Mission and objectivesUNFPA is an agency created in 1967 as the Trust Fund for Population Activities, in response to growing global concern about demographic changes and the promise of new family planning technologies. Four years later, UNFPA was recognized as a permanent entity within the United Nations, funded by voluntary contributions from member states. Eventually, its name was changed to the United Nations Population Fund, but the acronym UNFPA continues to be used. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994, organized by UNFPA and the United Nations Population Division, was a turning point in the global discourse on demography. The final document produced by this conference, the ICPD Programme of Action, affirmed that population was not the problem, but that rights and choices were the solution. Bolstered by this global consensus, UNFPA became an agency that passionately advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights, provides sexual and reproductive health services, and campaigns for dignity and bodily autonomy.
ContextThe 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. Every year, the UNITE Campaign focuses on a specific theme. The campaign calls on citizens to show how much they care about ending violence against women and girls by sharing the actions they are taking to create a world free from violence towards women. UNFPA in cooperation with UNV has established a Special programme Initiative, aiming at engaging UN Volunteers to support UNFPA and in particular the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign in the Cameroon The selected UN Community Volunteers will assist the UNFPA team in Cameroon in: โข Awareness, Advocacy and Outreach: Supporting UNFPA to organize local events, online campaigns, and use social media to amplify messages about ending violence against women. In addition selected UN Community Volunteers will engage in creative activism through art and community outreach, raising awareness and promoting stories.
Task DescriptionUnder the direct supervision of the Office of the GBV Coordinator, the UN Volunteers will undertake the following tasks: โข Undergo training on processes and activities undertaken by UNFPA under the 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign โข Assist UNFPA to organize local events such as marches, panel discussions, or webinars that raise awareness of violence against women and girls at the community level, in line with the UNFPA planned activities. โข Assist in amplifying messages about ending violence against through social media campaigns managed by UNFPA by sharing this information with peers and online community. โข Engage community members, volunteers, and leaders in spreading messages of ending gender-based violence. โข Assist in the creation of content and stories and promote messages of ending Gender Based Violence. โข Assist UNFPA to organize and facilitate small group discussions or meetings to educate the public about the 16 Days of Activism campaign. โข Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
Competencies and valuesโข Accountability โข Adaptability and flexibility โข Creativity โข Judgement and decision-making โข Planning and organising โข Professionalism โข Self-management
Living conditions and remarksThis is an unpaid volunteer assignment. UN Volunteer for events supporting UNFPA/UNWomen in Cameroon will not receive any financial compensation for this assignment. UN Community Volunteers are expected to be recruited locally and work within their communities. For this specific assignment, if the selected UN Community Volunteer is required to travel or attend specific events, travel and daily meal expenses will be covered by the host entity. Upon successful completion of the assignment, UN Community Volunteers will receive a UNV Certificate of Service. This is an unpaid volunteer assignment. UN Volunteer for events supporting UNFPA in Cameroon will not receive any financial compensation for this assignment. The support provided by the UN Volunteer for events supporting UNFPA in Cameroon is a Special Programme Initiative (SPI) by UNV. SPIs respond to volunteer-specific needs of the United Nations system and donor entities. They are established by specific policy documents that address the desired programmatic aims and broader SDG outcomes in line with UNV guiding principles. UN Volunteers for Events are governed by the particular conditions set out in their offers and contracts. In addition to the specific requirements set out above, candidates for these volunteer assignments will be subject to background checks, confirmation and clearance provided by the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS). Candidates who do not pass this security clearance are prohibited from serving as a UN Volunteer for UNFPA/UNWOMEN in Cameroon