[Gender] [ecoconsult-announce] SPC: Consultancy Gender issues in tuna fisheries: Pacific Vacancies 2007/70

Wed Feb 7 08:49:01 EST 2007

Dear Colleagues,

Please find following Pacific Vacancies - Announcement No. 2007 /70

For those who intend to apply: Good luck!

Wilco Liebregts

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ECO-CONSULT PACIFIC NOW HAS MORE THAN 2800 PACIFIC ISLAND SPECIALISTS ON
OUR DATABASE. WE ALSO HAVE AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF INDIVIDUALS AND
ORGANISATIONS FROM WHERE WE CAN SOURCE EXPERTISE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE HYPERLINK
"http://www.ecoconsultpacific.com/"http://www.ecoconsultpacific.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Short-term Consultant

Study of Gender Issues in Tuna Fisheries in PNG, Fiji and Kiribati

Short-term Consultant Required

The DEVFISH Project, based at the Secretariat of Pacific Community
(SPC), Noumea, is seeking to engage a short-term consultant. Detailed
terms of reference are provided in the attachment Short Term Consultancy
Study.pdf. 

Minimum Requirements

Interested individual consultants and consulting companies are invited
to submit bids which should include:

*         the CV(s) of the person(s) who will undertake the work,
detailing qualifications and experience (not more than 6 pages for each
consultant) ;

*         their proposed methodology and schedule, noting the timing as
per the terms of reference (not more than 4 pages).

It is crucial to address very clearly the requirement provided in the
terms of reference attached. All this information should be put together
and sealed in one envelope marked "STUDY OF GENDER ISSUES -TECHNICAL
CAPABILITY".

In addition, submission of a financial bid, including a detailed
break-down of the fees and other charges should be provided in another
separate sealed envelope marked "STUDY OF GENDER ISSUES - FEES" taking
into consideration the bid ceiling specified below.

* All tender submissions must comply with the EU and EDF9 requirements
(General Regulations for service, supply and works contracts financed by
the EDF - Decision2/2002 of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers).  Note that
for projects administered by International Agencies, these no longer
limit eligibility to EU and ACP service providers. In line with FFA
procedures, consultants from any member country will have a reasonable
opportunity to bid, and receive fair consideration of their merits.

Timing of bids:

Application closes on the 7th of March  2007. Tenders will be opened on
9th March 2007 while the evaluation and selection of the contract award
should be done by the second -third week of March 2007.

Late applications and those that do not comply with the requirements
above or do not meet other EU requirements will not be considered.

For further information please contact Michel Blanc on email HYPERLINK
"mailto:MichelB at spc.int"MichelB at spc.int or Jonathan Manieva on email:
HYPERLINK "mailto:JonathanM at spc.int"JonathanM at spc.int

Cost ceiling:

The total cost will not exceed US$33,000. Where financial bids are
evaluated, only the fees and similar charges will be compared.
Reimbursable costs such as air travel will not be evaluated.

Applications:

All applications must be clearly marked "DEVFISH TENDER - STUDY OF
GENDER ISSUES IN THE TUNA FISHERIES" and addressed to the following:

The Fisheries Development Officer, DevFish Project, Secretariat of
Pacific the Community, B.P D5 -98848 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia. Phone
+687 26 2000  Fax +687 26 3818.

Terms of Reference 

Short-term Consultant-Gender Issues in Tuna Fisheries in PNG, Fiji and
Kiribati 

Introduction 

The Development of tuna fisheries in the Pacific ACP countries1 Project
(DEVFISH) is seeking a short term consultant to undertake a
socio-economic study that will document a broad appraisal of women's
participation to Pacific Island tuna fisheries development, and
recommend how it can be improved.

The assessment will provide a balanced view of the positive and negative
impacts of the industry on women, and suggest how negative impacts may
be mitigated. It will identify opportunities for, and constraints to,
greater participation; identify needs; and provide this information for
purposes of enabling appropriate support and policy decisions by
stakeholders. It will also identify examples of successful women in the
sector with a view to attracting greater participation.

Background 

The Pacific ACP countries are home to a great diversity of cultures and
traditions. This has great influence on attitudes to women which vary
considerably across the region, as does the acceptance of modern Western
views on gender equality. All these countries have endorsed and are
committed to international and regional gender equality frameworks for
development, such as the Millennium Development Goals, CEDAW and the
Pacific Platform for Action. These commitments are in turn reflected in
their national development plans/strategies and in some cases, their
sector development strategies. Regrettably, demonstration of these
commitments is at best weak and ad hoc.

The development of a commercial tuna industry, with its emphasis on the
employment of women in the processing sector, has the potential to
provide employment for large numbers of Pacific Island women. In small
scale commercial fishing also, women are often involved in marketing of
the catch and play an important role in the cash economy. Most men are
employed in the capture and commercial marketing areas.

Socio cultural beliefs, family obligations, lack of skills and
experience, lack of direct access to credit and finance, transport
restrictions, and poor market facilities restrict women from
participating equally and fully, in the industry. Developing
opportunities for women will need to take into consideration these
constraints. 

Regional and national studies carried out on gender issues in tuna
fisheries have provided some specific information related to this
subject. Across the region, though, there is a lack of up to date
information on the economic value of women's contribution in the tuna
industry sector. In the absence of such economic statistics and data,
women's contributions in the industry remain invisible, and women do not
acquire the support they need, to create and improve their participation
and opportunities in tuna industry development.

Some past studies and media reports on the impact of tuna industry
development in the region have drawn attention to the negative effects,
particularly on women. Low and unequal wage rates and unhealthy working
conditions in processing factories have been compared unfavourably with
standards in larger, richer nations. In addition, the growing incidence
and spread of HIV/AIDS and other STIs amongst seafarers, the impact that
this is having on their families and communities, the links between the
commercial sex industry, fisheries/tuna industry and the involvement of
school-aged girls in these activities is becoming a growing concern in
the region. 

All of these issues need to be addressed through a gender analysis and
balanced assessment of the tuna industry focusing on:

1 16/79: Cook Islands, Fiji, FSM, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG,
RMI, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

1. * Participation of women

2. * Employment conditions

3. * Options for alternative employment

4. * Services provided by large fishing companies;

And the potential growth impact that more gender equal opportunities in
this sector can have on economic development.

For reasons discussed earlier and highlighted above, fisheries is seen
in some countries as an unattractive career, for both sexes but
particularly for women. However, there are many women in the Pacific
islands who have achieved considerable success in the fisheries sector,
as entrepreneurs, scientists, managers and technical specialists in
fishing companies, the public service and in regional and international
organisations. The study will research and profile examples of
successful women in order to promote career choices and subsequent
training and development initiatives in the industry.

Objective 

The overall objective of the study is to analyse the current
status/situation of the tuna industry in the focused Pacific island
countries for the purpose of increasing the participation of women in
the industry/fisheries.

The study should: 

1. * Assess and compare current levels, roles and contributions of
men and women 

2. * Highlight and discuss potential roles and contributions of
women in the tuna industry;

3. * Identify constraints to higher levels of participation of
women 

4. * Discuss challenges and problems faced by women in the industry

5. * Discuss actions that can contribute to higher levels of
participation in both small-scale and industrial tuna fisheries
development 

6. * Recommend practical policy and programme options to increase
the participation of women in the industry

The study will be based on field work in three countries - Papua New
Guinea, Fiji and Kiribati. In the first two it is envisaged that the
focus will be mainly on the role of women in industrial tuna processing,
while in Kiribati data will be collected mainly from women in the
artisanal fishery 

Work to be undertaken

1. 1. The consultant will verify and provide baseline information
on the number of women involved in the tuna industry and related
activities, and quantify the trend in the last 5 years in these focus
countries. 

1. 2. The consultant will undertake an economic assessment of the
role of women which, subject to the availability of data may include:

1. * Total annual earnings for women formally employed in the
sector, as a percentage of the total employment earnings

2. * An estimate of value added by processing and/or marketing by
women in informal employment connected with tuna fisheries and linked to
their share of returns.

3. * Information of the pattern of expenditure of women's income in
the local economy; 

4. * Information on the importance of women working in tuna
processing and marketing relative to other industries and in the context
of the national economy.

1. 3. The consultant will identify and document gender issues in
the focus countries by conducting a gender needs assessment to identify
problems, potential resources, and possible solutions.

1. The assessment will prioritize and provide justifications of the
identified needs to provide information for purposes of enabling
appropriate support and policies implementation decisions by appropriate
stakeholders. Need to link with the national women's agencies; in
government; at sectoral level and in the NGO community. Also need to
link up with agencies involved in this issue - USP, SOPAC etc, through
other programmes. 

 The needs assessment for women in tuna industry in the proposed
countries would include looking at:

1. * what is feasible for each individual country

2. * what women want and see as realistic development options

3. * investigate employment opportunities at/for commercial
facilities as well as for small scale businesses

4. * investigate novel products from tuna and bycatch (e.g. the use
of shark teeth and skin in handicrafts)

5. * research in-country support for women entrepreneurs

6. * And any other appropriate need areas

1. 4. The consultant will meet with successful businesswomen in
tuna industry and directly linked associated industries to briefly
document their stories, and to use as role models for other women.

1. 5. The consultant should also include in the report any other
gender issues arising in the identified areas and suggestions of the
most appropriate attention for the focus countries.

Qualifications and experience:

The following qualifications and experience are considered essential for
the consultant - 

1. * A relevant tertiary qualification in socio-economic studies or
a similar discipline;

2. * Considerable experience (5+ years) of economic or scientific
and case studies in the region;

3. * An understanding of the regional fisheries issues;

4. * Experience of assessing the economic and social impacts of
commercial development projects.

The following would be desirable -

1. * Experience of evaluating social and economic impacts of
fisheries development projects in the Pacific.

2. * Some experience of working in one of the three focus countries
and an understanding of the strategies and issues in tuna industry
development in the three countries.

Approach and Cost: 

It is expected that approximately 45 person days is required for the
consultancy of which about 30 days will be spent on fieldwork in the
three countries and 15 days for write up. The total cost will not exceed
US$33,000 and bids in excess of this limit will not be considered.

Proposals that involve the use of national consultants in one or more of
the countries to collect data, and/or innovative approaches that deliver
value for money will be viewed favourably.

Schedule: 

Bids for consultancy closes on 7th March 2007. Field work is expected to
be carried out in April-May 2007. Allowing time for comments and
collection of further information, final reports will be expected by
late May 2007. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE NOTE:

ECO-CONSULT PACIFIC provides this vacancy announcement to those
specialists on our database who have provided us with an email address.
The service is provided free of charge. Unless otherwise indicated,
ECO-CONSULT PACIFIC is not and will not be involved in the selection
process, nor in any of the negotiations for the position, and will not
claim any charges from the specialists.

The vacancies are obtained from regional and international
organisations, magazines, newspapers and colleagues. Although we will do
our best to relate to you the details on the positions as they have been
provided to us, it is possible that some information may be incorrect.
ECO-CONSULT PACIFIC advises those interested in a vacancy to contact the
advertising organisation directly for specific details on the position.
ECO-CONSULT PACIFIC will not accept any liability for incorrect
information.

Although we now have more than 2800 email recipients for 'Pacific
Vacancies', your address will remain confidential. If you do not want to
receive the vacancy announcements, please follow the instructions to
unsubscribe from the mailing list in this message. Of course, you can
always join again later....

Wilco Liebregts
Managing Director
Eco-Consult Pacific Co Ltd
PO Box 5406, Raiwaqa PO
Suva
Fiji Islands
Tel./Fax.: (679) 3322607
http://www.ecoconsultpacific.com

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.24/668 - Release Date:
2/4/2007 1:30 AM

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecoconsult-announce/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecoconsult-announce/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:ecoconsult-announce-digest at yahoogroups.com
    mailto:ecoconsult-announce-fullfeatured at yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ecoconsult-announce-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

------ End of Forwarded Message