The Position:
the AAP Officer is expected to be the key support person to both government partners and humanitarian actors in Afghanistan in order to reach the affected communities. S/he will set up systems to help identify ongoing needs of IDPs and then lead advocacy with partners to adapt the provision of services to be in line with the needs on the ground.
You will report directly to the UNFPA representative.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
Given the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, UNFPA has to scale up its support to deliver lifesaving assistance to the people of Afghanistan and to deliver an effective and principled humanitarian response. UNFPA is particularly concerned about vulnerable communities and those at risk due to the current context. Under the leadership of the UNFPA Country Representative for Afghanistan, UNFPA maintains an office in Kabul with field presence in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Bamian.
The primary objectives of UNFPA Afghanistan’s programming and interventions, include the following:
• Advocate for humanitarian access and provide lifesaving essential basic services, especially reproductive and maternal health for women and girls within the most vulnerable communities, including reproductive health supplies, protection services, data collection, analysis and dissemination of information.
• Coordinate the implementation of humanitarian response in Afghanistan with other UN agencies and programmes, national and international NGOs and local communities as appropriate with focus on strengthening engagement with the affected communities.
• Enhance a protective environment that respects the human rights of all, including IDPs, returnees and minority clan(s).
The humanitarian response to the crisis in Afghanistan does not only involve traditional national and international humanitarian agencies, such as the United Nations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), but also private individuals and companies who contribute to meeting the needs of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and their host communities.
In this regard, the AAP Officer is expected to be the key support person to both government partners and humanitarian actors in Afghanistan in order to reach the affected communities. S/he will set up systems to help identify ongoing needs of IDPs and then lead advocacy with partners to adapt the provision of services to be in line with the needs on the ground.
Hence, the AAP Officer should have comprehensive local knowledge of key partners in Afghanistan. The AAP Officer is also expected to have either experience or solid knowledge of the humanitarian landscape conducted by UN agencies and/ or NGOs. The AAP Officer would need to work with little supervision in the field, but will have regular support and supervision from UNFPA representative. S/he should be a natural communicator that can build rapport with key humanitarian partners and support the development of an Information and Feedback Working Group or the equivalent in Afghanistan
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Qualifications and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree in public health, social work, development, community engagement, protection, international relations or other related fields
Experience:
- At least 7 years of relevant professional experience, preferably gained from working in the UN/ parallel international organizations development/humanitarian/government partners;
- Familiarity with standard practices of international organizations / NGOs and procedures, particularly in relation to humanitarian response and coordination, and knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian assistance, especially the humanitarian reform agenda;
- Ability to research, analyze, evaluate and synthesize information;
- Ability to express clearly and concisely, ideas and concepts in written and oral form;
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and experience in handling of web based management systems;
Language requirements:
Fluency in English is required; Knowledge of other official UN languages would be an asset.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
