Job Identification : 13371
Locations : Pretoria, South Africa
Posting Date : 08/30/2023, 07:55 AM
Apply Before : 09/07/2023, 03:59 AM
Job Schedule : Full time
Vacancy Type : Individual Consultancy
Education and Work Experience : Bachelor’s Degree – 4 year(s) experience OR High School certificate- 7 year(s) experience
Job Category : Gender Equality & Human Rights
Job Description
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.
Background:
South Africa is ranked as an upper middle income country, with huge levels of inequality, poverty, and unemployment women and girls are disproportionately affected by all the three. The pervasive poverty and high unemployment, affect close to two-thirds of the population, among which race, gender and geography are the most affected. Accordingly, the country has been unable to ensure sustainable financing to address these triple challenges. In 2022, an estimated 13% of the population were adolescents and young girls (10–24) girls, making up 49% of all young people in the country. The District Health Information System, from 2017 to 2021 showed that the number of births to young adolescents aged 10 – 14 years increased by 48.7% over the time period and by 17.9% in adolescent girls aged 15 – 19 over the same period. Gender-based violence (GBV) in the country is also significant, with one in five (21%) partnered women having experienced physical violence. In addition, there has been increasing HIV incidence among 15-24 with females accounting for 70% of new infections.
Further exacerbating inequalities in South Africa are rising levels of unemployment. In the 3rd Quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate was 59,6% among 15-24 year olds compared to 32,9% of the national average. Youth in South Africa continue to be disadvantaged in the labor market. Therefore, creating high levels of period poverty and transactional sex. The Sanitary Dignity Implementation Framework (SDIF) was launched in 2019 and is being implemented in a progressive and incremental manner. The government of South Africa and the private sector contribute to menstrual health initiatives in the country. However, a huge gap remains with only a third of eligible girls in school having access to menstrual health products. The SIF project will help unlock further investments from the public and private sector ensuring that there is a holistic menstrual health project. Consequently, keeping more girls in school and increasing access to universal sexual and reproductive health.
The Consultant will focus on the following:
- Support the organization to host a high level meeting with national key stakeholders on the sanitary dignity implementation framework (conceptualization, development of an agenda) invites and venue requisition and generation of a meeting report)
- Support the dissemination of the key findings from the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) pilot that was done in two Provinces.
- Package the findings from the pilot project that is currently being implemented through UNFPA support in Eastern Cape and KZN and extract key activities to be supported going forward.
- Lead the engagements with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) on all MHM related activities
- Update the partner mapping report to accurately reflect all national partners in the MHM programming in the country
Scope of Work: (Description of services, activities, or outputs)
- Final Report of the high level stakeholder engagement
- Final updated mapping report
- Key recommendations from the pilot captured and prioritized for 2024.
Duration and working schedule:
The consultancy will be engaged for a period of 3 months between September-November 2023. The consultancy is broken down as follows;
- Inception meeting and report. (3 days)
- Workplan detailing key activities for the duration of this assignment (3 days)
- Review all documents to familiarize with Country Office MHM activities (10 days)
- Lead all the MHM engagements with DWYPD (for the assignment duration)
- Monthly reports (duration of the assignment)
Place where services are to be delivered:
The consultancy will be engaged for a period of 3 months between September-November 2023. The consultancy is broken down as follows;
- Inception meeting and report. (3 days)
- Workplan detailing key activities for the duration of this assignment (3 days)
- Review all documents to familiarize with Country Office MHM activities (10 days)
- Lead all the MHM engagements with DWYPD (for the assignment duration)
- Monthly reports (duration of the assignment)
Place where services are to be delivered:
Consultancy will be home based, with reporting from the Country Office when required.
Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):
- The consultancy period is required to commence work between September-November 2023
- Submission of final products to the UNFPA Country Office.
Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirement:
- The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNFPA Gender Dynamics focal point in collaboration with the DWYPD under the supervision of the Assistant Representative and overall guidance from the Head of Agency.
Expected travel:
- The consultant is expected to work both remotely (off-site/virtually)
Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:
Education: A University Degree or equivalent in public health/sexual and reproductive health, gender/social sciences, or other related fields.
Knowledge and Experience:
- 4 years or more of increasing responsibilities at national level in large scale donor-funded project management.
- Sound knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, gender, and menstrual health management.
- Experience in projects related to SRHR, MHM and gender
- Previous experience in a similar assignment will be an added advantage.
- Familiarity with the South African Government, UN development programs will be an asset.
Competencies:
- Demonstrate focus on achieving quality results and impact
- Think innovatively, propose new ideas, approaches and solutions to problems
- Actively pursue opportunities for learning and self-development professionally and personally
- Seamlessly adapt to working within new situations or contexts, with new people, and in different ways
- Act in a way that demonstrates empathy and emotional intelligence, showing consideration for the needs and feelings of others.
- Fully accept and value all people, creating an inclusive environment.
Language:
Fluency in English
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable.
- Previous Reports on Menstrual Health Management.
Evaluation criteria and payment terms
- Evaluation: 50%: CV, relevant profile to the project and 50%: professional experience in working on similar projects.
- Payment: Cleared inception report: 10%,Monthly reports: 30% for 3 months
Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:
- The contract can only be extended to Individual consultants that have capacity to deliver on the scope of work. Consultant must have her own laptop and internet connectivity.
Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:
- Ensuring an environment where adolescent girls and boys, young people have access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. UNFPA is committed to deliver on the three transformative results
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
