Integrating GBV risk mitigation capacity-building toolkit

Please note the application period for the MENA and Africa workshops has now closed. If you submitted an application and are shortlisted, you will be notified of your status during the first week of February. Final decisions will be made around the second week of February. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not in a position to advise on application status prior to these dates. For more background information on the workshops themselves, please see below, the webinar powerpoint (upload of the recording from the webinar is pending), and the Frequently Asked Questions.

Background to the workshops

UNICEF and the inter-agency GBV Guidelines Implementation Support Team are pleased to announce a series of regional workshops focused on building the capacity of humanitarian actors from a range of clusters/sectors, in a few target countries, to integrate GBV risk mitigation in their day-to-day work.

These 5-day long workshops will provide participants with in-depth knowledge and skills they to identify and reduce GBV-related risks in their work. Once participants have completed the workshop and returned to the country where the work, they will then be expected to complete a set of activities (see “practicum requirements,” below) to practice and implement new skills and knowledge they have gained.

The workshops, planned for 25-29 March and 16-20 April 2018, will target staff in the following regions/countries and focus clusters/sectors:

Middle East

Workshop location: Amman, 25-29 March

• Target countries/responses: Iraq, Lebanon, Whole of Syria (Amman/Damascus/Gaziantep)
• Target (sub)clusters/sectors: Child Protection, Education, Health, Protection, Shelter

East and West Africa

Workshop location: Nairobi, 16-20 April

• Target countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan
• Target clusters/sectors: CCCM, Food Security, Nutrition, WASH

Learning objectives

Via in-depth, interactive lectures, exercises, group work, simulations, roles play and applied learning, built around the IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action, participants in the workshops will be supported to:

1. Build their skills on identification of GBV risks within their sector/agency programming;
2. Learn strategies for mitigating GBV risks to improve programme and sector outcomes;
3. Engage meaningfully with women, girls and other at-risk groups to reduce risk and improve safety;
4. Develop skills on GBV integration, including responding appropriately to survivors and making referrals;
5. Understand principles of safe and ethical data collection, information sharing and analysis to improve programming;
6. Identify entry points for GBV prevention and risk mitigation within existing areas of expertise, and overcome bottlenecks and barriers that inhibit effective integration of GBV in programming;
7. Develop and be able to deliver key messages on GBV prevention and risk mitigation to specific audiences, whether senior agency/sector management, donors, fellow practitioners, etc.;
8. Contribute to building the evidence base of emerging and good practice on GBV prevention and risk mitigation.

Workshop outline

There are three phases to the workshop process:

Target participants

The most suitable candidate for participation is an individual who:

• Has strong technical expertise within his/her own cluster/sector;
• Demonstrates an interest and/or previous experience in integrating GBV prevention and risk mitigation into their work;
• Has the support of their agency/supervisor to work on GBV risk mitigation within existing work/programming ;
• Demonstrates sufficient professional and communication skills to strategically integrate GBV risk reduction activities within sectoral programming and to build the capacity of other colleagues; and
• Is able to fulfill the practicum requirements outlined below within the time period specified (i.e.: the candidate is likely to remain is his/her/their current position until at least September 2018).

Participation of national organizations and/or national staff of international organizations is encouraged, where practical.

Practicum implementation

Following the workshop, all participants will be required to implement a multi-step practicum, including:

• Delivery of at least one training, briefing and/or other strategic communication on GBV prevention and risk mitigation with identified key entry points in the participant’s work setting;
• Implementation of specific, practical risk mitigation, prevention and relevant survivor response activities at field level;
• Exploration and identification of at least one mechanism that can support institutionalization of GBV prevention and risk mitigation in the participant’s agency. Recognizing that actual institutional change may take longer than the six-month practicum period, the minimum goal of this component is for participants – and their agencies – to understand how institutionalization takes place and identify entry points.
• Monitor and report on the three activities above.

Participants will be required to submit a plan, inclusive of a monitoring and evaluation component, for undertaking their practicum requirement to the global IST within one month of completion of the workshop.

Practicum applications will be reviewed by the global level Implementation Support Team (IST), and each practicum will be assigned a focal point from the IST to provide technical support as needed. It is envisioned that most practicums would act as an enhancement to a project or deliverable that is already included in the respective participant’s work plan (as opposed to creating a completely new area of work). However, some participants may decide that it makes more sense to initiate a new project. Such situations will be decided on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the participant’s supervisor and the IST.  Participants will be required to lightly report against achievement of the outcomes outlined in their plan’s M&E framework on a regular basis and will be required to submit a final report on results.

Financial support from a small programme safety enhancement fund will be made available to select practicum applications. Participants are strongly encouraged to develop joint (cross-sectoral) and/or inter-agency practicum proposals wherever feasible and relevant.

Application process

A total of 25 participants will be selected for each workshop. Applications must be complete in order to be considered. Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, no incomplete applications will be considered. Regrettably, we cannot consider applications from participants based in countries or working in clusters/sectors outside of those listed above.

The applications portal closes on 22 January 2018. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.

In addition to providing the information noted below, all applicants must submit signed approval from their direct supervisor (template provided in section D of the application materials). If shortlisted for participation, an additional signoff from the applicant’s senior most manager (at the country level) will also be required, indicating the agency’s support for implementation of the practicum requirement.

Travel support

With the generous support of the U.S. Department of State, UNICEF is able to cover travel costs for all selected participants from their country capital as well as lodging and related expenses during the workshop. Participants will be required to obtain their own visas (where needed) and must liaise directly with UNICEF to arrange travel. Additional details related to travel and logistics will be communicated to participants once the application process has been completed.

Additional questions

For additional information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions.