Social Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Adviser, ESARO, P-5

The Position

The Social Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Adviser post is located at the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) and works under the overall direction and supervision of the Regional Director and direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director. The Adviser will focus on facilitating and guiding UNFPA’s regional influencing and agenda-setting role in positioning sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights within relevant political and intergovernmental mechanisms across the development, humanitarian, and peace contexts in the region. The Adviser will also strengthen political scanning through tailored guidance and tools as may be required in collaboration with other UNFPA Regional Offices covering Africa, Country Offices, and the UNFPA Representation Office to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The incumbent will also collaborate with members of the ESARO team for effective
engagement with the AU and its organs as well as Regional Economic Communities of East African Community (ECA), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mention a few.

Job Purpose:

In line with the urgency for reinvigorated multilateralism in line with the UN Charter, the Regional Social Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Adviser position will support the regional office management to advance intergovernmental, inter-agency, and multilateral processes required for the delivery of the regional programme delivery and strategic positioning of the ICPD Agenda with continental and regional bodies. In particular, the position will ensure political landscape analysis is available on the shifts and impact of the political economy on achieving the ICPD Programme of Action, in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Africa Union Agenda 2063, and Frameworks of Regional Economic Communities. This will guide engagements of the regional leadership with relevant African institutions in collaboration with UNFPA West and Central Africa and Arab States regional offices covering Africa and the UNFPA Representation Office to the African Union and UN Economic Commission for Africa. Guided by the prevailing and evolving landscape of population dynamics, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in the region, the Adviser will ensure UNFPA leverages opportunities and mitigates risks in a timely manner, while also learning from the continued impact of megatrends, multiple threats, geopolitics and polycrises on constrained policy and resource environments. As may be required, the position will also support the regional office management in its contributions to the UN Regional reform aimed at strengthening the value proposition of the UN to member states and regional institutions, including the African Union Commission and its organs, and Regional Economic Commissions. 

You would be responsible for:

A.   Strategic Policy Advice
B.   Capacity Development on Policy and Intergovernmental mechanisms 
C.   Policy Research, Evidence, and Knowledge sharing and Management  
D.   Strategic Partnerships and Positioning 
 
A. Strategic Social Policy Advice 

• Provide policy advice informed by political scanning and multidimensional analysis of the prevailing political environment for the ICPD Programme of Action. These will take into consideration the normative standards and relevant geopolitical dimensions applicable to the region and continent as well as inter-country aspects when required. 
• Undertake sustained monitoring of the political trends and intergovernmental relations, including shifts and impact on the ICPD Agenda with a view to supporting UNFPA regional and country level to sustain further and advance political commitment to the ICPD PoA; 
• Contributes to delivering strategic, timely, and comprehensive analysis, advice, and foresight on social policy to support decision-making at continental, regional, and national levels
• Lead policy research and measurements of change in the political environment with the aim of guiding policy advocacy to advance SRH/RR as an integral part of regional and continental agenda, including political economy analysis. This will also include partnerships with external entities; 
• Support the operationalization of evolving corporate systems for monitoring risks, particularly regarding political sensitivities around SRH/RR, and provide guidance on mitigation measures as may be applicable; 
• Contribute to internal coherence and alignment of approaches across regions as may be required, including the use of reliable sources of evidence to guide corporate recommendations on political positioning and inter-governmental relations, and communicating these in a clear and compelling manner; 
• Lead with the preparation for documentation for global, continental, and regional inter-governmental processes to enable UNFPA’s engagement within and beyond the UN system, continental and regional institutions, member states, and non-state actors. These include support for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), Commission on Population and Development (CPD), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and Human Rights Council (HRC), as well as regional fora convened by the African Union Commission and the Economic Commission for Africa. 

B. Capacity Development on Policy advisory support and intergovernmental mechanisms 

• Provide support to regional and country offices for sustained monitoring, analysis, and synthesis of political and policy environmental scanning across the spectrum of the political economy, through guidance notes, tools, and approaches that are tailored to the regional and continental context 
• Support inclusion of political analysis relevant to the ICPD Agenda into country programme documents, regional programme, and the Strategic Plan, 
• Guided by robust analysis, provide social policy advice and support to regional and country offices to leverage geopolitical positioning by continental and regional institutions as well as member States in advancing the ICPD agenda, including those arising from prevailing multiple threats and geopolitical dynamics in the region; 
• Establish and manage working relations with social policy and research think tanks with the ability to provide external perspectives and capacity to support decision-making by UNFPA management in the region. 
• Support UNFPA regional and country offices with tools and approaches to advancing the positioning of MISP, and GBViE, within humanitarian and emergency settings to ensure adherence to the Leave No One Behind principle

C. Policy Research, Evidence, and Knowledge Management 

• Develop policy research, evidence, and knowledge management tools to guide regular trends analysis of the policy environment for the ICPD Programme of Action and produce periodic political scanning and policy snapshots of current positions, shifts, and future outlooks of member states, regional, continental, and global intergovernmental bodies; 
• Support documentation on political positioning with potential influence on the ICPD Agenda across the humanitarian, development, and peace contexts to guide regional leadership engagements in policy and intergovernmental processes and mechanisms aimed at advancing the ICPD Agenda; 
• Work with regional, and country offices and the Representation Office to the AU and ECA to generate and share policy evidence and knowledge from within and beyond the region on political influence and agenda shaping for SRH/RR, including through south-south cooperation. 
• Understudy peace and security dimensions for advancing the role of women and youth to ensure equitable access to sexual reproductive health and rights information and services in humanitarian and emergency settings.

D. Strategic Partnerships and Positioning 

• Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships required to further mobilize key partners at global, regional, and national levels in support of the ICPD Programme of Action, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Africa Union Agenda 2063 “The Africa we want”, including the African Union and its organs, Regional Economic Communities, African Union Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD, Parliamentary bodies, United Nations System, Bilateral and Multilateral institutions, etc; 
• Provide support and inputs to strengthened internal coherence of UNFPA messaging at global, regional, and country levels through coordination with Representation Offices in Addis Ababa, Geneva, Brussels, and Headquarters in New York to mention a few; 
• Manage networks of social policy partners across the humanitarian, development, and peace contexts with roles within intergovernmental processes (Economic Commissions for Africa, African Union Commission and its organs, parliamentarians, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), etc.) to further UNFPA’s mandate. 

E. Perform any other duties as assigned by the Regional Director. 

Qualifications and Experience Required: 

Education:  

Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Political Science, International Relations; Political Economy, or other relevant fields.  

Knowledge and Experience: 

• Minimum 10 years of relevant and increasingly responsible professional experience in social policy, intergovernmental, inter-agency, and multilateral affairs, of which 4 years is at the continental or regional level. 
• Experience in the implementation of political scanning, policy research, and analysis of complex socioeconomic and human rights dimensions across humanitarian, development, and peace contexts is an asset. 
• Experience with policy advisory support within intergovernmental processes and strong networking and negotiation skills. 
• Strong knowledge of the ICPD Programme of Action. 
• Experience working with engaging civil society, including faith and religious organizations, traditional leaders, women, and youth-led social movements as it relates to the ICPD Programme of Action and the SDGs is desirable. 
• Knowledge of international, continental, and regional development frameworks required to advance the ICPD Programme of Action, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Africa Union Agenda 2063, and relevant regional frameworks of Regional Economic Commissions.
• Understanding gender transformative and human rights approaches will be an asset 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as proven experience in the substantive areas of the role. 
• Demonstrable skills in strategic thinking, agile leadership, tact and diplomacy and Innovation will be desirable 
• Field experience is desirable. 

Languages: 

Fluency in English is required and French is desirable to enable effective communication with English-speaking and French-speaking country coordination groups and local organizations.