Background
The Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) is UNDP’s policy Bureau and backbone of the global practices. BDP has a key role to play in helping country offices to accelerate human development through strengthening the practice areas within UNDP’s programmes. BDP supports the development and design of projects that are responsive, effective and contribute to national-level policies and results. Driven by demand, BDP provides tools, analysis and capacities for country offices to make a real difference in UNDP’s practice areas.
BDP supports UNDP’s 2008-2013 Strategic Plan, focusing on 6 thematic areas: Poverty Reduction, Governance, Environment and Energy, HIV, Health & Development, Capacity Development, and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
HIV, Health and Development Approach
UNDP is a founding cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages the organization’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies. UNDP delivers three types of support to countries in HIV, health and development.
First, UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Millennium Development Goals. For example, UNDP works with countries to understand the social and economic factors that play a crucial role in driving health and disease, and to respond to such dynamics with appropriate policies and programmes outside the health sector. UNDP also promotes specific action on the needs and rights of women and girls as they relate to HIV.
Second, UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Sometimes this is done through focused or specialized programmes, such as promoting attention to the role of legal environments (law and access to justice) in facilitating stronger HIV responses, including the use of flexibilities in intellectual property and human rights law to lower the cost of drugs and diagnostics and to increase access to HIV-related treatment. UNDP also works to empower and include people living with HIV and marginalized populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV - also known as key populations - such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people. Beyond these focused efforts, UNDP plays a key role in ensuring attention to HIV and health within broader governance and rights initiatives, including support to district and municipal action on MDGs, strengthening of national human rights institutions and increasing access to justice for marginalized populations.
Third, as a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multi-sectoral health projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. The UNDP/Global Fund partnership is an important part of this work, facilitating access to resources for action on MDG 6 by countries that face constraints in directly receiving and managing such funding. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions. When requested, UNDP acts as interim Principal Recipient in these settings, working with national partners and the Global Fund to improve management, implementation and oversight of Global Fund grants, while simultaneously developing national capacity for governments or local entities to be able to assume the Principal Recipient role over time.
Regional Context
UNDP’s Regional Centre in Panama offers support to Country Offices to strengthen their capacity in project management, and to endorse the creation of strategic alliances and distribution of knowledge in high-priority areas of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Centre is integrated with a growing team of professionals and experts working in initiatives that promote human development in focus areas such as Democratic Governance, Energy and Environment, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, HIV, Health and Development, Capacity Development, and Poverty Reduction and MDG. Additionally, the Knowledge Management team is also consolidated to fortify the capacity of governments and communities, to promote the sustainable development, and to support the completion of the Millennium Development Goals.
Under the supervision of the Regional Practice Leader for HIV, Health and Development, the incumbent will ensure that the highest caliber policy advice and substantive support are provided on a demand-driven basis to create effective and innovative responses to the challenges of HIV, health and development to UNDP Country Offices in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Duties and Responsibilities
Provide technical support for intervention addressing key social determinants in HIV, including analysis of programmes that directly or indirectly influence the HIV national responses.
Provide policy advice at the regional level for programme support in the area of Human Rights and Gender including specific attention to sexual minorities.
Provide policy advice to Country Offices in LAC to create an enabling human rights environment, promote gender equality, and address the HIV-related vulnerabilities of women and girls, in addition to responding to issues relating to men who have sex with men and transgender populations.
Assist the Practice Leader in the management of the Regional Programme focusing on quality control of the full cycle of programming from formulation to implementation.
Provide technical support to ensure adequate coverage of specific interventions to address HIV and related issues (human rights, social determinants, gender and sexual diversities) in relevant programming document such as CCA, UNDAF, CPAP, CPD, AWP and others such as Global Fund proposals.
Ensure application of guidelines to scale up the integration of HIV and related areas where UNDP has a leading role, in programmes and policies.
Ensure provision of top quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management.
Share information on country and regional programmes of UNDP and other development organizations and support the collection of best practices and comparative experiences.
Assist Country Offices in accessing services offered by the Regional Service Centre, and in building and consolidating strong partnerships with UN agencies, governmental and inter-governmental civil society, private sector and other bodies and support them in contributing to Joint UN objectives on HIV including participation in Joint Team and Joint Programmes.
Competencies
Corporate:
Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards.
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP.
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Functional:
Proven professional credibility, as well as senior-level working experience in a governmental, multilateral or civil society organization, in both developed and developing countries in the field of HIV/health especially Gender, Human Rights and sexual minorities.
Work experience in one or more countries of the LAC region highly desirable.
Extensive network of international, regional and individual contacts.
Managing Relationships:
Demonstrated well developed organizational skills.
Ability to work in teams, creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff.
Excellent negotiating and networking skills.
Resource mobilization and partnering skills.
Managing Complexity:
Ability to address HIV and health as a development issue.
Substantive knowledge and understanding of development cooperation with the ability to support the practice architecture of UNDP and inter-disciplinary issues.
Communication:
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
Excellent interpersonal and networking skills.
Judgment/Decision-Making
Mature judgment and initiative.
Proven ability to provide strategic direction in practice area.
Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling policy issues and challenges.
Knowledge Management and Learning:
Ability to promote and build knowledge products.
Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership in participation in knowledge management networks and development of community of practice.
Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside UNDP.
Provides constructive coaching and feedback.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Master's degree in relevant development field including social science, legal, political science, public administration and/or public health.
Experience:
Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in the field as well as proven professional record in the policy area, including substantive development policy experience.
A clear and comprehensive understanding and strategic vision of the challenges and opportunities in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and application to programme activities within the UNDP niche.
Knowledge of UN system work in this area and UNDP experience is an asset.
Language Requirements:
Fluency and proficiency in English and Spanish; working knowledge of another UN regional language desirable.
Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders).
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=33596
