Temporary Appointment - Gender Based Violence Sub-Sector Coordinator, Khartoum, Sudan

The Position:

The post of GBV Sub-Sector Coordinator is located in Khartoum - Sudan Country Office (CO) and reports to the Cluster Lead Agency (UNFPA Representative or delegated staff).

Organizational Context:

Sudan has suffered from prolonged years of conflict, volatile security situation, political transition, unsustainable debt burden, economic and financial sanctions and fragile relations with the international community, all of which have severely constrained the country’s broad-based growth prospects and poverty reduction efforts.  The country is an important hub for both forced and economic migration, and it is further lies at the heart of migratory routes connecting East and West Africa to the other regions After a year of civil unrest and political change, humanitarian needs continue to rise. Some 9.3 million people – 23 per cent of the population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2020. The transitional government is prioritizing peace and ending the economic crisis, issues closely intertwined with the drivers of humanitarian need in the country.

The situation of people displaced by decades of conflict is unresolved: there are 1.87 million IDPs and 1.1 million refugee and asylum who seekers continue to need humanitarian assistance and protection support, both in camps and communities. Across Sudan, basic services are lacking, and natural disasters, like floods, affect people each year. GBV continues to be a life threatening concern for populations in conflict and disaster prone areas in Sudan. 

Women and girls, boys and men continue to face the risk of different types of GBV due to various factors such as insecurity, low economic status with no or little livelihood opportunities, and lack of community awareness on women’s rights and GBV due to traditional and social norms.  The response is often hampered by difficulties of accessibility to conflict/disaster impacted areas affecting timely response to the needs of survivors, and limited presence and capacity of GBV actors.  

The overall goal of the proposed UNFPA Sudan Country Programme (2018-2021) is to contribute to the reduction of maternal deaths and disabilities through an integrated approach to SRH, family planning (FP), and prevention and response to GBV. The programme is aligned with the national development priorities, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2018-2021, and builds on recommendations from the sixth country programme evaluation.

The programme is designed to contribute to the UNFPA Strategic Plan Goal (2018-2021) to achieve universal access to SRH, realize reproductive rights, and reduce maternal mortality. UNFPA Sudan supports GBV interventions at two levels. It coordinates multi-sectoral and comprehensive partner interventions through the GBV sub-sector under the overall protection sector. UNFPA also implements specific prevention and response activities. Specifically, this includes: coordination of comprehensive GBV related prevention and response activities among different actors through chairing the GBV sub sector under the protection sector to ensure comprehensive sharing of information, identification of response gaps, and follow up through relevant protection stakeholders. UNFPA also supports the revision and operationalization of already developed National Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Programmatically, UNFPA conducts community sensitization on GBV issues, supports women centers providing entry points for livelihood opportunities, and provide personal hygiene/dignity kits to the most vulnerable women and adolescent girls of communities affected by humanitarian crisis.

UNFPA leads the national/federal GBV sub sector under the Protection Sector (led by UNHCR) and works closely with UNICEF (Child Protection) and UNHCR (Protection) to ensure strong linkages between the sub sector and the Protection sector. UNFPA currently also assumes the GBV coordination by leading GBV sub- sector working groups (GBV SWG) in 4 Darfur states (North, West, South, and Central) and in White Nile state for the response to the South Sudanese refugees.

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 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.

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 incumbent provides GBV technical support for national and state level GBV sub-sector coordination through the GBV sub-sector working group to ensure strong partnership and collaboration with the UN as well as with national/ international counterparts toward a comprehensive multi-sectoral GBV survivor-centred prevention and response. This response includes close cooperation amongst health, psycho-social, protection and legal actors to ensure that survivors’ needs are met. The incumbent coordinates closely with the UNFPA national Gender / GBV unit team leader, GBV officers in Khartoum and in the UNFPA programme states, other Units officers to reinforce linkages between humanitarian and development interventions ensuring that GBV issues are well addressed in these interventions.

Education: 

Advanced university degree in law, social sciences, or gender and development or related field;

Knowledge and Experience:

At least 7 years of increasingly responsible relevant professional experience, including experience in programme management, including large multi-sectoral projects, designing and appraising proposals and actively liaising with relevant and potential project partners;

Knowledge of gender issues in development, particularly GBV, including relevant international human rights standards;

Prior training in gender and GBV issues and their application in humanitarian, recovery and development settings;

Experience in utilizing the following internationals tools: GBV Standard Operating Procedures; GBV Information Management System; IASC GBV Guidelines; IASC Gender Handbook; GBV Coordination Handbook; WHO Ethical and Safety Recommendations;

Field experience in complex emergencies, including humanitarian emergency response an asset;

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English essential; ability to communicate in Arabic an advantage