Program Associate Gender

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives. To defend their rights. To help them reach their potential. In Djibouti, UNICEF’s presence dates back to July 1981, and it is now more than three decades since UNICEF, in close collaboration with its partners, has been working to maintain the gains made and to ensure a better future for every boy and girl.

Context

The Republic of Djibouti is building its political agenda around economic and social transformations in Vision 2035, which integrates population and development issues through guidelines focused on guaranteeing a cohesive society, driven by the desire to reduce inequalities, including gender inequalities, to correct disparities in access to basic social services, and to make positive social transformations a long-term process. The focus is on disparities in access to services or economic opportunities for different population groups, whether spatially, by gender, age group or other criteria. Consequently, particular attention is paid to improving overall access to services and opportunities.
Despite all these measures aimed at driving inclusive social and economic development in Djibouti, it is noted that Djiboutian society is marked by persistent gender inequalities. As proof, between 2013 and 2017, while extreme poverty among urban women decreased from 18.2% to 12.3%, that of rural women rose from 54.8% to 63.5% over the same period. This phenomenon is rooted in the challenges they face, such as the landlocked nature of their regions, which prevents their access to resources and services, and their low level of literacy, which excludes them from the labor market and steers most of them towards subsistence circuits in the informal sector.
In addition to geographical disparities, the labor market also generates significant gender disparities, with the unemployment rate for men at 23.1% and for women at 38.2%, while only 29% of women are active in the labor market, 54% of whom have at least three years of higher education, but only by 7.5% among women.
To achieve equality, we need to act on all fronts, from the family to the workplace, and we also need to tackle violence against women. Real equality can only be achieved when all forms of discrimination are overcome.
Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls is not only a fundamental human right, but also essential to accelerate sustainable development. It has been proven time and again that empowering women and girls has a multiplier effect, helping to stimulate growth and economic development across the board.
UNICEF Djibouti contributes to the support of several targeted priorities of the Global Gender Action Plan whose objectives are:
1.Gender equality in maternal health care,
2.Gender equality in access to education and prevention of gender-based violence.
Similarly, UNICEF is committed to strengthening initiatives aimed at the effective integration of the gender approach into all priority programs, as well as building the capacity of gender focal points at agency and institutional levels and strengthening the capacities of community-based organizations in the country.
The UNICEF Djibouti office section is looking for a motivated and experienced UNV international Gender Programme Associate with a solid knowledge of the challenges related to gender equality priorities and the programmatic gender approach in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in UNICEF’s priority support programmes in the country and in strengthening the country’s effort to align with GAPIII. Under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Djibouti Gender Focal Point and in coordination with the Deputy Program Representative, the Gender Program Associate will support the implementation of the Gender Action Plan, through the key activities listed below from March 25, 2024, to January 25, 2025.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Djibouti Gender Focal Point and in coordination with the Deputy Program Representative, the Gender Program Associate will support the implementation of the Gender Action Plan, through the following tasks:
1. Engineering desk review on gender issues in Djibouti in line with the priorities of the Gender Action Plan 2022-2025, which will serve as a basis for project proposals related to gender equality and reinforce country offices’ efforts to align with GAP III.
2.Support the various sectoral teams (Health, Water Sanitation Hygiene, Education, Protection) in the UNICEF office in identifying and integrating gender equality indicators into programs, and in analyzing gender equality bottlenecks.
3.Support for overall gender program implementation, monitoring and reporting: Participate in field missions, program reviews, and prepare reports to inform programming.
4.Contribute to capacity-building activities of UNICEF, ministerial focal points, and civil society in the field of gender equality.
5.Support UNICEF’s efforts to consult civil society (women’s Non-Governmental Organization, youth, girls) in program planning, and provide technical support to civil society gender equality activities. Utilize the Monitoring and Evaluation technical group to reflect on the establishment of an online system for monitoring results and gender indicators.
6.Support the UN Working Group on Gender Equality in monitoring the plan’s actions.
7.In collaboration with the communications team, contribute to the design and dissemination of messages that consider the needs of women and girls, men/boys, youth/adolescents, and people living with disabilities.
8.Support for the Country Program Document review, by revising the formulation of indicators if they take into account gender equality aspects.
9.Development of a Social Behavior Change community analysis on the consideration of gender in communities.
10.Help in preparing financing proposals.
11.Submission of monthly reports to UNICEF office.
12.Any other task related to the above-mentioned program.