Purpose of consultancy:

The Regional Humanitarian Project Coordinator will manage the implementation of activities under the last year of the four-year Regional Prepositioning Initiative Phase 3 (2021-2024) funded by the Government of Australia. This involves providing technical and programmatic support and oversight to 12 UNFPA Country Offices in the Asia Pacific region to implement the 2024 annual workplan; prepare progress updates and annual reporting for the donor; undertake budget monitoring; facilitate information sharing both internally and externally; support strategic capacity building and implementation of advocacy activities; facilitate regional and national strategic dialogues; and undertake project monitoring and evaluation. The consultant will also lead the development of the next multi-year phase of the Initiative and the proposal package write-up.

Scope of work:

APRO is seeking a full-time consultant to cover for the incumbent staff member’s maternity leave to coordinate the implementation of activities under the last year of the Regional Prepositioning Initiative Phase 3 (2021-2024). The consultancy is for a period of 7.5 months from 11 March to 4 October 2024.

Background:

Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world, affected by frequent and intense natural hazards, disasters and also by protracted crises and conflicts. UNFPA plays a critical role in supporting governments to ensure that SRHR and GBV needs are supported in humanitarian response. A key component of this is strengthening humanitarian preparedness, including prepositioning of essential SRH and GBV supplies for immediate distribution and use.

The UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Office works with UNFPA Country Offices in the region to assist governments and civil society partners to reduce disaster risk and to prepare for and respond to emergencies. This is in line with the unique mandate of UNFPA to address SRHR and prevent and respond to GBV during humanitarian crises.

In December 2020, following a successful pilot initiative in 2015 and phase 2 (2016 to 2020), UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Office and the Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) signed an Exchange of Letters for another four-year Programme from 2021 to 2024 for “Prepositioning of commodities for SRH in emergencies in Asia Pacific (Regional Prepositioning Initiative Phase 3)”. Initially an AUD 6-million-dollar agreement, as of December 2023 the total contribution for phase 3 is AU$ 6,075,000.

The overall programme outcome of the Regional Prepositioning Initiative is that 12 priority countries (Bangladesh, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tonga, and Vanuatu) across Asia and the Pacific are better prepared and more resilient to emergencies, and people in these countries have their well-being and safety ensured in humanitarian crises. The Regional Prepositioning Initiative has two programme outputs: i) Affected health facilities and service providers have received high quality, appropriate and inclusive SRH and GBV supplies within 72 hours of the onset of a crisis and ii) Governments and partners are able to plan, prioritise, manage and distribute supplies to meet SRH and GBV services needs in emergencies.

The Regional Prepositioning Initiative has four main components: i) prepositioning of supplies, ii) capacity building, iii) advocacy, inclusion, and innovation and iv) project management.

i) Prepositioning of supplies:

Prepositioning of supplies to support the provision of SRH services and to mitigate and respond to GBV during times of emergencies. Prepositioning takes place both at the national level across the priority countries and at the regional level in Brisbane, Australia and Suva, Fiji.

ii) Capacity building:

Of governments and other partners on SRH and GBV and humanitarian preparedness with a particular focus on supply chain management and accountability to affected populations.

iii) Advocacy, inclusion, and innovation:

Higher level policy advocacy to e.g., ensure inclusion of language on SRH and GBV in national and sub-national disaster risk reduction, disaster management or climate change policies, frameworks and plans. The innovation part is primarily focused on disability inclusion, ensuring that the programming meets the needs of and is accessible to women and girls with disabilities. Another key aspect of the advocacy and inclusion work is around accountability to affected populations. This includes ensuring that affected populations are continuously and meaningfully engaged throughout the humanitarian project cycle to ensure their voices are heard, they are part of decision making processes and that they are able to systematically provide their feedback on supplies and services received through the Initiative.

iv) Project management:

Monitoring and evaluation of implementation of programmatic activities, documenting lessons learned and continuous improvement of the Initiative to align to new guidelines and to respond to feedback received by crisis affected people, primarily women and girls.

Since the first pilot in 2015, UNFPA and partners have provided life-saving services to over 251,219 beneficiaries affected by 141 emergencies in 16 countries in Asia and the Pacific.

The current phase 3 is implemented across 12 priority countries, as mentioned above, which are frequently exposed to hazards, disasters, and conflicts. This requires the consultant to be flexible and timely in the support provided to UNFPA Country Offices while upholding the quality and orientation to details in the work. Strong coordination, planning and project management skills are essential for this work and are expected of the consultant. The consultant is furthermore expected to be able to work independently and plan and execute their work in a timely manner. A three week hand-over period with the current staff member holding the position is scheduled for and a detailed handover note, written guidance and knowledge management document will also be produced to support the consultant.

There is a possibility for a phase 4 multi-year Initiative currently being discussed with the donor. If that materializes, the consultant is expected to engage in such discussions with the donor, as well as in the development of the new strategic project framework, concept and proposal.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

A. Programme management, coordination, and implementation

• Implement the 2024 annual workplan in line with the results framework for Phase 3 of the Regional Prepositioning Initiative by providing technical and programmatic support and oversight to UNFPA Country Offices;
• Monitor the programmatic aspects of the Regional Prepositioning Initiative, working with the Regional Humanitarian Supply Chain Specialist on the implementation of approved procurement plans, prepositioning of supplies at the country level, monitoring of expiry dates and customisation of supplies for at-risk groups;
• Monitor the financial aspects of the Regional Prepositioning Initiative, working with the Programme Assistant to undertake budget monitoring, budget and workplan revisions, and to ensure spending is in line with the approved 2024 workplan and according to the timeline;
• Identify operational and financial bottlenecks, liaise with UNFPA units, and identify solutions to avoid delayed implementation;
• Review and submit requests received from UNFPA Country Offices to utilise prepositioned supplies for emergency responses to the donor;
• Support UNFPA Country Offices to strengthen advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV) in emergencies, particularly related to disability inclusion, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and leaving no one behind;
• Strengthen accountability to affected populations (AAP) across the Regional Prepositioning Initiative, including by supporting UNFPA Country Offices and partners to establish and/or leverage effective feedback and complaints mechanisms, analysing the feedback received, and using it to inform programming;
• Schedule regular calls with the UNFPA Country Offices and the Regional Humanitarian Supply Chain Specialist to discuss implementation of 2024 activities, to proactively identify potential delays in the implementation of activities and how to timely mitigate and/or overcome these; and
• Uphold compliance with UNFPA corporate and donor guidelines and regulations and managing audit processes as necessary as well as preparing for project closure.

B. Knowledge management

• Document good practices and lessons learned, and contribute to global/regional discussions on preparedness and prepositioning;
• Strengthen internal communications to influence policy and programming, by e.g., contributing to the development of new UNFPA policies, procedures and guidelines leveraging lessons learned and achievements under the Regional Prepositioning Initiative;
• Strengthen external communications by working relevant UNFPA staff at the regional and country levels to ensure the Regional Prepositioning Initiative actively shares updates on emergency responses via external channels including on social media; and
• Coordinate and facilitate strategic dialogues on emerging humanitarian issues related to UNFPA’s mandate and strengthen inclusion across UNFPA’s humanitarian preparedness and response in the region.

C. Partnership and resource mobilization

• Draft and share updates, distribution reports, and communication products for internal and external use;
• Schedule and lead monthly meetings with the donor and undertake regular and proactive communication with the donor; and
• Lead the proposal development of the next multi-year phase of the Initiative, inclusive of developing the narrative proposal, results framework, theory of change, budget, and risk matrix.

Carry out any other duties as may be required by the supervisor and by UNFPA leadership.

Duration and working schedule: From 11 March to 4 October 2024. This consultancy requires full time work or 40 hours per week.

Place where services are to be delivered: Bangkok, Thailand. Remote work at the onset of the consultancy may be possible. Possibility for mission travel to the Regional Prepositioning Initiative Priority countries

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

The consultant is expected to work full time to coordinate the implementation of activities under the 2024 annual workplan of the Regional Prepositioning Initiative.

The deliverables are expected to be submitted electronically.

Monitoring and progress control:

While most of the deliverables are identified in advance, others are on an as-needed basis. Regular progress meetings with the UNFPA APRO Regional Humanitarian Advisor. A certified monthly time sheet is required.

Supervisory arrangements:

The consultant will report to the UNFPA APRO Regional Humanitarian Advisor. The consultant will work closely with the UNFPA APRO Regional Humanitarian Supply Chain Specialist, the UNFPA APRO Humanitarian Programme Assistant, the UNFPA Regional Communications Team as well as with the UNFPA Humanitarian Focal Points from the project countries. .

Expected travel:

Possibility for mission travel to project countries contingent upon COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

Education:

Advanced University degree in public health, sociology, economics, international development, public administration, management or another related field.

Knowledge and experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in development and/or humanitarian programme/project management and coordination;
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, an ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and within limited timeframes as well as being able to work independently is essential;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills are required;
• Familiarity with UN procedures and working methods, particularly with UNFPA’s mandate, policies, and procedures, is highly desirable;
• Experience in results framework monitoring is highly desirable;
• Familiarity with sexual and reproductive health and rights; gender-based violence; gender equality; and/or emergency preparedness and response is preferred;
• Familiarity with concepts such as accountability to affected populations, disability inclusion, and supply chain management is desirable;
• Experience working in humanitarian settings particularly with procurement and management of emergency supplies within the Asia Pacific regional context are strong assets;
• Good understanding of regional, national, and local humanitarian actors as well as inter-agency coordination mechanisms such as the cluster system is desirable; and
• Experience in knowledge management and resource mobilisation is desirable.

Language:

Fluency in English is essential.