Consultancy to undertake a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analysis and develop Gender Action Plan for the Climate Resilient Eastern African Tran

**Terms of Reference for IUCN Consultancy** **Title: Consultancy to undertake a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analysis and develop Gender Action Plan for the Climate Resilient Eastern African Transboundary Water Management for Environmental Sustainability (CREATES) Programme** **Objective of the Consultancy** This consultancy has the following objective(s): 1. Undertake a programme level Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Analysis and prepare an evidence-based Gender Action Plan (GAP) that strengthens the integration of gender equality and social inclusion across CREATES implementation. 2. Review and validate existing evidence, identify barriers and opportunities affecting equitable participation and benefit sharing, and recommend practical measures to strengthen inclusive programme delivery. 3. The Gender Action Plan should provide clear implementation priorities, institutional responsibilities, monitoring arrangements and measurable actions that support gender-responsive and, where appropriate, gender-transformative approaches across the Programme. **Background** Project Reference: PO4608 Donor reference: DN00414 **About IUCN** IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. [www.iucn.org](http://www.iucn.org) [https://twitter.com/IUCN/](https://twitter.com/IUCN/) **About the Project** The Climate Resilient Eastern African Transboundary Water Management for Environmental Sustainability (CREATES) Programme is a five-year initiative (2026-2030) funded by DANIDA and is a Denmark's contribution to the EU's Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Transboundary Water Management (TWM) in Africa. The TEI-TWM aims to enhance water security, promote regional stability and resilience, and foster peaceful development across Africa. CREATES supports this goal by focusing on improving transboundary water management in Eastern Africa to enhance water security, climate resilience, cooperation, and sustainable development. CREATES programme is currently implemented in the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi (SMM) Basin (Uganda and Kenya) and the Mara Basin (Kenya and Tanzania). These basins face significant transboundary water management challenges, including poverty, vulnerable populations, food insecurity, and risks of instability and conflict. Both basins have existing platforms for advancing TWM, with opportunities to enhance the capacity and actions of regional and local institutions. The Programme is implemented by IUCN and UNEP-DHI, working in collaboration with relevant regional, national, basin-level and local institutions and stakeholders. The expected outcomes for the Programme are as outlined below: - Enhanced capacity of local, national, and regional bodies for climate-resilient water resources management. - Improved implementation and sharing of climate-resilient integrated water resource management (IWRM) practices. - Improved governance arrangements for TWM. - Increased investments in and implementation of climate-resilient transboundary water infrastructure, combined with Nature-based Solutions (grey-green solutions). **Description of the Assignment** A GESI Analysis and Action Plan was previously prepared for CREATES and BRIDGE. This assignment will take account of that work alongside current programme documentation and safeguards instruments, while undertaking the analysis and field engagement required to provide a sufficiently robust and programme-specific basis for the CREATES Gender Action Plan. **Scope of Work** The consulting team/firm will undertake the GESI Analysis and develop the Gender Action Plan in line with relevant IUCN policies, standards, templates and guidance. The scope of work will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analysis - Review the Programme and Project Documents, Theory of Change, Results Framework, stakeholder engagement documentation, Indigenous Peoples Plan (IPP), ESMS screening and other relevant safeguards instruments. The previous CREATES/BRIDGE GESI Analysis and Action Plan should also be reviewed as an existing source of information. - Review the relevant national and regional legal, policy and institutional frameworks for gender equality and social inclusion and assess their relevance to programme implementation. - Analyse gender roles, decision-making processes, access to and control over resources, participation in water governance and expected distribution of programme benefits at regional, basin and community levels. - Review how climate vulnerability, social exclusion and other intersecting factors influence different groups, with particular attention to Indigenous Peoples, youth, persons with disabilities and other potentially marginalised populations. - Examine the institutional, social, cultural and economic factors that may constrain meaningful participation, representation, leadership and equitable benefit sharing within programme interventions and water governance structures. - Assess the institutional capacity of relevant programme partners to integrate gender equality and social inclusion within programme planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting. - Analyse gender-related risks that could arise from programme activities, including exclusion or discrimination, elite capture, increased workloads or unpaid care burdens, and risks related to gender-based violence (GBV), sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual harassment (SH), as relevant to the nature and location of programme interventions. This analysis should be undertaken in coordination with the programme GESS specialists. - Identify practical entry points for strengthening equitable participation, leadership, benefit sharing and inclusive governance throughout programme implementation. Gender Action Plan Development - Translate the findings of the GESI Analysis into a programme-level Gender Action Plan aligned with relevant CREATES outcomes, outputs and activities. - Define priority actions, expected results, indicators, targets, implementation responsibilities, timelines and indicative resource requirements. - Recommend measures that strengthen gender equality and social inclusion across institutional strengthening, transboundary water governance, Nature-based Solutions, climate-resilient infrastructure and community-level interventions, as relevant. - Propose indicators and means of verification for monitoring progress and recommend, where necessary, adjustments to the Programme Results Framework and MEL arrangements to support effective tracking and reporting of gender equality and social inclusion results. - Establish practical arrangements for monitoring GAP implementation, reporting progress and responding to emerging issues or changes in program