Programme Associate, M&E and Gender

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.

United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) support to Nepal began in 1971 and has evolved in response to the changing national contexts. The current 8th Country Programme (2018-2022) is in line with Sustainable Development Goals, ICPD Programme of Action, the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Nepal, and national priorities set by the Government of Nepal. UNFPA is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, taking the lead in delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s current strategic plan (2018-2021) reaffirms its goal of universal access to sexual and reproductive rights, focusing women, adolescents and youth and focuses on three aspirational transformative results to be achieved by 2030: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls. Advancing gender equality and promoting the empowerment of women are key priorities in the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2018-2021. UNFPA is a leading player in Gender-Based Violence prevention and response in Nepal. The Country Office manages a portfolio of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) programs, focused both on multi-sectoral essential services and on prevention. This includes its flag-ship GBV Prevention and Response (GBVPR) project, jointly funded by the Governments of Norway and Switzerland. Evaluations and reviews have shown positive results from the first phase of the project, and there is scope to consolidate and further expand the GBV portfolio through a second phase of the project. This position is intended to assist the country office in managing the communication and knowledge management portfolio of the second phase of the GBVPR project as well as to further enhance and grow UNFPA Nepal’s capacity in creating visibility and documenting & disseminating best practices, lessons learned in the area of GBV prevention and respon

Under the overall guidance of the GBVPR team leader and in close coordination with the Program Specialist, the Program Associate will perform the following tasks:

Management Support

In close collaboration with the Program Specialist and Program Associate, monitor the quarterly work plans of the implementing partners for both the EU supported program and GBVPR –II to ensure timely and effective programmatic and financial delivery.
Ensure work plans alignment and collaborative delivery by the implementing partners in all the provinces that the project works in.
Provide necessary support to the M&E initiatives including relevant support to the various studies proposed including the baseline study for the EU supported program as well as upcoming studies for the GBVPR program.
Support the drafting of periodic progress reports and donor reports. Track the qualitative and quantitative data evidence about the program results.
Assist and monitor the knowledge management work in close collaboration with the Communication Specialist.

Support capacity building of team members and the implementing partners.

Provide support in the organization of capacity development initiatives for the GBVPR team members and implementing partners on Gender Transformative Approaches (GTA).
Organize periodic cross learning and knowledge sharing meeting among the Implementing Partners and other relevant UNFPA programs and document good practices, lessons and areas of synergy.
Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

, Accountability, Adaptability and Flexibility, Building Trust, Client Orientation, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Creativity, Empowering Others, Ethics and Values, Integrity, Judgement and Decision-making, Knowledge Sharing, Leadership, Managing Performance, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Self-Management, Technological Awareness, Vision, Working in Teams

Experience

Demonstrated interest and/or experience (ideally one year): Rights based approaches; gender based violence prevention and response, knowledge management and reporting, GBV programming;
Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded;
Excellent report writing skills in line with the Results Based Management Principles.

Skills

Strong team skills including ability to establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those relevant to the team members.
Strong research, analytical and writing skills in English language.
Good communication, emotional intelligence, and negotiation skills.
Ability to work independently and within culturally diverse teams.

Nepal is a country with population of 28.4 million in 2016 and with annual growth rate 1.35 per cent. It is in the middle of “demographic window of opportunity” with 40 per cent under the age of 18 years. GDP per capita is US$ 853 as of 2017 which categorize the country as a Least Developed Country. It is planning to graduate to a Middle-Income Country by 2030. In terms of poverty reduction, the country reduced the percentage of population below poverty line from 42 per cent in 1995 to 21.6 per cent in 2015. At the same time, the country does not have major industrial base for development. Remittance is the largest source of foreign exchange and equivalent to 30 per cent of GDP as of 2014.

A key feature of Nepal is its diversity. There are over 126 ethnic groups and castes and 92 different languages spoken in 3 distinctively different ecological zones, i.e. Terai (plain area bordering India), Hills and Mountains. Another key word is vulnerability. The country has been regularly affected by a wide range of natural disasters including landslides, floods, earthquakes and impact of climate changes. The country is in the middle of transition and from a unitary state to a federal state with substantial devolution of powers to local governments after the promulgation of the constitution in 2015 and multiple rounds of local election in 2017.

Nepal offers many places of natural beauty and people that are welcoming and interested to engage with foreigners. Kathmandu is rapidly catching up with the 21st century and has become a fragrant mix of heritage sites and modern life. Kathmandu is a safe place to live for foreigners, however traffic and seasonal air pollution are recognized hazards. Living conditions should expected to be basic and although commodities like water and electricity have vastly improved over the last years, these are not at all times guaranteed. It is relatively easy to get out of the city into the hills around it through which you can access some of the national parks like Shivapuri. This makes Nepal a unique country and the UNV placement a unique opportunity in terms that the volunteer will be placed within one of the institutions (The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology) that is at the centre of the current ongoing federal transition. Given the state of flux in which daily radical changes in the country’s institutional structure are a reality, flexibility and the ability to keep an eye on the goal at the horizon, while frequently changing direction are prerequisites to make a meaningful contribution to the larger process at hand.