The Position:
Under the overall guidance of the UNFPA CO Representative and the direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the incumbent facilitates and coordinates the rapid implementation of multi-sectoral, interagency GBV interventions in a humanitarian emergency. Comprehensive GBV prevention and response programming in humanitarian emergencies requires skilled coordination of a range of organizations and actors from the displaced and host communities, NGOs, government partners, UN agencies, and other national and international organizations. The GBV Coordinator’s duties include: ensuring implementation of the cluster core coordination functions and key deliverables by the GBV subcluster; building and sustaining partnerships, strategic planning, capacity development, advocacy, and ensuring there is safe and ethical information management. The GBV Coordinator will use the IASC’s Guidelines for Integrating Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action: Reducing Risk, Promoting Resilience, and Aiding Recovery, the GBV Area of Responsibility’s Handbook for Coordination of GBV Interventions in Emergencies (2019), UNFPA’s Managing GBV Programmes in Emergencies Guide and The Inter-agency Minimum Standards for GBV in Emergencies Programming (2019) to facilitate planning, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of inter-agency GBV initiatives.
The GBV Coordinator will be expected to meet the GBV in Emergencies competencies outlined in the GBV AoR’s Core Competencies for GBV Program Managers and Coordinators in Humanitarian Settings (2014).
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for reproductive health and rights and delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s new strategic plan (2018-2021), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need principled and ethical staff, who embody human rights norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction; 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:
Afghanistan is affected by one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, emanating from almost 40 years of protracted, armed conflict and frequent natural disasters. Afghanistan consistently ranks globally within the top 10 countries facing the worst humanitarian disasters. It is the country with the highest level of risk in the Asia Pacific region, according to the Inform Risk Index for humanitarian disasters. The COVID-19 crisis with over 40 per cent infection rate nationwide in a country with a weak health care system has exacerbated the population’s needs for humanitarian assistance and increased the caseload, while posing new challenges to service delivery. The current humanitarian challenges must be addressed through service adaptation as well as increased support and resources dedicated to humanitarian coordination of the response.
Prior to COVID-19, the 2015 Demographic Health Survey established an estimated 53% of women in Afghanistan have experienced physical violence since the age of 15; 52% of ever-married women suffered from spousal violence; 46% of them from physical violence; 6% from sexual violence; and 34% from psychological or emotional violence. In addition, 16% of women age 15-49 report that they have experienced violence during pregnancy. These reported rates of GBV are some of the highest in the world and are likely to be just the “tip of the iceberg”. In the context of COVID-19, the risks of GBV have only increased – in Afghanistan as well as other parts of the world – particularly the risks of exposure to Intimate Partner Violence.
Since 2012, the Afghanistan GBV Sub-Cluster (AGBVSC) has played a critical role as part of the humanitarian response. It is a core component of the Protection Cluster, ensuring there is a multi-sector prevention and response to GBV, while providing technical support to other sectors and the HCT for integrating GBV into all aspects of the humanitarian response in line with the HCT Protection Strategy. The AGBVSC has over 45 members with presence at national and five regional levels. GBV partners are active in 24 of the 35 provinces in Afghanistan.
Due to the unique needs for rapid response to the COVID-19 crisis and the restrictions related to pandemic prevention, adding to the existing war/insecurity related emergencies, the GBV coordination structures need additional support to ensure a robust and effective coordination for collaborative and joint implementation response.
Therefore, Afghanistan CO is seeking a dedicated full time GBV Coordinator.
Requirements:
Qualifications and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree in social work or other social sciences, public health, community health, international relations, international law, gender studies, human rights or related field.
Knowledge and Experience:
● 7 years of experience working on gender-based violence, of which 5 are at the international level, preferably in a humanitarian context.
● Experience leading inter-agency coordination mechanisms with a wide range of stakeholders, preferably on prevention and response to GBV. Demonstrable knowledge of the critical components to facilitate effective inter-agency coordination.
● Awareness and demonstrable knowledge of how GBV manifests in humanitarian settings and ability to describe context-specific prevention and response actions.
● Demonstrable knowledge of humanitarian emergency operations, including the Cluster System and HPC, and roles/responsibilities of key humanitarian actors.
● Experience designing and managing GBV programmes (recommended)
Languages:
Fluency in English is required; Working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
