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UNFPA-GBV Sub-Sector Coordinator-P3/P4-Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri LankaPosition Title: GBV Sub-Sector Coordinator
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Duration: 3 months
Language: Fluency in English required
UNFPA leads GBV coordination nationally through Chairing the GBV Sub-Cluster / National GBV Forum and Co-Chairs the Protection Cluster. UNFPA is seeking a profile of a GBV inter-agency coordinator to ensure effective delivery of GBV AoR. He/she will support the scale-up of inter-agency GBV coordination, integration of GBV into early recovery and PDNA processes. The role is critical to ensuring a coordinated, survivor-centred, and accountable GBV response that is aligned with humanitarian standards and supports the transition from emergency response to early recovery.
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats:
All staff must adhere strictly to established security protocols. Humanitarian access challenges due to damage to roads and bridges, as well as remaining debris from the floods and landslides, may hinder both aid delivery and the ability of affected communities to reach essential services. UNFPA will implement targeted mitigation measures, including strengthened security planning, movement restrictions where necessary, and close coordination with UNDSS and partners, to ensure safe and uninterrupted service delivery.
Role Description: Under the supervision of the Country Office (CO) National Programme Analyst (NPA) – Gender/ GBV, the GBV inter-agency coordinator will provide technical support to the CO team responsible for coordinating the GBV sub-cluster in consultation with the NPA - Gender/ GBV. Working closely with the CO, Regional Office (RO, REGA) and EPP Secretariat, the incumbent will ensure a coherent, strategic, and effective GBV inter-agency coordination guaranteeing that GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and response are effectively integrated into the Cyclone Ditwah response and recovery efforts.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Building and Sustaining Partnerships
● Support and strengthen the facilitation of the inter-agency, multi-sectoral National level
Forum against GBV (“GBV sub-cluster”). Promote, respect and ensure that the Principles of
Partnership are reflected in the work of the GBV sub-cluster.
● Proactively engage with all relevant stakeholders (as relevant and feasible) to ensure coordination bodies reflect the range of actors addressing GBV, including across multiple sectors (health, psychosocial, legal, security, etc.) and categories of actors (UN, NGO, civil society, government, etc.). As feasible, engage UN missions who may be active in addressing GBV, including but not limited to ensuring inter-agency inputs to key reports as relevant.
● Regularly support CO teams (as relevant) to ensure strong representation from the GBV sub- sector in Protection sector meetings, OCHA-led meetings (e.g. around development of the Strategic Response Plan or for Inter-sector Coordination), and other relevant meetings, including those called by the Humanitarian Coordinator.
● Coordinate and collaborate with other sectors/working groups such as the Health sector, SRH
sub-sector, Child Protection Sub-sector, Shelter/NFI sector, Food Security sector, Education sector, etc., to ensure integration of GBV-related action in their sector plans and to advocate for joint awareness-raising for non-GBV specialists.
● Coordinate and collaborate with the GBV AoR/REGA – Regional Emergency GBV Advisor
Team.
● Advocate with donors and mobilize resources for inter-agency GBV prevention and response in line with the GBV sub-sector work plan and SRP. As necessary, leverage resources within UNFPA to support inter-agency GBV activities under the Sub-sector.
● In consultation with non-governmental GBV actors and national civil society, identify appropriate mechanisms for working with and collaborating with national authorities on GBV
issues in consultation with and as agreed with the CO gender/ GBV team
● Support the roll-out of the GBV case management capacity building initiative in emergency settings.
Strategic Planning
● Facilitate implementation of Standard Operating Procedures. Regularly review and revisit
SOPs at strategic points throughout the crisis response.
● In collaboration with national and international GBV actors, map current institutional
response capacities, including facilitating mapping of GBV-specific 3Ws and 5Ws undertaken by OCHA.
● Support the development of a realistic, evidence-based, multi-sectoral and inter-agency
prevention and response plan for the GBV sub-cluster, aligning with the MOWCA Disaster Response, Recovery and Preparedness Plan and other relevant NAPs. Promote engagement of a range of sectors and ensure realistic benchmarks and timelines for achieving set objectives. Regularly monitor progress against plans during coordination meetings. Allow space for new actors to engage with a plan over the course of the crisis response.
● Work with partners to continually identify response gaps in line with proposed work plans (including geographic coverage and programmatic scope) and seek solutions to fill gaps. Advocate together with the UNFPA team to address gaps not yet filled by partners of the sub- cluster.
Capacity Development
● Work with partners to develop an inter-agency capacity development strategy for the GBV
sub-cluster that meets the needs and priorities of key national and local stakeholders to facilitate implementation of the agreed work plan.
● Provide inputs and revise as applicable existing training materials, ensuring local context
through consultation, and seek to ensure partners’ access to relevant training sessions.
● Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of GBV sub-cluster members on planning and responding to GBV in emergencies and on safe and ethical GBV information management.
● Ensure all GBV sub-cluster partners and others are aware of relevant policy guidelines,
technical standards, and other resource materials (go to www.gbvaor.net for the latest
information).
Advocacy
● Provide technical support to the development of relevant advocacy and policy documents to address GBV in the context of broader gender inequality issues.
Information Management
● In line with WHO’s Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Researching, Documenting and
Monitoring Sexual Violence in Emergencies:
o Engage in robust analyses of available secondary data to ensure readily-available information on known trends and patterns on GBV for inclusion at relevant points along the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, and in relevant surveys/ assessments.
o Consolidate existing assessments on the GBV situation and/or work with relevant agencies, the displaced and host populations to conduct relevant participatory analyses of GBV as relevant.
o Undertake new assessment missions as necessary/appropriate to determine the magnitude and scope of GBV and identify strategic inter-sectoral approaches for addressing it.
o Work with the GBV coordination groups to adopt a standardized GBV incident report/intake form and other relevant forms as necessary. Train partner organizations and other sectors in the use of this form, with particular emphasis on the Guiding Principles for Working with GBV Survivors, and in line with the PRIMERO/GBVIMs+
o If necessary, develop monthly report formats that capture relevant information and that support the analysis and evaluation of program progress and outcomes.
o Document best practices and approaches for responding to issues of GBV to deepen the knowledge base among relevant partners.
o Prepare regular analytical reports on emerging issues.
Any other duties
● Write monthly reports documenting progress against work plan outputs.
● Support the update of the weekly Sitrep submission from the Protection cluster.
● Other duties as required.
Qualifications and Skills Required
● Advanced degree in social work or other social sciences, public health, community health, international relations, international law, human rights or related field.
● 5-7 years of experience working on gender-based violence, of which 4 are at the international
level, in a humanitarian context.
● Experience leading inter-agency coordination mechanisms with a wide range of stakeholders.
Demonstrable knowledge of the critical components to facilitate effective inter-agency coordination, including during emergencies.
● Awareness and demonstrable knowledge of how GBV manifests in humanitarian settings and
the ability to describe context-specific prevention and response actions.
● Demonstrable knowledge of humanitarian emergency operations, including the Cluster
System and HPC, and roles/responsibilities of key humanitarian actors.
● Experience designing and managing GBV programmes.
● Proficiency in English required.
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Duration: 3 months
Language: Fluency in English required
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request
Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on 28 November 2025, triggering severe flooding and landslides across all 25 districts and creating a rapidly evolving humanitarian emergency. A state of emergency was declared, and the Government had requested international assistance. The National Disaster Management Organisation (Disaster Management Centre (DMC)) reports 607 deaths, 214 missing, and 2,082,195 people affected. 4,164 houses were fully damaged1, and 67,505 were partially damaged. Joint Rapid Needs Assessment identified that protection risks, including gender-based violence and child protection concerns, are heightened in safety centres due to limited security, poor site organization, and the absence of safe spaces for women and child-friendly spaces. Gaps in psychosocial support and complaints and feedback mechanisms are further increasing the risks of underreporting abuse, including sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and require urgent strengthening.
Within 24 hours after the cyclone hit, UNFPA and its partners were on the ground providing
maternity and dignity kits to affected communities, followed by cash assistance distributions. A safety audit [in Sri Lanka, called GBV Safety Verification] was also conducted in two safety centres to understand the protection needs of the affected women and girls. UNFPA and its partners are scaling up and continuing to deliver lifesaving interventions, particularly for women and girls, including adolescents, youth, and older women.
1 DMC situation report - 5 December 2025, 1800 hrs
Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on 28 November 2025, triggering severe flooding and landslides across all 25 districts and creating a rapidly evolving humanitarian emergency. A state of emergency was declared, and the Government had requested international assistance. The National Disaster Management Organisation (Disaster Management Centre (DMC)) reports 607 deaths, 214 missing, and 2,082,195 people affected. 4,164 houses were fully damaged1, and 67,505 were partially damaged. Joint Rapid Needs Assessment identified that protection risks, including gender-based violence and child protection concerns, are heightened in safety centres due to limited security, poor site organization, and the absence of safe spaces for women and child-friendly spaces. Gaps in psychosocial support and complaints and feedback mechanisms are further increasing the risks of underreporting abuse, including sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and require urgent strengthening.
Within 24 hours after the cyclone hit, UNFPA and its partners were on the ground providing
maternity and dignity kits to affected communities, followed by cash assistance distributions. A safety audit [in Sri Lanka, called GBV Safety Verification] was also conducted in two safety centres to understand the protection needs of the affected women and girls. UNFPA and its partners are scaling up and continuing to deliver lifesaving interventions, particularly for women and girls, including adolescents, youth, and older women.
1 DMC situation report - 5 December 2025, 1800 hrs
UNFPA leads GBV coordination nationally through Chairing the GBV Sub-Cluster / National GBV Forum and Co-Chairs the Protection Cluster. UNFPA is seeking a profile of a GBV inter-agency coordinator to ensure effective delivery of GBV AoR. He/she will support the scale-up of inter-agency GBV coordination, integration of GBV into early recovery and PDNA processes. The role is critical to ensuring a coordinated, survivor-centred, and accountable GBV response that is aligned with humanitarian standards and supports the transition from emergency response to early recovery.
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats:
All staff must adhere strictly to established security protocols. Humanitarian access challenges due to damage to roads and bridges, as well as remaining debris from the floods and landslides, may hinder both aid delivery and the ability of affected communities to reach essential services. UNFPA will implement targeted mitigation measures, including strengthened security planning, movement restrictions where necessary, and close coordination with UNDSS and partners, to ensure safe and uninterrupted service delivery.
Role Description: Under the supervision of the Country Office (CO) National Programme Analyst (NPA) – Gender/ GBV, the GBV inter-agency coordinator will provide technical support to the CO team responsible for coordinating the GBV sub-cluster in consultation with the NPA - Gender/ GBV. Working closely with the CO, Regional Office (RO, REGA) and EPP Secretariat, the incumbent will ensure a coherent, strategic, and effective GBV inter-agency coordination guaranteeing that GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and response are effectively integrated into the Cyclone Ditwah response and recovery efforts.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Building and Sustaining Partnerships
● Support and strengthen the facilitation of the inter-agency, multi-sectoral National level
Forum against GBV (“GBV sub-cluster”). Promote, respect and ensure that the Principles of
Partnership are reflected in the work of the GBV sub-cluster.
● Proactively engage with all relevant stakeholders (as relevant and feasible) to ensure coordination bodies reflect the range of actors addressing GBV, including across multiple sectors (health, psychosocial, legal, security, etc.) and categories of actors (UN, NGO, civil society, government, etc.). As feasible, engage UN missions who may be active in addressing GBV, including but not limited to ensuring inter-agency inputs to key reports as relevant.
● Regularly support CO teams (as relevant) to ensure strong representation from the GBV sub- sector in Protection sector meetings, OCHA-led meetings (e.g. around development of the Strategic Response Plan or for Inter-sector Coordination), and other relevant meetings, including those called by the Humanitarian Coordinator.
● Coordinate and collaborate with other sectors/working groups such as the Health sector, SRH
sub-sector, Child Protection Sub-sector, Shelter/NFI sector, Food Security sector, Education sector, etc., to ensure integration of GBV-related action in their sector plans and to advocate for joint awareness-raising for non-GBV specialists.
● Coordinate and collaborate with the GBV AoR/REGA – Regional Emergency GBV Advisor
Team.
● Advocate with donors and mobilize resources for inter-agency GBV prevention and response in line with the GBV sub-sector work plan and SRP. As necessary, leverage resources within UNFPA to support inter-agency GBV activities under the Sub-sector.
● In consultation with non-governmental GBV actors and national civil society, identify appropriate mechanisms for working with and collaborating with national authorities on GBV
issues in consultation with and as agreed with the CO gender/ GBV team
● Support the roll-out of the GBV case management capacity building initiative in emergency settings.
Strategic Planning
● Facilitate implementation of Standard Operating Procedures. Regularly review and revisit
SOPs at strategic points throughout the crisis response.
● In collaboration with national and international GBV actors, map current institutional
response capacities, including facilitating mapping of GBV-specific 3Ws and 5Ws undertaken by OCHA.
● Support the development of a realistic, evidence-based, multi-sectoral and inter-agency
prevention and response plan for the GBV sub-cluster, aligning with the MOWCA Disaster Response, Recovery and Preparedness Plan and other relevant NAPs. Promote engagement of a range of sectors and ensure realistic benchmarks and timelines for achieving set objectives. Regularly monitor progress against plans during coordination meetings. Allow space for new actors to engage with a plan over the course of the crisis response.
● Work with partners to continually identify response gaps in line with proposed work plans (including geographic coverage and programmatic scope) and seek solutions to fill gaps. Advocate together with the UNFPA team to address gaps not yet filled by partners of the sub- cluster.
Capacity Development
● Work with partners to develop an inter-agency capacity development strategy for the GBV
sub-cluster that meets the needs and priorities of key national and local stakeholders to facilitate implementation of the agreed work plan.
● Provide inputs and revise as applicable existing training materials, ensuring local context
through consultation, and seek to ensure partners’ access to relevant training sessions.
● Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of GBV sub-cluster members on planning and responding to GBV in emergencies and on safe and ethical GBV information management.
● Ensure all GBV sub-cluster partners and others are aware of relevant policy guidelines,
technical standards, and other resource materials (go to www.gbvaor.net for the latest
information).
Advocacy
● Provide technical support to the development of relevant advocacy and policy documents to address GBV in the context of broader gender inequality issues.
Information Management
● In line with WHO’s Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Researching, Documenting and
Monitoring Sexual Violence in Emergencies:
o Engage in robust analyses of available secondary data to ensure readily-available information on known trends and patterns on GBV for inclusion at relevant points along the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, and in relevant surveys/ assessments.
o Consolidate existing assessments on the GBV situation and/or work with relevant agencies, the displaced and host populations to conduct relevant participatory analyses of GBV as relevant.
o Undertake new assessment missions as necessary/appropriate to determine the magnitude and scope of GBV and identify strategic inter-sectoral approaches for addressing it.
o Work with the GBV coordination groups to adopt a standardized GBV incident report/intake form and other relevant forms as necessary. Train partner organizations and other sectors in the use of this form, with particular emphasis on the Guiding Principles for Working with GBV Survivors, and in line with the PRIMERO/GBVIMs+
o Document best practices and approaches for responding to issues of GBV to deepen the knowledge base among relevant partners.
o Prepare regular analytical reports on emerging issues.
Any other duties
● Write monthly reports documenting progress against work plan outputs.
● Support the update of the weekly Sitrep submission from the Protection cluster.
● Other duties as required.
Qualifications and Skills Required
● Advanced degree in social work or other social sciences, public health, community health, international relations, international law, human rights or related field.
● 5-7 years of experience working on gender-based violence, of which 4 are at the international
level, in a humanitarian context.
● Experience leading inter-agency coordination mechanisms with a wide range of stakeholders.
Demonstrable knowledge of the critical components to facilitate effective inter-agency coordination, including during emergencies.
● Awareness and demonstrable knowledge of how GBV manifests in humanitarian settings and
the ability to describe context-specific prevention and response actions.
● Demonstrable knowledge of humanitarian emergency operations, including the Cluster
System and HPC, and roles/responsibilities of key humanitarian actors.
● Experience designing and managing GBV programmes.
● Proficiency in English required.
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.