Associate in Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

UNFPA is formally named the United Nations Population Fund. The organization was created in 1969, the same year the United Nations General Assembly declared “parents have the exclusive right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”

UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services – including voluntary family planning, maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.

Since UNFPA started its work, the world has seen progress: The number and rate of women dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth has been halved. Families are healthier. Young people are more connected and empowered than ever before. But too many are still left behind. More than 760 million people are mired in extreme poverty. Sexual and reproductive health problems are a leading cause of death and disability for women in the developing world. Young people bear the highest risks of HIV infection and unintended pregnancy. Many millions of girls face the prospect of child marriage and other harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM).

Much more needs to be done to ensure a world in which all individuals can exercise their basic human rights, including those that relate to the most intimate and fundamental aspects of life.

As the lead agency for multi-sectoral coordination on Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, under the global protection cluster, guided by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), UNFPA coordinates joint prevention efforts in addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) in both humanitarian and development contexts in Zambia. UNFPA supports timely reporting, comprehensive response services, and effective prevention programming, maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Government of Zambia and its partners, including UNFPA, are resolute in their commitment to address SEA, striving to ensure women and girls can live fulfilled, empowered, and resilient lives, free from victimization and discrimination. To sustain this critical response to evolving humanitarian and development needs, UNFPA's Country Office has strengthened its Gender and Youth Unit. This includes the deployment of an International Associate in Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), dedicated to supporting the establishment and operationalization of an integrated PSEA system between government, civil society, and UN partners. Further reinforcing these efforts, a PSEA Associate will specifically strengthen the PSEA coordination and technical assistance initiatives.

Under the direct supervision of the Gender/GBV Programme Analyst and in collaboration with other team members, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

● Contribute to the development of training materials, and deliver training and awareness sessions on PSEA to UNFPA and other stakeholders, in close coordination with the PSEA focal point.
● Support the promotion and advocacy of PSEA clauses in partnership agreements that clarify reporting and investigation responsibilities.
● Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate PSEA and gender-responsive strategies into broader development programmes.
● Support the administration of the self-assessment tools for all Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) implementing partners.
● Contribute to capacity-building interventions, workshops, and training sessions, for implementing partners and service providers to ensure adequate roll-out of the essential service package for GBV survivors, including SEA survivors.
● Contribute to reinforcing and developing mechanisms that allow survivors of SEA to report incidents, access services, and promote disciplinary action against perpetrators in collaboration with existing UNFPA partners.
● Support the sharing of innovative, promising, and good practices and lessons learned related to PSEA and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG).