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), 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 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030.
Context
This UNV assignment is part of UNFPA’s flagship programming initiative specifically - UNFPA–UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.
Launched in 2008, the UNFPA–UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (JP FGM) is the largest global initiative dedicated to ending FGM. It operates under the shared belief that FGM is a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence. More information is available at [www.unfpa.org/joint-programme-female-genital-mutilation](https://www.unfpa.org/joint-programme-female-genital-mutilation).
Mandate & Focus
The Joint Programme works to accelerate the abandonment of FGM across high-prevalence countries by addressing the social norms, health consequences, and structural drivers that sustain the practice.
Current Phase (2022–2025)
The programme is in its fourth phase, operating across **17 priority countries** in Africa and the Middle East, with a focus on scaling up proven interventions, strengthening national systems, and generating evidence.
Key Outcomes
- Increased proportion of communities publicly declaring abandonment of FGM
- Strengthened health systems capacity to manage and prevent FGM
- Improved national laws, policies, and budgets addressing FGM
- Enhanced data and evidence systems for tracking progress
Relevant Stakeholders
- UN Agencies — UNFPA and UNICEF as co-leads
- Donor Governments — including the European Union, Norway, Italy, UK, and Spain
- National Governments — Ministries of Health, Gender, Education, and Finance
- Civil Society Organizations — community-based and women-led organizations
- Communities — including religious leaders, traditional authorities, women, girls, and men/boys as change agents
Launched in 2008, the UNFPA–UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (JP FGM) is the largest global initiative dedicated to ending FGM. It operates under the shared belief that FGM is a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence. More information is available at [www.unfpa.org/joint-programme-female-genital-mutilation](https://www.unfpa.org/joint-programme-female-genital-mutilation).
Mandate & Focus
The Joint Programme works to accelerate the abandonment of FGM across high-prevalence countries by addressing the social norms, health consequences, and structural drivers that sustain the practice.
Current Phase (2022–2025)
The programme is in its fourth phase, operating across **17 priority countries** in Africa and the Middle East, with a focus on scaling up proven interventions, strengthening national systems, and generating evidence.
Key Outcomes
- Increased proportion of communities publicly declaring abandonment of FGM
- Strengthened health systems capacity to manage and prevent FGM
- Improved national laws, policies, and budgets addressing FGM
- Enhanced data and evidence systems for tracking progress
Relevant Stakeholders
- UN Agencies — UNFPA and UNICEF as co-leads
- Donor Governments — including the European Union, Norway, Italy, UK, and Spain
- National Governments — Ministries of Health, Gender, Education, and Finance
- Civil Society Organizations — community-based and women-led organizations
- Communities — including religious leaders, traditional authorities, women, girls, and men/boys as change agents
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Global Coordinator for the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Trust Fund, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Strengthen results-based management in planning and implementation
o Generate FGM risk incidence (using United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA ) slides on methodology) and attitudinal risk incidence generated from District Health Information System (DHIS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and other surveys for 18 countries across multiple years.
o Generate Subnational Administrative Estimates (SAE) of FGM prevalence from DHIS, MICS, and other surveys for 18 countries across multiple years.
o Feed the FGM social media database from 2008 to 2025 into UNFPA’s Demographic Intelligence from Open Sources (DIOS) platform.
o Link geospatial Joint Programme (JP) programmatic data with the above data, FGM social media (DIOS), and Google embeddings.
• Using existing metadata, pilot test social norm indicators in existing surveillance/health information systems (Antenatal Care (ANC)/Immunization) using Open Data Kit (ODK) or Kobo Toolbox in one country.
• Using a respondent-driven sampling approach, pilot test generating FGM data among small or hidden populations in one country.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant United Nations Volunteers (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 or 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 organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/Expected Outputs
1. FGM risk and attitudinal incidence generated for 18 countries across multiple years.
2. Subnational FGM prevalence estimates produced for 18 countries using DHIS, MICS, and other surveys.
3. FGM social media dataset (2008–2025) integrated into UNFPA's DIOS platform.
4. JP programmatic data in the DHIS platform linked with risk incidence, SAE prevalence, DIOS social media signals, and Google embeddings.
5. Report on process, lessons learned, and recommendations for pilot exercises on social norm indicators within existing ANC/immunization surveillance systems using ODK or Kobo Toolbox and respondent-driven sampling methodology for generating FGM estimates among small and hard-to-reach populations.
• Strengthen results-based management in planning and implementation
o Generate FGM risk incidence (using United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA ) slides on methodology) and attitudinal risk incidence generated from District Health Information System (DHIS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and other surveys for 18 countries across multiple years.
o Generate Subnational Administrative Estimates (SAE) of FGM prevalence from DHIS, MICS, and other surveys for 18 countries across multiple years.
o Feed the FGM social media database from 2008 to 2025 into UNFPA’s Demographic Intelligence from Open Sources (DIOS) platform.
o Link geospatial Joint Programme (JP) programmatic data with the above data, FGM social media (DIOS), and Google embeddings.
• Using existing metadata, pilot test social norm indicators in existing surveillance/health information systems (Antenatal Care (ANC)/Immunization) using Open Data Kit (ODK) or Kobo Toolbox in one country.
• Using a respondent-driven sampling approach, pilot test generating FGM data among small or hidden populations in one country.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant United Nations Volunteers (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 or 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 organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/Expected Outputs
1. FGM risk and attitudinal incidence generated for 18 countries across multiple years.
2. Subnational FGM prevalence estimates produced for 18 countries using DHIS, MICS, and other surveys.
3. FGM social media dataset (2008–2025) integrated into UNFPA's DIOS platform.
4. JP programmatic data in the DHIS platform linked with risk incidence, SAE prevalence, DIOS social media signals, and Google embeddings.
5. Report on process, lessons learned, and recommendations for pilot exercises on social norm indicators within existing ANC/immunization surveillance systems using ODK or Kobo Toolbox and respondent-driven sampling methodology for generating FGM estimates among small and hard-to-reach populations.
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