Position open: UNAIDS Country Coordinator, India

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Vacancy No.: UNAIDS/08/FT68 Position title: UNAIDS Country Coordinator, India Grade: D1 Contract type: Fixed-term appointment Duration of contract: Fixed Term Appointment

Date: 27 June 2008 Deadline for application: 23 July 2008 Organization unit: Technical and Operational Support Derpartment Duty station: NEW DELHI India

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The thrust of the UNAIDS Office is to effectively contribute to the national AIDS response with high level policy, strategic guidance and technical support to scale up towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. In this regard the UNAIDS Country Office will be playing a high level policy driven role, providing intellectual and strategic leadership on AIDS, high quality technical support, promoting and advocating for sustained high level engagement of government and civil society. In addition, the UNAIDS Country Office will continue to play an important role in facilitating the leveraging of Global Fund resources and monitoring grants performance by supporting the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM). As convener of the Joint UN Team on AIDS and a Secretariat of the UN Theme Group on AIDS, the Country Office will strive to ensure strategic relevance, coherence, simplification and harmonization of the Joint UN Support Plan to the National Strategic Plan and monitor its implementation.

Main tasks and Responsibilities of the Position:

The UNAIDS Country Coordinator (UCC) operates within the Resident Coordinator system to support the work of the UN Country Team. The UCC provides leadership, coordinates, support and facilitates an expanded joint UN system response to HIV and AIDS at country level. Working from a strong UN platform, the UCC serves to strengthen the links between the UN system, government, civil society, and people living with HIV and AIDS. Under the guidance and supervision of the RST Director for the incumbent is responsible for:1) UN system strengthening:

Lead and support the establishment of the Joint UN Team on AIDS and its efficient functioning, ensuring the development of the Joint Programme of support on AIDS to the national response and overseeing its implementation and monitoring.Advocate and promote the efficient functioning of the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS (including Technical Working Groups and other relevant forums) to ensure coordination and communication within the UN and between the UN, government and other development partners.2) Leadership and Advocacy for effective action on the epidemic:

a) Advocate for integration and mainstreaming of AIDS, through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes, and major government development instruments such as the National Programme of Action, Vision 2014 and Government cluster system and sectional policies and programmes. Advocate for the emergence and affirmation of national and provincial coordinating entities (e.g. Inter-Ministerial AIDS Committee, National and Provincial AIDS Councils), in line with the Three Ones principles.c) Ensure and facilitate the implementation of the Global Task Team recommendations for improving AIDS coordination along multilateral institutions and international donors particularly in the areas of alignment and harmonization and ownership leading to effective application of the Three Onesd) Lead and provide authoritative guidance on development policy and strategy for a scaled-up national response, support the scaling up of intervention programmes for vulnerable groups.e) Advocate for and facilitate the scaling up to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support with all national and international partners - government, civil society, bilateral and multilateral with emphasis on the HIV prevention aspect.f) Play a key role in the development and application of a Joint UN advocacy strategy and plan. g) Promote access to treatment in different ways, including through the use of the flexibilities under the WTO TRIPS agreement.3) Strategic information required to guide the efforts of partners:a) Oversee the collection, analysis, dissemination and use of strategic information across the range of issues and themes needed to guide public policy, support the UN's advocacy efforts, and inform technically and ethically sound policies and programmes, providing expert advice towards the development and consolidation of tools and mechanisms (e.g. Country Response Information Systems (CRIS)) to track the national response, including national programme actions, financing and results. Facilitate the application by the UN Country Team of the UN Learning Strategy on HIV and AIDS, including HIV in the workplace programme and UN Plus.4) Tracking, monitoring and evaluation of the epidemic and response:

a) Promote and facilitate the development and consolidation of one national M & E system and facilitate coordination of Cosponsor and other donor activities in M & E (e.g. GAMET, Global Aids M & E Support Team), including but not limited to leading and overseeing the development of a joint UN strategy and monitoring of a UN Implementation Support Plan based on the UNDAF Results Matrix and the National Strategic Plan on AIDS. Ensure periodic monitoring and reporting of activities of Cosponsors and other UN agencies at UN Theme Group level according to an agreed set of indicators based on a UN Joint Support Plan on AIDS, including support for the strategic management of the response to AIDS, and government-led participatory reviews.c) Ensure tracking of resources allocated to AIDS-related activities and identification and analysis of resource gaps.5) Civil society engagement and partnership development:a) Advocate with national leadership for an expanded national response, inclusive of civil society, including people living with HIV, and the private sector. Broker strategic partnerships between national and international partners. Promote increased participation of all sectors of society, national and international partners, in the planning, implementation and evaluation of AIDS activities through mechanisms such as national partnership forums.c) Take a leadership role for capacity building of civil society organizations and NGOs, in particular those representing people living with HIV and AIDS, with a view to enhance their involvement and contributions to national policy and programme development and implementation.6) Financial, technical and political resource mobilization:a) Identify and analyse technical capacity and resource gaps; mobilize technical, financial and institutional resources to respond to needs, including those from the provincial and local level. Facilitate and promote national leadership of coordinated efforts to mobilize resources, domestic and international, including from development banks, funds and foundations. Promote participatory processes for strategic allocation and utilisation of resources, supportive of national priorities and national capacity building. Lead the UNAIDS Country Office team in developing an annual workplan supporting the national response and mobilization additional resources for its implementation, tracking expenditures and monitoring achievement of results.7) Provide leadership and technical and managerial support to a team of international and locally-recruited staff, including staff selection, appraisals and oversee the sound administration of funds and materials entrusted.8) In addition the UCC will:

a) Facilitate UNAIDS support to Government to fulfill its strategic leading role in global advocacy to link up with emerging economies such as Brazil, China and India to negotiate better access to medicines and manufacturing of AIDS drugs. At regional level, to support regional agenda to keep AIDS on the developmental and long term sustainable agenda by advocating for the implementation of regional and international commitments on AIDS. Build strategic alliance with Lead Scientists and Research Institutions, Think-Tank communities, Private Sector, interest based associations, and advocacy groups for an expanded response to the HIV epidemic and also a means to maximize «Country» contribution in the region related to Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, to yield greater reach and long term impact in the AIDS response.c) Actively gather and maintain up to date social intelligence and strategic information on the political engagement, and AIDS policy to inform the Executive Director and senior management of evolving opportunities and challenges in the AIDS response.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:Essential: Advanced degree in development economics, social or physical sciences, public health, public administration, management or similar academic preparation.

Competencies: Extensive knowledge and understanding of the Country's political and transformative agenda is essential. Knowledge of the complexities of the AIDS response and developmental issues in the country with a thorough understanding of the AIDS epidemic and its socio-economic impact.Knowledge of the UN System organizations functioning, policies and working methods and their delivery mechanisms, and/or development issues and the application of research findings to meet the requirements of developing countries.

Experience:Essential: Over 15 years of planning, managing and implementing development cooperation programmes, including field experience with demonstrated achievements in developing countries, in project design, management and strategy development.Desirable: Experience of working in a decentralized national setup in the region and/or with UN System organizations in technical or public health programmes.

Languages:Essential: Fluency in English, both written and oral communication.Desirable: Working knowledge of another UN official language. Knowledge of Hindi an asset.

Additional Information:Positions at the international professional category within UNAIDS may be subject to the Organization's Mobility Policy. The above mentioned post is a rotational post and has a standard duration of assignment of 4 years. The standard duration is linked to the hardship classification of the duty station.

Annual salary: (Net of tax)89129 USD at single rate96427 USD with primary dependants

Post Adjustment: 39 % of the figure(s) on the left side. This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.