Humanitarian Communications Officer (HER Roster)

Mission and objectives

UNFPA is the United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency. It works towards expanding choices and possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.

Context

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) has established the Humanitarian Emergency Response (HER) Roster to support speedy recruitment of qualified and motivated UN Volunteers for potential emergency response assignments. Candidates will be pre-screened based on their qualifications, experience, and suitability for the specific thematic or functional areas described in this Description of Assignment (DoA). Shortlisted candidates may remain in the UNV HER Roster for up to 6 months and be contacted should an emergency arise. Inclusion in the UNV HER Roster does not guarantee recruitment as a UN Volunteer. Selection and recruitment timelines will depend on the emergency occurrence, availability of candidates, and final approval by the UN host entity in accordance with Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers. UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies. In the Philippines, UNFPA is implementing its five-year 9th Country Programme 2024-2028. The CP9 is tightly aligned with the mid- and long-term development goals of the Philippines and Ambisyon Natin 2040, as well as the global Agenda 2030 including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the lead UN agency for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), UNFPA supports national and local government partners in emergency response, ensuring the continuity of life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) services during humanitarian emergencies. The Philippines is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, experiencing frequent typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, and disease outbreaks, in addition to recurrent humanitarian needs arising from armed conflict and displacement in parts of Mindanao. These emergencies disproportionately affect women, girls, adolescents, and other vulnerable populations by disrupting access to SRH services, increasing the risks of GBV, and exposing communities to protection concerns. Maintaining a roster of qualified humanitarian specialists enables UNFPA Philippines to rapidly deploy technical surge capacity to support preparedness, anticipatory action, emergency response, early recovery, and humanitarian-development-peace nexus programming, while ensuring the timely delivery of life-saving SRH, GBV, and population data interventions in coordination with government and humanitarian partners.

Task Description

With guidance from and in close coordination with the Country Office (CO) Humanitarian, Programme and Communications units and under the direct supervision of Humanitarian Coordinator, the Communications Analyst may be deployed in one of the following locations (Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, and CARAGA Region) upon emergency response activation to perform the following tasks: 1. Humanitarian Communications • Support rapid communication response during humanitarian emergencies and sudden-onset disasters. • Support the drafting of humanitarian situation reports, flash updates, operational briefs, key messages, and communication notes. • Produce timely communication materials highlighting humanitarian response activities for internal and external audiences. • Support preparation of donor visibility materials and humanitarian communication products. 2. Field Deployment Documentation • Deploy to affected communities as required to document emergency response operations. • Capture high-quality photography and video documenting humanitarian interventions, relief operations, distribution activities, health services, and community engagement. • Conduct interviews with affected populations, frontline responders, government counterparts, and humanitarian partners following informed consent procedures. • Ensure all documentation complies with safeguarding requirements, ethical storytelling principles, confidentiality protocols, and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA). 3. Human Interest Storytelling • Research, interview, write and edit human interest stories highlighting the impact of humanitarian assistance. • Develop feature stories, photo essays, multimedia narratives, and beneficiary profiles that demonstrate programme results while preserving dignity, privacy, and protection of affected populations. • Produce success stories for donor reporting and resource mobilization. 4. Multimedia Production • Produce photographs, short-form videos, reels, social media videos, captions, infographics, and digital content during emergency deployments. • Edit photographs and video footage for rapid publication across digital platforms. • Organize and maintain emergency photo and video archives following UN branding and metadata standards. 5. Social Media and Digital Communications • Develop timely emergency social media content during response operations. • Draft social media posts, web stories, emergency updates, and multimedia packages. • Monitor digital platforms for misinformation, emerging narratives, and public engagement related to humanitarian operations. 6. Information Management Support • Assist in consolidating field information for communication products. • Support drafting and formatting of situation reports, flash updates, donor reports, and operational communication products. • Coordinate with programme teams to ensure technical accuracy of communication materials. • Maintain documentation repositories and support knowledge management for humanitarian response. 7. Coordination • Participate in humanitarian field missions, inter-agency activities, and emergency communication planning. • Coordinate with UNFPA programme teams, implementing partners, government counterparts, and UN agencies to gather verified information and visual assets. • Support communication activities during preparedness exercises, simulations, and emergency activations. 8. Cross-cutting Responsibilities Throughout all assignments, the UN Volunteer will: • Apply humanitarian principles, accountability to affected populations (AAP), survivor-centered approaches, and conflict-sensitive communication. • Ensure all communications comply with Do No Harm, PSEA, child safeguarding, informed consent, data protection, and ethical photography and storytelling standards. 9. Perform other communication-related duties as assigned by the Supervisor.

Competencies and values

Achieving results, Being accountable, Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen, Thinking analytically and strategically, Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships, Communicating for impact Functional Skill Set: • Excellent English writing and communication skills • Creating visibility for the organization • Excellent planning and execution of humanitarian-related communication strategies • Good knowledge of various communication media and software • Good computer skills and internet research skills

Living conditions and remarks

The Philippines is situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641 islands that are broadly divided into three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city, Manila, sits within the urban area of Metro Manila which is strategically located in the middle of Luzon, on the eastern coast of Manila Bay and at the mouth of the Pasig River, sprawled over an area of 626 sq. km. The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5 °C (79.7 °F). There are three recognized seasons: The hot season or summer from March to May, the rainy season from June to November, and the cold season from December to February. Metro Manila is the business and geographic capital of the Philippines and a very modern city with amenities for modern living. Various living choices are available to suit one's budget. Manila is classified as “A” – the lowest hardship for a developing country posting—and all modern amenities (shopping malls, organic supermarkets, restaurants, food delivery, etc.) are available in the city. Traffic congestion and air pollution are challenges in the metropolis. Housing is readily available and one should be able to find suitable permanent accommodation within two weeks. Price may range from P 15,000 to P 25,000 depending on the location and the type of accommodation one chooses (provincial accommodations are cheaper). Metered and fixed rate taxis are widely available in key cities nationwide. Jeepneys and buses are inexpensive ways of getting around in most places. A relatively-new, reliable public transport system called the Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) has been operating in Metro Manila; Grab is the leading TNVS company operating in the area. The Pesos (PHP) is the official currency and is used for most transactions in the Philippines. ATM machines are easily available in urban areas. Banks are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, with automated teller machines (ATM) operating 24 hours. Western Union has facilities in most towns, cities and provinces. Traveller’s cheques and major foreign currencies can be changed in most commercial banks and Central Bank dealers. They are also accepted in the majority of hotels, shops and restaurants. MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diner's Club are widely accepted in major organizations across the big cities of the Philippines. Entitlements of National UN Volunteer include Entry Lump Sum Allowance (USD350), Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) for National UN Volunteer Specialist in Manila, Philippines at PHP 53177.16*, Insurance Coverage (Comprehensive health, life, and malicious acts insurance); Annual Leave of 2.5 days per month; Access to UNV’s learning and career development resources; and Exit Lump Sum Allowance (USD120/1 month) payable upon successful completion of the assignment. For further information on the full entitlements, please refer to the following: • 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.