Proofread Training Manual on Positive Behaviour Change for Young People in PNG

Host entity: UNWomen

Areas of expertise: Communication, advocacy, public information, Gender, women's rights, Writing, editing, proofreading

Application deadline: 30/10/2026

Mission and objectives

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.

Assignment context

Gender inequality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) remains severe, with the country ranked 169th out of 170 globally. Women and girls face high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), low literacy levels, and limited access to protection and justice. The DHS 2016–2018 indicates that 54% of women experienced GBV in the past year, while nearly 23% of women aged 15–49 have no formal education. Structural barriers, harmful social norms, tribal conflicts, sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV), small arms proliferation, and conflict-related displacement further exacerbate these challenges. Addressing these issues is critical to advancing SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Building on the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, UN Women, UNFPA, and UNOPS are implementing the Soim Wokabout: Gender-Based Violence Referral Pathways Programme, funded by the EU. The programme aims to reduce GBV, strengthen access to quality services and justice for survivors, improve referral pathways, and address harmful gender and social norms across target areas, including the Eastern Highlands and National Capital District.

Under the programme's third objective, UN Women is implementing the youth-led Sanap Wantaim Campaign, which empowers young people and communities to prevent GBV, promote positive behaviour change, and enhance safety in communities and public spaces. The campaign uses a standardized Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) toolkit to guide awareness-raising activities.

UN Women seeks to engage an Online Volunteer as a Proofreader to work with the Soim Wokabout Project Manager and Advocacy Specialist, under the supervision of the Programme Head (Deputy Country Representative), to ensure the BCC manual/toolkit is clear, consistent with programme objectives and aligned with relevant standards and gender equality and human rights principles.

Task description

UN Women seeks to engage an Online Volunteer as a Proofreader to work with the Soim Wokabout Project Manager and Advocacy Specialist, under the supervision of the Programme Head (Deputy Country Representative), to ensure the BCC manual/toolkit is clear, consistent with programme objectives and aligned with relevant standards and gender equality and human rights principles.

The Online Volunteer will be expected to:

- Proofread and edit one assigned document of 68 pages for grammar, spelling, punctuation and overall language quality in English.
- Ensure consistency in terminology, writing style and formatting across all documents, in accordance with the organization's guidelines.
- Review content for clarity, coherence and logical flow, suggesting improvements where necessary without altering the intended meaning.
- Check references, footnotes, citations, tables and annexes for consistency and correct formatting, where applicable.
- Consult the designated team or focal point to clarify content-related questions and address feedback, where necessary.
- Ensure that final documents meet the organization's editorial and publication guidelines, which will be provided.

Skills and experience

- Candidates should have an excellent command of English, with strong proofreading, editing, and grammatical skills.
- Experience reviewing manuals, toolkits, reports, or other publications is desirable.
- Familiarity with gender-based violence (GBV), gender equality, disability inclusion, human rights, or behaviour change communication (BCC) is an asset.
- Experience applying editorial guidelines to ensure clear, consistent, and gender-sensitive language is also desirable.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.