Inclusion in Humanitarian Response Officer
Support humanitarian responses by ensuring inclusion of diverse demographics
Overview
Support humanitarian responses by ensuring inclusion of diverse demographics
You have:
- Demonstrated interest and/or experience in inclusion, diversity, sexual reproductive health, gender equality, and/or people with disabilities;
- Have affinity with or interest in disability inclusion, youth empowerment, gender equality, prevention of gender-based violence, sexual reproductive health, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system;
- Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, and reporting skills;
- Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organisations;
- Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft programmes.
Contract
This is a UNV International Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Youth contracts.
On the ground, UNFPA works in about 150 countries worldwide and nearly 20 countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Moldova, it has been present since 1995, almost 30 years by now.
UNFPA Moldova works in the areas of:
● sexual and reproductive health and rights
● adolescents and youth empowerment
● gender equality
● population and development
We help the country address the demographic concerns, by improving population data to better understand and address the demographic changes, building the demographic resilience through intergenerational solidarity programs between young and older persons, and integration of family-friendly policies in the business environment.
Our priority remains on achieving gender transformation, social equity and ensuring the continuation of life-saving sexual and reproductive health information and services, especially during emergencies, such as the Ukraine refugee crisis and the COVID-19 health crisis.
We focus on the most vulnerable and excluded populations, women and young people with disabilities, HIV-affected, older persons, low-income families, ethnic and sexual minorities, advancing their rights and needs, to make sure that no one is left behind.
UNFPA Moldova operates under the five-year Country Programme signed with the Republic of Moldova's Government, the forth cycle in progress for 2023-2027. The country programme document is developed with wider participation of national stakeholders, and in alignment with the national priorities, UN partnership framework for sustainable development, and the agenda 2030. The Program aims to support women and young people in realizing their sexual and reproductive health and rights by fostering gender equality and youth empowerment, building the country's demographic resilience through intergenerational dialogue between young and old, and the availability of quality data on population dynamics. The Country Program also responds to the humanitarian refugee crisis, integrating the development-humanitarian nexus.
Since February 2022, over 7 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with almost 1 million arriving in Moldova. About 24% have stayed, predominantly women (65%) and children (36%).
Persons with disabilities (PwD) are among the most vulnerable during such displacements, with subgroups like older refugees and women and girls with disabilities facing heightened risks. Forced displacement can also create or exacerbate disabilities. Refugees are at increased risk of sexual violence, exploitation, trafficking, and intimate partner violence, worsened by informal shelters and transit conditions. Currently, disaggregated data on refugees with disabilities is lacking, but studies indicate significant needs. Moldova, a poor nation with a GNI per capita of 4,570, struggles with inclusive policies despite its CRPD commitment. Institutionalization and high stigma levels persist. This UNV will support a fully inclusive approach to the crisis, supporting Moldova's commitment to protecting and including PwD in humanitarian responses.
The International Youth UNV will provide technical assistance and strategic support to ensure that age, gender and disability are mainstreamed in the current preparedness for and humanitarian responses to the refugee crisis in the Republic of Moldova for preparedness interventions.
The UNV will provide technical and programmatic inputs to the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions that are inclusive of the needs of women, girls, and young persons with disabilities in humanitarian programming and support in regularly assessing and strengthening the capacities of selected Implementing Partners (IPs)/service providers to provide quality, survivor-centered, multi-sectoral and well-coordinated response to the needs of women, girls, and young persons and persons with disabilities.
The UNV will support coordination with and participation in country level disability/youth/GBV/SRH/ humanitarian and nexus working groups together with other UN agencies, contribute to the youth and disability-related sub-working groups, and work in partnership with other working group coordinators. The role will also support the operationalization of the UNFPA We-Decide Guidelines, the UNFPA Disability Inclusion Strategy, the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action, and the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.
Under the direct supervision of GBV and Youth in Emergency Programme Coordinator (P3) the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
Programme Development, Implementation, and Monitoring: - Assist in integrating gender and human rights-based approaches into humanitarian response in Moldova, ensuring interventions address the needs of persons with disabilities, especially women, girls, and young people. - Support document project development, create regular progress reports and compile best practices for expanding disability-inclusive humanitarian programming. - Support building strong connections between existing Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), youth, and disability programs, collaborating with youth-led and disability organisations. - Support ensuring UNFPA programs and facilities are accessible, such as making "youth-friendly spaces" inclusive for women, girls, and young people with disabilities. - Assist in improving the accessibility of services, information, and communication in UNFPA's SRH and GBV programs in humanitarian settings. - Contribute to activities under the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action.
Resource Mobilisation: - Assist in the development of project proposals and extend existing projects to support fundraising efforts. - Assist in including disability considerations in GBV, youth, and other program proposals. - Participate in meetings related to resource mobilisation for disability inclusion programming. - Support efforts to secure resources for UNFPA's inter-agency disability-inclusive SRH and GBV activities.
Capacity Development: - Assist in identifying resource persons and developing Terms of Reference for disability-inclusive training for SRH and GBV service providers. - Support the implementation of the UNFPA Disability Inclusion strategy in Moldova.
Coordination: - Participate in relevant sector working groups to ensure UNFPA representation. - Actively contribute to any Response Plan and national strategies and policies on Disability. - Provide any administrative, operational, financial, and logistical support as needed.
☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Client Orientation ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☒ Creativity ☒ Empowering Others ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Integrity ☒ Respect for Diversity
●Demonstrated interest and/or experience in inclusion, diversity, sexual reproductive health, gender equality and/or people with disabilities; ●Have affinity with or interest in disability inclusion, youth empowerment, gender equality, prevention of gender-based violence, sexual reproductive health, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system; ●Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation and reporting skills; ●Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organisations; ●Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft programmes.
The Republic of Moldova lies in the central part of Europe in the north-eastern Balkans, with a population of about 2.6 million. The climate of the Republic of Moldova is moderately continental. It is characterized by a lengthy frost-free period, short mild winters, lengthy hot summers, modest precipitation, and long dry periods in the south.
Culture: The culture of the Republic of Moldova represents a large gamut of cultural activities: literature, theatre, music, fine arts, architecture, cinematography, broadcasting and television, photographic art, design, circus, folk art, archives and libraries, book editing, scientific research, cultural tourism and so on.
Religion: The primary religion is Christianity, with over 90 percent of the population nominally being Eastern Orthodox. Adherents of other faiths include Roman Catholic, Protestantism/Neo-Protestantism, Judaism, Islamism, Hinduism etc.
Administrative territorial organization: the Republic of Moldova is divided into 32 districts, 5 municipalities, and 2 regions with special status (Autonomous Territorial Unit Gagauzia, Territorial administrative units from the left part of Nistru river, generically known as Transnistrian region). Transnistrian region is a part of the Republic of Moldova, but it is not controlled by the constitutional government.
Public transportation: In addition to the private taxi services, the state runs a reliable and cost-effective public transport system.
Safety and security: The crime rate is low, but there have been cases of theft. Walking alone during daylight hours is permitted, but you may want to be more careful at night. As Moldova is neighbouring Ukraine, a country at war with the Russian Federation, there are regional security risks. It is therefore important to remain updated on the conflict situation. Thus, security advice is sent systematically by UNDSS.
UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. For more information on entitlements please read the Unified Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers (https://explore.unv.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/UNVcos20221%20Complete%20hi-res-final_compressed_NOV22.pdf) and use the entitlement calculator available at https://app.unv.org/calculator
Potential interview questions
| Can you give an example of a time you facilitated collaboration in a culturally diverse team? | This question seeks to assess your experience with inclusive practices and teamwork in diverse settings. | Highlight a specific situation where you promoted inclusion and detail the outcome. |
| Describe a situation where you advocated for the needs of a marginalized group. What was your approach? | The interviewer is looking for your advocacy skills in supporting vulnerable populations. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How would you integrate gender considerations into emergency response planning? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What steps would you take to ensure disability inclusion in humanitarian programming? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you ensure that the voices of young people are heard in program development? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |