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CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.
UNFPA-PSEA Coordinator-P3/P4-Bunia, DRC
Bunia, DRCPosition Title: PSEA Coordinator (for the Ebola response)
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Bunia, DRC
Duration: 3 months
Language: Fluency in French and working knowledge of English is required.
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request
The escalating outbreak of the rare, fast-spreading Ebola Bundibugyo virus in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is unfolding within a catastrophically fractured humanitarian landscape. Officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on the 15th of May 2025 due to the lack of approved vaccines or targeted treatments, the virus is rapidly expanding from its epicenter in Ituri Province into urban centers like Goma and across borders into Uganda. Containing this highly contagious pathogen is severely hindered by an active, large-scale conflict. Intensified clashes between the FARDC and the AFC/M23 have led to the capture of strategic hubs like Goma and Bukavu, precipitating the collapse of local protection systems, forcing the displacement of over 1.11 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ituri alone, and causing a brutal disruption of medical supply chains.
The broader health system has completely buckled under this compounding disaster. The sexual and reproductive health (SRH) sector is particularly devastated, characterized by non-existent emergency obstetric care and systemic stockouts of post-rape kits. This medical paralysis occurs alongside a terrifying surge in gender-based violence (GBV), with over 163,000 cases documented in 2025 where
The escalating outbreak of the rare, fast-spreading Ebola Bundibugyo virus in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is unfolding within a catastrophically fractured humanitarian landscape. Officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on the 15th of May 2025 due to the lack of approved vaccines or targeted treatments, the virus is rapidly expanding from its epicenter in Ituri Province into urban centers like Goma and across borders into Uganda. Containing this highly contagious pathogen is severely hindered by an active, large-scale conflict. Intensified clashes between the FARDC and the AFC/M23 have led to the capture of strategic hubs like Goma and Bukavu, precipitating the collapse of local protection systems, forcing the displacement of over 1.11 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ituri alone, and causing a brutal disruption of medical supply chains.
The broader health system has completely buckled under this compounding disaster. The sexual and reproductive health (SRH) sector is particularly devastated, characterized by non-existent emergency obstetric care and systemic stockouts of post-rape kits. This medical paralysis occurs alongside a terrifying surge in gender-based violence (GBV), with over 163,000 cases documented in 2025 where
sexual violence is deployed as a tactic of war. Past epidemics have demonstrated that the reduction in access to essential SRH services often results in more deaths than the disease itself. Ensuring the continuity of these lifesaving services under UNFPA’s mandate is therefore a priority, leading to the development of a comprehensive Ebola outbreak response plan that integrates Case Management and the Continuity of Essential Services as core pillars.
The Compounding Risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
Public health emergencies of this magnitude inherently multiply the risks of Sexual Exploitation and
Abuse (PSEA). The massive influx of material aid, the rapid deployment of response personnel, and the utter desperation of displaced populations create dangerous power asymmetries. Historical lessons from previous Ebola epidemics and recent health crises in the DRC have taught the Ministry of Health
(MoH), WHO and the whole humanitarian community a vital lesson: where survival depends on access to healthcare, isolation centers, or employment within the response, transactional sex and sexual abuse by responders rise exponentially. In the current Bundibugyo outbreak, these risks are severely magnified by high-density young male population in mining sites, displacements and the total breakdown of community protection structures, meaning the response itself risks becoming a source of further harm without ironclad mitigation. Recognizing these catastrophic risks, the response structure has explicitly integrated a PSEA Coordination Pillar from Day 1 of the operation, establishing UNFPA’s clear leadership in protecting affected populations from exploitation. To maintain this leadership, ensure strict accountability, and rapidly scale up field capacities across the response, the immediate deployment of a dedicated PSEA Coordinator is non-negotiable. This specialized role is required to handle the complex intersection of public health, conflict, and protection, ensuring that PSEA is not a secondary consideration but an operational priority.
The PSEA Coordinator will be directly responsible for scaling up field-level capacity to execute critical safeguards without delay. This includes building up on the Day-1 protections put in place by ensuring all newly deployed personnel and medical staff undergo mandatory briefings and sign zero-tolerance codes of conduct before entering the field. The Coordinator will establish safe, confidential, and community-tailored complaint mechanisms within IDP camps and treatment centers, while mapping out survivor-centered referral pathways so victims have immediate access to medical and psychological support. Finally, this role will bridge the gap between MoH/Health actors and humanitarian agencies to enforce unified PSEA standards, conducting continuous risk assessments in expanding transmission zones to identify and close protection gaps before exploitation can occur. Without this dedicated coordinator, the safety and integrity of the entire humanitarian response remain severely compromised.
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats: (i.e armed conflict, terrorism, crime, social unrest, hazard)
1. Armed Conflict: Bunia city itself remains relatively calm compared to surrounding territories, but the security environment is fragile and volatile, with persistent indirect threats. The primary risks stem from armed group activity in Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa, pressure from internal displacement, and incidents involving armed state actors within the city. The situation requires heightened vigilance, particularly for movements outside the urban core and during night hours.
2. Crime: Bunia continues to experience persistent urban crime, largely characterized by nighttime armed robberies, targeted killings (motorists, traders, gold buyers), and attacks
linked to criminal networks involving civilians and some security personnel. In January 2026,
police confirmed a spike in armed robberies and assassinations, including the killing of a motorcycle taxi driver on 11 January, which triggered intensified operations across several quarters.
3. Civil Unrest: Bunia town remains tense but largely under administrative control, while serious insecurity persists in the surrounding territories (Djugu, Irumu, Mahagi). Civil unrest in the town itself is episodic—mainly protests, arrests of activists, and spillover displacement. The main drivers of instability are the militia violence outside the town, political repression concerns, and regional military dynamics involving the FARDC, MONUSCO.
4. Terrorism: Bunia has not been the direct target of major terrorist attacks, but it is in Ituri
Province, which has been heavily affected by violence from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is a Ugandanorigin militia that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and is considered a terrorist organization.
5. Hazards: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) remain common on major axes throughout the city.
Accidents (both fatal and serious) involving motorcyclists (boda boda) remain high in Bunia and UN Personnel are strongly discouraged from using them. Night movements in isolated
areas and out of bounds are not recommended due to several fatalities recorded. Other
occasional hazards include fire outbreaks in commercial settings, flash floods in the littoral of
Albert Lake and riverine Regions, Cholera/Typhoid. M-pox outbreaks in some urban centers, destructive storms during the rainy season and mudslides and landslides in the province.
Role Description:
Under the supervision of the Senior PSEA interagency Advisor, the PSEA Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and supporting the collective PSEA activities of organizations related to the 17th Ebola outbreak. The PSEA Coordinator will work closely with the PSEA interagency regional coordinators ( national staff based in Bunia, Beni or elsewhere), the PSEA Focal points of the Ministry of Health and the Technical committee under the leadership of the Senior PSEA IA advisor . The PSEA Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and supporting the collective PSEA activities of organizations linked to the 17th Ebola outbreak. The PSEA Coordinator will undertake the following:
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Reinforce/establish the PSEA interagency response 17th Ebola outbreak
• Support the accredited organizations in implementing the PSEA IA action plan related to the
Ebola outbreak
• Support the carry out of a joint PSEA risk assessment
• Support the senior IA PSEA advisor to monitor and adjust the PSEA IA workplan
B. Oversee the PSEA activities on the field
• Represent the PSEA IA network in all relevant coordination bodies and leadership forums
• Ensure the smooth financial management of the PSEA network in link with the organizations that are recipient of funding allocated to the PSEA network
• Ensure that all PSEA activities are promptly reported through the Kobo IA tools
• Reinforce PSEA capacities of first responders and support the organizations in their regular
PSEA briefings
C. Strengthen PSEA within organizations
• Ensure that all Ebola responders are briefed and signed the Code of Conduct
• Implement SEA prevention, risk mitigation, and response measures during planning, policy and project development, and programming in each project that may be developed by members
• Train staff on PSEA and the Code of Conduct, including how to submit and receive complaints under internal and inter-agency reporting systems
• Establish and/or strengthen safe SEA-specific procedures for internal complaint and feedback mechanisms (CFMs) and referrals to survivor assistance, informed by good practice and community consultations
D. Engage Stakeholders
Community engagement
• As part of broader community engagement activities, support the Network to learn of community perspectives on behavior of aid workers, and preferences in dispute resolution, discussing sexual matters, and receiving and sharing sensitive information to inform the Network’s outreach and activities
• Support the Network to develop a collective communication strategy to raise awareness on key PSEA messages, including the rights of affected populations, the fact that assistance and services are never conditioned on sexual favors, and how to submit sensitive complaints
• Ensure that the implementation of the PSEA Network Work Plan is informed by community
participation, contextually and culturally appropriate, and based on the community’s needs
Coordination
• Engage and coordinate with Clusters and other relevant coordination entities to ensure PSEA
mainstreaming during planning, policy development and programming
• Represent the PSEA Network and update on relevant PSEA activities during Cluster, inter- Cluster meetings and CRIO/ CLIO meetings. This representation role could be delegated to any PSEA network permanent staff members
• Report back to the PSEA Network on Cluster developments and updates that may impact the
PSEA Work Plan implementation
GBV sub-cluster
• Collaborate with the GBV sub-cluster Coordinator to ensure a harmonized approach to prevention activities and support of survivors, and that PSEA Network activities take a survivor-centered approach supporting the rights of survivors
• Coordinate with the FVRA/SVRO and GBV Coordinator to ensure consistency of the UN-wide approach to SEA prevention and survivor support
Government Actors
• Support senior leadership to develop an engagement strategy with the host government, including identified entry points in relevant ministries and stakeholders for outreach
UN Mission
• Collaborate at the strategic and technical level to ensure harmonization of messages, avoid duplication of activities, and sharing of trends and developments
E. Establish/Strengthen an Inter-agency Complaints Mechanism
Ensure Stakeholder Engagement in the Design of the CBCM
• Assist Network members to consult and engage with all relevant stakeholders during the design of the CBCM in order to ensure support, high-level commitment, sustainability, and community trust and ownership in the CBCM
• Train all PSEA responders on CBCM SOPs
Assistance Referral Pathways
• Mobilize the PSEA Network to assist in a mapping exercise of available services and gaps for health, legal, psychosocial, and material support
• Assist the Network to train service providers on PSEA-specific components in services
Entry Points for Reporting
• Work with the PSEA IA Network, the AAP/CwC Networks, and other relevant actors to understand community preferences in reporting sensitive allegations
• Based on CFM mapping and community preferences, support Network members to strengthen
existing and/or establish new entry points to fill the gaps in reporting access so that there are safe, accessible, and contextually appropriate channels for any member of the community to report complaints of SEA
Train Staff at Entry Points
• Support the PSEA IA Network to hold inter-agency trainings on good practices in SEA complaint intake and referral for PSEA Focal Points, GBV and Child Protection actors, and all actors staffing CFM channels, so that all actors who may receive SEA complaints know how to recognize SEA and where to send allegations in the joint CBCM
F. Promote Information sharing
Proactive Outreach to External Partners
• Proactively reach out to relevant entities that are not participating in the PSEA Network or the joint CBCM to ensure that they are aware of PSEA activities, and to foster linkages and information-sharing
• Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership
Qualifications and Required Skills
Education:
Master degree in social work, public health, gender, law/human rights, international relations, and/or other related social science disciplines.
Knowledge and Experience:
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience such as PSEA, Accountability to Affected
Populations (AAP), Protection, Human rights, Gender-based violence and victim assistance
• Field experience in humanitarian settings
• Understanding of the international development and humanitarian architecture
• Familiarity with the UN system and global coordination structures (e.g. IASC)
• Proven ability to implement an Action Plan and manage staff and a budget
• Experience in developing and facilitating training and capacity-building activities is an advantage
• Familiarity with data protection and confidentiality measures is an advantage
• Strong leadership and management skills
The Compounding Risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
Public health emergencies of this magnitude inherently multiply the risks of Sexual Exploitation and
Abuse (PSEA). The massive influx of material aid, the rapid deployment of response personnel, and the utter desperation of displaced populations create dangerous power asymmetries. Historical lessons from previous Ebola epidemics and recent health crises in the DRC have taught the Ministry of Health
(MoH), WHO and the whole humanitarian community a vital lesson: where survival depends on access to healthcare, isolation centers, or employment within the response, transactional sex and sexual abuse by responders rise exponentially. In the current Bundibugyo outbreak, these risks are severely magnified by high-density young male population in mining sites, displacements and the total breakdown of community protection structures, meaning the response itself risks becoming a source of further harm without ironclad mitigation. Recognizing these catastrophic risks, the response structure has explicitly integrated a PSEA Coordination Pillar from Day 1 of the operation, establishing UNFPA’s clear leadership in protecting affected populations from exploitation. To maintain this leadership, ensure strict accountability, and rapidly scale up field capacities across the response, the immediate deployment of a dedicated PSEA Coordinator is non-negotiable. This specialized role is required to handle the complex intersection of public health, conflict, and protection, ensuring that PSEA is not a secondary consideration but an operational priority.
The PSEA Coordinator will be directly responsible for scaling up field-level capacity to execute critical safeguards without delay. This includes building up on the Day-1 protections put in place by ensuring all newly deployed personnel and medical staff undergo mandatory briefings and sign zero-tolerance codes of conduct before entering the field. The Coordinator will establish safe, confidential, and community-tailored complaint mechanisms within IDP camps and treatment centers, while mapping out survivor-centered referral pathways so victims have immediate access to medical and psychological support. Finally, this role will bridge the gap between MoH/Health actors and humanitarian agencies to enforce unified PSEA standards, conducting continuous risk assessments in expanding transmission zones to identify and close protection gaps before exploitation can occur. Without this dedicated coordinator, the safety and integrity of the entire humanitarian response remain severely compromised.
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats: (i.e armed conflict, terrorism, crime, social unrest, hazard)
1. Armed Conflict: Bunia city itself remains relatively calm compared to surrounding territories, but the security environment is fragile and volatile, with persistent indirect threats. The primary risks stem from armed group activity in Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa, pressure from internal displacement, and incidents involving armed state actors within the city. The situation requires heightened vigilance, particularly for movements outside the urban core and during night hours.
2. Crime: Bunia continues to experience persistent urban crime, largely characterized by nighttime armed robberies, targeted killings (motorists, traders, gold buyers), and attacks
linked to criminal networks involving civilians and some security personnel. In January 2026,
police confirmed a spike in armed robberies and assassinations, including the killing of a motorcycle taxi driver on 11 January, which triggered intensified operations across several quarters.
3. Civil Unrest: Bunia town remains tense but largely under administrative control, while serious insecurity persists in the surrounding territories (Djugu, Irumu, Mahagi). Civil unrest in the town itself is episodic—mainly protests, arrests of activists, and spillover displacement. The main drivers of instability are the militia violence outside the town, political repression concerns, and regional military dynamics involving the FARDC, MONUSCO.
4. Terrorism: Bunia has not been the direct target of major terrorist attacks, but it is in Ituri
Province, which has been heavily affected by violence from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is a Ugandanorigin militia that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and is considered a terrorist organization.
5. Hazards: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) remain common on major axes throughout the city.
Accidents (both fatal and serious) involving motorcyclists (boda boda) remain high in Bunia and UN Personnel are strongly discouraged from using them. Night movements in isolated
areas and out of bounds are not recommended due to several fatalities recorded. Other
occasional hazards include fire outbreaks in commercial settings, flash floods in the littoral of
Albert Lake and riverine Regions, Cholera/Typhoid. M-pox outbreaks in some urban centers, destructive storms during the rainy season and mudslides and landslides in the province.
Role Description:
Under the supervision of the Senior PSEA interagency Advisor, the PSEA Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and supporting the collective PSEA activities of organizations related to the 17th Ebola outbreak. The PSEA Coordinator will work closely with the PSEA interagency regional coordinators ( national staff based in Bunia, Beni or elsewhere), the PSEA Focal points of the Ministry of Health and the Technical committee under the leadership of the Senior PSEA IA advisor . The PSEA Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and supporting the collective PSEA activities of organizations linked to the 17th Ebola outbreak. The PSEA Coordinator will undertake the following:
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Reinforce/establish the PSEA interagency response 17th Ebola outbreak
• Support the accredited organizations in implementing the PSEA IA action plan related to the
Ebola outbreak
• Support the carry out of a joint PSEA risk assessment
• Support the senior IA PSEA advisor to monitor and adjust the PSEA IA workplan
B. Oversee the PSEA activities on the field
• Represent the PSEA IA network in all relevant coordination bodies and leadership forums
• Ensure the smooth financial management of the PSEA network in link with the organizations that are recipient of funding allocated to the PSEA network
• Ensure that all PSEA activities are promptly reported through the Kobo IA tools
• Reinforce PSEA capacities of first responders and support the organizations in their regular
PSEA briefings
C. Strengthen PSEA within organizations
• Ensure that all Ebola responders are briefed and signed the Code of Conduct
• Implement SEA prevention, risk mitigation, and response measures during planning, policy and project development, and programming in each project that may be developed by members
• Train staff on PSEA and the Code of Conduct, including how to submit and receive complaints under internal and inter-agency reporting systems
• Establish and/or strengthen safe SEA-specific procedures for internal complaint and feedback mechanisms (CFMs) and referrals to survivor assistance, informed by good practice and community consultations
D. Engage Stakeholders
Community engagement
• As part of broader community engagement activities, support the Network to learn of community perspectives on behavior of aid workers, and preferences in dispute resolution, discussing sexual matters, and receiving and sharing sensitive information to inform the Network’s outreach and activities
• Support the Network to develop a collective communication strategy to raise awareness on key PSEA messages, including the rights of affected populations, the fact that assistance and services are never conditioned on sexual favors, and how to submit sensitive complaints
• Ensure that the implementation of the PSEA Network Work Plan is informed by community
participation, contextually and culturally appropriate, and based on the community’s needs
Coordination
• Engage and coordinate with Clusters and other relevant coordination entities to ensure PSEA
mainstreaming during planning, policy development and programming
• Represent the PSEA Network and update on relevant PSEA activities during Cluster, inter- Cluster meetings and CRIO/ CLIO meetings. This representation role could be delegated to any PSEA network permanent staff members
• Report back to the PSEA Network on Cluster developments and updates that may impact the
PSEA Work Plan implementation
GBV sub-cluster
• Collaborate with the GBV sub-cluster Coordinator to ensure a harmonized approach to prevention activities and support of survivors, and that PSEA Network activities take a survivor-centered approach supporting the rights of survivors
• Coordinate with the FVRA/SVRO and GBV Coordinator to ensure consistency of the UN-wide approach to SEA prevention and survivor support
Government Actors
• Support senior leadership to develop an engagement strategy with the host government, including identified entry points in relevant ministries and stakeholders for outreach
UN Mission
• Collaborate at the strategic and technical level to ensure harmonization of messages, avoid duplication of activities, and sharing of trends and developments
E. Establish/Strengthen an Inter-agency Complaints Mechanism
Ensure Stakeholder Engagement in the Design of the CBCM
• Assist Network members to consult and engage with all relevant stakeholders during the design of the CBCM in order to ensure support, high-level commitment, sustainability, and community trust and ownership in the CBCM
• Train all PSEA responders on CBCM SOPs
Assistance Referral Pathways
• Mobilize the PSEA Network to assist in a mapping exercise of available services and gaps for health, legal, psychosocial, and material support
• Assist the Network to train service providers on PSEA-specific components in services
Entry Points for Reporting
• Work with the PSEA IA Network, the AAP/CwC Networks, and other relevant actors to understand community preferences in reporting sensitive allegations
• Based on CFM mapping and community preferences, support Network members to strengthen
existing and/or establish new entry points to fill the gaps in reporting access so that there are safe, accessible, and contextually appropriate channels for any member of the community to report complaints of SEA
Train Staff at Entry Points
• Support the PSEA IA Network to hold inter-agency trainings on good practices in SEA complaint intake and referral for PSEA Focal Points, GBV and Child Protection actors, and all actors staffing CFM channels, so that all actors who may receive SEA complaints know how to recognize SEA and where to send allegations in the joint CBCM
F. Promote Information sharing
Proactive Outreach to External Partners
• Proactively reach out to relevant entities that are not participating in the PSEA Network or the joint CBCM to ensure that they are aware of PSEA activities, and to foster linkages and information-sharing
• Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership
Qualifications and Required Skills
Education:
Master degree in social work, public health, gender, law/human rights, international relations, and/or other related social science disciplines.
Knowledge and Experience:
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience such as PSEA, Accountability to Affected
Populations (AAP), Protection, Human rights, Gender-based violence and victim assistance
• Field experience in humanitarian settings
• Understanding of the international development and humanitarian architecture
• Familiarity with the UN system and global coordination structures (e.g. IASC)
• Proven ability to implement an Action Plan and manage staff and a budget
• Experience in developing and facilitating training and capacity-building activities is an advantage
• Familiarity with data protection and confidentiality measures is an advantage
• Strong leadership and management skills