Disability Inclusion Officer

Background

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.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

In Viet Nam, the number of persons with disabilities (PWDs) is estimated to be around 6.2 million, accounting for more than 7% of the population. Despite government’s efforts, PWDs in the country are still facing difficulties to getting access to integrated education and information, vocational training, employment, physical environment and full integration and participation in the society.

UNDP is working closely with Viet Nam’s Government and organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to protect and promote the rights of PWDs in the following areas:

Support for strategic data generation and use for policy advocacy for PWDs
Emergency response to support PWDs and UXO survivors in the context of COVID 19
Empowerment of PWDs and UXO survivors
Innovation in assisting PWDs and UXO survivors

The following key messages reflect core values of our disability inclusion portfolio:

Help build a disability-inclusive UN system by complying with the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy;
Support to strengthen the legal framework on PWDs of Viet Nam to align it with international standards;
Empower PWDs to monitor their own rights and fully participate in the economic, cultural, and social life, especially in critical situations when their vulnerability is increased;
Foster a discrimination-free and violence-free and inclusive environment for PWDs, especially women and girls with disabilities and the most marginalized, by raising community’s awareness of the rights of PWDs.

UNDP Disability Inclusion Portfolio is implementing the following projects /activities:

1. The United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UNPRPD MPTF): a unique partnership that brings together UN entities, governments, OPDs, and broader civil society to advance the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and disability inclusive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the country level around the world. After our successful completion of the UNPRPD project in 2018, UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA Viet Nam have jointly submitted a full proposal in the Inception Phase to implement the UNPRPD project in the fourth round tentatively starting in January 2022. Based on our achievements in the previous round of UNPRPD and our ongoing projects, UNDP’s interventions to promote the rights of PWDs will focus on the following areas:

Supporting Viet Nam’s Government to conduct some studies to prove the necessity of revising the Law on Persons with Disabilities after its ten years of implementation;
Supporting Viet Nam’s Government to complete the proposal dossier to accede to the Marrakesh Treaty and implement it in Vietnamese contexts;
Empowering OPDs and capacity building for duty bearers to protect the rights of PWDs and fully include them in national sustainable development strategies and plans.

2. Strengthening implementation of international human rights recommendations made to Viet Nam: The Disability Inclusion Portfolio takes the lead in one activity in this project funded by Norway Embassy, which is supporting Vietnamese OPDs to monitor the CRPD implementation in Viet Nam and prepare a list of issues to send to the CRPD Committee for their dialogue on the Initial CRPD State Report 2018 with the CRPD Committee in the coming years (2022 – 2023).

3. Conducting the second survey on socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on PWDs: This survey has collected 1,800 responses from PWDs representing diverse sex, age, disability groups, ethnic groups and geographical regions by late September 2021. The survey results will be analyzed and compared to those in the first survey conducted in Apr 2020 to evaluate the challenges PWDs are facing in four waves of COVID-19 in Viet Nam, their access to support package provided by the Government and support from other resources, and their access to vaccine.

4. Jointly implementing the UN Disability Inclusion Action Plan (June 2021 – June 2022) with the UNCT and providing technical support for the Action Plan.

Moreover, some opportunities are explored to expand the portfolio to promote the rights of PWDs in other areas, such as their political rights. The portfolio is also supporting other UNDP projects to be more disability-inclusive by contributing disability-aggregated data and improving accessibility for meaningful participation of PWDs in the 2030 Development Agenda.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Disability Inclusion Portfolio is a priority in the Governance and Participation Unit of UNDP. Therefore, the officer under this portfolio, will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Governance and Participation Unit.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Assistant Resident Representative, Head of the Governance and Participation Unit, the Disability Inclusion Officer (hereafter referred to as the Officer) is responsible for management of UNDP Disability Inclusion Portfolio.

The officer analyzes political, social and economic trends, leads formulation, management and evaluation of programme activities within the Disability Inclusion Portfolio, and provides technical support for other UNDP projects to be more disability inclusive. The officer works in close collaboration with the operations team, programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UNDP programme implementation.

In particular, the officer will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following tasks:

Manage and monitor the implementation of all activities and projects under the Disability Inclusion Portfolio.
Draft and review to ensure high quality contents of disability inclusion of all project documents and do quality assurance for all knowledge products of the Portfolio for their publication.
Provide technical support for other UNDP existing and future projects, the UNCT Disability Inclusion Coordination Mechanism, OPDs and other partners to ensure disability inclusiveness in their programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Maintain regular, effective communication with disability inclusion specialists inside and outside UNDP, the donors, the government, OPDs, and other partners, to ensure due accountability and efficient project implementation to meet UNDP’s and donors’ requirements and standards.
Ensure UNDP’s contribution and reporting to the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) to meet the requirements of disability inclusion of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) and the UNSDCF 2022-2026.
Undertake the appropriate communication and dissemination of information to ensure project and UNDP’s visibility.
Look for opportunities to expand the Portfolio with new projects. This may include project formulation and resource mobilization and strengthening partnerships with the Government, OPDs, and the private sector.

Competencies

Core behavioral competencies

Achieve results: consistently strive to meet or exceed excellence standards
Think innovatively: propose new ideas, approaches and solutions to problems
Learn continuously: keep abreast of new developments in one’s professional area
Adapt with Agility : seamlessly adapt to working with new situations or contexts, with new people, and in different ways
Act with Determination: not give up in the face of adversity and setbacks; demonstrate resilience and composure
Engage and Partner: demonstrate courage, self-motivation and initiative to act on opportunities without being prompted by others
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: fully accept and value all people, creating an inclusive environment

Desired additional skills and competencies

Experience within and understanding of the United Nations system.
Ability to work independently and cooperatively.
Proven ability to work in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
Good interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written), including the ability to write clear and comprehensive reports.
Literacy in computing, information management, website and social media.
Good oral presentation skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Social Sciences, Humanities, Development, Human Rights, Social Work or a relevant related field.
A Bachelor ’s degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree

Experience:

At least 2 years of professional experience in the field of development, social inclusion of the most vulnerable, disability rights, and/or gender mainstreaming.
Solid experience of project management and monitoring
Demonstrated experience in analyzing and interpreting related quantitative and qualitative information, accessing databases, presenting data, writing reports.
Strong knowledge and understanding of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Strong knowledge of international treaties related to the rights of persons with disabilities, national laws and policies protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.
Good knowledge of contemporary development issues nationally, regionally and globally focusing on disability rights, gender, social inclusion, the human rights-based approach (HRBA), access to justice, and national and global planning frameworks.
Proficient at conducting and writing research on disability inclusion.
Good policy and data analysis skills.

Language Requirement:

Proficient level (written/spoken/comprehension) of English and Vietnamese.

Travel:

The officer is expected to travel around Ha Noi and outside Ha Noi to participate in and oversee workshops and events, depending on the project design.

Apply Before 01/19/2022, 11:59 PM

Location Hanoi, Vietnam

APPLY HERE