Communications Specialist

UNDP works with the Government and people of Pakistan to develop local solutions to development challenges. In an evolving development context, we support Pakistan’s efforts to build a more equitable, prosperous, peaceful and resilient society, and to achieve its SDGs and COP25 targets. UNDP promotes transformational change by fostering strategic partnerships with national counterparts in the federal, provincial and regional governments, civil society, the private sector and the local and international community. UNDP supports transformational change by providing technical assistance focusing on developing capacity within national and local authorities, providing solutions with strong monitoring and evaluation tools, and delivering programmes with maximum efficiency, transparency and accountability. UNDP’s ultimate goal is to improve the lives of the people of Pakistan through keeping people out of poverty; governance for peaceful, just and inclusive societies; crisis prevention and increased resilience; nature-based solutions for development; clean affordable energy; and women's empowerment and gender equality.

UNDP works to improve the lives of vulnerable communities, with the overarching objective of preventing loss of development gains, promoting human rights, and finding sustainable pathways to development. UNDP projects under the democratic governance portfolio aims to strengthen state institutions, support democratic development and the rule of law, ensure crisis prevention, support policy development, and integrate gender equality into all areas of work. UNDP works to support the human rights ecosystem by strengthening human rights institutions to promote and protect human rights for all. This UNV assignment is part of UNDP Pakistan’s Decentralization, Human Rights and Local Governance (DHL) project. The DHL Project works to strengthen rights-based governance in Pakistan at national and sub-national levels. For this objective, the DHL project engages government entities, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), private sector, civil society, academia, and other key stakeholders to protect, respect, and promote human rights. Furthermore, UNDP-DHL aims to empower local communities, human rights defenders, and vulnerable & marginalized populations to ensure an inclusive and participatory approach to the implementation of human rights laws, policies, and frameworks. UNDP-DHL has commenced a multi-year project supported by the European Union (EU) which will engage a diverse set of public and private institutions, along with civil society stakeholders, to advance human rights across Pakistan. The project will focus on four pillars, including governmental human rights structures, national human rights institutions, human rights education and business and human rights. Under the programme, UNDP-DHL continues its support to the Ministry of Human Rights and relevant government departments to strengthen their capacities, develop human rights policies, and national action plans and facilitated effective human rights data collection and reporting. UNDP-DHL’s approach towards strengthening governmental human rights structures for human rights implementation, reporting and follow up is integrated into activities and consultative processes across the programme, ensuring a holistic approach. The overall goal is to enhance the fulfilment of human rights in Pakistan. The main objectives of the programme with regards to strengthening human rights structures are: - To improve the effectiveness of institutions and systems promoting, protecting, and fulfilling human rights. - To strengthen reporting and digitization capacities of national and sub-national governments to provide people centered, and inclusive services. The incumbent UNV will be stationed at the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) in Islamabad and will be responsible for supporting the Ministry with its communications, outreach and advocacy efforts under the Huqooq–e–Pakistan II project.

Under the day-to-day direct supervision of Director (HR Wing) at MoHR, the Communications Specialist will support the MoHR with communications, outreach and advocacy of HeP II activities. The key responsibilities include: - Communication Strategy Development: - Assess the context and undertake stakeholder mapping, audience segmentation, and identification of communication gaps and opportunities. - Develop a comprehensive communication strategy for the project, ensuring alignment with overall objectives, human rights principles, and key stakeholders’ needs. - Design targeted messaging strategies for different stakeholder groups (government, CSOs, private sector, media, and the general public) to promote the project's impact, milestones, and achievements. - Collaborate with the Project Coordination Expert to ensure the communication strategy reflects the project’s goals, timelines, and evolving contexts at both federal and provincial levels. - Conduct media and stakeholder landscape analysis to identify strategic opportunities for outreach and to enhance the project’s visibility in key national and provincial forums. - Establish metrics and tools to evaluate the effectiveness of the communication strategy, adjusting approaches as needed based on audience feedback, media engagement, and project needs. - Once the communication strategy is finalized, develop a Plan of Action for the implementation of the communication strategy. - Communication Strategy Implementation: - Implement the communication strategy across various platforms (digital, print, media, events) to ensure consistent messaging and visibility for the project’s objectives and achievements. - Develop and oversee the production of key communication materials (press releases, newsletters, reports, presentations, and social media content) to ensure they align with the project’s strategic goals and human rights focus. - Coordinate with relevant federal ministries and provincial human rights departments for joint communications initiatives. - Manage the day-to-day execution of media outreach, including drafting press materials, engaging with journalists, and monitoring media coverage to enhance project visibility and public engagement. - Support the organization of public events, conferences, and workshops, ensuring effective promotion, media presence, and follow-up communication to maximize impact and stakeholder participation. - Collaborate with the Project Coordination Expert and provincial teams to ensure that communications are tailored to regional contexts, including language, cultural considerations, and local priorities. - Track, measure, and report on the performance of communication efforts, adjusting tactics as needed to improve engagement and meet project objectives. - Collaborate with the Project Coordination Expert and Program Implementation Specialist to identify key impact metrics and stories for communicating the project’s outcomes to internal and external stakeholders. - Liaise with UNDP Pakistan and the EU to ensure all communication and visibility materials on the project are in line with the their guidelines. - Programmatic Learning Support and Stakeholder Coordination - Monitor the effectiveness of communication activities and contribute to documentation of best practices and lessons learned. - Work with the M&E team to integrate learning from monitoring data and field observations into communication materials, ensuring that successes and lessons learned are effectively shared. - Develop case studies, success stories, and testimonials from beneficiaries and stakeholders to showcase the human impact of the project’s interventions. - Facilitate internal reflection sessions for project teams can share insights and challenges, using those insights to enhance communication materials and future programming. - Support the development and dissemination of annual or semi-annual reports that highlight key achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling or adapting project activities.