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. UNFPA expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. Since UNFPA started working in 1969, the number - and rate - of women dying from complications of p...

Programme Specialist, Climate Change, Population and Development Branch, Programme Division (PD)

The Position:

The Programme Specialist, is located in the UNFPA Programme Division. Working under the direct supervision of the Chief, Population and Development Branch (PDB), the incumbent leads UNFPA’s engagement with internal and external stakeholders on climate change and provides high-level strategic, technical and policy guidance on climate change adaptation, specifically focusing on the linkages between climate action, demographic resilience, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality and youth leadership.

The Specialist will lead the coordination of the UNFPA work on climate action and gender-responsive adaptation. S/he will support policy advocacy activities at the global, regional, and country levels and lead the corporate Interdivisional Technical Working Group on Climate Change.

Job Purpose:

The Programme Specialist provides technical leadership for policy analysis, advocacy and capacity building, working closely with regional and national focal points on climate action.

S/he will strengthen the organization’s capacity to advocate, design, and implement climate change adaptation initiatives that are informed by data and demographic intelligence, that are rights-based and prioritize youth leadership and engagement. S/he will contribute to ensuring that gender-response climate adaptation, equity, and rights-based approaches are embedded in national commitments and action.

You would be responsible for:

Policy Analysis, Knowledge Generation, and Innovation

• Lead policy analysis on climate change adaptation, demographic resilience, SRHR and gender equality to drive national commitments and integrate strategies into national policy frameworks;
• Commission, direct and oversee global and regional assessments to strengthen the evidence base on climate change impacts on women, young people and marginalized populations, including their SRHR, to inform high-level policy advocacy and institutional decision-making;
• Design, test and promote innovative solutions for climate change adaptation, ensuring individual, community and (health) service system resilience;
• Lead the development, documentation and dissemination of global guidelines, case studies, and best practices to advance regional and global knowledge sharing on SRHR, gender equality and climate action;
• Provide expert technical and policy advice to government partners on integrating SRHR and gender-responsive services into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans;
• Support the roll-out of geospatial vulnerability mapping and demographic intelligence tools to identify spatial climate risks and service disruption hot spots for highly exposed, remote, and marginalized populations;
• Support strategic foresight initiatives and multi-sectoral risk modeling to analyze the complex interactions between climate change and demographic megatrends - including rapid urbanization, climate-induced migration/displacement, and population aging - to inform rights-based adaptation policies.

Programme Planning, Management, and Coordination

• Drive the implementation of UNFPA Strategic Plan climate commitments by guiding the planning, implementation and monitoring of evidence-based interventions at regional and country levels;
• Provide strategic oversight and technical direction for climate adaptation initiatives, lead the formulation of evidence-based strategies and interventions, in collaboration with regional and country offices;
• Design and lead capacity building initiatives to strengthen institutional capabilities across national governments and regional bodies regarding the linkages between demographic resilience, SRHR, gender and climate change;
• Lead youth empowerment and engagement strategies within climate adaptation and related thematic areas;
• Ensure the strategic integration of climate adaptation and resilience considerations across humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) continuum;
• Support UNFPA’s engagement with disaster management platforms to promote the use of population data to strengthen early warning systems and loss-and-damage assessments;
• Convene and lead high-level policy dialogues and technical assistance with governments, development partners, and private sector stakeholders;
• Establish robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, tracking indicators aligned with the Strategic Plan results to drive evidence-based reporting and learning.

Partnerships, Advocacy, and Resource Mobilization

• Lead policy advocacy strategies for UNFPA’s climate action vision, driving increased climate finance allocation toward the health, protection and rights of women, girls, and marginalized populations;
• Engage strategically with key ministries (e.g., health, gender, social welfare, environment, finance) to align climate adaptation with national budget allocations and foster domestic resource mobilization;
• Drive resource mobilization for climate action by preparing high-quality concept notes, proposals, and donor briefs, in close collaboration with the Office of Executive Director, Division of External Relations and Regional Offices;
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with IFIs and development banks, private sector, and philanthropic actors to co-finance gender-responsive climate adaptation;
• Represent UNFPA in inter-agency coordination mechanisms and forums on climate change, driving coherent joint UN policy positions and financing initiatives.

• Lead policy analysis on climate change adaptation, demographic resilience, SRHR and gender equality to drive national commitments and integrate strategies into national policy frameworks;
• Commission, direct and oversee global and regional assessments to strengthen the evidence base on climate change impacts on women, young people and marginalized populations, including their SRHR, to inform high-level policy advocacy and institutional decision-making;
• Design, test and promote innovative solutions for climate change adaptation, ensuring individual, community and (health) service system resilience;
• Lead the development, documentation and dissemination of global guidelines, case studies, and best practices to advance regional and global knowledge sharing on SRHR, gender equality and climate action;
• Provide expert technical and policy advice to government partners on integrating SRHR and gender-responsive services into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans;
• Support the roll-out of geospatial vulnerability mapping and demographic intelligence tools to identify spatial climate risks and service disruption hot spots for highly exposed, remote, and marginalized populations;
• Support strategic foresight initiatives and multi-sectoral risk modeling to analyze the complex interactions between climate change and demographic megatrends - including rapid urbanization, climate-induced migration/displacement, and population aging - to inform rights-based adaptation policies.
• Drive the implementation of UNFPA Strategic Plan climate commitments by guiding the planning, implementation and monitoring of evidence-based interventions at regional and country levels;
• Provide strategic oversight and technical direction for climate adaptation initiatives, lead the formulation of evidence-based strategies and interventions, in collaboration with regional and country offices;
• Design and lead capacity building initiatives to strengthen institutional capabilities across national governments and regional bodies regarding the linkages between demographic resilience, SRHR, gender and climate change;
• Lead youth empowerment and engagement strategies within climate adaptation and related thematic areas;
• Ensure the strategic integration of climate adaptation and resilience considerations across humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) continuum;
• Support UNFPA’s engagement with disaster management platforms to promote the use of population data to strengthen early warning systems and loss-and-damage assessments;
• Convene and lead high-level policy dialogues and technical assistance with governments, development partners, and private sector stakeholders;
• Establish robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, tracking indicators aligned with the Strategic Plan results to drive evidence-based reporting and learning.
• Lead policy advocacy strategies for UNFPA’s climate action vision, driving increased climate finance allocation toward the health, protection and rights of women, girls, and marginalized populations;
• Engage strategically with key ministries (e.g., health, gender, social welfare, environment, finance) to align climate adaptation with national budget allocations and foster domestic resource mobilization;
• Drive resource mobilization for climate action by preparing high-quality concept notes, proposals, and donor briefs, in close collaboration with the Office of Executive Director, Division of External Relations and Regional Offices;
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with IFIs and development banks, private sector, and philanthropic actors to co-finance gender-responsive climate adaptation;
• Represent UNFPA in inter-agency coordination mechanisms and forums on climate change, driving coherent joint UN policy positions and financing initiatives.

• MBA/MSc/MA