Individual Consultant: Develop GESI Policy & Strategy for INMACOM River Basin

Description of the Assignment:As part of strengthening basin-wide governance and sustainability, INMACOM seeks to develop a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy and Strategy. This policy and strategy will guide systematic integration of gender equality and social inclusion into transboundary water and ecosystem management, ensuring equitable participation, representation, and benefit-sharing among women, youth, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and other marginalised groupsThe Individual Consultant will be responsible for the following key tasks: Review relevant literature, policies, strategies, legal frameworks, and institutional arrangements related to GESI and transboundary governance in Eswatini, South Africa, and Mozambique. Review project documents, including the existing GESI Baseline Report and GESI Action Plan produced during the preparation of the UNDP/GEF project, to ensure alignment with the project’s outcomes and outputs.Identify and engage key institutions, including SADC Gender Focal Points for the Water Sector, National Gender Machinery and relevant stakeholders, programmes, and initiatives promoting gender equality and social inclusion in the Incomati and Maputo River Basins.Conduct inclusive consultations with relevant stakeholders at regional, national, and local levels to capture gender-specific needs, barriers and opportunities in transboundary water and natural resource management. Conduct a comprehensive gap analysis to identify institutional, policy, structural, and operational gaps in integrating GESI within INMACOM’s governance and operational systems and its associated inter-sectoral committees and transboundary coordination mechanisms. Update and refine the GESI analysis and Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the project, including updating the monitoring framework and ensure alignment with UNDP GEN2 requirements.Develop an INMACOM GESI Policy, that establishes an enabling institutional framework, including vision, guiding p