Technical Adviser - Gender and Human Rights, Suva, Fiji, P5

 

The Position:

The Gender and Human Rights Technical Adviser post is located in the UNFPA Pacific Sub-Regional Office (PSRO) in Suva, Fiji. They will work under the overall guidance of the PSRO Director/Representative and the direct supervision of the Deputy Director (Head of Programme). They will act as Chief of Gender Unit of PSRO, playing a leadership role in UNFPA’s strategic thinking and policy and advocacy efforts related to gender equality, women’s and girls’ empowerment, and human rights issues in the Pacific region.  They will be the principal technical adviser for integrated technical support, coordination, quality assistance and control of UNFPA’s gender/human rights related assistance to the 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) under the current Multi-Country Programme (MCP), notably on gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response.  

 

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:

The Gender and Human Rights Technical Adviser will provide strategic policy, technical, and programmatic leadership for UNFPA engagements with 14 PICTs in the areas of gender, GBV and human rights to ensure that UNFPA PSRO and country offices in the region remains abreast of UNFPA’s policies and latest programme strategies, as well as thought leadership and innovative approaches, in advancing the country-level implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, relevant SDGs, and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.  They will analyze specific regional/cluster/sector trends and contribute to devising and implementing strategic responses to these, and ensures that gender, GBV and human rights lenses are adequately incorporated within regional and national development frameworks and programmes, with a view to increasing domestic financing towards these areas.

 

They will maintain the primary responsibility for ensuring the quality of UNFPA’s provision of integrated technical assistance, policy advocacy, and coordination support to the 14 PICTs for gender-related outcomes and outputs under the MCP. For this, they will be responsible for mobilizing necessary financial and human resources as required for delivering on gender-related outputs under the MCP.  They will also lead UNFPA’s support to Member States regarding their human rights monitoring and reporting requirements, as well as submission of UNFPA’s contributions to UNCT human rights reporting. 

 

In all activities, they will work within the inter-disciplinary and multi-country PSRO team, providing integrated programme and technical support, also by liaising with HQs Technical Division, global technical and knowledge management networks and Asia-Pacific Regional Office, to ensure the timeliness, adequacy, relevance and quality of technical support to UNFPA operations.  This includes close coordination with PSRO’s Humanitarian Team, SRHR Unit, Adolescent & Youth Unit, Population & Development Unit, etc. in ensuring gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches across UNFPA work in the Pacific, including for the integration of GBV prevention and response in regional/national/local development and humanitarian planning and financing, including gender-responsive climate actions, disaster risk reduction and pandemic responses.

 

You would be responsible for: 

 

1. Strategic policy advocacy and engagement

• Provide strategic, policy, technical and programmatic leadership, management advice and guidance to UNFPA support and engagement with Pacific countries in the areas of gender equality and human rights, across the humanitarian-development-peace continuum, especially in relation to climate change and pandemics, in collaboration with technical and programme staff in PSRO and country offices;
• Identify and provide analysis and advice to senior management and other UNFPA staff on gender, GBV and human rights, and recommend UNFPA specific contribution to policy dialogue and discourse in the region, based on UNFPA’s comparative advantage;
• Contribute to the substantive elaboration and contextualization of UNFPA Strategic Plan and to its implementation in the Pacific region;
• Scan the environment in the Pacific region to identify trends, opportunities, risks and threats that will influence organizational and programmatic success in Gender and Human Rights, and ensure that they are appropriately addressed at the Pacific regional level;
• Establish and maintain relationships with Ministries of Women Affairs and human rights mechanisms of Pacific countries supported by PSRO;
• Analyze regional, country-specific as well as cluster/sectoral trends and contribute to devising and implementing strategic responses to these, including the monitoring of the status of the country-level implementation of ICPD POA including the Nairobi Summit commitments; Contribute to the advocacy efforts to advance the ICPD agenda and the attainment of SDG targets and indicators at the Pacific regional level;
• Lead UNFPA Pacific’s strategic collaborations and engagements regarding gender and human rights with member states, UN Agencies, academia, research and training institutions, think tanks, centers of excellence, mass media, professional societies in the Pacific region;
• Act as focal point for UNCT Gender and Human Rights Theme Groups;
• Liaise with Humanitarian Team to ensure quality in UNFPA’s leadership for the Pacific Regional GBV Sub-Cluster;
• As required by Director/Deputy, represent UNFPA in policy dialogues and other policy and technical meetings and fora at the international, regional, and national levels on gender and human rights issues in the Pacific region, elaborating on the Fund’s roles and positions and providing required substantive inputs.

 

2. Programme development, partnership building and resource mobilization

• Lead the development and implementation of an integrated programme of support to deliver gender and human rights related outputs under the MCP for the Pacific, ensuring a hybrid approach combining state-of-the-art thinking, quality policy advocacy, and innovative downstream capacity development support; 
• Develop and co-ordinate the substantive elements of partnerships and collaboration with other UN agencies and regional entities (e.g. CROP agencies);
• Establish and maintain relationships with development partners and institutions working in/for the Pacific region; Lead the development-partner/donor intelligence and analysis of the new aid environment in the areas of gender and human rights especially in/about the Pacific; Collect, analyze and synthesize information/data and experience on programme priorities to be used in regional and global advocacy and for resource mobilization;
• Lead the development of proposals for mobilization of human, technical or financial resources from bi- and multi-lateral donors, non-government organizations, associations, foundations, and the private sector, to support the gender and human rights components of the Pacific Multi-Country Programme;
• Ensure the interventions led by the other PSRO Units mainstream gender and human rights;
• Facilitate North-South and South-South cooperation related to gender and human rights. 

 

3. Evidence and knowledge management

• Contribute to the development of new or updated policies, positioning, frameworks, guidance, standards, instruments and tools, to enable UNFPA to effectively address the Pacific region specific gender and human rights agenda;
• Participate in the UNFPA technical network in Gender and Human Rights, maintaining communication and feedback loops on all substantive work.
• Ensure that technical knowledge is generated, collected, updated and disseminated for effective technical, capacity building and policy dialogue; 
• Ensure that the UNFPA Pacific remains abreast of the corporate policies as well as the latest thinking and discourses in areas affecting the ICPD Programme of Action; 
• Lead the analysis and synthesis of substantive trends, emerging needs and research findings related to gender and human rights in the Pacific region;
• Identify sources of cutting-edge technical knowledge inside and outside the UN/UNFPA; collect, analyse and disseminate evidence, lessons learned, and success stories; and ensure their use to improve the effectiveness of UNFPA work in the Pacific
• Play a leading role in maintaining Pacific regional knowledge platform and Community of Practice related to Gender and Human Rights; Facilitate and maintain and make accessible databases on best practices, partnerships and consultancy rosters; 
• Contribute to developing a mechanism to share technical skills and knowledge within and among programme countries and/or other regions in Gender and Human Rights;
• Prepare white papers, briefing and materials for evidence-based policy dialogues at the Pacific regional level, and provide similar support at the request of country offices;
• Liaise with PSRO Population & Development Unit and other colleagues for enhancing the quantity, quality, and timeliness of gender/GBV related data in the Pacific, including on the prevalence of violence against women. 

 

4. Innovation and quality control of technical support and capacity development 

• Manage the gender/GBV and human rights components of the Pacific Multi-County Programme, in close coordination with the other technical units and country offices, as well as other relevant UN agencies;
• Ensure the overall quality of UNFPA Pacific’s provision of technical support to the countries in the region related to gender equality and women’s empowerment under the MCP, by guiding implementing partners, UNFPA staff, and expert consultants;
• Explore innovative solutions by thinking outside the box;
• Organize and contribute to Pacific regional and inter-country capacity development strategies and actual training activities, including supporting the adaptation of training materials, manuals and tools in the Pacific context;
• Lead and support the in-house capacity development to ensure the quality of support and oversight by UNFPA Pacific; 
• Monitor the quality of UNFPA technical support provided at the country level, for enhanced policy dialogue and programming;
• Lead the quality assurance and consolidation of programmatic results/financial reports from the field on gender/GBV and HR outputs; and recommend and follow through with required follow-up actions;
• Update and provide advice to the Director/Deputy on the status of the MCP implementation regarding gender/GBV and human rights related outputs;
• Work closely with the PSRO Humanitarian Coordinator to strengthen GBV response in disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response;
• Identify opportunities for South-South cooperation in the region and with other regions.

 

5. Effective management of resources

• Contribute to the office management in ensuring the availability and the efficient and effective utilization of financial and human resources required for achieving gender/GBV related outputs under the MCP in compliance with UNFPA financial rules, regulations, and procedures;
• Engage in recruitment of supervision of international and national staff under PSRO Gender Unit, providing them with managerial direction, motivation and team spirit, ensuring a harmonious and respectful working environment in the unit; and lead by example; 
• Carry out any other duties as may be requested by PSRO Director, Deputy Director and Officer-in-Charge. 

 

Qualifications and Experience 

 

Education:  

• Advanced University degree (Masters) in gender studies, development studies, law, human rights, anthropology, sociology, humanitarian affairs, peace studies, public health, medicine, demography, economics, international relations, or other field directly related to Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and/or Human Rights .
• A PhD in a relevant field would be a strong asset.

 

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least ten (10) years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the field of Gender and Human Rights, of which seven years at the international level;
• Demonstrated knowledge and programming expertise in gender transformative and human rights-based approach and reporting mechanisms is essential, including good understanding of Human Rights dimensions of Gender, and professional experiences in advising and supporting initiatives to eradicate Gender Based Violence;
• Experience in evidence-based policy advocacy, negotiations, and agenda-setting to advance gender equality and human rights for women and youth, and support to development of national/local action plans, systems, and mechanisms to address gender and social norms transformation for addressing GBV;
• Demonstrated experience in leading capacity development support for gender and human rights, across humanitarian, development and peace settings;
• Experiences in addressing negative effects of climate-induced and other disasters on women’s health and protection would be a strong asset;
• Demonstrated experience in networking with academia, CSO/NGOs, religious leaders, mass media, private sector and other non-state actors;
• Successful experiences in forging alliances and mobilizing financial resources from bilateral and/or multi-lateral partners, including donor countries; 
• Field experience is strongly desirable; Prior work experience in/for multi-country setting would be an asset;      
• Demonstrated programme/project management skills and familiarity with UN systems, procedures, management and monitoring tools are desirable;  
• Strong verbal and written communications skills in English language, and presentation skills. 

 

Languages: 

Proficiency in both spoken and written English. 

 

Required Competencies

 

 

Compensation and Benefits:

 

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

 

Disclaimer: 

 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm

 

In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.