Organization Mission

The United Nations Population Fund (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 focuses on advancing women’s and young people’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights. Since 1970, UNFPA in Pakistan has supported:
Sexual and reproductive health information and services;
Adolescents and youth;
Women’s empowerment and gender equality;
Population and development.

Our programmes expand across the country with tailored interventions for local contexts. We do this through:

Gender-responsive and youth-friendly policies, laws and initiatives;
Advocacy for increased investments in health and education;
Strengthened capacities of government and civil society institutions for youth-led sexual and reproductive health programmes and partnerships;
Alliances and strategies to reduce gender inequality;
Integrated and multi-sectoral approaches to population dynamics and its linkages to development;
Communication strategies that address social norms change;
Enhance government partnership with private and civil society sectors.

Working with government, civil society partners and other humanitarian agencies, UNFPA Pakistan advocates for the integration of gender and sexual and reproductive health issues by increasing awareness and commitment among policy makers, decision-makers and program managers, and strengthening partnerships with national entities to improve coordination for effective preparedness and response.

UNFPA is aligned with national priorities (Pakistan 2025 Vision), the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF 2018-2022), UNFPA Strategic Plan (2018-2021), International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and Family Planning 2020 commitments.

Context

In a highly complex operating environment, you will play a key role in contributing to the prioritization and effective management of UNFPA interventions and activities in the areas of humanitarian development and climate nexus.

You will assist with the preparation of technical, demographic and data analysis through and the application of A.I powered innovative data intelligence approaches to advance UNFPA’s mandate particularly in provision of life saving SRH and GBV services. You will play a key role in analyzing trends, identifying emerging challenges and opportunities, and translating complex data into accessible and policy-relevant information for decision-making. Your analysis will provide information on achievement of results in the implementation of the humanitarian preparedness and response projects and overall analysis of the relevant political, social and economic trends to inform project formulation and integrating humanitarian development and climate nexus.

Key Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of Deputy Representative, the UN Volunteer Associate will undertake the following tasks:

Data Science and Intelligence (50%):
⮚ Support the application of advanced statistical techniques and data science techniques, including machine learning, data mining, and predictive analytics, to extract meaningful insights from diverse data sources (e.g., surveys, administrative data, digital data).
⮚ Develop and implement data visualization tools and dashboards/data portal to communicate complex data effectively to a range of audiences.
⮚ Support the analysis of population, migration, and mobility trends, including internal displacement and climate-related movements, to inform evidence-based planning.
⮚ Support data analysis and information management for humanitarian preparedness and response, including vulnerability mapping and rapid needs assessments. Explore and evaluate the use of innovative data sources and technologies, such as A.I, geospatial data, mobile phone data, and social media data, for population-related analysis.
⮚ Contribute to the implementation of data governance frameworks and standards, interoperability to ensure data quality, security, and ethical use.
⮚ Explore innovative methodologies and approaches for data collection, analysis, and dissemination in the field of population studies.
⮚ Contribute to the development of knowledge products and publications based on research findings.
⮚ Support documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and case studies related to data use in humanitarian and development contexts.

Technical Support and Capacity Building (40%):
⮚ Support technical assistance to UNFPA staff and partners on data collection, management, analysis, and utilization for evidence-based programming and policy.
⮚ Contribute to the delivery of training workshops and capacity building initiatives on trends and data analysis techniques, and data visualization tools.
⮚ Support the integration of related data and analysis into UNFPA’s strategic planning, programme design, monitoring, and evaluation processes.
⮚ Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing on data intelligence within UNFPA and with external stakeholders, including provincial offices, related institutions, Implementing partners and other UN agencies.
⮚ Contribute to the development of policy briefs, position papers, and advocacy materials on key Humanitarian, development and climate issues.
⮚ Support government counterparts and partners in the use and interpretation of population and migration data for planning and policy processes.

Partnership and Resource Mobilization (10%):
⮚ Contribute to funding proposals and briefing documents for donors
⮚ Contributes to improving communication products in humanitarian development and climate related portfolios.
⮚ Support documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and case studies related to data use in humanitarian and development contexts

During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check‑ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Demonstrated interest or experience (up to two years) in activities and/or projects that involve demographic methods, statistical softwares (e.g., SPSS, Stata), and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).

Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.

Skills

Specialist level command on computer MS. Office, Data softwares and A.I
Certifications in GIS, SPSS, Stata etc. is an asset.

Core Competencies

Accountability
Adaptability and Flexibility
Commitment and Motivation
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Communication
Creativity
Ethics and Values
Integrity
Knowledge Sharing
Professionalism
Respect for Diversity
Self-Management
Technological Awareness
Working in Teams

Living Conditions

Pakistan is situated in South Asia. Located along the Arabian Sea, it is surrounded by Afghanistan to the west and northwest, Iran to the southwest, India to the east, and China to the northeast. Pakistan has an extremely varied geographical outlook, including mountains, deserts, major rivers and the sea. Pakistan experiences frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe, especially in north and west.

Security: Islamabad is a family duty station. For all official travel, UN Security Clearance is required/mandatory. Registration with home embassy is highly recommended. International Staff deployed in Pakistan are required to report to Security Unit for detail briefing.

Guest Houses: The UNV Field Unit will help arrange your initial accommodation, at your expense (Settling-in Grant is foreseen for this).

Telecommunications: There is one major fixed line provider (PTCL) and 4 cellular companies (Mobilink, Ufone, Telenor and Zong). 4G service is being provided by almost all cellular companies. Call rates vary but are extremely cheap for some Western countries. All cellular operators in Pakistan use GSM platform. Country code for Pakistan is +92 and City code for Islamabad is (0)51.

Electricity (Voltage): Electricity in Pakistan is 220-240 Volts.

Health: State of the art health facilities are available throughout the country and especially Islamabad. Dental care facilities are also available. There are no mandatory vaccines required to travel to Pakistan. Currently dengue fever is on the rise in Pakistan especially in Punjab. Mosquito repellents are recommended. There are other health facilities in Islamabad which have been recognized by WHO.

Diet, Food and Water: There are many local markets around Islamabad as well as various supermarkets that are stocked with imported goods. Islamabad has a large number of restaurants and cafes. Tap water is not advisable and bottled water is available almost everywhere. Using alcoholic drinks in public is illegal in Pakistan.

Money/banking: Current US dollar exchange rate is 1 USD = PKR 279. To receive payments locally, UNV unit will help you open a bank account with Standard Chartered Bank. This will be a paired account where you can use it both for US dollar as well as Pak Rupee. ATM machines can be found throughout the country.

Climate: The climate is generally characterized by hot summers and cool or cold winters. From June to September, most of the country is lashed by the South West Monsoon, which leads to heavy rainfall and high humidity. Islamabad has a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers accompanied by a monsoon season followed by fairly cold winters. The hottest months are May and June, where average highs routinely exceed 38 °C (100.4 °F).

Respect: Pakistan is a conservative country, and it is advisable for women to wear long skirts or trousers in public (Pakistani women wear the traditional shalwar kameez, but in the big cities, women wearing jeans and khakis is not very uncommon sight, especially in casual settings, shopping malls and around picnic spots). Dress codes for men are more lax, though shorts are uncommon. Men should never shake hands with or touch a woman they don”t know very well. As with most of South Asia, the right hand is used for eating, shaking hands and giving or receiving everything (including money), while the left hand is reserved for handling shoes and assisting in toilet duties. Discussion about religion and Islam should remain respectful and positive.