Inclusion in Humanitarian Response Officer

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’s goal is to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, realize reproductive rights, and reduce maternal mortality to accelerate progress on the ICPD
agenda, to improve the lives of adolescents and youth, and women, enabled by population dynamics, human rights, and gender equality.

In 2018, UNFPA launched efforts to achieve three transformative results, ambitions that promise to change the world for every man, woman and young person:

1.) Ending unmet need for family planning
2.) Ending preventable maternal death
3.) Ending gender-based violence and harmful practises

UNFPA recognizes that innovation is a key accelerator to achieve these results. UNFPA will harness innovation to meet tomorrow’s challenges and boost its impact, especially in addressing furthest behind populations, and leverage opportunities, social capital, funding and technology by (a) strengthening the corporate innovation architecture and capabilities, (b) scaling up innovations that have proven to be effective and impactful, (c) forming new partnerships and connecting with relevant innovation ecosystems, (d) strengthening and leveraging financing for innovation, and (e) expanding communities and culture for innovation.

Since February 2022, over 7 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with almost 1 million arriving in Moldova. About 24% have stayed, predominantly women (65%) and children (36%).

Persons with disabilities (PwD) are among the most vulnerable during such displacements, with subgroups like older refugees and women and girls with disabilities facing heightened risks. Forced displacement can also create or exacerbate disabilities. Refugees are at increased risk of sexual violence, exploitation, trafficking, and intimate partner violence, worsened by informal shelters and transit conditions. Currently, disaggregated data on refugees with disabilities is lacking, but studies indicate significant needs. Moldova, a poor nation with a GNI per capita of 4,570, struggles with inclusive policies despite its CRPD commitment. Institutionalization and high stigma levels persist. This UNV will support a fully inclusive approach to the crisis, supporting Moldova’s commitment to protecting and including PwD in humanitarian responses.

The International Youth UNV will provide technical assistance and strategic support to ensure that age, gender and disability are mainstreamed in the current preparedness for and humanitarian responses to the refugee crisis in the Republic of Moldova for preparedness interventions.

The UNV will provide technical and programmatic inputs to the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions that are inclusive of the needs of women, girls, and young persons with disabilities in humanitarian programming and support in regularly assessing and strengthening the capacities of selected Implementing Partners (IPs)/service providers to provide quality, survivor-centered, multi-sectoral and well-coordinated response to the needs of women, girls, and young persons and persons with disabilities.

The UNV will support coordination with and participation in country level disability/youth/GBV/SRH/ humanitarian and nexus working groups together with other UN agencies, contribute to the youth and disability-related sub-working groups, and work in partnership with other working group coordinators. The role will also support the operationalization of the UNFPA We-Decide Guidelines, the UNFPA Disability Inclusion Strategy, the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action, and the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.

Under the direct supervision of GBV and Youth in Emergency Programme Coordinator (P3) the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Programme Development, Implementation, and Monitoring:
– Assist in integrating gender and human rights-based approaches into humanitarian response in Moldova, ensuring interventions address the needs of persons with disabilities, especially women, girls, and young people.
– Support document project development, create regular progress reports and compile best practices for expanding disability-inclusive humanitarian programming.
– Support building strong connections between existing Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), youth, and disability programs, collaborating with youth-led and disability organisations.
– Support ensuring UNFPA programs and facilities are accessible, such as making “youth-friendly spaces” inclusive for women, girls, and young people with disabilities.
– Assist in improving the accessibility of services, information, and communication in UNFPA’s SRH and GBV programs in humanitarian settings.
– Contribute to activities under the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action.

Resource Mobilisation:
– Assist in the development of project proposals and extend existing projects to support fundraising efforts.
– Assist in including disability considerations in GBV, youth, and other program proposals.
– Participate in meetings related to resource mobilisation for disability inclusion programming.
– Support efforts to secure resources for UNFPA’s inter-agency disability-inclusive SRH and GBV activities.

Capacity Development:
– Assist in identifying resource persons and developing Terms of Reference for disability-inclusive training for SRH and GBV service providers.
– Support the implementation of the UNFPA Disability Inclusion strategy in Moldova.

Coordination:
– Participate in relevant sector working groups to ensure UNFPA representation.
– Actively contribute to any Response Plan and national strategies and policies on Disability.
– Provide any administrative, operational, financial, and logistical support as needed.