The UNFPA Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCARO) is currently supporting 8 country offices in the region that are part of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), as well as initiating regional-level activities towards FGM elimination. Part of its role is to support country offices in using research and evidence to inform programming. During the 2017 Annual Consultation of the Joint Programme, medicalization of FGM has been highlighted as ‘a grave concern’ that ‘can hinder progress within the programme’. In general, the Joint Programme works with health workers to build their capacities in terms of comprehensive prevention, care and protection services related to FGM - efforts that also help curb medicalization. Specific interventions to curb medicalization have not yet reached scale. There is a need to further reflect on this area and identify, sharpen and scale-up programmatic interventions, while keeping in mind the strongly varying country contexts.

You will provide inputs to gender and GBV-related project formulation and evaluation.