Programme Specialist; Population data and climate change

Details

Mission and objectives

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), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. 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.

Context

The conduct of the 2022 Tanzania Population and Housing Census and the Demographic Health Survey provides an opportunity for the country to utilize recent data to inform the development and implementation of targeted policies and programmes to improve the lives of the population. However, gaps in the availability, quality, and accessibility of data for vulnerable groups, and across multiple sectors, as well as gaps in the capacities of institutions to collect, manage, and analyze data remains a challenge. Additionally, the country is prone to natural disasters, with more than 70 per cent of all natural disasters being climate change-related, such as recurrent droughts and floods. The rapid pace of climate change poses a key threat to the vision of human-centered sustainable development, and to the attainment of UNFPA’s three transformative results by 2030, both directly and indirectly. Droughts, floods, severe tropical storms and hurricanes, and protracted humanitarian crises displace people, increase food insecurity and vulnerability to diseases; disrupts the provision and use of services; and leads to an upsurge in gender-based violence. These factors disproportionately affect women and girls, children, older persons and other vulnerable groups. Given UNFPA’s work in Tanzania, strengthening the linkages between population dynamics and climate change-related efforts is critical to understanding how climate change and climate-related emergencies impact sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, child marriage and other harmful practices, and why access to reproductive health care, family planning options, girls’ education, and gender equity should be included in climate interventions.

Task description

The UNV Programme Specialist will contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and management of UNFPA activities in the area of population and development. He/she is expected to analyze and assess relevant technical, political, social and economic trends and provide substantive inputs and feedback to the implementation of the population, data and research programme implementation, including in relation to the impact of climate change on sexual and reproductive health and rights, maternal health and gender-based violence. The Programme Specialist will be expected to contribute to the team’s efforts, including both technical and up-stream policy advocacy, including through collaboration with a multidisciplinary Units working on gender; adolescents and youth; maternal health, SRHR and family planning; and humanitarian. Contributions of his /her efforts are expected to ensure that programme outcomes are realized are in line with National Development Plans, the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDCF) and UNFPA’s 9th Country Programme (2022-2027) both of which include strong commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind and reaching the furthest behind first. With the recent conduct of the 2022 Population and Housing Census in Tanzania and the release of the findings, the Programme Specialist will work with the Population and Development team to support the Government in analyzing and disseminating disaggregated, spatially referenced population data, including the location, characteristics and mobility of populations in areas exposed to current and projected climate change hazards. Work Relations: Under the overall guidance of the UNFPA Deputy Representative and direct supervision of the Programme Specialist on Population and development, the International UNV Programme Specialist will· ●Support coordination and engage in meetings with relevant government institutions involved in population and development. ●Document best practices and lessons learnt on interlinkages between population and development, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate change and its implications for socio-economic development. ●Provide technical assistance to ongoing initiatives supported by UNFPA on strengthening community based and institutional level data systems and information generation, including on climate change adaptation. ●Support UNFPA units to improve the availability and dissemination of data and information across key sectors on development issues linked to SRH, population dynamics and gender equality. ●Contribute to the Country Office’s efforts to initiate and scale up innovation in the area of population data/information, including in humanitarian settings in the country. ●Support the analysis and dissemination of disaggregated, spatially referenced population data, including the location, characteristics, and mobility of populations in areas exposed to current and projected climate change hazards. ●Contribute to advocacy and resource mobilization efforts of the Country Office including by supporting drafting of proposals and concept notes on population and development issues. ●Support the development of tools/products to integrate population, youth, and gender issues in climate change programmes, where feasible, and based on UNFPA’s comparative advantage. ●Contribute to research and generation of evidence-based policy analysis in population and development and climate change including empowerment of youth with the focus on adolescent girls and young women. ●Support coordination with other partners, including UN Agencies, Development Partners and Government Counterparts on population and development, including through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework working groups. ●Keep updated on developments in assigned areas of work and serve as a resource for the office by regularly communicating and interacting with colleagues and partners. ●Any other task as assigned by the supervisor.