The Position
The Gender and Human Rights Adviser post is located at the UNFPA West Africa Regional Office (WCARO) and works under the overall direction and leadership of the Regional Director and direct supervision of Deputy Regional Director, WCARO. The Gender and Human Rights Adviser is the principal adviser at the regional level for
integrated policy, technical and programme advice on gender and human rights to countries in the region. In close collaboration with the Regional thematic Advisers, s/he will play a leadership role in strengthening regional and national protection systems for advancing human rights and promoting and protecting sexual and reproductive rights as well as advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. S/he works in an integrated manner with the technical and programme staff in WCARO, and as part of the team which provides technical and programme support to country offices.


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.


Job Purpose
The Gender and Human Rights Adviser provides technical, policy and programmatic support to the region, to ensure the Regional (RO) and Country Offices (CO) remain abreast of UNFPA’s policies and programme strategies, as well as current thinking, innovation and academic advance in the substantive area of gender equality and social norms change and human rights. S/he analyses regional/cluster trends, and contributes to strategic action in response to these, and ensures that gender and human rights are adequately addressed within regional and national development frameworks and programmes, including the achievement of the SDGs, ICPD Programme of Action and the AU Agenda 2063.
In all activities, s/he works within an interdisciplinary team providing integrated policy, programme and technical support to the region and the respective country teams. S/he also liaises with other regional units, such as the Programme and Technical Units, ensuring the timeliness, adequacy, relevance and quality of technical support to UNFPA country offices. S/he also collaborates within the broader organization across other regions and with the Headquarter teams working on gender and human rights.


You would be responsible for
Strategic Advice and oversight
• Provide technical, policy and programme leadership, management advice and guidance in gender equality and human rights, with a focus on strengthening regional and national protection systems for advancing gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, and ensuring the effective ability and exercise of reproductive rights using a human rights based, gender transformative and development, peace responsive and humanitarian nexus approach;
• Identify and provide analysis and advice on promoting gender equality, human rights, and human rights-based programming and UNFPA’s comparative advantage and specific contribution in the changing development agenda and participate in related policy dialogues and advocacy at global, continental and regional and sub-regional levels;
• Provide oversight of UNFPA WCARO GBV-HP flagship programmes such as the Spotlight Initiative, the global programme on Child marriage, the positive masculinity work, and Joint Programme on FGM, and ensure effective integrated implementation across RO and COs;
Identify and analyze trends, threats and risks related to the promotion and realization of gender equality and human rights that may affect the ICPD PoA, 2030 Agenda, AU agenda 2063, and UNFPA’s work in the region, and ensure that they are appropriately addressed at the regional and/or sub-regional levels;
• Support the integration and implementation of strategic action to engage men and boys to advance progress toward gender equality and the protection of the rights of women and girls as well as positive masculinity and aspects of gender, diversity and inclusion;
• Contribute to the development and implementation of an integrated strategy for the delivery of technical assistance and programme support in the region and manage the gender and human rights components of the regional programme as per identified priorities in close coordination with the technical teams;
• Contribute to the substantive elaboration and contextualization of UNFPA Strategic Plan and to its implementation in the region with focus on gender and social norm change as well as focusing on reaching the furthest behind;
• Identify requirements for and contribute to the development of new or updated policies, positioning, frameworks, guidance, standards, instruments and tools to ensure UNFPA is addressing the region-specific gender and human rights agenda;
• Participate in the UNFPA gender and human rights networks, maintaining communication and feedback loops on all substantive work;


Technical support and capacity development
• Advise COs on the implementation and proper application of UNFPA policies, strategies, guidelines and tools on gender equality and women’s empowerment,
including a focus on promoting positive gender and social norm change;
• Provide technical support in applying gender transformative approaches to programming, documenting practices and strengthening evidence on effective
approaches to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Ensure that evidence-informed thinking and research on gender and human rights is integrated within the work of the regional/country offices and partnership networks, including through strengthening intersectionality and interlinkages between gender
equality, sexual and reproductive health, adolescents and youth and population and development sectors;
• Review products of technical support at key stages of UNFPA, UN, and national development planning exercises, including reviewing draft CCAs, UNSDCF, and
CPDs for clearance;
• Analyze technical and programmatic and substantive reports from the field and recommend required follow-up actions;
• Organize and contribute toward regional and inter-country capacity development activities in gender equality and women’s empowerment, social and gender norm change, positive masculinities, and human rights for COs, national/regional counterparts;
• Support the regional adaptation of training materials, manuals and tools in gender and human rights, including mainstreaming gender and human rights in programming and advocacy, and ensure their availability and promote their use for capacity development;
• Support country offices on the work of international and continental human rights mechanisms with a mandate to promote, monitor and protect sexual and
reproductive health and rights, and promote a life free of violence, including tracking and supporting the implementation of recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council, UN Treaty Bodies and Special Procedure mandate-holders;
• Work with country offices to support civil society networks and organizations such as national Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) advocating gender equality and women’s empowerment and human rights including sexual and reproductive health and rights;
• Support the development of regional institutional capacities to promote gender equality and to deliver high-quality technical support in gender transformative
approaches to programming as well as human rights-based programming;
• Monitor the quality of the technical support received at the country level, for gender and human rights, for effective policy dialogue and programming;
• Coach and manage relevant professional/support staff and consultants, if any, on gender transformative approaches and human rights-based programming and
facilitate working groups and task teams;




Evidence and knowledge management
• Play a key role in strengthening, coordinating and monitoring the regional knowledge platform through evidence-informed gender and human rights programming, impact evaluations and documentation of promising practices, including in other thematic knowledge platforms;
• Contribute to developing a mechanism to share technical skills and knowledge within and among programme countries and/or other regions in gender and human rights;
• Facilitate and support the use of comprehensive databases that effectively capture best practices, partnerships and consultant rosters and help ensure their accessibility to all relevant colleagues at RO and CO levels;
• Collect, analyze and synthesize information/data and experience and prepare white papers, briefings and materials on gender and human rights to be used in national, regional and global advocacy;
• Coordinate analysis and synthesis of substantive trends, emerging needs and research findings in the region in order to produce new, cutting-edge technical
knowledge;
• Coordinates the reporting on Regional UN-SWAP on gender mainstreaming and supports the countries in WCA to report timely using the analysis to furtherstrengthen the institutional mainstreaming of gender equality;
• Disseminate and promote the use of state-of-the-art technical knowledge, evidence, lessons learned, and success stories and ensure their use to improve the
effectiveness of UNFPA programming;
Technical representation, advocacy and partnership development
• Represent UNFPA to further enhance UNFPA’s regional and global role in the field of
gender and human rights;
• Participate in policy advocacy, knowledge generation and high-quality programming;
• Participate in policy dialogue and advocate for substantive progress of gender and human rights in international, inter-governmental, U.N., and other policy and
technical meetings and fora;
• Collaborate with UN agencies, academia, research and training institutions, thinktanks, centers of excellence, and other key stakeholders in the region to advance gender and human rights;
• Participate as the focal point for inter-agency working groups on Gender and Human Rights opportunity and Issue Based Coalitions (OIBC) as part of the Africa Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP);
• Liaise with respective counterparts corporately including the Global Technical Division and Policy and strategy
• Division to identify opportunities for South-South
and triangular cooperation in the region and with other regions;
Carry out any other duties as may be requested by the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director.



Qualifications and Experience
Education: Advanced university degree or equivalent in gender studies, anthropology, feminist studies, public health, medicine, sociology, human rights, law, cultural studies, international development, or other field directly related to GBV prevention and response.


Knowledge and Experience
• At least 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in GBV programming, gender mainstreaming, and rights-based programming of which 7 years at the international level;
• Knowledge and understanding of a Human Rights based approach essential;
• Extensive experience in gender mainstreaming and programming for women’s
development;
• Experience in evidence informed policy advocacy for gender and human rights and development of national actions plans to address gender and social equity;
• Demonstrated experience in leading capacity building initiatives in gender and human rights in development settings;
• Knowledge and experience of working on social protection and Civil Society involvement in related security & protection;
• Strong track record of technical leadership, and proven ability to produce demonstrable
results;
• Demonstrated ability to network within the academic and development community;
• Familiarity with UN systems and procedures, management and monitoring tools;
• Field experience is strongly desirable;


Languages
Fluency in English is required and French is desirable to enable effective communication with English speaking and French speaking country coordination groups and local organisations (West and Central Africa region).



Required Competencies
Values:
• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
• Embracing cultural diversity,
• Embracing change
Core Competencies:
• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,


Functional Competencies:
• Advocacy/Advancing a policy-oriented agenda
• Delivering results-based programmes
• Providing conceptual innovation to support programme effectiveness
• Providing a technical support system
• Strengthening the programming capacity of Country Offices
• Facilitating quality programmatic results
• Internal and external relations and advocacy for resources mobilization
• Creating visibility for the organization
• Job/knowledge and technical expertise
Managerial Competencies (if applicable):
• Engaging internal/external partners and stakeholders
• Leading, developing and empowering people/creating a culture of performance
• Making decisions and exercising judgment


Compensation and Benefits
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.


UNFPA Work Environment
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA’s workforce – click here to learn more.

Disclaimer
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.