Gender-Based Violence in Emergency/Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Specialist – UNFPA Vacancy Announcement

Job title: Gender-Based Violence in Emergency/Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Specialist

Level: P4

Location: Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Full/Part time: Full

Rotational/Non Rotational: Non Rotational  

Duration: 364 

The Position: 

The Gender-Based Violence in Emergency/Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Specialist (GBVie/PSEA) post is located in Addis Ababa. Under the direct supervision of the Humanitarian Programme Coordinator, the GBV/PSEA specialist provides leadership and advice to the Country Office (CO) on all aspects related to planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of CO GBV/PSEA activities. In addition, the GBV/PSEA will supervise the staff under the GBV in the Emergency sub-unit in Addis Ababa and provide technical support to all GBV in emergency programming staff across the country.

How the GBV/PSEA Specialistcan 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 strategic plan focuses on three transformative results: ending preventable maternal deaths, ending unmet family planning needs, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need transparent staff who are exceptional in managing the resources entrusted to them and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results.

The Context 

Over the last few years, Ethiopia has been affected by various shocks, including conflict, inter-communal violence, drought, floods, desert locusts and COVID-19 pandemic; and most recently, the conflict in the northern part of the country, which started toward the end of 2020. Conflicts have been one of the main drivers of humanitarian needs in Ethiopia. The most impactful conflict in Ethiopia has been the Tigray conflict with its associated spillover effects into neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara. It has left over 5.2 million people in the region needing humanitarian assistance. Additionally, there has been an escalation of Unidentified Armed Groups (UAGs) attacks especially in Western Oromia, Southern Oromia, Benishangul Gumuz and SNNPR regions.

Also, Ethiopia suffers from frequent and extreme weather events (droughts and floods) that affect access to food. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced each year due to floods.

GBV, including Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), is a crucial concern within the communities affected by different emergencies in Ethiopia. The number of people in need of GBV response services as per 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) increased from 3.5M in 2021 to 5.8M spread across the Woredas severely affected by humanitarian crises.

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by aid workers is a grave violation of human rights, and UNFPA is committed to combating SEA by its staff and implementing partners. In collaboration with other UN Agencies, UNFPA is implementing interventions to strengthen prevention and response, management, and coordination.

Job Purpose:

Under the overall supervision of the Humanitarian Programme Coordinator and close collaboration with the GBV AOR Team, Team Lead CO Gender Unit and the UN Inter-agency PSEA Coordinator, the incumbent facilitates the implementation of UNFPA’s GBV programming and PSEA integration in emergency responses. Key duties include assessment and planning; partnership and joint programming; development of/contribution to SOPs/guidelines; training and sensitization; and monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Coordination, monitoring and evaluation of GBV/PSEA initiatives will be conducted using available global guidelines and standards, and will align with UNFPA’s Minimum Standards and Case Management Guideline for Addressing GBV in Emergencies.

Also, the Specialist will coordinate the implementation of  UNFPA’s global PSEA Strategy, the Secretary-general’s Bulletin on Special Measures for PSEA, and the Ethiopia PSEA Network Strategy at the country level. S/he will lead UNFPA’s work (with its Implementing Partners) to ensure PSEA training is cascaded down to all staff, expand community engagement on PSEA through its IPs, and ensure safe and accessible reporting channels for women and girls, boys and men. S/he will represent UNFPA in the in-country PSEA Network. The Specialist shall be supported by national-level and sub-national PSEA Focal Points

Major duties and responsibilities:

Programme Development and Implementation

• Conduct field assessments and/ or situational analyses to determine needs and gaps for GBV prevention and response. Where possible, ensure that GBV/PSEA issues are integrated into others’ assessments.
• Design and develop an innovative and evidence-based model of GBV/PSEA specific prevention and response program in line with the GBV Guiding principle and UNFPA Minimum Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies.
• Undertake the rapid development of SOPs and related guidelines with GBV implementing partners to implement GBV Prevention and Response Programming in Emergencies.
• Sensitize implementing partners, UN sister agencies and national authorities around the existence and implementation of standard GBV Guidelines and best practices for Integrating GBV/PSEA interventions in Emergency responses.
• Support in implementing activities funded through humanitarian appeals, CERF and UNFPA Emergency Response Fund, and any other projects in the country.
• Monitor and supervise the quality of activities and feedback to partners and concerned staff members in UNFPA, developing possible best practices and documentation.
• Proactively engage with donors for advocacy and to raise additional programme funds in line with the over-arching vision and work plan.
• Support quality assurance of documentation/reports related to humanitarian initiatives of UNFPA CO Gender Unit.
• Assess and support current individual client care approaches and staff capacities for conducting case management for GBV survivors in Women Friendly Spaces facilities and draft recommendations on appropriate scope of service, client selection criteria, and staff support/mentoring requirements.
• Monitor and manage any implementation risk.
• Work closely with the communication team for documenting the promising practices and develop advocacy and communication materials.

Capacity Development for GBV  and PSEA 

• Develop and deliver quality PSEA training sessions, including ToTs, and ensure PSEA Focal Points cascade training sessions on PSEA for all country-level personnel regularly
• Provide oversight and support to Implementing Partner on PSEA training to ensure cascading of PSEA trainings down to field level, as requested and based on IP PSEA capacity assessments;
• In coordination with PSEA Network, use and develop inter-agency Information Education and Communication materials, including video material, radio, audio etc.
• Provide awareness campaigns and sensitization for local communities on PSEA, with emphasis on what SEA is, beneficiary rights, where to report, complaint mechanisms and survivor assistance;
• Provide oversight and technical assistance to UNFPA and Implementing Partners for setting up of Community-Based Complaint Mechanisms, ensuring mechanisms are appropriate, safe, and accessible to women and girls, and ensuring staff handling complaints are aware of GBV and SEA referral pathways;
• Ensure that all staff are signatories to the PSEA Network Code of Conduct;
• Support UNFPA programme managers with assessing and mitigating PSEA related risks;
• Make appropriate recommendations and regular updates to management on enhancing prevention strategies. This could include collecting and analyzing information on actual/potential risk factors for vulnerability to SEA and elaborating measures to address them.
• Conduct capacity development training for UNFPA’s partners and UNFPA staff members on GBV SOPs and guidelines for implementation of GBV in Emergencies.
• Facilitate training sessions on GBV/PSEA in Emergencies for GBViE implementing partners including health care providers, community services officers, law enforcement personnel, and beneficiaries, as feasible;
• Provide technical support to integrate the most recent GBV international guidelines and standards, including UNFPA Minimum Standards for preventing and responding to GBV in Emergencies and IASC Guidelines for Integrating GBV in Humanitarian Actions).

Coordination 

• Support in strengthening linkages between existing Gender, SRHR and adolescent girls programming initiatives of UNFPA to ensure synergies between programmes.
• Lead UNFPA engagement in the GBV Sector meeting in Addis Ababa.
• As requested, represent UNFPA in relevant humanitarian coordination bodies, including the GBV AOR, to ensure that GBV/PSEA issues are adequately considered in humanitarian response efforts.
• Provide overall leadership of the UNFPA GBV Team in Ethiopia
• Ensure that UNFPA and PSEA Network procedures and mechanisms for reporting allegations of SEA are known to all UNFPA field personnel, partners, and as applicable, to recipients of assistance and local communities;
• Receive claims of alleged incidents of SEA, regardless of the institutional affiliation of the alleged perpetrator. Once an allegation is received, ensure the allegation is immediately referred following UNFPA systems and PSEA Network systems;
• Upon receiving a complaint, ensure that all materials about complaints are handled in strict confidence and in line with applicable grievance and complaint handling procedures.
• Immediately, and in consideration of confidentiality and consent procedures, facilitate referral complainants to the in-country GBV/CP response mechanism so that they may receive the medical, psychosocial, legal and material support they need or directly assist complainants in accessing immediate medical assistance and safety measures where required;
• Work with the GBV team and GBV Area of Responsibility to ensure GBV referral pathways are developed, updated and disseminated.

Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Lead the UNFPA-UNHCR partnership on GBV in Emergency Response
• Maintain solid working relationships with the GBV AOR Coordinator(s) and all humanitarian partners and agencies in the country.
• Provide regular and comprehensive updates related to UNFPA’s progress to address GBV/PSEA;
• Proactively engaged in the emergency fundraising initiatives such as preparing EHF, CERF and other donor proposals.
• Take timely initiative to address donor’s query on the proposal or programme in consultation with Humanitarian Programme Coordinator, including monitoring and reporting.
• Proactively engage with the CO GBV programme team for advocacy plan and presentation in line with the over-arching vision and work plan.

Monitoring and reporting and knowledge management/communication

• Monitor GBViE programmes provided by UNFPA through implementing partners to crisis-affected populations.
• Monitor UNFPA’s GBV programme activities by keeping a close record of activities, such as capacity building and implementing relevant SOPs and Guidelines.
• Support to prepare regular progress/after-action reviews and reports and document lessons learned and challenges, and share with the relevant UNFPA offices.
• Provide technical inputs to advocacy and communication initiatives.
• Lead in the collection of information and GBV-related knowledge management.

Any Other Duties

• Perform any other duties as required by the Supervisor, UNFPA.

Qualifications and Skills required:

Education:  

• Advanced degree (Master’s degree) specializing in social work, public health, gender, law/human rights, international relations, and other related social science disciplines.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least seven years of specialized experience in GBV Programming at the international level, a minimum of 2 of which are in the humanitarian context.
• Experience in PSEA is a must.
• Experience in coordination and liaison with government counterparts and other stakeholders, including NGOs and communities
• Proven relevant experience in working as a GBV Prevention and Response Program manager
• Demonstrated leadership and management experience within a multinational and multicultural environment.
• Excellent understanding of human rights-based and participatory approach.
• Proven experience in survivors-centred approach
• Experience in capacity development/training.
• Practical experience in GBV case management and referral
• Experience in developing SOPs, guidelines, and tools for GBViE response and prevention interventions.
• Direct experience providing support to GBV survivors is an asset.
• Proven communications and inter-personal skills, IT literacy, as well as organizational skills and time-management
• Good understanding of international GBV best practices and guidelines
• Experience providing direct services to GBV survivors

Languages: 

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Values/Guiding Principles
• Performance management
• Developing People/Fostering Innovation and Empowerment
• Working in teams
• Communicating information and ideas/Knowledge Sharing
• Self-management/Emotional intelligence and conflict

• Management/Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements
• Appropriate and transparent decision making.
• Analytical and Strategic Thinking/Results Orientation/Commitment to
• Excellence

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Advocacy/Advancing a policy-oriented agenda
• Results-based programme development and management
• Leveraging the resources of national governments & partners/Building

• Strategic alliances and partnerships
• Innovation and marketing of new approaches
• Resource mobilization
• Job knowledge/Technical expertise