Mission and objectivesUNFPA serves as the leading United Nations agency dedicated to realizing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Its mandate is to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person can fulfil its potential. Through its 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, UNFPA is focused on achieving three transformative outcomes: ending preventable maternal deaths, ending unmet need for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices. These strategic imperatives accelerate UNFPA's commitment to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within this critical Decade of Action. Central to UNFPA's methodology are the principles of human rights, gender equality and the steadfast commitment to \"leaving no one behind,\" recognizing that the achievement of universal sexual and reproductive health and the full realization of reproductive rights are depending upon championing the rights and inclusive participation of women, adolescents and youth as agents of change.
ContextThe UNFPA Zambia Country Office works to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, promote safe childbirth, end gender-based violence and empower young people, in line with the Cairo Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNFPA Zambiaโs Country Programme is centered around three transformative results: ending preventable maternal deaths, ending unmet needs for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices. This assignment supports the intersection of gender equality and youth development as outlined in the UNFPA Zambia 2023-2027 Country Programme Document (CPD). The volunteer will work transversally with the Gender and Youth teams, supporting technical, programmatic, and advocacy initiatives. The role will contribute to UNFPAโs efforts to eliminate gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices, promote bodily autonomy, and expand equitable access to comprehensive sexual reproductive health (SRH) services. UNFPA Zambia is a key technical leader in several high-impact initiatives aimed at advancing the rights and health of women, girls, and young people. As the lead technical agency for the Spotlight Initiative, UNFPA spearheads efforts to end violence against women and girls. The organization also implements Phase III of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, a multi-donor initiative driving action in 12 countries, with added momentum from His Excellency the President of Zambia, who serves as the African Union's Champion for Ending Child Marriage. Furthermore, UNFPA Zambia, in collaboration with UNESCO, has initiated the EmpowerED project to improve access to gender-transformative comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for an estimated 7.5 million young people across 10 countries. This work is complemented by the Safeguard Young People (SYP) programme and the Joint 2gether 4SRH - Reducing Adolescent Pregnancy and New HIV Infections in Zambia (RAPHIZ) programme, which empowers adolescents and youth aged 10-24 to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and harmful practices while promoting gender-equitable norms.
Task DescriptionThe Programme Assistant - Youth and Gender will provide programme and administrative support in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of initiatives of the Gender and Youth Team in line with the organisationโs mandate and strategic priorities. He or she will provide administrative and operational assistance to ensure the smooth execution of programme interventions by fulfilling the following tasks: Output 1: Strengthened use of data in Gender and Youth Team portfolio in Zambia โ Support the collection, entry, and analysis of overall programme data, including maintaining programme records and reporting on selected milestones achieved. โ Support the integration and use of data pertaining to sector specific gender-based violence prevention and response data in Zambia to strengthen the implementation of the Spotlight Initiative programme, including violence against women in elections in 2026. โ Support the integration and use of data and the identification and development of data digital tools pertaining to Life Skills and Health Education in Zambia to strengthen the implementation of the EmpowerED programme in Zambia. โ Support documentation of activities through harvesting impact stories, social media content creation and photography. โ Support report writing, photography, development of presentations and other external communication in collaboration with the communications expert. Output 2: Lead on the coordination of meetings and travel arrangements for Gender and Youth Team and external partners โ Organize events, meetings, workshops for the team and external key partners. These include: i) commemorations of key national events ii) regular field monitoring visits. โ Manage all aspects of travel logistics, from initial planning and request approval to post-travel reconciliation and expense reimbursement. Output 3: Contribute to support of general administration of Gender and Youth Team and Country Office โ Prepare correspondence related to programme implementation in line with organisational rules and regulations and policies, and procedures. โ Assist with processing procurement transactions in line with organisational procedures. โ Support the formulation and tracking of the implementation of work plans and budget expenditures. โ Liaise with partners, service providers, and other UNFPA Units to coordinate activities and ensure timely follow-up on programme commitments.
Competencies and valuesโ Adaptability and flexibility โ Creativity โ Judgement and decision-making โ Planning and organising โ Professionalism โ Self-management
Living conditions and remarksZambia is a land-linked, resource-rich country with sparsely populated land in the centre of Southern Africa. It shares its border with eight countries (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe) that serve as an expanded market for its goods. Lusaka is the capital of the Republic of Zambia. The climate is sunny and temperate, but it can be very cold during few months, with freezing temperature at times especially during the night. It is therefore advisable to bring warm clothing and foresee using heaters and other heating options when necessary. As the commercial and cultural centre of Zambia, Lusaka has seen rapid development in recent decades, with reasonable transportation connections and widely spoken English making the city highly attractive to vacationers and experts alike. Unemployment and poverty are issues in the city, and beyond. Key industries for the region and Zambia as a whole, include mining, agriculture, and tourism. Like most Southern African cities, life in Lusaka will require some adjustments for a person moving from outside the region, but the potential rewards and opportunities for experiences are well worth the effort. Lusaka hosts several international organisation and embassies/diplomatic missions, therefore there is a very large community of expatriates from around the world. Housing is most of the time readily available and of good standard options are available. Most foodstuffs, beverages, household goods, furniture, and clothing, mostly imported from South Africa, Europe, and China while some ranges of local brands are available at a competitive price to imports. Meat, fish, fresh fruits, and vegetables are reasonably priced and abundantly available. The basic infrastructures roads, utilities, and telecommunications are of reasonable standard, although the city experiences power outages from time to time. Medical facilities are still largely inadequate, although several private clinics and hospitals provide reasonably good routine care. Several restaurants around the city serve local or international cuisine and there are numerous social and sports facilities (fitness, tennis, swimming, riding, golf, etc.) in the major hotels or in different establishments around the city. There are no major or special security concerns within Lusaka city limits. For more information, please visit http://zambiatourism.com.