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 UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office (MCO) is based in Suva, Fiji and works alongside the nineteen other UN agencies in the region and in fourteen countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Under its Strategic Note 2018-2022, UN Women Fiji MCO focuses on delivering on four interlinked programme areas underpinned by support for intergovernmental and normative processes:

• Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Ending Violence against Women
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a central barrier to gender equality and a cause of widespread violation of human rights across the Pacific^[1]. To respond to the rates of violence in the Pacific, UN Women has developed a comprehensive elimination of violence against women and girls (EVAWG) programme which takes a transformative approach to prevent violence against women and girls at multiple levels (regional, national and community), and to ensure survivors have access to quality response services.  The approach to preventing and responding to VAWG also considers the context of the Pacific, which requires an integrated approach to addressing VAWG across the humanitarian – development nexus. The most substantial programme under UN Women’s EVAWG programme is the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls which is an ambitious, joint programme, with UN Women and the Pacific Community (SPC), which brings together governments, civil society organizations (CSO), communities and other partners to change the social norms that allow violence against women and girls to continue; to ensure survivors have access to quality response services; and to support national and regional institutions to meet their commitments to gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls.

The Pacific Partnership has completed its first phase of implementation (2018 – 2023) and is expanding into Phase 2 (2023 – 2027). The Pacific Partnership Programme Phase 2 is funded primarily by the Government of Australia, the European Union (EU) and UN Women. Tonga is one of the six priority countries in the Pacific Partnership Programme.

Phase II builds on the achievements of Phase I and of the Spotlight Initiative Pacific Regional Programme (2019-2023), which are comprehensive, multi-faceted programmes, grounded in an aligned theory of change. The Action is informed by the lessons and key recommendations of the Pacific Partnership Phase I Mid-Term Evaluation and the Spotlight Initiative Mid-Term Assessment. It expands on Phase I results and wide-ranging regional and national partnerships. It will complement and ensure harmonization with other GE programmes in the region, including the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) “Pacific Women Lead” and other major initiatives on GE and EVAWG.

There is a high level of attention and political will to address violence against women and girls and Tonga has long recognized the importance of promoting gender equality to achieve sustainable development outcomes. The Government of Tonga is contributing towards progressing gender equality through the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Tonga (WEGET) National Policy and Strategic Plan of Action 2019 – 2025 which provides a significant platform to improve the lives of all women and men, boys and girls through a raft of strategic objectives and associated interventions which represents the Government’s key activities across all sectors of government and society. Further, the passing of the Family Protection Act (FPA) in 2013 has become a critical vehicle for protection, security and justice for most victims/survivors of domestic violence.

Under the overall supervision of the Programme Technical Specialist, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls at the UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office (MCO) in Suva, Fiji, the EVAWG Country Coordinator is expected to engage proactively with local, national and regional women leaders, partners, civil society organizations, service providers and UN Entities on prevention and response to violence against women and girls in the country.

The EVAWG Country Coordinator position is expected to play a lead role in Tonga in coordinating actions on ending VAWG in country. This position has a significant role to play in ensuring that activities captured under the UN Women EVAWG programme, including the Pacific Partnership, are implemented in a timely manner and continue to enjoy full ownership and buy- in by all Government and CSO partners. Key responsibilities including supporting planning and coordination; supporting implementation of activities; capacity building, monitoring, and evaluation.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Lead the planning, coordinating and implementing of the UN Women EVAWG Programme in Tonga, under the Pacific Partnership programme: 

• Lead and maintain working level coordination mechanisms with the government and civil society partners for successful implementation of EVAWG activities;
• Collaborate closely with all stakeholders across the various Pacific Partnership programme activities and other relevant actions addressing VAWG in Tonga;
• Ensure clear, consistent and transparent communication among all partners and stakeholders and support establishment of participatory governance and decision-making practice at national level;
• Organize and lead partner meetings, in close collaboration with government and other partners;
• Support partners in the preparation of work plans, budgets and results frameworks that align with Global and Regional EVAWG Guidelines and national EVAWG priorities;
• Facilitate programme outcomes by leading a coordinated approach to primary prevention and service delivery, ensuring synergies between different outcomes;
• Support partners and facilitate emergency preparedness and response efforts to address VAWG;
• Support the process of managing financial resources for achieving results in line with the outputs and activities outlined in the Phase II programme document;
• Manage delivery of results using best practices, ensuring proper resource allocation and planning;
• Foster high level performance environment of all partners to meet the benchmarks established in the Programme;
• Provide technical assistance, training and capacity development as needed in coordination with the EVAW team in Fiji;
• Facilitate in-country logistics for trainings and workshops;
• Facilitate resolution of disputes and troubleshoot obstacles to timely implementation.

Oversee the coordination and delivery of results-based monitoring and evaluation for EVAWG programming:

• Implement EVAWG monitoring plan with partners in collaboration with M&R Specialist;
• Ensure transparency of the M&E process by disseminating information to partners and relevant stakeholders;
• Ensure that activities comply with all donor requirements;
• Ensure systems are in place that promote both downward and upward accountability;
• Provide inputs to substantive technical reports, such as narrative progress reports and other programme documents required;
• Attend field missions and write reports on monitoring missions;
• Monitor, analyze and evaluate substantive and financial reports from partners, providing regular substantive and management support to resolve any challenges and ensure timely and quality delivery.

Facilitation and dissemination and generation of knowledge on efforts to prevent and respond to VAWG in Tonga:

• Support partners in identifying good practices and lessons learned and documenting this knowledge;
• Support analytical work of the team and ensure high quality knowledge products;
• Promote the substantive quality of all knowledge products, reports and services, and ensures effective integration and compatibility with other practice areas;
• Contribute to the production of reports and publications, and serve as peer reviewer;
• Forge links with other initiatives to identify good practices and share lessons.

Strategic partnerships building and resource mobilization Support

• Support the EVAW Unit and the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office to implement the Office partnerships and resources mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes within the country;
• Create and coordinate partnerships with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society etc. on EVAW.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Supervisor / Managerial Responsibilities:

N/A.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Strong budget and finance skills;
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in development related discipline/s including gender issues, public policy, social work or other related social science fields is highly required.
• A first-level University Degree (Bachelors’ Degree) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years (with Master’s Degree), or seven (7) years (with Bachelors’ Degree) of progressively responsible at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national partners, preferably related to thematic area.
• Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating development programmes and projects.
• Previous experience working in the UN system is an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Added Requirements:

• Strong knowledge of the issue of violence against women, women’s empowerment and gender.
• At least minimum of 5 years with direct experience addressing violence against women through service delivery, advocacy, policy development, research or a combination of these.
• Excellent communication skills- including written and oral, interpersonal and liaison skills.
• Excellent training and facilitation skills.
• Resourceful, ability to problem solve on complex issues.
• Organized, able to oversee a complex programme / project.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team when the task requires.
• Familiarity with Pacific countries and cultures, especially Tonga.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Knowledge and fluency in the local language(s) of the duty station (Tonga) is an asset.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements