The UNFPA Country Office in Turkmenistan advertises the vacancy of an Individual International Co
The detailed description and requirements of the position can be found at the below links and in the attachment to this message.
For internal candidates: View the internal job posting
For external candidates: View the external job posting
We would like to take this opportunity to invite interested individuals (non-citizens of Turkmenistan) with relevant professional experience and qualifications to apply online as indicated in the above links by the deadline of 25 June 2023 (09:00 EST).
Qualified Female Candidates are Strongly Encouraged to Apply!
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted in advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Job Description
Purpose of consultancy:
In 1994, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), 179 countries came together and adopted a Programme of Action, in which they agreed that population policies must be aimed at empowering couples and individuals, especially women, to make decisions about the size of their families, providing them with the information and resources to make such decisions, and enabling them to exercise their reproductive rights. For the first time in an international consensus document, states agreed that reproductive rights are human rights that are already recognized in domestic and international law.
The ICPD Programme of Action recognizes that realizing the right to reproductive health is a critical element of guaranteeing reproductive rights. The ICPD Programme of Action broadly defines reproductive health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.” In adopting the ICPD Programme of Action, states committed to take legal, policy, budgetary, and other measures to effectuate the principles and rights enshrined in the document.
Every five years since ICPD, states have come together to reaffirm this commitment, analyse the progress that has been made towards realizing sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and decide upon further actions that should be taken.
In November of 2019, the governments of Kenya and Denmark and UNFPA co-convened the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, a high-level conference to mobilize the political will and financial commitments needed to finally and fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action. These commitments were centred around the three transformative results of UNFPA on achieving zero unmet need for family planning information and services, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls. Turkmenistan took part in the work of the Conference and made commitments in addressing three zeros at the national level.
On 19-20 October 2023, in Geneva, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Population Fund Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia will hold a Regional Conference on ICPD30 titled "Population and Development: Ensuring Rights and Choices" to acknowledge progress, identify emerging trends, and highlight priorities for the way forward. The countries in the region, including Turkmenistan, have been called to provide their information on the progress towards ICPD commitments by conducting national reviews.
Within that regional initiative, UNFPA in Turkmenistan initiated national stakeholder consultations to share insights and discuss accelerators to address current and emerging challenges at various levels since the ICPD and Nairobi Summit. The first consultations at the regional level were conducted in the Lebap region, in May 2023, integrating an inclusive approach that echoed the voices and perspectives of various national stakeholder groups such as line ministries, local authorities, women, youth activists, NGOs and local social service providers. The national consultations are continued and will be finalized with a national conference in September 2023, in Ashgabat. To provide the national consultations with data coming from youth in terms of youth development, UNFPA planned to hold the youth consultations exercise. The consultations are expected to be based on the focus group discussions (FGDs), analysis of collected qualitative and whenever possible quantitative data. It is suggested to have consultations with young people in Marry and Lebap provinces and the capital city of Ashgabat. Additionally, a national online survey with the same questions will be arranged. The consultations will be around the issues of SRHR, family planning, gender equality, youth participation and empowerment.
In view of these, UNFPA in Turkmenistan is looking for an international expert to provide technical support and to facilitate youth consultations.
Scope of work:
(Description of services, activities, or outputs)
The IC is expected to provide the following deliverables:
Collect and desk-review of existing data, evidence and research on youth in Turkmenistan vis-a-vie SRH, family planning, gender equality, youth participation and empowerment targets under the ICPD (1 day in July).
Explore, outline and suggest a methodology for the youth consultations so it fits the purpose of ICPD30 national review, ensures full compliance with international standards, provides representative and comparable evidence. The suggested methodology will need to be shared and discussed with UNFPA (3 days in July 2023).
Proposed framework of the methodology is two-prong:
1) Group Discussions (qualitative) with the selected youth groups of 15-17 years old and 18-30 years old;
2) online survey embedded on the social media platforms (the sample size should be suggested along with the questions)
Develop relevant material to facilitate consultations such as questionnaire(s)/FGD guides for focus group discussions and online survey (see below guiding questions), instructions for the FGDs, PPTs introducing to the ICPD and the review and others. The materials will need to be available in Turkmen and Russian. UNFPA will help with the translation. For the purposes of exploring the ways for effective communication with young people in future, develop and include into the questionnaire a set of questions on the preferred modes of and platforms for communication (4 days in July 2023).
Potential Research Questions for the GDS and online survey:
Questions should be categorised in 3 blocks:
1) SRHR - attitudes and perceptions about family planning, desired fertility, concerns and aspirations;
2) Gender Equality - gender norms, gender-based violence, gender roles and stereotypes, attitudes and aspirations, concerns and anxieties;
3) Youth development and engagement - aspirations, desires, anxieties and concerns, changes youth want at a policy, community and individual levels, population changes such as youth migration, etc.
UNFPA ICPD25 Youth Engagement Toolkit can be consulted here https://www.nairobisummiticpd.org/sites/default/files/files/ICPD25%20You...
Facilitate FGDs in Mary, Lebal and Ashgabat, collect and analyse data including the data from the online survey, develop a preliminary report and present it to the UNFPA. Whenever possible, an equal participation of female and male respondents will be arranged. It is expected to engage some 500 young people into the exercise. Upon consultations and feedback provide the final report with the executive summary highlighting the major outcomes (12 days in July – August 2023).
Duration and working schedule:
Duration of this assignment is from 1 July to 31 August 2023.
Total number of working days: 20
Place where services are to be delivered:The consultant is expected to deliver all services and outputs in a home-based mode and by visiting Turkmenistan, tentatively in the last week of July 2023.
Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):Delivery dates are described in the section “Scope of Work” and the expected products will be delivered in electronic versions via email and in a format of meetings, consultations, guidance and FGDs. The consultations with young people will need to be delivered in an in-person format with facilitating the FGDs in Turkmenistan.
Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:The work of the IC at all stages will be monitored by the UNFPA national programme leads on SRH, Gender and Youth, and PD.
Supervisory arrangements: The IC will perform under the overall guidance of and report to the UNFPA Programme Analyst on PD.
Expected travel:No mission is expected under this consultancy.
Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:
Advanced degree in social sciences (sociology, anthropology, development studies, public health) or a relevant field;
At least 7 years of relevant experience in preparations and holding youth and other age groups surveys, relevant methodologies and their application
Strong analytical skills with experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis;
In-depth knowledge of development agenda, human rights and relevant international legal instruments including the ICPD, CEDAW and the Sustainable Development Goals
Fluency in Russian and English.
Familiarity and experience with Central Asia or CIS countries desirable
Cultural and gender sensitivity
Comprehensive knowledge about ethical standards
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:
UNFPA shall provide international consultant with all relevant materials, data, information and reports.
Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:The IC’s daily fee is calculated on the basis of P4 level of the UN salary scale effective 1 January 2023 and will be paid in a lump sum upon quality provision of all deliverables.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
