By 
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in the world today. It is a major obstacle to the fulfilment of women’s and girls’ human rights and development and therefore a threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. While there have been efforts to address and eliminate Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Harmful Practices (HP) in the African region, and improved access to, and exercise of, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), progress has remained slow and uneven, and the approaches have been fragmented. It is increasingly clear that the elimination of all forms of SGBV and HP is intrinsically connected to transformation of gender and socio-cultural norms including those related to women’s sexuality and reproduction; and to improving women’s access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health information and services.
Malawi ranks 145/188 on the Gender Inequality Index, reflecting high levels of inequalities in reproductive health, women’s empowerment and economic activity. Women in Malawi generally fare worse than men on most social and economic indicators including wage equality, political participation, secondary and tertiary education enrolment and literacy. Additionally, violence against women and girls and harmful practices, including early and forced marriages, sexual assaults, harmful sexual initiation, and domestic violence, remain serious issues. Nearly half of Malawi’s girls marry before turning 18 (47%), and the adolescent birth rate is very high, with 30% of babies born to mothers 19 years or younger. Early sexual initiation with limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, lead to early pregnancies, which prevent girls from finishing school, expose them to HIV/AIDS and is the leading cause of mortality among girls 15-19.
In response to this, the European Union and the United Nations are embarking on a new multi-year program, entitled the Spotlight Initiative, focused on eliminating violence against women and girls and harmful practices. The initiative will deploy targeted, large-scale investments in a focused number of countries aimed at achieving significant impact in the lives of women and girls. It comes with the highest level of commitment globally and the initiative will be governed by the UN Deputy Secretary General and the Vice President of the EU Commission. The Spotlight Initiative is a flagship programme under the UN Reform, showing how the UN will work together towards a common goal, and a targeted investment in a usually underfunded SDG (SDG 5).
Reporting to Programme Specialist under Spotlight, the Programme Finance Associate under Spotlight Initiative is responsible for the execution of a wide range of financial services and administrative processes under Spotlight Initiative, ensuring timeliness, efficiency and transparent use of financial resources and delivery of services in accordance with organizational financial rules, regulations, policies, procedures and approved allocations. The Programme Finance Associate provides support to the members of the Programme Team in the development and implementation of effective programmes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Programme Finance Associate works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and projects’ staff in the Country Office and UN Women HQs as required for resolving complex finance-related issues and exchange of information.
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