Mission and objectives

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

Context

The Women Make the Change (WMC) programme is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women, implemented in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea and civil society actors. It seeks to increase women’s political participation and leadership, strengthen inclusive governance, and advance gender equality at all levels of decision-making. As Papua New Guinea continues to face challenges in advancing gender balance in politics and leadership, effective communications are vital to inform, engage, and inspire diverse audiences – including parliamentarians, political parties, women leaders, civil society, development partners, and communities. To ensure coherent, gender-informed communications, UNDP and UN Women are seeking a Joint Communications Officer. Hired and administered by UN Women, this role will support the two agencies to strengthen joint messaging, capture results, and showcase the transformative impact of the WMC programme.

Task Description

The Communications Officer will be responsible for: 1. Content Development and Storytelling • Draft, edit, and publish gender-informed content (press releases, human interest stories, feature articles, op-eds, social media posts, policy briefs, infographics, etc.). • Capture stories of women leaders, political participation, and governance outcomes. • Ensure messaging reflects gender-sensitive language and promotes positive representation of women. 2. Visibility and Advocacy • Design and implement joint communications campaigns and outreach activities for key programme milestones. • Strengthen visibility of donor contributions, including through digital platforms and public events. • Support production of multimedia materials (videos, photos, podcasts, etc.) to amplify WMC achievements. 3. Coordination and Collaboration • Liaise regularly with UNDP and UN Women programme teams to harmonise communications outputs. • Provide communications support to WMC partners (Government, civil society, parliamentarians, etc.). • Manage joint branding and ensure compliance with both UNDP and UN Women communication guidelines. 4. Media and Digital Engagement • Strengthen media relationships to ensure positive coverage of WMC initiatives. • Manage joint social media content calendars, ensuring consistent and engaging posts. • Monitor media and digital analytics to assess reach and impact. 5. Knowledge Management and Reporting • Maintain an archive of communications materials, press coverage, and digital outputs. • Contribute to donor reports, annual reports, and results briefs with communications inputs. • Track and document visibility achievements against programme communications plans.

Competencies and values

Core Values: • Respect for Diversity • Integrity • Professionalism Core Competencies: • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues • Accountability • Creative Problem Solving • Effective Communication • Inclusive Collaboration • Stakeholder Engagement • Leading by Example

Living conditions and remarks

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a multi-cultural unique country with over 800 languages and 8 million inhabitants. Over 80 percent of the population live in rural areas, with limited access to basic health, education and agricultural services. Despite claims of economic gain /growth over the past few years, almost 40 percent of the country’s population still live in poverty. Gender inequality, violence against women and other forms of, crime rates and corruption are rife at all levels. Rates of family and sexual violence are among the highest in the world. The overall security situation in PNG is assessed as generally calm and unpredictable. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a unique country and ‘the land of the Unexpected’. It provides an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. As per the UN Security Management System (UNSMS), the Security Level System (SLS) in Port Moresby is categorized as Level 3 – Moderate. Accommodation prices are some of the most expensive in the world. There are a number of supermarkets and grocery shops stocking a well diverse range of products but mainly influenced by the city’s trade with East Asian countries, America, India, Australia and New Zealand. They also have provision for people with special dietary requirements. All foreign visitors to PNG require a visa to enter. PNG’s currency is the Kina there are a good number of international banks which include Kina Bank, Bank South Pacific, Westpac, Credit Bank, Tisa Bank which have ATMs throughout most parts of the country. There are various local companies that provide mobile roaming, fast-speed internet services and wireless via a USB modem. The electricity current in PNG is 240V AC 50Hz using Australian-style plugs. PNG only offers basic medical facilities and you should ensure you discuss all possible vaccinations and other preventative measures recommended for Papua New Guinea with your primary care physician prior to leaving your home country. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.”