment. In addition, the consultant will be expected to briefly collate and summarize the best-practice interventions on gender and ECCH beyond the WBG. Overall findings to be captured in a brief note featuring case studies to illustrate best practice.
  2. Advisory and operational support on gender in pipeline and ongoing operations under ECCH (25%): Establish and maintain a screening system for ECCH projects to ensure all projects are reviewed for gender considerations and potential support– this include existing and pipeline lending operations and TA work. This should build on the gender assessment of the portfolio and target a few key operations across regions that could take-up gender approaches in e.g. decision making, job creation and economic empowerment.
  3. Results and monitoring & evaluation (10%): Contribute to the ongoing engagement on the gender methodology discussion under ECCH. For example, provide technical input on gender-specific impacts of ECCH related to project design, working group consultations and meetings with stakeholders such as the Gold Standard, The Global Alliance for Clean Cooking, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Energia and Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN).
  4. Support knowledge development and communication activities (5%): Provide guidance and technical input to ongoing engagement under the ECCH such as consultations, Brown Bag Lunches (BBLs), blogs and donor engagement and reporting. The consultant will also be expected to contribute to knowledge development and communication activities across relevant GPs.

Deliverables

  • Full assessment of social and gender dimensions of ECCH projects at the WBG and a brief summary of the best-practice on gender and ECCH beyond the WBG
  • Brief summary note of findings from assessment to inform ECCH engagements
  • Provide technical input to task teams, working groups and consultations
  • Support knowledge development and dissemination activities and co-author blog with counterparts to share good practices and key recommendations

Proposed Work and Reporting Arrangements

The consultancy can either be in Washington D.C or home-based. The consultant will work under the supervision of Ramesh Ramankutty (Head of Operations and Business Strategy-GEF), Inka Schomer (Operations Officer, Gender CCSA) and Vanessa Lopes Janik (Operations Officer, ESMAP).

Timeline

The assignment will be for an initial 30 days over the period November 2016 to June 2017, which can be extended upon an agreement between the consultant and the WB.

Qualifications

  • At least a master’s degree and a minimum of 5-7 years of directly relevant Bank and/or external experience.
  • Experience working directly on efficient, clean cooking and heating sector issues from a gender and social lens, including field experience in developing countries.
  • Experience should include working with private and social sector enterprises. Expertise in innovative financing for market development will be considered advantages.
  • Proven ability to conduct portfolio reviews, a track record of producing high-quality assessments and overseeing project related actions and written outputs.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and capacity to work with clients and colleagues across units and departmental boundaries in a multi-cultural environment with virtual teams located in different countries.
  • Fluent in written and spoken English. Other languages such as French is a plus.
  • Willingness to travel as the need arises.

For guidance to access a selection on the external World Bank website, click here.

 

[1] World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/, 2014

[2] The SE4ALL Global Tracking Report shows that the investment needed to achieve the goal of universal access to modern cooking (not including heating) by 2030 is about $4.4 billion annually. In 2012 investment was just $0.1 billion. Progress Toward Sustainable Energy: Global Tracking Report 2015, World Bank.