Programme Officer Partnerships/Islamic Advisory Group

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) is a unique partnership between Al Azhar Al Sharif, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank) supported by technical experts in health (WHO and UNICEF). It was established in 2013 to support polio eradication activities by addressing misconceptions related to vaccinations and Islamic teachings and the safety of the polio vaccine. An Executive Committee (EC) maintains oversight of workplan implementation and coordinates with the larger body of the IAG. The IAG has overtime established National Islamic Advisory Groups (NIAGs) in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia which have supported in country activities. Overtime, IAG has made substantive achievements including successful communication and advocacy campaigns to educate communities and dispelling misconceptions on key public health issues; conducting stakeholders dialogues; capacity building of religious students through incorporation of public health issues in curriculum development and training led by Al Azhar Al Sharif and leveraging a network of international and national Islamic academic institutions to support public health interventions. WHO EMRO serves as the Secretariat to the IAG since its establishment. Since 2016, the IAGs mandate was expanded beyond polio to serve more public health issues, prioritizing routine immunization as well as maternal and child health. As polio eradication is at advanced stages, there is a need to maintain the relevance of the IAG through a more concerted engagement on routine immunization and MNCH. Simultaneously, the IAG has moved to align its work plans with the OIC’s Strategic Health Programme of Action (SHPA) 2014-2023 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is a further need to align with WHOs General Program of Work (GPW) 13 and WHO EMROs Vision 2023. Furthermore, and over time, IAG has enhanced the scope of activities to include media campaigns on key health issues; development of health-related content for training of religious students and commissioning research on the interface between health and religious/sociocultural beliefs. There are plans to expand the network of Islamic academic institutions; the geographical coverage of IAG to countries beyond the EMR particularly in Africa; enhance engagement with Islamic NGOs and contribute to the training of community-based health workers to enhance universal health coverage through Primary Health Care. Within the above context, the IAG has limited technical capacity to effectively manage the existing and anticipated workload in the near future. Thus the overall purpose of the support requested (UNV) is to strengthen the technical side of IAG engagement so as to ensure that the effective implementation of its current workplans; development of new plans and proposals for expanding IAGs scope of technical activities; quality assure technical products and services and streamline internal and external coordination with the IAG Executive Committee, WHO EMRO technical departments and WCOs and other partners including UNICEF.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV will:

• Follow up on submission, review and finalization of technical documents, proposals and progress reports • Support development of agenda/technical documents for Islamic Advisory Group/ Executive Committee (IAG/EC) • Support development of communication content for IAG public health messaging in close coordination with the IAG Communications Officer and C4H team • Support development of documentation and presentations for the IAG/EC and Regional Committee (RC) meetings • Support preparation of funding proposals and Memorandum Of Understandings (MOUs) in close coordination with the Partnerships Officer and Resource Mobilization Team in the Division of Communications, Resource Mobilization & Partnership (CRP) • Support overall coordination for the IAG Annual Meeting including development of annual progress report of IAG activities for the year 2022 • Review and support finalization of National Islamic Advisory Groups (NIAGs) progress reports and presentations • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

• Professionalism • Integrity • Teamwork and respect for diversity • Commitment to continuous learning • Planning and organizing • Communication • Flexibility • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement

public health and programme or project management, in addition to: • Excellent skills in report writing • Excellent writing and communication skills in English and Arabic • Proficiency in MS Office

Cairo, Egypt is a family duty station with a wide range of services (health, education and leisure) and good living conditions. Cairo (and Egypt) has long been a center of the region’s political and cultural life, with high levels of tourism. Like other similar cities, Cairo offers good quality of life in terms of access to shopping centres, banks, medical services, educational facilities, cultural events, etc.

The Arab Republic of Egypt has a unique geographical position in Northeast Africa, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, on the Mediterranean and Red Sea, and its connection to Sub Saharan Africa through the Nile Valley. The country is defined by desert and the Nile, the longest river on Earth.