Mediation and Peacebuilding Advisor  

Sudan is navigating a precarious peacebuilding journey following the December 2018 revolution that led to the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir. Despite efforts to establish a civilian-led government, the country has experienced significant setbacks, including a military takeover in October 2021 and the eruption of armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023. This ongoing conflict has severely strained Sudan’s social fabric, exacerbating ethnic and tribal divisions and triggering the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. In December 2023, the United Nations Security Council terminated the mandate of UNITAMS through Resolution 2715, shifting the UN’s focus to maintaining programmatic priorities and preparedness for a possible ceasefire and political transition negotiations. UNDP Sudan plays a crucial role in these efforts, particularly in facilitating inclusive, bottom-up consultative processes and supporting localized ceasefires as critical entry points for conflict transformation. UNDP’s investment in Governance and Peacebuilding is pivotal, focusing on strengthening Sudan’s community-based peace infrastructure and ensuring that local voices, including those of women, youth, and conflict survivors, are integral to national peace processes. UNDP’s approach aligns with the UN in Sudan’s Common Approach for 2024-2025, prioritizing interventions on conflict prevention, peace-making and peace building bottom-up. Sudan is a priority context for Switzerland’s peace policy. Since the outbreak of the war, the Swiss peace policy engagement in Sudan is focusing on providing platforms for dialogue and strengthening the inclusivity of peace initiatives. In that sense, it also strives to support the capacities of peace actors in Sudan to connect local-level initiatives with nation-wide processes. By deploying a Swiss expert into this position at UNDP Sudan Switzerland aims at enhancing the UN system’s capacities to act on these issues, and creating synergies with the further Swiss peace policy portfolio and humanitarian programme in Sudan.

Tasks and responsibilities:

The Mediation and Peacebuilding Advisor will provide technical expertise, strategic advice, project development support, and advocacy to UNDP Sudan, with a focus on mediation across all tracks. The Advisor will emphasize UNDP’s mandate of engaging communities in bottom-up conflict transformation processes, linking local voices with ongoing and future peace talks, including ceasefire and political transition negotiations. The role includes a strong focus on supporting bottom-up peacebuilding initiatives, mapping Sudan’s peace infrastructure, and strengthening social cohesion during a time of heightened polarization. This position will work within UNDP Sudan’s Governance and Peacebuilding Pillar under the overall thematic guidance and leadership of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative – Programme in Sudan, and coordinate closely with its team leader to ensure coherence and synergy across related initiatives, while also supporting UNDP’s other thematic pillars cross-cuttingly on conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity.

Technical Expertise and Strategic Advice:

• Provide expert advice on all aspects of mediation, particularly on how to link local peacebuilding initiatives with Track 1 negotiations.

• Develop strategies to support localized peacebuilding initiatives, including localized ceasefires as entry points for broader conflict transformation efforts, ensuring their sustainability and potential for expansion.

• Lead initiatives to map and analyse Sudan’s peace infrastructure, identifying key actors, conflict dynamics, and opportunities for strengthening social cohesion at local, sub-national, national and regional/cross-border levels.

• Support the development of frameworks and structures for inclusive bottom-up consultative processes, ensuring that the voices of victims, survivors, women, and youth and other conflict affected communities and marginalized groups are integrated into peace process design, negotiations, and implementation.

Project Development and Support:

• Design and implement projects that enhance UNDP’s role in bottom-up conflict transformation, focusing on community engagement and the integration of local voices into national processes.

• Lead the formulation of initiatives aimed at sustaining and replicating localized peace initiatives, while also exploring preventive measures in areas not yet affected by the conflict.

• Coordinate closely with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Personal Envoy’s Office and the Peace and Development Advisor (PDA) at the RCO to align local level mediation efforts with broader UN mediation strategies and ensure coherent support across all tracks of mediation.

• Support UNDP Sudan’s Governance and Peacebuilding Pillar team, ensuring programmatic aspects of governance – including questions of local-level power and resource sharing – align, link with and shape broader mediation processes.

Advocacy, Coordination, and Collaboration:

• Advocate for the inclusion of community perspectives in peace processes, emphasizing the importance of civilian-driven solutions.

• Facilitate coordination between UNDP, DPPA, the Personal Envoy’s Office, and other UN agencies to ensure a unified approach to conflict transformation efforts within Sudan – including through advisory support to the UN Common Approach’s Working Group 3 on Peacebuilding which UNDP Sudan co-chairs.

• Represent UNDP Sudan in peace forums, working groups, and consultations, and collaborate with international partners to strengthen the impact of, and support for peacebuilding efforts in Sudan.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing:

• Provide training and capacity-building support to UNDP staff, local partners, and community actors on mediation, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding.

• Lead on knowledge management partnerships with academic institutions and think thanks, particularly the ETH’s CSS on documenting lessons and learnings from assessing and supporting localized ceasefire initiatives across Sudan.

• Develop and disseminate knowledge products, including policy briefs, case studies, and lessons learned, to inform and enhance mediation practices in Sudan and beyond.

• Mentor national staff, building their capacity to engage in mediation and peacebuilding activities effectively.

Multi-dimensional Risk Analysis:

• Conduct multi-dimensional risk analysis to anticipate potential conflict risks, identify vulnerabilities, and propose strategies to mitigate these risks in mediation and peacebuilding efforts.

• Develop conflict-sensitive approaches that consider the complex interplay between political, social, and economic factors in Sudan, ensuring that mediation strategies do not inadvertently exacerbate existing tensions.

• Lead the implementation of the ZIM-ECO2 Justice and Peace pillar and support the strengthening of mechanisms to resolve electoral disputes and to prevent electoral violence;

Qualification and Experience

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in a related field.

• At least 7 years of professional experience in mediation, conflict resolution, or peacebuilding, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings.

• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing mediation strategies and peacebuilding initiatives with a focus on mediation process design and insider mediation.

• Experience working with UN agencies, international NGOs, bilateral/multilateral organizations or academic think tanks is highly desirable.

• Previous work experience in fragile contexts and in the Horn of Africa region is highly desirable.

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to develop actionable insights from complex information.

• Proficiency in mediation/negotiation techniques, conflict transformation, peacebuilding project design and implementation as well as experience in supporting bottom-up initiatives and the inclusion of local voices into national peace processes.

• a network of contacts and in-depth knowledge of the political landscape and conflict dynamics in the Horn of Africa and particularly in Sudan would be an advantage.

• Further academic training in the field of mediation, conflict transformation or peace policy (e.g. MAS ETHZ or similar) would be an advantage.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including international partners and local communities.

• Ability to work independently in a politically sensitive and rapidly changing environment.

• Fluent written and spoken English and passive knowledge of two Swiss official languages is required.

• Physical and mental fitness to work in this context, (assignments are subject to successfully meeting the medical standards);

• Possession of a valid automobile driving license and the ability to drive a 4×4 vehicle using manual transmission;

• Swiss nationality (dual citizenship with country of assignment not possible).

Duty station: Port Sudan, Sudan

Start of assignment: Spring 2025

Duration of contract: 1 year, with the possibility of extension.

Deadline for applications 9 March 2025

Interviews are scheduled to take place on: 14/18 March 2025

Family: accompaniment by family is not possible

Click here to learn more about the organisation: https://www.undp.org/sudan

For further information, please contact:

• Mr. Christian Scherer, Program Manager ([email protected], +41 58 467 67 29) for questions related to the mission or

• Ms Janine Misteli, Swiss Expert Pool ([email protected], +41 58 462 63 39) for questions on requirements and on the selection process.

Assignment: The assignments take place within the framework of the Swiss Expert Pool for Civilian Peacebuilding

1. The seconded expert receives a contract from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for the duration of their deployment PVFMH (D) / OPers-PDHH (F) / OPers-PRA (I).

Please apply through the Swiss Federal Administration recruitment system https://www.stelle.admin.ch/stelle/en/home/stellen/stellenangebot.html

A complete application contains:

• an application letter in English;

• a CV in English;

• diplomas and work certificates;

• the completed Personal History Form PEP (see: https://www.eda.admin.ch/content/dam/eda/en/documents/aussenpolitik/menschenrechte menschliche-sicherheit/stellenangebote-expertenpool/personal-history-form.docx)