Mission and objectivesUNFPA operates in Syria under the umbrella of the 8th Country Programme Document (2016-2017) extended to 2019 and the Humanitarian Response Plan. The overall aim of the country office is to contribute to three long-term strategic goals of zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero GBV and harmful practices in Syria. To achieve these goals, UNFPA invests in the capacity of the health and social systems and NGOs to provide reproductive, maternal health and GBV services and expand the partnership with local communities and academia. In the absence of UN Women, UNFPA works to enhance womenโs empowerment and gender equality reduce childe marriage and advocate for youth education, inclusiveness and civic participation especially in the light of the SCR 2250 on Youth, peace, and security. UNFPA leads the GBV Sub-sector coordination in Syria as part of the Protection Sector and actively contributes to the work of Health Sector. The key types of UNFPA programmatic services include; static and mobile RH and GBV clinics, Women and Girls Safe Spaces, family protection units, as well as Community Centres with integrated services. Furthermore, UNFPA supplies various types of dignity kits for female and male beneficiaries, several types of reproductive health kits for clinics, and hygiene products for women and girls. UNFPA Country Office is increasing the efforts to contribute to the resilience pillar of HRP, focusing on rehabilitation of basic social infrastructure such as health clinics and community centres, restoration and expansion of quality services with a social inclusion and social cohesion objectives. UNFPA closely cooperates with all UN Agencies present in Syria.
ContextUNFPA expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. It supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV and AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. Advancing gender equality and promoting the empowerment of women is a key programme priority of UNFPA defined in UNFPA Strategic Plan (2022-2025). The crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic is extending into its fourteenth year โ with more people than ever sliding into deeper poverty and 16.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. The Syria situation remains one of the largest displacement crises in the world, with a 2025 projection of 7.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs), and 6.2 million refugees. The Lebanon crisis and subsequent influx into Syria in late September 2024 and the Nov/Dec crisis spilled over Syria created a very dynamic situation resulting in more than million displacements. This crisis further exacerbated the needs of SRH and GBV services among other needs. Humanitarian operations have been severely impacted, with increasing deterioration of access to services in different of the country including in the northern governorates, generating pervasive insecurity and disruption of basic services, including electricity, water and public transportation. In the context of political change, field presence to respond the emerged humanitarian needs, particularly in northeast and south governorates of Syria, following the transition of Gaziantep hub, whole of Syria mechanism, is more prominent. More programmes and coordination efforts are required to address the evolved transition considering the nexus of humanitarian response, early recovery and reconstruction/development. UNFPA is actively engaged in the inter-agency coordination mechanism, as the lead agency for the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Sub-Sector and the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) working group. It has been scaling up its response services across the country through expanding services and humanitarian resources reaching out to women and girls. Given the complexity of the current crises affecting already pre-existing protracted crises of Syria, GBV programme and coordination in various governorates will be crucial to ensure provision of GBV risk mitigation and life-saving response services to those women and girls in need. Under the direct supervision of the Head of Qamishli Sub-Office and technical guidance from the SRH team in Damascus, the SRH Field Associate will work closely with the Qamishli team and SRH team in CO. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with humanitarian and development agencies (UN, NGOs and INGOs), and other partner organizations to deliver comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services to women and girls in need. S/he will provide operational and coordination support to the UNFPA SRH programme and support the SRH working group in Northeast Syria as necessary. S/he will monitor programme activities, support capacity building of various stakeholders in SRH service delivery, contribute to coordination mechanisms in Northeast Syria, and support integration of SRH programming with other UNFPA mandate areas, such as, GBV, youth and resilience. The assignment of SRH Field Associate is located in the UNFPA Qamishli sub-office.
Task DescriptionThe SRH Field Associate will be responsible for: A. Programme implementation โ Coordinate the in-depth analysis of the SRH programme needs and priorities in the AORs of Qamishli Sub-office, work with implementing partners to identify programme priorities and share consolidated SRH programme priorities with the SRH programme unit in the UNFPA CO to inform Annual Work Plans development โ In collaboration with Syria CO team, monitor closely the implementation of each budget line of AWP and provide the feedback to Qamishli team, focal point of the IP IN CO. And inform if there any modification needed based on the result of monitoring the implementation and changing of Humanitarian circumstances โ In collaboration with Syria CO and Qamshili team, monitor closely the SRH commodities and pharmaceutical consumption and contribute to forecasting for each facility by working closely with both data entry of IP and SRH commodity Focal point, in addition to monitoring closely the expiration period of the available medicine to avoid distributing any expired items โ Provide technical support to implementing partners and monitor the daily operations of the reproductive health facilities, mobile teams and other interventions including outreach events, emergency response and distribution of SRH supplies and commodities. โ Follow up the implementation of standard guidelines and protocols such as IASC Guidelines for Integrating SRH Interventions in Humanitarian Settings, SRH/GBV in humanitarian settings, and related instruments during assessment, planning and implementation of SRH programming in coordination with the head of the sub office and International SRH Specialist. โ Support assessments on the SRH situation in that setting and/or engage the displaced, returnee and host populations in conducting relevant participatory analyses, rapid needs assessments, and client satisfaction surveys. โ Support the SRH unit and Programme team at CO level by providing regular information and updates on RH activities and action plans and help to bring innovations to programming in collaboration with various sectors/clusters and UNFPA partners. โ Undertake the organization of and facilitate relevant training sessions for implementing partners and health actors for a stronger integrated rights-based approach, to integrate GBV, Reproductive Health, Youth and Resilience issues into their service delivery. B. Partnerships and Coordination โ Under the leadership of the head of the sub office, undertake support activities to strengthen inter-agency SRH working groups at sub-national level. โ Develop a compendium of SRH stakeholders in AORs of Qamishli Sub-office to participate in the SRH working group coordination meeting. โ Undertake dissemination of SRH updates, support resource mobilization efforts and stakeholder consolidated results on RH in AORs of Qamishli Sub-office. โ Conduct emergency assessments, collect results, and plan and implement emergency response with SRH and Health actors. C. Monitoring and Evaluation โ Conduct monitoring field visits to ensure that Reproductive Health activities for women, men and young people run according to minimum standards, identify factors affecting the achievement of results, and follow up on recommendations in coordination with the CO Programme Unit. โ Prepare field monitoring reports, including reports on distribution and use of assets, equipment and supplies, using UNFPAโs Result Based Management approach, substantive analysis of related issues and way forward. โ Collect and compile programme activity information, evaluating progress toward achievement of programme outcomes. โ Support implementation of various assessment and Focus Group Discussions to monitor programme implementation, identify needs and inform new interventions. D. Performs other tasks as assigned by the supervisor or the Head of Office.
Competencies and valuesโ Accountability โ Adaptability and flexibility โ Creativity โ Judgement and decision-making โ Planning and organising โ Professionalism โ Self-management
Living conditions and remarksAs this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in Qamishli. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions. National UN Expert Volunteers in Syria are entitled to: โข Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of USD 919.41; โข Monthly Expertise Differential at the amount of USD 367.76; โข Monthly Well-being differential USD 275.7 - this is related to the hardship classification of the duty station;; โข Annual and learning leaves; โข Free Medical and life insurance; โข Free access to different learning platforms. For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements, and support, please visit: https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-service.