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Organizational Context/Project:

UNDP Pakistan seeks to promote inclusive youth led development in line with the SDGs 2030 Agenda by working to advance young people’s participation in civic and political life, their economic empowerment and their role as resilience-builders. As part of it’s flagship Youth Empowerment Programme, UNDP Pakistan seeks to promote social, economic and political inclusion of marginalized youth. The programme supports the Government of Pakistan to implement the recommendations of the 2018 National Human Development Report on youth by partnering with a wide range of stakeholders including politicians, local, Provincial and Federal Governments, civil society, media, private sector and youth activists. Marginalized youth in Pakistan fall into many categories; the programme seeks to work directly with religious and sexual minorities, women in conservative societies, youth in conflict with the law, youth in religious seminaries as well as youth living with disabilities to support their capacity development and provide linkages with mainstream opportunities for social, economic and political empowerment. In the above context, we believe that having a qualified colleague who has experienced first-hand the challenges of living with disabilities would add additional depth to our programming and would allow us to identify solid entry points for expanding our work with people living with disabilities.

The Youth Empowerment Programme is part of UNDP Pakistan’s Crisis Prevention and Recovery unit and the team is based in Islamabad (with a small satellite team based in Karachi) led by an International Programme Specialist (P3) with 2 Senior National Technical leads (one on Social Inclusion and Engagement and the other on Employment and Entrepreneurship). The UNV Social Inclusion Officer will be directly supervised by the International Programme Specialist and will support her in the design, implementation and monitoring of the social inclusion, engagement, education and employment components for the Youth Empowerment Programme, with specific focus on ensuring the needs, rights and desires of groups of marginalized youth (including youth living with disabilities) are mainstreamed in all programming. The Youth Empowerment teams already houses a transgender colleague and has excelled in championing diversity and inclusion both within the office and during project implementation. The Project Manager has supervised numerous UNVs and JPOs in her 12-year tenure with UNDP and thrives on supporting young aspiring professionals to develop their skills within the development sector, providing them with guidance, motivation and space to grow. The team is well-known within the office for being enthusiastic, proactive and innovative.

Above and beyond the Youth Empowerment team itself, the Senior Management team has committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within the office and has frequently encouraged the staff to address issues of inclusion for people living with disabilities both within our own HR regime as well as in our programming and partnerships.

Advocacy work with partners (including the private sector) will be a key component of the terms of reference of the UNV Social Inclusion Officer. In terms of partnerships, the Youth Empowerment Programme has conducted skills training and job placement for people with disabilities in the garment industry together with a local organization for people with disabilities. Plans are ongoing to use this initiative as a basis to encourage other private sector partners to enhance accessibility of employment for people with disabilities. Youth with disabilities have also been proactively engaged in the programme’s dialogue work with political/government stakeholders as well as in innovation related challenges and bootcamps where several grantees were youth with disabilities.

Description of tasks:

• Support the Youth Social Inclusion and Engagement Specialist in the design and implementation of activities programmed under the Annual Work Plan with particular focus on how to ensure inclusion of marginalized groups.
• Support research and analysis on the situation of marginalized youth in Pakistan, with particular reference to the following groups (religious minorities, sexual minorities, juveniles in conflict with the law and people living with disabilities) and provide recommendations to be incorporated into the project strategy.
• Support advocacy activities carried out by the project to promote inclusive behaviour among youth in Pakistan (to be carried out in universities/colleges/religious seminaries/technical training institutes/workplaces and online).
• Engage regularly with project partners to promote inclusion for people living with disabilities.
• Provide inputs on steps that the UNDP Pakistan Office could take to ensure increased inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities.
  

Furthermore, participants in the Talent Programme are required to:

• Strengthen their knowledge on the SDGs and the United Nations Development System
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNDP and UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Living Conditions:

As this is a national UNV assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

UNV Field Unit will help you open a Pak rupee bank account with Standard Chartered Bank or any other local bank at your duty station.

Special considerations for people with disabilities:

While facilities in the external environment (shops/restaurants/cafes) do not generally cater to people with disabilities, in the main areas where foreigners tend to concentrate several establishments can be found on the ground floor or with outdoor seating which have relatively easier access. In addition, domestic support is common in Islamabad and it is relatively easy to find and reasonably priced. It is common for foreigners living in Islamabad to have trustworthy staff who speak fluent English and can support with cleaning, driving, cooking and running errands.

UNDP Pakistan Office

UNDP Pakistan is situated in the Serena Business Complex, centrally located in the capital city of Islamabad. The business center has all relevant amenities including 2 functioning wide-spaced lifts that go straight to UNDP offices without the need to use stairs. Most doors to offices, conference rooms and bathrooms are wide enough to accommodate wheelchair access. While no current measures are in place to support those who are visually impaired or have hearing difficulties, these can be easily introduced and the office is willing to undertake the necessary measures to ensure accessibility for any future colleagues with disabilities.

While access to the office is relatively easy as it is situated in the main government area. While public transport such as buses/taxis do cover the area, these measures are not entirely friendly for people living with disabilities. UNDP Pakistan would recommend providing transport in a private vehicle for the staff member to ensure their safety and security.