Donor Communications, Advocacy and Knowledge Management Expert

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA promotes gender equality and empowering women, girls and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures. We work with partners in more than 150 countries to provide access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. Our goal is ending unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.

Guided by the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) partners with governments, civil society and other agencies to accomplish its mission, which aims to promote the rights of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity and supports countries in using data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA in Asia Pacific works with countries to end Preventable Maternal Mortality and eliminate Gender-based Violence (GBV)) and Harmful Practices (HP). While countries of the region are making progress in improving access and availability to quality maternal and reproductive health services, maternal mortality remains persistent. Ensuring that countries can strengthen the availability and use of actionable, high-quality data on maternal and reproductive health services provision is a key intervention for UNFPA. Strengthening processes and practices regarding Maternal Perinatal Deaths Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) systems, Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) and strengthening Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) data and services are crucial components of the work implemented by UNFPA to strengthen overall maternal healthcare provision and outcomes. Gender-based violence remains a pervasive issue in Southeast Asia. The root causes of GBV are deeply entrenched in patriarchal structures, discriminatory social norms, and systemic gender inequalities. Despite advancements in addressing GBV in Southeast Asia to consolidate and articulate evidence-based strategies to prevent violence from happening in the first place, policy efforts and investments continue to lag behind with significant gaps in funding and capacity building to put these into practice. Similarly, the region’s uptake of prevention through research, policymaking and programming is still emerging. In particular, the availability of high-quality, actionable prevalence data remains limited, as well as the use of available data for policy making. This is primarily driven by a lack of localized technical capacity, leaving many countries dependent on a small pool of international experts. Through legal frameworks and advocacy efforts, the prevalence of these practices underscores the urgent need for comprehensive strategies that address the underlying gender inequalities and empower communities to abandon these harmful traditions. UNFPA demonstrates a strong and unwavering commitment to addressing the urgent needs surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), maternal health and mortality, gender-based violence and harmful practices through a strategic prioritization of both prevention and response efforts. Recognizing the profound impact of these issues on individuals and communities, UNFPA has actively mobilized significant financial resources, notably through the generous support of the Government of Australia. This funding underscores the shared commitment to accelerating tangible and sustainable results in improving maternal health and well-being through strengthened data and evidence, and in the prevention and response to GBV and harmful practices across the region.

In this context, the engagement of an International UN Volunteer (IUNV) plays a crucial role in amplifying the impact and visibility of UNFPA's achievements. The IUNV will be specifically tasked with developing and disseminating compelling communications materials that effectively showcase the results attained through UNFPA's initiatives funded by the Government of Australia. This will involve : ● Documenting Stories of Impact on Maternal Health, Surrounding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR),Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Harmful Practices(HP) programming in Asia Pacific : Identifying and capturing impactful stories of change resulting from UNFPA's programs, with particular attention to women, girls, adolescents, persons with disabilities and other populations at risk of being left behind. ● Developing and implementing communication plans on SRHR, GBV prevention, Violence Against Women(VAW) data, child marriage and female genital mutilation in Asia and the Pacific: Developing a multi-year comprehensive communication plan for five The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade(DFAT) funded programmes targeting SRHR Data, VAW data, GBV prevention, Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation. The aim is to promote positive social norm change and increase visibility of UNFPA’s work through evidence-based communications strategies that reflect an inclusive rights-based approach. The communication strategies will need to be in line with the DFAT Communication Guidelines and entail coordination with other UN agencies and partners. ● Developing and Reviewing Communication Products/Campaigns: Creating a range of communication materials, such as reports, case studies, infographics, social media content, and potentially multimedia presentations, to effectively communicate the outcomes. ● Knowledge Management: Support systematic and consistent documentation and maintenance of key resources, best practices and programme guidance documents covering Maternal Health, SRHR, GBV and Harmful Practices, ensuring to capture inclusive programming approach. In particular, the International UN Volunteer (IUNV) will support the SRHR and GBV teams in APRO in producing, editing and designing high quality reports on programme implementation, targeted for donor stakeholders and partners. The IUNV will maintain the SRHR and GBV/ HP microsites, produce monthly e-bulletin and support sharing of resources among Country Offices and with wider stakeholders. ● Disseminating Information: Strategically sharing these communication products with key stakeholders, including donors, government partners, civil society organizations, and the wider public, to raise awareness and garner further support. ● Contributing to Transparency and Accountability: Ensuring that the results achieved through the Australian Government's funding are clearly and transparently communicated, fostering accountability and demonstrating the value of the investment. By strategically amplifying the results achieved, the IUNV will contribute to a greater understanding of UNFPA's impact, further strengthening partnerships and mobilizing continued support in : 1) Addressing persistent causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, 2) Improving MH service delivery 3) Strengthening violence against women data systems and use of data for policymaking 4) Preventing and responding to gender-based violence 5) Addressing child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: - 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. - Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. - Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/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.