Young Innovator Fellow

Contract

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

UNFPA Young Innovators Fellowship Programme 2022

Enabling young people to realise their full social, economic and human potential is a key aspect of UNFPA’s mandate. Our Fellows are innovative young people from around the world who have demonstrated commitment to development issues within their communities. The Young Innovators Fellowship programme brings young people into UNFPA with a dedicated focus on both providing a youth perspective and driving innovation. This exciting opportunity sees fellows undergo leadership training and support innovation efforts in UNFPA Regional or Country Offices in a capacity relevant to their experience. Our goal is to provide fellows with the tools, skill sets, international experience and exposure to innovation to empower them to realise their career goals, thus building national capacity. Fellows in turn provide innovative insights and ideas that will enable us to be better aligned with development issues in their community.

The UNFPA Young Innovator Fellow will contribute to UNFPA’s innovation priorities in a number of ways, including: strengthening the innovation architecture; supporting the scale-up of innovations; forming partnerships; strengthening financing for innovation; and expanding the communities and culture for innovation.

Context Across the region, women, adolescents and youth, especially from left-behind groups, face critical constraints to the exercising of their sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights and the right to live a life free from violence, linked to a lack of bodily autonomy. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality and negatively impacted women’s political, economic and bodily autonomy. Women are more likely than men to live in poverty and take up unpaid work – and to have lost their job during the pandemic.

The region is facing the compounding impacts of multiple crises, including natural disasters, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. These drive displacement and impact migration dynamics. Protracted crises persist in the region, with millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2021.

UNFPA works with other United Nations organizations to support national efforts to build back better, while pursuing progress towards the achievement of the SDGs and the ICPD Programme of Action, using the Montevideo Consensus as a roadmap for action.

The new UNFPA Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean puts specific emphasis on the need to strengthen partnerships, financing, innovation and adaptation as key accelerators for the achievement of the three transformative results.

The contribution of the National UN Youth Volunteer will support LACRO’s initiatives, programmes and activities to strengthen the regional capacity to nurture innovative solutions and identify interventions that reach the potential to be adapted and scaleuped at higher levels.

Under the direct supervision of the Innovation Coordinator and the Programme Adviser, the Fellow will undertake the following tasks:

● Conduct virtual and field visits to document innovation initiatives and interventions that are taking place in the LAC region. ● Review, distil and update related content into the digital repository of promising inter-vention using the established Institutional platform BrightIdea, including the organiza-tion and evaluation of the innovation portfolio and pipeline. ● Design and model solutions for customer innovation and experience along with similar initiatives variants. ● Perform with innovation development groups to conduct insights as well as design out-puts to their work. ● Design, research, develop, analyze and suggest new marketing concepts as well as strategies. ● In coordination with programme officers and advisers, contribute to different cross-functional programs and projects while exploring possibilities for innovative approaches and solutions. ● Conduct regular meetings (face to face or virtual as applicable) with programme and technical officers and advisers to assess progress, challenges and lessons learnt in the identification of the problems, solution finding, design and implementation. ● Support the LACRO Team, in drafting case studies and human-interest stories on the achievements of innovative initiatives. ● Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. The assignment will include mission travel to New York, once for a capstone to conclude the fellowship.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: ● Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); ● Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; ● Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including par-ticipation in ongoing reflection activities; ● Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; ● Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; ● Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Accountability Adaptability and Flexibility Building Trust Commitment and Motivation Communication Creativity Ethics and Values Integrity Knowledge Sharing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Self-Management Technological Awareness Working in Teams

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

Demonstrated interest and dedication to development issues in areas of UNFPA’s mandate through either volunteer experience, work experience, or youth network affiliations. Preferably, up to 3 years of experiences are welcomed.

Prior experience or demonstrated interest working with digital technologies or online platforms for programmatic areas (e.g., education, health, social development).

Demonstrated, or clear idea of, delivery of UNFPA’s mandate in an innovative way

Ability to identify and propose innovative solutions to problems

Prior experience engaging with different stakeholders or entities, such as with the private sector, social enterprises, academia, the media, a plus

Special consideration will be given to indigenous people, persons with disabilities and LGBTQI candidates

The duty station will be the UNFPA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in the city of Panama. It is required for permanent and complete availability to work in Panama and to move to different cities in the Region where UNFPA develops projects. This is subject to hybrid teleworking due to the Covid19 pandemic and related UNCT decisions in the country.