Duty Station: Home based with option to travel to Myanmar
Duration: 75 Working Days
Expected starting date of Assignment: 1 December 2020
PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY
In Myanmar, persons living with disabilities (PLWD) face challenges in accessing information and services due to the fact that the services provided are not inclusive to their needs. Unsurprisingly, PLWD individuals face poorer outcomes in their physical and mental health, and often face economic marginalisation, disparaging representation in the media and are invisible in political spheres. Due to social norms and values PLWD face challenges in accessing health services, with a limited number of health care professionals trained to provide inclusive services. A study supported by UNICEF shows that children with disabilities are much less likely to access services in health or education, rarely have their voices heard, and face significant daily discrimination. Myanmar has taken significant steps in recent years to improve the situation for people with disabilities living in a context of severe exclusion. After signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the country passed a national law on disability rights and formed the National Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. UNFPA continues to support capacity building in key Government ministries and national bodies to boost systems to implement the new laws and policies. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has started the development of a National Strategic Plan on Disability. UNFPA is advocating to ensure that this includes availability and accessibility of services regarding sexual reproductive health and rights, mental health and psychosocial support and gender-based violence.
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2018-2021), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. Under the Strategic Plan, UNFPA manages the “Women and Girls First Programme”, a 25 million USD multi-year UNFPA-donor fund. Under the Women and Girls First programme, UNFPA is committed to leading the international community and supporting national stakeholders in addressing gaps in gender equality, improving sexual and reproductive health services, responding to and preventing gender based violence (GBV) including Mental Health and Psychosocial support and integrating gender equality and women's rights perspectives into national policies, development frameworks and laws. The programme focus areas include Rakhine, Kachin, Kayin, Kayah, Mon and Shan States.
The first phase of UNFPA Myanmar’s WGF Programme (2016 -2019) has addressed the empowerment of the most vulnerable women and girls through pioneering integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV) response and prevention services. Working across the humanitarian, development and peace-building nexus in selected ethnic conflict-affected states of Myanmar, the programme was launched in December 2015 and has been implemented at central policy and field levels in collaboration with a range of government, United Nations and NGO implementing partners (IPs) in Rakhine, northern Shan, Kachin, Kayin and Mon States. The design of the second phase of WGF Programme (2019 - 2022) is based on experiences and lessons learned by the WGF community of partners and documented in the independent mid-term evaluation conducted in 2017. WGF Phase II continues to strengthen health and social protection systems, expand access to an integrated package of SRHR and GBV services with a greater focus on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). Activities engaging individuals including specific interventions for girls, young people and men will aim to improve coping strategies, promote positive social norms and non-violent behavior at home and in the community, while civil society organizations and platforms for women and youth will be supported to promote participation and decision-making.
The WGF Phase II targets conflict affected, remote and hard to reach communities. It adopts an inclusive approach to programming that recognises the diversity both of and within these communities. Also linked to this, the intersectionality of vulnerability, needs and capacities based on sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship and displacement status and disability is recognised. Accordingly, it has been designed to ensure inclusivity and accessibility, and to avoid further exclusion of already marginalised groups. This includes a focus on IDP and host communities and on reaching girls and adolescents, women and girls with a disability, elderly women as well as working with and supporting the needs of LGBTIQ persons, people living with AIDS/HIV and people who inject drugs.
The WGF programme seeks to further strengthen inclusive services covering the specific needs of PLWD in the communities where the programme is being implemented. UNFPA is working with its implementing partners to integrate these portions into its pre-existing interventions. UNFPA Myanmar aims to further develop strategies and interventions to ensure inclusivity of the marginalised population, including PLWD.
The UNFPA Myanmar Country Office is seeking an International Disability and Inclusion Consultant to provide technical support and guidance to develop the Disability and Inclusion strategy for the WGF programme, build the capacity of UNFPA staff and partners and provide additional technical support to implementing partners to enhance inclusive service provision. The Consultant will further work with the Gender, Policy and Advocacy Specialist, the GBV Specialist and the SRHR Specialist and contribute to the development and implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Disability with the Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement to better integrate UNFPA mandate areas.
2. SUPERVISION AND WORKING ARRANGEMENT
The International Disability and Inclusion Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the UNFPA Myanmar Representative, with direct supervision of the WGF Programme Specialist.
3. SCOPE OF WORK AND EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
The international consultant will be responsible for the following duties and in consultation with the WGF Programme Specialist in Yangon, will determine the prioritisation of activities:
The following activities will be undertaken:
1. Develop the Disability and Inclusion Strategy, including a comprehensive action plan for the WGF programme which guides UNFPA how to create an enabling environment where people with disabilities are included across the programme and departments. Submitted by 1 April 2021.
2. Provide technical support to the WGF, GBV, SRHR and Humanitarian Teams to implement the Strategy and action plan.
3. Technical support to implementing partners in collaboration with Humanity Inclusion to strengthen inclusive service provision of UNFPA implementing partners.
4. Technically lead the development and implementation of a capacity building plan for UNFPA staff and deliver (online) training for UNFPA staff.
5. Support strengthening WGF monitoring tools in collaboration with the M&E team.
6. Technical support to the development of the National Strategic Plan on Disability for UNFPA mandate areas in coordination with UNICEF and the Department of Rehabilitation.
4. DURATION AND WORKING SCHEDULE
Duration of Assignment: December 2020 - May 2021
The International Disability and Inclusion Consultant will be engaged for a total of 75 working days and will be home based. If the situation allows (depending on COVID19 restrictions), a mission to Yangon and field offices, Myanmar of maximum 20 working days can be included (as part of the 75 working days) including field visits.
5. MONITORING AND PROGRESS CONTROL
● The consultant will submit monthly reports to provide an update on the progress made on the deliverables.
● The consultant will submit disability and inclusion strategy, including a comprehensive action plan for the WGF programme on 1 April 2021.
Payment will be made on a monthly basis upon delivery of the monthly progress report based on the actual number of working days.
6. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education:
Advanced degree in Social Science, public health, medicine, sociology, demography, gender, economics, international relations, international development, public administration, management or other related fields.
Knowledge and Experience
● Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in developmental work
● Work experience with persons with disabilities and Disabled People's Organization (DPOs) is essential;
● Work experience in at least one or more areas related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and gender- based violence;
● Knowledge of human rights, disability law, health and working with young people;
● Excellent research and analytical skills, both oral and written;
● Proven familiarity with the UNFPA SRHR and GBV Guidelines for disability inclusion is a requirement;
● Ability to work in a systematic, methodical and orderly way and the ability to meet schedules/deadlines;
● Proven ability to be creative; to adapt traditional methods, concepts, models etc. to new applications; or the ability to devise new approaches to make improvements or solve problems;
● Experience in developing trainings and training materials on disability and inclusion;
● Ability to conduct and lead capacity-building trainings online;
● Ability to demonstrate sensitivity and adaptability to cultural diversity;
Languages
● Fluency in English is required.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants with the required qualifications and experience should submit the application, which includes following documents:
• A written letter of application (please indicate the vacancy number and consultancy title that your application letter).
• A curriculum vitae (CV),
• UN P11 form completed and signed by the applicant (http://myanmar.unfpa.org/en/vacancies/un-p11-personalhistory-form), education certificates and the names and contact information of three references.
Applications should be addressed to:
Email: hr.myanmar@unfpa.org
Attention: International Operations Manager,
Room A07, UNFPA, No.6, Natmauk Road, Yangon
Note:
UNFPA reserves the right to offer comparable assignment to those qualified candidates that may not have been selected for this consultancy assignment which they applied for. These offers will be based on the needs of the organization, appropriateness and relevance to the candidate’s educational backgrounds and work experience. Only those candidates in whose qualifications and experience the Office has further interest will be contacted for subsequent interviews.
(i) This vacancy is open to applicants of either sex.
(ii) UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
(iii) UNFPA regrets its inability to reply individually or to attend to telephone queries on the above advertised post.