The Position:
The position is located in UNFPAs’ Strategic Partnerships Branch (SPB) within the Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships (DCS).
Under the overall supervision of the Strategic Partnerships Adviser (Parliamentarians and CSOs), the CSO/ Parliamentary Specialist will assist in operationalizing strategies and policies that will shape UNFPA’s approach to working with Civil Society and Parliamentarians and ensure that UNFPA relationships with these important constituencies contribute to UNFPA’s political and programming objectives.
How you can 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 (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
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 that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
The United Nations as an organization has long recognized the strategic role played by parliamentarians and non-state actors, such as civil society, non-governmental and faith based organizations, as well as the private sector in shaping the political and development agendas of the world. This strategic importance has been underscored through their increasing participation in many UN conferences and summits, and in the adoption of Goal 17 of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development which aimed to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”.
UNFPA has always recognized this role of Parliamentarians and CSOs and has over the decades invested in advocacy, active outreach with these multi-stakeholders including facilitating their active participation in the Cairo Conference in 1994, where they played a key part in shaping the consensus, until the recent Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 held in November 2019.
As a key strategic shift and consideration in the new Strategic Plan (2022-2025), partnerships will be reinvigorated and expanded, including with influential and wide-reaching civil society networks and alliances (feminist groups, social movements, and women and youth-led organizations) and parliamentarians. In this regard, UNFPA intends to streamline the organization's approach to working with external partners to build coherence and alignment, by ensuring strong coordination of its parliamentarians and civil society work within the organization.
Furthermore, UNFPA will implement robust parliamentarian and civil society advocacy initiatives and interventions, in line with the Strategic Partnerships Framework aligned to the a newly developed Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Strategy 2022-2025.
Requirements:
Qualifications and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Public Administration, International Relations, Development Studies.
Knowledge and Experience:
● At least 5 years of experience dealing with international issues at the national level; 5 years working in an international environment;
● Familiarity with UN development programmes and working methods, and particularly with UNFPA policies and procedures.
● Strong facilitation skills with multi- disciplinary teams
Languages:
Fluency in English is required; Working Knowledge of another office UN working language is an asset..
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
