Programme Associate – Youth, Peace and Security

UNFPA is the lead agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s new strategic plan (2022-2025), reflects a changing world, and as we accelerate our efforts, transform our pro-grammes, and motivate new partners we will prioritize the needs of people left furthest behind – particularly those living in poverty or with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people and the most vulner-able women, girls and young people. And these results cannot be achieved without an in-creased focus on the rights and inclusive participation of women, adolescents and youth as agents of change. UNFPA remains firmly committed to achieving the three transformative re-sults by 2030 – ending the unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices. In order to achieve this bold and ambitious goals, we need to accelerate progress and transform how we do business in light of global changes including megatrends' that have changed the conditions under which we operate.

The Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) have a very young population, with nearly 60% under 29. Despite this, adolescents and youth in the Pacific face barriers to accessing accurate sexual and reproductive health information, family life education (FLE), and opportunities for leadership and participation. Social and cultural norms, limited services, and harmful practices contribute to poor health, education, and protection outcomes, especially for adolescent girls. To address these gaps, the UNFPA Pacific Sub-Regional Office’s 7th Multi-Country Programme (MCP7, 2023–2027) positions adolescents and youth as a cross-cutting priority, with a specific output (Output 6) dedicated to their empowerment. Output 6 aims to strengthen skills and opportunities for young people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to exercise leadership in harnessing the demographic dividend. This includes support for youth-friendly and inclusive service delivery, rollout of in- and out-of-school family life education, digital engagement initiatives, and youth leadership in shaping gender-transformative programmes and policies. Climate change also has a growing and disproportionate impact on young people in the Pacific, with many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) facing displacement and environmental degradation. The risks, particularly for young women and girls, are evident and urgent. Youth are expected to lead the call for climate justice and resilience-building.

In addition to climate change, young people are often disproportionately affected by armed conflict and other forms of violence, but they are also agents of change and crucial partners in preventing violence and building peace. The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, stemming from UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015), recognizes the positive contributions of young people to peace and security, and calls for their meaningful inclusion in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. In the Pacific, this involves addressing the specific vulnerabilities of young people, while also empowering them to be active participants in promoting peace, climate resilience, and social cohesion within their communities.

In this context, the Programme Associate - Youth Peace and Security will support youth-centred, intersectional initiatives that empower young people with knowledge, skills, and platforms to make informed decisions and actively contribute to promoting peace, climate resilience, and social cohesion within their communities. Supporting education, innovation, ensuring access to SRHR services and information, FLE and GBV prevention and mitigation services, and meaningful youth participation is essential for building climate resilience and equipping young people in the Pacific to navigate and lead on current and future challenges, including those related to climate change, peace, and security.

Under the direct supervision of the Technical Specialist - Adolescents and Youth, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Supports in the planning and implementation of youth, peace, and security programme interventions of the UNFPA PSRO.
• Assists in the work of UNFPA PSRO in the area of research and data related to youth development, and youth, peace, and security.
• Contributes to planning and conducting youth engagement and capacity building trainings and activities for young people and concerned government officials, civil society organizations on youth, peace, and security.
• Supports in undertaking research, literature reviews, and secondary data analysis in areas such as youth development, youth, peace, and security.
• Supports the development of analytical products and briefs in the area of youth development, and youth, peace, and security.
• Assists in engaging in UN inter-agency initiatives and joint programming efforts, and participates in multi-stakeholder partnerships with partners from the UN system, civil society, regional organizations, and academic institutions.
• Assists in monitoring, assessments, and preparing reports and briefs on programme activities in the area of youth development, and youth, peace and security.
• Contributes to advocacy and resource mobilization efforts by preparing documentation in the area of youth development, and youth, peace and security, such as project summaries, conference papers, speeches, concept notes, proposals and by participating in public information events.
• Helps to create and document knowledge about trends in the areas of youth development, and youth, peace and security by analyzing programmes, projects, strategies, approaches, and ongoing experience for lessons learned and best practices, and assists in sharing with management, programme team, partners, and the UN Inter-agency working Group on Adolescents and Youth for use in knowledge sharing and planning future strategies.
• Assists in establishing partnerships with stakeholders, the private sector, and civil society to promote youth, peace, and security programme outcomes.
• Provides other support as may be deemed necessary for the programme delivery.