United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
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JOB DESCRIPTION
assignment(s)
Fully funded
Advertisement end date:19/02/2024
General
Description of assignment title
AFSIT Project Officer
Assignment country
Ethiopia
Expected start date
01/05/2024
Sustainable Development Goal
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
Volunteer category
International UN Youth Volunteer
Host entity
UNDP
Type
Onsite
Duration
12 months (with possibility of extension)
Number of assignments
1
Duty stations
Addis Ababa
Details
Mission and objectives
The Regional Programme for Africa is a flagship programme at UNDP that responds to challenges and opportunities facing the African continent and to the priorities and aspirations of Africa as articulated by the African Union (AU) and other regional organs, which are convergent with the vision, areas of work and guiding principles of the UNDP Strategic Plan. The Programme builds on the successes and responds to the lessons from past cooperation, with special attention to effective engagement with the AU and Regional Economic Communities through the development of long-term strategic partnerships. Underpinned by African ownership and leadership, and cognizant of the rich diversity of the continent, UNDP’s regional work is based on five mutually reinforcing rationality principles, which define the added value of regional or sub-regional approaches to addressing development challenges. These are: (a) promotion of regional public goods and services, based on strengthened regional cooperation and integration; (b) management of cross-border externalities (challenges and opportunities) and spill-overs such as trade, the environment and conflict prevention that are best addressed collaboratively on an inter-country basis; (c) advancement of awareness, dialogue and action on sensitive and/or emerging development issues that benefit strongly from multi-country and regional experiences and perspectives; (d) promotion of experimentation and innovation to overcome institutional, financial and/or informational barriers that may be too high for an individual country to surmount; and (e) generation and sharing of development knowledge, experience and expertise – for instance, through South-South and triangular cooperation – so that countries can connect to, and benefit from, relevant experiences from across the region and beyond. South-South and triangular cooperation is one of the core ways of working in the Regional Programme that supports inter-country initiatives that accelerate regional integration in Africa.
Context
Challenges to governance peace and security in Africa persist. In the current decade, Africa has already experienced 6 military coups and 2 attempted coups. Over the last 10 years, the continent has grappled with coups, popular uprisings, post-election violence and political insurgencies. It is clear from the lived experience of many African people, as well as the literature, that African processes of political transition, when not managed carefully, have often resulted in violent contestation and conflict, with periods of instability due to incomplete or contested transitions impacting on development progress, sometimes catastrophically. The UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA), through its Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA), proposes a programmatic instrument for responding to complex political transitions in Africa. The Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT) will support countries going through complex political transitions to peacefully navigate pathways to a more stable democratic environment, with a specific focus on ensuring the inclusion of women, young people and other marginalized groups. The Facility will support both regional and national activities, including by commissioning high-impact knowledge/research; providing responsive policy and technical advice to AU, RECs and partners; and disbursing rapid-response funding to African countries – in close cooperation with UN Country Teams, as well as national and civil society partners – to pre-emptively and/or responsively to support the inclusive, accountable and peaceful management of transitions by national partners in order to maintain positive national development trajectories.
Task description
The AFSIT Project Officer will successfully contribute to ensuring that the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT) provides effective support to national and regional partners involved in potentially disruptive political processes, as part of the Regional Bureau for Africa’s broader governance and peacebuilding offer to partners. Under the direct supervision of the AFSIT Project Specialist, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: •Provide support to operationalizing AFSIT including planning, programming, coordination and partnership activities with the AU, Regional Economic Communities and Mechanism (REC/RMs), the UN Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs (DPPA), UN Country Teams and other relevant development partners; *Work closely with the project team in supporting regional-level policy interventions with the AU, especially the Department for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (PAPS); •Contribute to drafting policy briefs for the leadership of the AU (especially the Peace and Security Council and Member States) and UN leadership to encourage buy in and political will for AFSIT; •Support various AU and RECs policy processes concerning AFSIT; •Participate in coordination meetings with UN agencies in the region including UNOWAS, UNOAU, and the UN Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa on matters relating to unconstitutional changes of government. •Support project team to provide direct programming and technical advice to UNDP regional offices and Country Offices, and other stakeholders upon their request, to more effectively prevent and/or respond to potentially disruptive political transitions. •Assist the Facility’s programming efforts in relation to engaging with civil society (especially women and youth-led organizations) in support of inclusive political transitions. •Provide policy and programme support to AFSIT including supporting the development of narrative and financial project reports for UNDP and development partners and all other programme management activities as directed. •Provide ad hoc support to Regional Programme initiatives and projects.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 – 26
Additional eligibility criteria
This assignment is funded by the Government of Finland and therefore specific criteria apply. ELIGIBILITY – Candidates must be Finnish nationals and must have knowledge of Finnish or Swedish. – Candidates must be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of application (the above age range does not apply) – Candidates who already served on a UN Youth Volunteer assignment funded by the Government of Finland are not eligible. APPLICATION – If you are above the age of 26, a notification will be displayed that you are not eligible to apply. You may ignore this and proceed with submitting your application. – Application deadline: 27 February 2024 SELECTION – Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UN Host Entity at the level of the country of assignment. Interviews will be conducted by the UN Host Entity in March. +++ UN Volunteer entitlement calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator +++
Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.
Donor priorities
,
Requirements
Required experience
1 years of experience in or demonstrated interest in: • International development work, preferably in governance, peace and security. • Experience in partnership building with multiple stakeholders on common development challenges. • Knowledge of rule of law, human rights, peacebuilding and development issues and programming. • experience organizing and managing workshops and meetings. • Experience in drafting research and analysis products. • Excellent analytical, written, oral and presentation skills. • Full computer literacy, in internet searching and Microsoft Office applications. • Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.
Area(s) of expertise
Crisis and emergency response, Development programmes, Security and protection
Driving license
–
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required French, Level: Fluent, Desirable
Required education level
Bachelor degree or equivalent in Law, Public Administration, Human Rights, Conflict Prevention, Peace Studies/Peacebuilding, International Development, Political Science, or related fields.
Competencies and values
• Accountability • Commitment and Motivation. • Communication • Ethics and Values • Integrity • Planning and Organizing • Respect for Diversity • Self-Management • Working in Teams
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
Addis Ababa is the Federal Capital of Ethiopia and a Chartered City, having three layers of Government: City Government at the top 10, Sub City Administrations in the Middle, and 99 Kebele Administrations at the bottom. The city’s average elevation is 2,500 meters above sea level, and hence has a fairly favourable climate and moderate weather conditions. Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia, the seat of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Ethiopia is a unique country and UNDP/RSCA is a unique (humanitarian) operation. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in harsh and potentially hazardous conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort, are essential.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy
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