National Consultancy: Communications Consultant for the UNFPA Safeguard Young People Programme

Job Description

How you can make a difference:

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. UNFPAs strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to build forward better, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on womens and girls access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

I. Purpose of work

UNFPA, East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) is implementing the Safeguard Young People Programme (SYP). The SYP programme has been designed with the intent to identify and scale-up proven sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions for adolescents and young people in Southern Africa. The SYP programme adopts a multi-sectoral approach for improving the policy, planning and delivery processes pertaining to sexual reproductive health services and rights of adolescents, in particular, it is trying to improve: integrated HIV and SRH youth friendly services; comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for in and out of school youth; and, youth participation and empowerment. In 2023 SYP is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and is looking for a company to provide photography and videography services to support with the documentation of best practices in South Africa. These will be used during events, meetings, publications and other promotional materials.

II. Objectives of assignment

UNFPA South Africa CO is seeking the services of an individual consultant to write and document the best practices of the SYP programme, capturing and editing high-quality human-interest stories, stakeholder interviews and messages of support from government counterparts.

III. Scope of work, Methodology, Deliverables, Timeframe

The Safeguard Young People Programme (SYP), UNFPA East and Southern Africas flagship youth programme is celebrating a milestone 10 years since its launch in 2013. To highlight this progress, the progamme is looking for a writer to showcase the achievements under the suggested theme of 10 achievements in 10 years''. This consultancy will focus on writing a series of communications products to support the amplification of SYPs 10-year anniversary celebrations. The consultant will also create a public brochure showcasing the 10 achievements of the programme and update the existing programme brochure to include the new phase of the programme. The consultant will create a donor communication template for the SYP countries to provide feedback on the programme in the field.

Scope Of Work (Description Of Services, Activities, Or Outputs)

Through these Terms of Reference, UNFPA is looking for a consultant to:

• Write a joint opinion-editorial among the UNFPA Regional Director, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• Utilize the 10-year report to summarize the 10-achievements-in-10-years of the SYP programme in a maximum 5-page standalone brochure.
• Update the generic 3-page SYP brochure to include the expansion of the programme as well as emerging areas of work.
• Create a communication template for use by the SYP countries to showcase the field work and other promising practices (guidance to be provided).
• Highlight key messages from the report, which will be turned into social media text content and cards (graphics to be developed external from the assignment)

Duration And Working Schedule

This estimated number of days to complete this assignment is 40 working days and will commence on 1 November 2023 or on the day of signing of contract and continue until no later than 15 December 2023.

Place Where Services Are to Be Delivered

The consultant will work off site and avail themselves as requested by UNFPA for meetings virtually

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g., electronic, hard copy etc.):

An electronic copy of the edited and publications submitted within these given timeframes:

• Draft opinion editorial: 9 November 2023 (800 words).
• Incorporated and final opinion-editorial for paid placement: 16 November 2023.
• Draft 10-year report brochure: 16 November 2023 (5 pages maximum).
• Consolidated and proofread final 10-year report brochure: 23 November 2023.

Supervisory Arrangements

The consultant works under the guidance of the SYP Regional Coordinator, the SYP M&E Specialist and the SYP Programme Analyst. He/she will collaborate with the CO Communications unit.

Expected travel: None

Consultancy Requirements

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

• An advanced university degree in a related area.
• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience in communication
• A high level of English is essential.
• Experience in drafting public consumption documents from research studies.
• Experience in communication on matters related to adolescents and young peoples sexual and reproductive health or knowledge of adolescents sexual and reproductive health is an asset.
• Experience in drafting advocacy documents from research studies.
• Experience with editing and proofreading UN documents and familiarity with UNFPAs style.

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g., support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

The consultant will use their own equipment for the consultancy.

Other Relevant Information Or Special Conditions, If Any

Payments will be done as follows:

• 30% on submission and acceptance of the opinion-editorial,
• 30% on submission of the draft the updated generic SYP programme brochure
• 40 % on submission and acceptance of the 10-year report brochure and SYP generic brochure.

UNFPA will only respond to those applicants in whom we have further interest.

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.