Local, Technical Specialist(GBV/Gender, HPs, and Youth), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Country Office, NOC

The Position:

The GBV/Gender, HPs, and Youth Technical Specialist adhere to the principles of project formulation and evaluation, joint programming initiatives, and national development frameworks. You will provide technical support to the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs Programmes integrating humanitarian response. The Technical Specialist will mainly focus on supporting GBV, HPS, and Youth Programmes. The Technical Specialist will provide the nexus approach programming, making linkages with both the humanitarian and development settings that include the integration of development interventions into the humanitarian response plan. Furthermore, He /She will serve as an in-house expert in GBV, HPS and Youth programming and support the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs in the planning, monitoring and implementing UNFPA programmes. Technically, the Technical Specialist will be reporting to MOWSA and to the Gender Equality and Social Norms Programme Specialist of UNFPA Ethiopia Country Office

How you can make a difference:

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 (2022-2025, 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 staff who are transparent and support MOWSA to effectively utilize and report resources as per the signed Annual Work Plans

Job Purpose:

The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has implemented several policy and institutional measures to end child marriage and FGM. The country has ratified many international and regional human rights instruments and incorporated their provisions into its laws, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which consider child marriage and FGM as violations of human rights. Based on the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which provides for the elimination of harmful practices (HPs) the criminal and family laws have been revised to protect girls and women from child marriage and FGM – the most prevalent forms of HTPs, causing multidimensional impacts on women and girls. The National Policy on Ethiopian Women, the Ethiopian Women’s Development and Change Package, and the National Strategy and Action Plan on HPs against Women and Children in Ethiopia are just some of the policies which have addressed HPs. The ten years perspective plan mentions harmful practices including female genital mutilation, child marriage and childbearing, gender-based violence and forced marriage. The Ministry of Women, and Social Affairs (MOWSA) GTP III Sectoral Plan aims to reduce child marriage and FGM by 2030 The inclusion of modules and questions on child marriage and FGM in EDHS is also a positive development in terms of data generation for monitoring and evidence-based planning. Acts of gender-based violence are among the most common forms of violence in many countries and are estimated to affect the lives, health, and well-being of millions of women, girls, boys, and men worldwide. Gender-based violence takes place in all societies and all cultures. The conditions that often characterize forced displacement, including conflict, breakdown of the rule of law, and collapse of family and community structures, tend to increase both the frequency and the brutality of such violence. Gender-based violence is deeply rooted in discriminatory cultural beliefs and attitudes that perpetuate inequality and powerlessness of women and girls. Various other factors, such as poverty, lack of education and livelihood opportunities, and impunity for crime and abuse, also tend to contribute to and reinforce a culture of violence and discrimination based on gender. Such factors are frequently aggravated in conflict and displacement as the rule of law is eroded and families and societies are torn apart. The result is often an increase in both the frequency and brutality of gender-based violence. In its worst form, gender-based violence has become a weapon of war, intentionally directed against and aimed at terrorizing, displacing, and destroying certain communities or ethnic groups. Harmful practices such as female Genital Mutilation and child marriage are also rampant in Ethiopia, which requires the concerted effort of everyone. Ethiopia pledged total elimination by 2025 at the first global Girl Summit (aimed at mobilizing domestic and international efforts to end child marriage and FGM within a generation) hosted in London in 2014. Ethiopia has made significant progress in the last two decades in reducing girls’ vulnerability to child marriage and FGM. However, despite this progress, many girls are still at risk. The most recent Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016 shows that of young women aged 20–24 years, 40.3 percent were married before the legal age of 18, and 14.1 percent were married before the age of 15 (figure 1). While the practice is declining overall, there are variations across and within regions in the prevalence of child marriage as well as in the progress made towards eliminating child marriage.

The purpose of the assignment is to affect a paradigm shift in the Women and social sector through the implementation of the key interventions in an integrated and holistic manner with other sectoral plans to ensure that they are aligned with the Home-Grown Economic Reform, ICPD Plan of Action, SDGs and other international commitments, while serving the needs of the under-served segments of the population.

You would be responsible for:

• Under the overall supervision of the Gender and Social Norms Programme Specialist, at UNFPA, the incumbent will support the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs by overseeing the UNFPA programs, coordination, and data generation and management, including in humanitarian settings.
• Supporting in capacitating the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs to follow up and strengthen its’ national and regional bureaus and Offices for the UNFPA-supported programmes including humanitarian programs.
• Overseeing and monitoring the implementation and reporting requirements with the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs to ensure program delivery are completed on time.
• Ensuring the Ministry’s financial utilization and reporting as per PIM for all programmes supported by UNFPA.
• Strengthening the Ministry’s data collection, documentation, and management system in an ethical and confidential manner.
• Advising and coordinating of the Ministry’s high-level advocacy initiatives and policy dialogues around the thematic areas related to UNFPA’s mandate.
• Maintaining working relations between the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and UNFPA to ensure timely and quality implementation of different programs.
• Ensuring that prevention, protection, provision, and response interventions are part of the Ministry’s annual work plans and provide technical support for the timely implementation of the plans.
• Supporting in capacitating the Ministry to strengthen the national and subnational GBV coordination mechanism in humanitarian settings.
• Overseeing the Ministry’s initiatives related to GBV, HPs and Youth program integration into other social development interventions both in humanitarian and development contexts.
• Advising in the development and implementation of National GBV, HP and Youth strategy documents.
• Participating in the periodic supportive supervision to regions, zones, districts, and facilities.
• Facilitating various review meetings and workshops both in in-person and virtual platforms.
• Identifying programmatic priorities and coordinating relevant technical supports.
• Coordinating and overseeing UNFPA-supported programs, including follow-up on financial and programmatic implementation reports.
• Advising the Ministry in program development, implementation, and reporting regarding youth development, participation, and empowerment.
• Participating in the preparation and timely submission of periodic reports from the Ministry to UNFPA and to donors as needed.
• Strengthening the capacity of the Ministry to ensure Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus in its programming by coordinating the humanitarian, development and peace actors to work together towards both lifesaving and development interventions.
• Performing other tasks as may be assigned by his/her supervisor.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 5 years of professional work experience in the areas of Gender, Health, Development works and similar field.
• Previous experience on the provision of technical support to government ministries
• Strong report writing skill.
• Excellent facilitation and training skills and proficiency in English language
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Basic skills (word, excel, power point) of the computer.
• Previous work experience with UN or UNFPA is an asset.
• Experience of working on women’s rights, and address Gender based violence and HPs including in emergency settings.

Education:

Advance Degree in Gender, Policy Studies, Sociology, Law, Social Work, Psychology, , health or Related fields

Languages:

• Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages is desirable

Required Competencies:

Values:

Exemplifying integrity, Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, Embracing cultural diversity, Embracing change

Core Competencies:

Achieving results, Being accountable, Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen, Thinking analytically and strategically, Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships, Communicating for impact

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/ Lobbying Relationship building Delivering results-based programme Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization

Compensation and Benefits:

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

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.