Senior National Population & Development Consultant to Support MOFP

National Senior Population and Development Consultant to Support the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP) in Activating the National Population Committee.

The consultant will serve as an integral member of the Ministry’s team to facilitate and coordinate efforts to activate the National Population Committee, facilitate multi-sectoral coordination, generate demographic evidence to inform decision-makers and provide support in preparing discussion papers, including for integrating demographic resilience into the periodic Strategic Plan for 2028-2030.
 

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 a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff who embody these international norms and standards and will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact sustained results, ensuring effective external relations, communications, partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results

About UNFPA and Demographic Resilience

UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) is the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, ensuring the rights and choices of women, girls, and young people across more than 150 countries worldwide. Through its work, UNFPA strives to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person can fulfill their potential. These goals guide UNFPA’s work around the world, and reflect a commitment to a world where rights and choices are respected for all. UNFPA aims to:

• Eradicate gender-based violence and harmful practices;
• Protect women from preventable maternal deaths;
• Enable people to choose, freely and responsibly, whether and when to have children;
• Enable governments to plan for changing population needs, so people can thrive today and in the future, regardless of fertility trends.

The UNFPA Programme in Palestine aims to contribute to the achievement of SDGs 3, 4, 5, 10, 16 and 17, and support the implementation of the national voluntary commitments on ICPD+25 made in Nairobi in 2019. Aligned with the UNFPA strategic plans, 2022-2029, the vision and focus for the country programme is to urgently accelerate the reduction of stagnated unmet needs for family planning and increasingly higher rates of gender-based violence and child marriage, while simultaneously returning to and sustaining earlier gains on maternal mortality.

About the Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP)

The Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP) of the State of Palestine is the central government institution responsible for formulating and implementing national financial, macroeconomic, and strategic development policies. The MoFP leads the preparation of the national budget, manages international aid coordination, and designs comprehensive national development plans. By aligning financial resources with strategic development priorities, the MoFP ensures that sustainable development and economic resilience are integrated into the core of government operations. The Ministry also leads the coordination, monitoring, and reporting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level. Crucially, the MoFP chairs the National Population Committee (NPC), acting as the vital bridge that ensures demographic evidence and population dynamics are woven into national policy formulation and cross-sectoral strategic planning. 

Since 2006, the Palestinian government has spared no effort in establishing and activating the role of the NPC, which includes all government institutions working on population issues, civil society, the private sector, and development partners. Based on the Cabinet's decree regarding the reconstitution of the Committee, its mandated tasks include creating the climate to place population concerns on the national agenda, monitoring population conditions, proposing policies, and ensuring the integration of demographic dimensions into national development strategies.

Background and National Context

The Occupied Palestinian Territory enters 2026 in a state of profound fragility. In Gaza, the ceasefire has reduced immediate hostilities but has not restored essential services, infrastructure, or safe living conditions. In the West Bank, movement restrictions, insecurity, settler violence, and expanding settlement activity continue to disrupt daily life and obstruct access to essential services. Across both territories, systems that once sustained health, protection, and social services remain damaged, fragmented, or nonfunctional.

Following these profound demographic shocks—including mass displacement, altered dependency ratios, and severe economic disruptions—it is imperative to revitalize demographic governance to guide post-crisis recovery and national planning processes. MoFP and UNFPA share a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening the national capacity to utilize population data for sustainable national development and recovery. 

Throughout the last ten years, UNFPA has been supporting governmental efforts in revitalizing demographic policy and analysis, particularly as part of its support to the Prime Minister’s Office and the NPC in undertaking population projections, research and the national population conference. 

The Government will also begin developing a new periodic Strategic Plan for 2028-2030 near the end of 2026. To guide post-crisis recovery and prepare for this upcoming national strategic planning cycle, it is imperative to revitalize demographic governance. This effort is closely aligned with the UNFPA Strategic Plan's focus on demographic resilience, which emphasizes the use of population data, projections, and demographic analysis to help countries anticipate and adapt to demographic shifts.

To bridge the gap between humanitarian response, early recovery, and long-term development, the MoFP and UNFPA have agreed to enhance collaboration regarding the 'Planning' related works of the Ministry. To this end, UNFPA is recruiting a National Senior Population and Development Consultant to Support the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP) in Activating the National Population Committee (NPC). This position will be embedded within the MoFP. The Consultant will act as the Technical Secretariat for the NPC, driving the generation of demographic evidence (e.g., population projections, return on investment analysis), supporting the Deputy Minister's office with technical discussion papers, and building the capacity of line ministries to integrate demographic changes into sectoral strategies.

Under close supervision and technical guidance of the Deputy Minister, the consultant is expected to perform the following:

Revitalization and Coordination of the National Population Committee (NPC): 

• Technical Coordination and Secretariat: Serve as the central coordinator and Technical Secretariat for the MoFP/NPC, specifically supporting the office of the Deputy Minister, in managing communications, drafting agendas, and facilitating high-level meetings.
• Workplan Development: Develop and finalize a comprehensive 2026-2027 NPC Operational Roadmap and Work Framework, outlining key advocacy areas and evidence requirements for decision-makers.
• Establish a Population Policy Expert Group: Assist the MoFP in identifying and convening a "Reference Technical Group" comprising national, regional, and global experts in demography, development, and specific sectoral fields to advise the NPC.
• Sectoral Expert Roundtables: Organize and facilitate roundtable discussions involving sectoral experts from various fields to analyze demographic trends and the broader socio-economic and political contexts. These discussions will be instrumental in setting the agenda for discussions and decisions at the NPC.

Support Strategic Planning Process (2028-2030)

• Guidance on how strategic plans can be responsive to demographic changes and trends: Formulate a guidance note to ensure that the upcoming periodic Strategic Plan for 2028-2030 is responsive to demographic changes and trends.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer

• Capacity building assessment: Develop a capacity building plan based on initial assessment in consultation with the Deputy Minister and NPC members.
• Knowledge Series: In consultation with UNFPA and MoFP, organize and facilitate webinars/technical discussions bringing in global and regional expertise (e.g., from other MENA countries) to build the capacity of NPC members and line ministry leaders on demographic integration.
• Sensitization: Equip NPC members across sectors (Health, Education, Social Development, Environment) with practical tools to integrate demographic data into actionable sectoral strategies.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Meeting & Event Documentation: Ensure comprehensive documentation of all technical meetings, workshops, and high-level dialogues. This includes preparing detailed meeting minutes, participant lists, actionable summaries, and concept notes/agendas for all events.
• Technical Submissions: Produce and submit all required technical documents, as agreed with the NPC and MoFP, in a timely manner, including the 2026-2027 NPC Operational Roadmap (Action Plan).

Duration and working schedule:

Working Schedule: The consultant will be based on-site at the Ministry, 7 hrs/ 5 days from Sunday to Thursday, and occasionally outside of standard hours, to meet with individuals worldwide. The consultant may be required to travel to the field as requested for data collection, national consultations, meetings, policy dialogues, and validation processes. 

Duration: July – December 2026 (with possibility of extension based on performance and funding) 

The consultant will be based on-site at the Ministry, 7 hrs/ 5 days from Sunday to Thursday, and may be required to travel to the field as requested for data collection, national consultations, meetings, policy dialogues, and validation processes

he consultant will prepare a monthly time sheet signed by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, along with a monthly progress report detailing all completed tasks and deliverables, endorsed by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, and certified by the supervisor, M&E Analyst and Population Focal Point of UNFPA CO.

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.