Programme Support Associate

The United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA works on delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. In 2018, UNFPA launched efforts to achieve three transformative results, ambitions that promise to change the world for every man, woman and young person: Ending unmet need for family planning; Ending preventable maternal death; and Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.
UNFPA works with governments and partners to promote universal access to quality, integrated sexual and reproductive health services, to strengthen health systems, train health workers, educate midwives and improve access to the full range of reproductive health, and works to prevent and respond to gender-based violence through its work with policymakers, justice systems, health systems and humanitarian partners.

The UNFPA’s mandate is to support the Government to embed and begin implementing state-wide integrated policies on gender-based violence (GBV), in line with the principles of the Istanbul Convention. This is done through supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention with a broad partnership through development of a robust legal and policy framework that enables quality multi-sectoral services, strengthens data management, targets perpetrator engagement, and leveraging the media, so that women and girls are free from all forms of violence and the threat of such violence.

The selected UN Youth Volunteers will be part of the SRH/Youth portfolio within UNFPA CO in North Macedonia. In the frame of the portfolio, several projects and activities are taking place. Youth 4 Inclusion, Equality & Trust 2.0 is a regional peacebuilding initiative combating hate speech, promoting diversity and positive narratives in multicultural societies to support youth as actors of affirmative action within and across communities and societies. Encouraging young women and men to become active participants in decision-making processes is essential for fostering peace and social cohesion in the region. Building on the first phase of the regional project, the following three outputs were identified for the second phase of the project: 1) youth coalitions; 2) youth in decision-making; 3) education and positive narratives.

In the area of activities for persons with disabilities, UNFPA was actively engaged in other national processes of particular interest to this category of citizens, namely the National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities and the National Youth Strategy. Therefore, the volunteer will be engaged in the implementation of the second phase of the KEEP project. A key focus of the project is the mainstreaming of disability inclusion across various sectors and processes. This entails advocating for the integration of disability considerations in relevant legal frameworks, administrative practices, data collection mechanisms, and budgeting processes. By mainstreaming disability, we aim to foster an environment conducive to inclusive design and delivery of social services, strengthen monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and develop mechanisms for regular feedback and review to track progress and identify areas for improvement.

The UN Volunteer will also be engaged in activities regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Sexual and reproductive health, working on providing universal access to affordable high-quality, and people-centered services and high-quality and innovative health-related information and education, including age-appropriate school-based and out-of- school comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), especially among vulnerable populations.
In addition to the SRH/Youth portfolio, the UN Volunteer will also be involved in the Gender Equality and Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) portfolio. This involves focusing on enhancing multi-sectoral responses to prevent and address various forms of violence through a victim/survivor-centered approach. This includes tackling harmful practices and discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes to promote empowerment and equality.
In the Population and Development portfolio, UNFPA focuses on using high-quality data for evidence-based policymaking, emphasizing demographic resilience. In North Macedonia, efforts include integrating demographic resilience into policy strategies, using recent census data and long-term projections. This includes collaborating with UN agencies and national institutions to address priorities like migration and healthy aging, particularly relevant for youth and future prosperity.

Under the direct supervision of UNFPA SRH/Youth Programme Analyst, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

● Support the UNFPA team to design, implement, and monitor youth-focused projects and programs (including gender as a cross - cutting issue and mainstreaming the disability in every step of the process), while contributing to the development of strategies and other national processes that address the specific needs and challenges of young people in North Macedonia.
● Support the Implementing partners (IP’s) in realisation of the activities envisioned in their work plans to ensure timely delivery of quality results and achievement of the programmatic targets.
● Assist in coordination with all relevant partners and stakeholders in implementing the activities in the field and maintain good working relations with youth, local government and local community.
● Support the UNFPA team in preparing regularly quarterly written reports
● Support in promoting youth participation and well-being through advocacy, events, and communication materials in North Macedonia.
● Assist in gathering and analysing youth demographic data, assist in preparing impact reports, and assist in program assessments to drive improvements in UNFPA's youth-related initiatives.
● Conduct monitoring visits to assess project progress and communicate with beneficiaries and partners to address concerns and disseminate program information.
● Assist in the preparation of periodic narrative and financial reports for various donor reports, as well as the organisation of various meetings, workshops, conferences, etc.