Programme Specialist, Gender-Based Violence and Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

Contract

This is a SB-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Service Board / Service Contract. It is normally only for nationals. More about SB-5 contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides support to Member States’ efforts and priorities in meeting their gender equality goals and for building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Since Saturday 15 April, intense fighting has been taking place in Sudan between the Sudan Army Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). After a bitter disagreement between the two most powerful generals on the integration of the RSF into the regular army of the respective armed forces, heavy fighting and street battles have broken out, especially in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, Marawi in the Northern State, North, South and East Central Darfur, Blue Nile Region and Blue Kordofan, and Eastern Sudan, and the Blue Nile. While some states remain relatively calm such as Red Sea State, armed Conflict continues in Khartoum, Marawi, Darfur Region and is expected to continue. To date, over 350 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured. The real number is expected to be much higher, as many of the wounded are unable to reach the hospitals or receive medical care.

The Sudan's health system is on the verge of collapse, as many hospitals have been forced to close because they have ran out of blood, medicines, and medical supplies, while in some cases medical personnel have been unable to go to work. According to media sources, 39 out 59 Khartoum hospitals are out of service, leaving only 20 hospitals in the capital that are fully or partially functioning, while 9 have been hit by artillery.

Millions of people in Khartoum and Darfur have limited access to electricity, water, and food is running out, while and households can no longer provide for themselves due to challenges accessing banks and cash. Food delivery systems are at risk with limited access to markets and shops. Initial reports indicate that families in the affected areas are surviving on pre-conflict food stocks that are expected to run out any time.

GBV has been at an all-time high and reaching the victims has been difficult due to insecurity. It is worth noting that even before the fighting broke out, humanitarian needs in Sudan were at an all-time high, with a third of the population – approximately 16 million people – in need of humanitarian assistance majority of women and girls. At present, there are already more than 3.7 million internally displaced persons in the country, some of them multiple times. It is expected that these numbers will rise as fighting spreads and intensifies.

It is against this backdrop that UN Women is looking for a GBV Expert to support humanitarian efforts in addressing the needs of crisis-affected women, girls, boys, and men in Sudan. This position will require experience and an in-depth understanding of humanitarian coordination mechanisms, humanitarian action programming, gender equality, and women’s empowerment issues.

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women SCO Representative, the incumbent will develop UNWomen SCO’s GBV Strategy and Action Plan and oversee its implementation in a humanitarian response. Undertake GBV in Emergencies programming, and establish partnerships with INGOs, UN agencies, and other national and international organizations that engage in comprehensive GBV prevention and response initiatives. The incumbent will also spearhead the implementation of the inter-agency PSEA work plan and report to the inter-agency PSEA Coordinator.

Duties and Responsibilities

Programme Development and Implementation

1. Develop a comprehensive GBV programme in line with available global guidance that adheres to Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for GBV in Emergency Programming.
2. Effectively promotes UN Women’s Vision, Mission, and Mandate through advocacy and dialogue with different sectors concerned with gender and women issues, non-governmental organizations, national and international, in addition to relevant UN agencies.
3. Ensure timely implementation of UN Women SCO’s GBV programmes in line with Minimum Standards for Gender-based Violence in Emergency Programming
4. Identify opportunities for UN Women SCO assistance and intervention in coordination with the other programme officers.
5. Conduct frequent visits to UN Women SCO project sites (including camps and host communities), assess local conditions and resources provide feedback through field visit reports, and monitor UN Women SCO inputs
6. Facilitates capacity building workshops on GBV and other capacity building activities to counterparts.
7. Assist in writing proposals and engaging in other fundraising efforts to support UN Women GBV projects/and joint programming.
8. Attend Interagency meetings on behalf of UN Women SCO and report back for any needed actions.
9. Provide input for communications updates, press releases, and donor briefs for all high-level missions
10. Participate in inter-agency field assessments and/ or situational analyses, and safety audits to determine needs and gaps for GBV response and risk mitigation.
11. Orient UN Women SCO staff and implementing partners in planning and implementing GBV programmes to ensure survivor-centered GBV response programme for refugees, IDPs/returnees, and host communities.
12. Initiate/update GBV service and capacity mapping on a regular basis to inform GBV referral mechanisms
13. Coordinate and facilitate training sessions on GBV in emergencies for health care providers, community services officers, security personnel, the refugee/IDP population, etc.
14. Oversee the procurement of hygiene and dignity kits and other relevant commodities and monitor their distribution and utilization by the end-point user.
15. Support the CO to accelerate the implementation of activities funded through CERF and the UN Women Emergency Response Fund and engage with donors to raise additional programme funds in line with the over-arching vision and work plan.

Capacity Development

1. Develop awareness-raising materials, contextualize existing training package, and provide GBV and PSEA training to partners to strengthen GBV response
2. Provide technical support on GBV and PSEA to UN Women SCO staff and consultants, where appropriate.
3. Coach and build the capacity of relevant staff members as well as staff of implementing partners responding to emergency/humanitarian crises, as needed.

Partnerships

1. Maintain solid working relationships with the UN Women SCO Representative, Head of Programmes, GiHA Programme Specialist, GiHA Coordinator, humanitarian consultants, and all programme staff.
2. Provide regular and comprehensive updates related to UN Women SCO’s progress to address GBV with the GBV Sub-Cluster, PSEA Network, Protection Cluster, and UN Country Team among others.
3. Represent UN Women SCO in relevant Clusters and other humanitarian coordination agencies to ensure that GBV issues are adequately considered in the context of the humanitarian response efforts.
4. Attend PSEA Network and GBV Sub-Cluster meetings.

Reporting

• Monitor GBV and PSEA assistance provided by UN Women SCO through implementing partners to crisis-affected populations.
• Ensure quality assurance of UN Women SCO’s GBV programme activities by keeping a close record of activities, such as capacity building, expenditures, and agreements made with local partners.
• Support CO on coordination of humanitarian issues and prepare reports, advocacy messages, and SitReps, GBV fact sheets as required.

Competencies

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Core Competencies:
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example
• Functional Competencies
• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Advanced degree with a specialisation in gender and development studies, social work, public health, law/human rights, international relations, and/or other related social science disciplines.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• 5-7 years of specialized experience addressing GBV at the international level;
• Experience in this field in a humanitarian context is an asset.
• Demonstrate leadership and management experience within a multinational and multicultural environment.
• Direct experience providing support to GBV survivors is an asset.
• Previous experience working in the UN system is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;
• Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.

Please note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc.

UNWOMEN is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.