Regional Project Administrative Assistant

Details

Mission and objectives

UNFPA works to improve the lives of people in more than 150 countries around the world, which are home to 80 percent of the world's population. In Latin America and the Caribbean region and sub-region, UNFPA has offices in 30 countries. UNFPAs Regional Office in Panama City, Panama provides strategic support and technical advice to the Country Offices: technical cooperation, training and support to empower our partners and colleagues on the ground to ensure that the reproductive health and rights of women and young people are placed at the very centre of development.

Context

The project is funded by the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and is coordinating by LACRO for the period 2023- 2026. The initiative aims to reduce adolescent pregnancy by empowering women and youth from Afro-descendants’ tribal people, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito communities in selected municipalities of the Central America Caribbean Coastal in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. The project seeks to address the core problem of racism and ethnic discrimination, as a driver of adolescent pregnancy. Furthermore, seeks to ensure bodily autonomy as well as access to quality sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence prevention and care services. Additionally, the project will address structural inequalities, limited rights, intersectional forms of discrimination and data inequalities that affect these populations. The proposal will apply intersectional approaches to reach the population groups left furthest behind first. The project is aligned with the principle of leaving no one behind (LNOB), which is at the heart of UNFPA’s work and guides the organization's actions to achieve the sustainable development goals and the full implementation of the (ICPD PoA). The ultimate goals of the project will contribute and are aligned with the UNFPA three transformative results: ending unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths, and ending Gender Based Violence against women and girls. The main outcome of the project is to contribute to the reduction of adolescent pregnancy in selected municipalities of Central America Coasts, particularly rural areas, and places where Afro-descendants, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito populations are settled, and where the adolescent pregnancy and pregnancies in girls under the age of 15 are still a great challenge. This outcome will be achieved based on a combination of several approaches, considering that adolescent pregnancy is a multi-causal phenomenon, including socio-cultural and economic barriers, racism and discrimination, and where the access of services is strongly correlated with low levels of knowledge among adolescents and youth about their sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, due to the limited implementation of comprehensive sexuality education and youth empowerment programmes. To this end some countries might wish to scale-up existing initiatives while others develop new ones depending on the specific country context and assessment of where the funds will have the largest impact. The expected outputs of the project will seek to: (i) Strengthened comprehensive sexuality education in and out of school for adolescents and young people from Afro-descendants’ tribal people, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito communities in selected municipalities of the Central America Caribbean Coast; (ii) Improved coverage and access to high-quality of sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people from Afro-descendants’ tribal people, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito communities in selected municipalities; and, (iii) Increased the capacities in leadership and empowerment of women and youth from Afro-descendants’ tribal people, including Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito communities to advocate for the fulfillment of their rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Task description

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Project Coordinator, the Project Administrative Assistant will be responsible for provide administrative, financial and logistical support for the overall coordination of the regional project “Leaving No One Behind: Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Afro-descendant, Creole, Garifuna and Miskito communities in selected municipalities of the Central America Caribbean Coastal”, including reporting, monitoring and evaluation activities. She/he would be responsible for: ● Participates in the preparation of the budget details of the WPs and follow-up of implementation with the Country Offices, within the approved activities and informs timely to the Regional Project Coordinator and the Deputy Regional Director about deviations on planning. ● Participates in the preparation and follow-up of recommendations provided by technical assistance missions, audits and national consultants. ● Work in close communication with the national project administrative assistants to ensure effective administrative coordination in the implementation of approved project work plans and activities at the national and regional levels. ● Revises FACE jointly with the implementing partners, Program Analysts and Finance Associate. ● Supports monitoring the delivery of plans and reports linked to the implementation of project funds. ● Assists and strengthens the capacities of IPs in the procedures and accountability. ● Coordinates and prepares travel and payment of national and international consultants, coordination team, event participants, as needed. ● Issues contracts, agreements and memorandum of understanding as well as related documentation to planning, execution and monitoring of WP. ● Revises and update the agenda of project activities and meetings in close collaboration with the Regional Project Coordinator and the Deputy Regional Director. ● Takes notes/minutes during meetings. ● Ensures and updates hard copy and electronic files of the area. ● Provides logistical support for the organization of workshops, conferences, meetings and other events, keeping and safeguarding the supporting documentation for proper payments. ● Supports the project team in the preparation of procurement process of goods and services below the lower threshold and within the approved of the Project WP. ● Creates requisition and generate financial and implementation reports in Quantum and to donors as needed. ● Updates the quarterly financial planning and monitoring information in coordination with the Regional Project Coordinator, the Deputy Regional Director and Finance. ● Monitor and report on project funds disbursement and implementation and provide liaison with project staff on budget modifications if required; ● Calculate budget estimates and reconcile expenditure against budgetary allocations under work plans, displaying attention to detail in verifying financial data. ● Ensure operating arrangements for financial tracking and accountability meet the required standards, including ensuring all supporting documents are duly maintained on file; ● Review incoming correspondence, collect and prepare necessary information for reply / action, and draft and finalize response; ● Apply UNFPA rules, regulations and procedures ● Any other tasks assigned to achieve the project results.