Disability Rights Officer

**Job Identification**
- 20677

**Locations**
- New Delhi, India**Posting Date**
- 09/13/2024, 05:17 AM
- 09/27/2024, 01:29 PM

**Job Schedule**
- Full time

**Agency**
- Resident Coordinator Office

**Grade**
- SB4

**Vacancy Type**
- Service Contract Holders

**Practice Area**
- UN Coordination

**Bureau**
- Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

**Contract Duration**
- 1 Year with Possibility for extension

**Education & Work Experience**
- Master's Degree - 3 year(s) experience

**Other Criteria**
- A minimum three (3) years (with Masters’ degree), or, minimum five (5) years (with Bachelors’ degree) of relevant experience.

**Required Languages**
- Fluency in English and knowledge of Hindi is essential.

**Vacancy Timeline**
- 2 Weeks

**Job Purpose and Organizational Context**:
This assignment is part of a collaborative initiative being implemented by the United Nations (UN) system facilitated through UNOPS, UNDP, UNICEF, and other UN agencies under the coordination of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office (UNRCO). According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.3 billion people - or 16% of the global population experience a significant disability today. In India, there are 2.68 crore Persons with Disabilities according to the National Census 2011 i.e. 2.21 percent of the total population in India is disabled. It is well known that persons with disabilities face exclusion and understanding the detail and causes of exclusion is crucial to achieving inclusion. But this cannot be done without good quality, comprehensive data. The availability of valid and reliable data is critical in order to develop and evaluate policies and programmes being implemented by Governments at various stages. The data on disability is extremely important for ensuring the empowerment of persons with disabilities and to protect them against discrimination on the grounds of their disability. However, measuring disability is a complex phenomenon as the definitions of disability vary because of the evolving concept of disability and the various approaches for disability identification. Consultations organized by United Nations and facilitated by Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in various regions, highlighted the imperative for advocating disability-disaggregated data, dignified social security measures encompassing additional disability-related expenses, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster risk reduction and climate justice initiatives. Consequently, this collaborative initiative aims to conduct a research study on disability inclusion, focusing on the socio-economic status of persons with disabilities, while exploring the aforementioned parameters in depth.

In order to oversee the inter-agency research endeavour and provide comprehensive technical support, UNDP is seeking to hire a Programme Manager for the project's duration. As part of the team, the Programme Manager will facilitate project coordination and offer overarching technical guidance from the standpoint of UN partner agencies. This role is inherently inter-agency and cross-sectoral, demanding close collaboration with diverse teams across agencies. In particular, the incumbent will be accountable for supporting the implementation of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) and the country action plan, with a specific emphasis on advancing the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities, alongside prioritizing accessibility as outlined in the action plan.

**Summary of Key Functions**:
The role involves providing programmatic support and internal coordination to ensure effective implementation of disability inclusion initiatives. This includes facilitating recruitment, training, and project activities; offering technical guidance on gender-sensitive disability inclusion; developing Terms of Reference for technical studies, overseeing assessments and evaluations; and fostering partnerships with relevant stakeholders. Additionally, the role involves establishing coordination mechanisms, monitoring project progress, managing budgets, and ensuring timely reporting. Internally, the role supports UN-wide disability inclusion initiatives, coordinates inter-agency efforts, integrates disability considerations into core UN processes, and collaborates with civil society and governmental entities to advance disability rights.

**Duties and Responsibilities**

**Programmatic Support**:

- Facilitate the recruitment of personnel, training, and project activities initiation, including drafting terms of reference and work specifications, and overseeing activities of the implementation partner, team members and consultants, as may be recruited under the project to ensure timely delivery. Coordinate with national team and other state teams under the project to track project delivery, share lessons and experiences.
- Provide guidance and advice on gender-sensitive disability inclusion, and overall technical guida