Youth Advocate for Adolescent/Health

Details

Mission and objectives

Update

Context

In Sao Tome and Principe (STP), UNICEF within its new Country Program Document 2023-2027 focuses on multifaceted components, all mainstreaming adolescents and young people. In relation to Adolescent health and well-being, UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ministry of Public Works, Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoY) will support the implementation of adolescent-led solutions to promote healthy, protective behaviours among peers and communities, on HIV, violence, early pregnancy, nutrition, open defecation, influence of climate change on the development of young people and adolescents, and hygiene, including menstrual hygiene management. In this respect, different platforms will be used to engage and capacitate adolescents, including those who are out of school, with skills to act as agents of positive change. showing the importance why young people need to be at the forefront in the response to these issues. Aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023–2027 (UNSDCF), UNICEF in collaboration with WHO and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will support the development of a strategy to address adolescent pregnancy, violence, mental health, and nutrition. In addition, interpersonal skills of health workers will be strengthened to deliver adolescent-friendly, gender-responsive and quality health-care services in a supportive, respectful, and non-discriminatory manner, encouraging the demand for essential health services. UNICEF will also implement social behaviour change (SBC) interventions, through adolescent-led innovative approaches, in coordination with WHO, UNDP and UNFPA, and with Government stakeholders, to ensure that girls and boys, embrace safe and healthy behaviours and take better decisions to prevent climate change. Investing in adolescent health and well-being and climate change is crucial to ensure the future of current and next generations. In Sao Tome and Principe, efforts have been made to address adolescent access to quality services and prevention of risky sexual behaviours. However, data disaggregated by sex, age, and sector for example adolescent mental health and well-being, teenage pregnancy, nutrition and physical (in) activity among adolescents, drug and alcohol abuse is lacking. This set of data is important to better understand adolescent’s knowledge, attitudes and practices related to potential risky behaviours and create prevention initiatives. In light of the above, UNICEF seeks to recruit a UNV – Youth Advocate to support for the development of a multisectoral Adolescent Health Strategy, including a Policy Brief, with stakeholder involvement, leading to improve adolescent health outcomes and well-being in the country. This strategy will support the development and implementation of trainings for healthcare professionals to improve interpersonal skills in providing adolescent-friendly healthcare services on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, vaccination, and nutrition. It will also support the design of effective social behaviour change interventions to address potential risky behaviours and promote positive healthy practices among adolescents.

Task description

Under the supervision of the Youth and Adolescent Officer, the National UNV Youth Advocate will be responsible for the following tasks: 1. Support to Adolescent Health Strategy Development and Planning: - Contribute to the gathering of relevant information on adolescent health and well-being through research, data collection and analysis. - Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues from different programme sections: Health and WASH, Education, Child protection and Social Inclusion for technical and operational support throughout all stages of strategy development, preparing related materials and documentations. - Support on the Creation and dynamization of National Multisectoral Committee for the Development and Implementation of the Adolescent Health Strategy. - Monitor and report all stages of the strategy development to keep all the relevant stakeholders informed of programme progress. 2. Technical and operational support to programme implementation and monitoring: - Support to conduct regular meetings and trainings with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support. - Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems for timely action to achieve results. - Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and under-standing of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes to support Strategy development. 3. Support Advocacy, Networking, and partnership building: - Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate strategy development and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results - In collaboration with the Communication Section, draft communication, and information materials for advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fund raising for the development and implementation of the Adolescent Health Strategy - Participate in inter-agency meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on UNDCF operational planning and preparation of adolescent health programmes. - Research, collection of relevant information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.