Background
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
The Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021 has had a seismic impact on Afghanistan. With the shift in political power, the future of women from all walks of life who have shaped the fabric of the country over the past 20 years, is unknown. The conflict dynamics in the country are multi-layered, and Afghanistan’s people are facing the devastating effects of a protracted conflict, increasing poverty and natural disasters, all of which are amplified by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some 5.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan, and approximately 80 percent of nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since the end of May are women and children. 2021 has to date been one of the deadliest years for Afghan women and girls, with more women and more children killed and injured than ever before recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for the first half of any calendar year.Following the record displacement of nearly 700,000 people in 2021, some 9.2 million IDPs and returnees remain in some form of displacement and in need of support to return where possible. The Afghanistan Humanitarian Response 2022 appeal stands at USD 4.44 billion to reach and aims to reach 24.4 million people in need of humanitarian and protection assistance.
Despite gains on women’s rights achieved over the past 20 years, Afghan women continue to struggle to avail themselves of their rights and to consolidate and advance their progress. In 2019, Afghanistan ranked 166 out of 167 countries on the Gender Development Index, an index designed to measure gender equality in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education and command over economic resources. Women and girls face barriers to their participation and decision-making in the public, economic, social and political sphere. These include deeply entrenched patriarchal socio-cultural and traditional norms regarding the role of women; women’s lack of awareness of their rights, linked to low levels of literacy; a lack of access to education and economic opportunities; and harmful traditional practices such as honour killings, underage and forced marriages, and discrimination in public and private sector services delivery. What progress has been achieved on the advancement of gender equality in Afghanistan in the past decades is now at risk of being erased - and at worst regressed.
In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. Women’s fundamental rights have been continually threatened since the Taliban takeover and the limited gains made over the past twenty years are now at risk of being erased – and at worst regressed. The contest around gender norms remains at the center of the political, peace and security landscape in Afghanistan, putting women and girls at the frontlines of this crisis. Responding to this crisis, the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office is consolidating its programming under the humanitarian-peace-development nexus, anchored in the Country Office Strategic Note (2018-2022), and continues to deliver on its triple mandate across four thematic areas: 1) Women, Peace and Security and gender in Humanitarian Action; 2) Ending Violence Against Women; 3) Women Economic Empowerment; and 4) Women’s Leadership and Participation. UN Women Afghanistan thereby capitalizes on its five Sub-Offices located in the provinces Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar respectively, and is part of inter-agency Joint UN initiatives, such as the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA).
Under the supervision of the Women, Peace and Security Programme Manager, the Programme Specialist is responsible for managing the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes for the Afghanistan Country Office, including providing technical support to the implementation of the women, peace and security programme, managing the monitoring and reporting for the Afghanistan Country Office, overseeing and guiding people and budget management for the programme team, building partnerships and providing support in developing resource mobilization strategies, and managing knowledge building efforts.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Manage the programmatic development for the Afghanistan Country Office based on the Strategic Note
- Provide overall programme advisory support to the Office Management;
- Guide the development of the women, peace and security programme, and provide technical support to the design and formulation of programme/ project initiatives;
- Review and provide feedback to project/ programme strategies and documents, workplans, case studies and related knowledge products and publications, as needed;
- Provide technical advice on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting;
- Review and evaluate proposals and oversee the preparation of donor proposals and reports;
- Draft policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions
2. Provide technical support to the implementation of the Afghanistan Country Office’s women, peace and security programme
- Review programme annual work plans to assure compliance with UN Women programme goals and results-based indicators;
- Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
- Draft reports on activities, outputs and outcomes; and compile information in preparations of country office donor and UN Women reports;
- Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
- Manage programme quality control and identification of potential challenges;
- Align programme activities with operations team in close liaison with Operations Managers;
- Build and manage relationships with national partners, including Afghan women leaders inside and outside the country.
3. Manage the monitoring and reporting for the women, peace and security programme
- Recommend and establish programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
- Manage the monitoring of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators;
- Coordinate the process of gathering information and preparing progress reports on programme implementation; prepare technical reports;
- Prepare programme team for audits and monitor implementation of audit recommendations;
- Provide training on results-based management to office staff, as necessary.
4. Manage knowledge building efforts
- Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination.
- Programme team workplans and budgets are developed and implemented in line with Strategic Note and Afghanistan Country Office work plans
- Programme team adhere to UN Women’s Rules, Regulations, policies and procedures, using a results based management approach
- Programmes are implemented according to workplan and budget
- Regular monitoring of programmes, issues/deviations are raised in a timely manner
- Timely and quality reporting and regular dissemination and sharing of information, including best practices/ lessons learned
Competencies
Core Values:
- Respect for Diversity
- Integrity
- Professionalism
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
- Accountability
- Creative Problem Solving
- Effective Communication
- Inclusive Collaboration
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Leading by Example
Functional Competencies
- Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
- Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
- Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
- Strong analytical skills
- Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
- Good knowledge of UN programme management systems
Required Skills and Experience
Education and certification:
- Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experiance:
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building;
- Direct experience working on women, peace and security; and/or Women Human Rights Defenders in the context of Afghanistan;
- Demonstrated ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders;
- Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in programme development and programme writing;
- Experience in leading teams effectively is an asset.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English and Dari, and/or Pashto is required
- Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset