Communication humanitarian specialist

Details

Mission and objectives

UNFPA is formally named the United Nations Population Fund. The organization was created in 1969, the same year the United Nations General Assembly declared “parents have the exclusive right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services – including voluntary family planning, maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education. Since UNFPA started its work, the world has seen progress: The number and rate of women dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth has been halved. Families are healthier. Young people are more connected and empowered than ever before. But too many are still left behind. More than 760 million people are mired in extreme poverty. Sexual and reproductive health problems are a leading cause of death and disability for women in the developing world. Young people bear the highest risks of HIV infection and unintended pregnancy. Many millions of girls face the prospect of child marriage and other harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM). Much more needs to be done to ensure a world in which all individuals can exercise their basic human rights, including those that relate to the most intimate and fundamental aspects of life. In 2018, UNFPA launched efforts to achieve three transformative results, ambitions that promise to change the world for every man, woman and young person:

Context

● The National UNV Humanitarian Communication Specialist will contribute to strengthening humanitarian communications in the UNFPA Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCARO)..
● He/she will contribute and provide technical assistance to country offices to build capacity for humanitarian communications.
● He/she will support the implementation of the regional communication and advocacy strategic plan and monitor impact.
● He/she will be passionate and have experience in media outreach, and developing engaging content and campaigns for digital channels that improve the visibility of UNFPA’s humanitarian responses in the WCA region.
● He/she will keep abreast of new developments and opportunities in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence and humanitarian aid, and be skilled in critical analysis and strategic thinking.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of Regional Communication Adviser, the UN University Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
● Contribute to the development of the annual humanitarian communications strategy and work plan in the region.
● Participate in supporting countries in the region with the development of humanitarian communications and content.
● Contribute to the development and publication of regional and country situation reports.
● Support with the production of compelling content for traditional and digital channels, including the media – press releases/statements, UNFPA website, social media channels, newsletters, press releases, alerts and videos; and monitor impact.
● Collect key articles and data on humanitarian issues in the region to support communication materials and improve visibility of the humanitarian situation in the region.
● Contribute to ensuring UNFPA’s presence on humanitarian communication platforms including the regional Humanitarian Advocacy and Communications Technical Working Group.
● Provide updates on a regular basis and at a frequency determined by the Regional Office Communications Advisor for West and Central Africa.
● Contribute to the implementation of the regional communication and advocacy strategy.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
● 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;
● Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
● 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 organisations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.