Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk – P4

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains supporting the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. 

Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis and fragility-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response, and recovery. The Bureau is responsible for support prevention, crisis response, resilience, recovery, and peacebuilding work under the auspices of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Crisis Bureau staff provide global strategic advice to UNDP management and technical advice to Regional Hubs and Country Offices; advocate for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora, and engage in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. As part of the Global Policy Network (GPN), the Crisis Bureau works in an integrated manner with UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), ensuring that issues are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. Peace outcomes are delivered in a coherent manner, working across the GPN that including the Governance team in the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support. 

Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions

The Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions (CPPRI) Team covers the following thematic/programming areas as part of the GPN: 

• Conflict prevention and peacebuilding;
• Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE);
• Core government functions, including local governance in transition, conflict, and fragile settings
• Climate security

 

UNDP Stabilization Facility – Lake Chad Basin Commission

The Regional Stabilization Facility (RSF) for Lake Chad aims to stabilize the Boko Haram affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin. The Facility consists of a multiscale multi-country mechanism with activities covering stabilization and recovery, security, development, and institutional support.

The RSF, through the Secretariat of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) aims to: enhance civil-military cooperation to design and implement Joint Action Plans for the immediate stabilization of specific target areas; to increase security and the rule of law as well as provide infrastructure, basic services, and livelihood opportunities as a rapid-response package. The LCBC and the African Union implementation of the LCBC Regional Stabilization Strategy, further seeks to strengthen coherence and coordination of response to the Lake Chad crisis, and establish the mechanism and process required to operationalize the New Way of Working and transition from provision of humanitarian assistance to development and resilience.

 

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

As a member of the Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions Team (CPPRI) and the Stabilization Team – Lake Chad Basin Commission, the Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk will provide technical guidance on climate, environment, peace, and security. They will work with teams in the Crisis Bureau and as part of the Regional Bureau for Africa as well as across UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) particularly with NCE, the Regional Hubs, Country Offices and Global Policy Centers, supporting the development of substantive approaches, products and tools on responsive, accountable, and effective institutions to support policy and programming services to UNDP Country Offices. 

The Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk will be seconded to the LCBC to ensure accurate, credible and timely information flow and reporting, especially policy and programme support tasks and support the mainstreaming of climate security into the Regional Stabilization Strategy (RSS), expansion of the Knowledge Hub, Crisis Risk Dashboard and Conflict Analysis Monitoring Systems in the area of climate security and convening of local level Partnership Platforms. They will have dual reporting lines, respectively, to the Stabilization Team – Lake Chad Basin Commission and Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding & Responsive Institutions/ Climate Security Team (CPPRI/CS). 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Focus on understanding climate security-related issues in the region and providing advisory to LCBC through the UNDP Secretariat 

• Enhance the capacity of the LCBC to address climate security into stabilization efforts in the region through the platforms provided by the LCBC;
• Work in close coordination with the LCBC to support their efforts in establishing a clear position on climate security, articulating linkages to global debates, including the Climate Security Mechanism, relevant Security Council Resolutions, and others as appropriate, while making use of and localizing the UN Climate Security Mechanism Toolbox and conceptual approach;
• Based on specific demands, and at the request of the LCBC, provide technical advice and assistance to the Member States who are interested in addressing the climate security nexus at the country level;
• Lead information collection and provide analytical inputs and context-specific updates to the UNDP representative in the CSM and support CSM-led knowledge management activities;
• Identify and map key processes, stakeholders (including regional actors such as the African Union and African Development Bank), Special Political Missions, Private Sector, NGOs and audiences that need to be engaged (including Government, NGOs/Community-led organizations inclusive of women and youth groups), to address climate security issues that would promote a ‘New Way of Working’ in the Lake Chad Basin;
• Provide strategic policy advise and analysis on climate security to the LCB countries, and Regional Hubs;
• Provide oversight on mainstreaming climate security approaches into national and local policy, strategy, and planning processes of the LCB countries.

2. Support LCBC’s partnerships and programming on climate security 

Lead the climate security thematic area and:

• Act as a focal point between the LCBC and other partners to establish synergies and enhance interlinkages between the outputs of those organizations on climate security;
• Coordinate the organization of specific policy dialogues and other Member-States driven events through the LCBC platforms to ensure they are informed by ongoing regional research and other initiatives that address the climate security nexus in the region;
• Support the identification of potential programmatic entry points that can be considered by different actors to support the LCBC and its Member States’ strengthen climate security initiatives at the country level;
• Identify areas of collaboration, project opportunities, capacity development and gaps on climate security and RSS Pillar 6 and develop concept notes and Project Implementation Plans (PIPs) that would enhance systemic engagements with UN initiatives, AU and other regional entities;
• Document best practices and lessons learnt on climate security policy and programming, tools, institutional arrangements, and mechanisms, including integrated climate security and early warning and prevention mechanisms in the Lake Chad Basin;
• Mobilize, foster, and strengthen partnerships with Member States, including the Group of Friends on Climate Security, the informal experts’ group to members of the Security Council on climate security, the Climate Security Experts Group and Network, the research community and civil society in the region;

3. Support the LCBC’s resource mobilization efforts on climate security 

• Analyzes trends and identifies opportunities for resource mobilization in the region, conducts donor mapping and contributes to resource mobilization strategies and ensures alignment with corporate and regional goals
• Facilitates the preparation and submission of concept notes and project proposals on climate security and advises on regional and country pipelines;
• Ensures compliance with partner’s requirements, including monitoring, narrative and financial reporting, and evaluation;
• Prepares presentations, updates, and project briefs as per donor’s requirements;
• Prepare reporting, monitoring and evaluation of climate security-related programmatic activities according to the donor’s requirements.

 4.) Contributes to UNDP and CSM’s knowledge management, advocacy, and communication 

• Engages in cross-regional exchange of knowledge by collaborating with the Climate Security Mechanism, the P4 Climate and Security Risk – Programme Specialist in Dakar, the Climate and Security Risk – Programme Specialist in the Liptako Gourma Authority and policy teams in the Regional Hubs;
• Contribute to knowledge-based tools and guidance to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material at various fora;
• Supports UNDP knowledge generation, lessons, innovations, policy developments, programmatic offers, and practice experiences on climate security in the LCB region;
• Contributes to drafts notes, background papers, talking points, speeches, and other correspondence for senior UN officials;
• Provides up-to-date information to senior officials regarding substantive political matters and country or regional issues with a focus on climate-related security risks. Engage in building and strengthening of knowledge, understanding, and importance of UNDP’s climate security and peace-building work and value to a wide range of partners;
• disseminate study findings/ report of the sub-regional climate related security risks and risk strategy of the LCB among partners
• Update LCB regional offices, CO’s and CSM HQ with regular climate security information on changing development priorities for input into UNDP’s communication, advocacy, policy making and strategy setting including informing CSM’s/HQ on communication/ outreach approaches and types of information products on climate security needed to respond to LCBC
• Support the coordination of a sub-regional study on climate-related security risks/ country level climate security assessments considering country-specific climate-related security risks and solutions/ recommendations.

 The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

 

Competencies

Core
Achieve Results:

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously:

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility: 

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination:

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

• 2030 Agenda: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions
• Community engagement for prevention, response, and social cohesion.

2030 Agenda Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions:

• Dialogue, Mediation and Reconciliation.

Business Management – Project Management:

• Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Partnership management – Relationship Management:

• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

Business Developmesnt – Knowledge Generation:

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need.

Business Management – Portfolio Management:

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization´s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising return on investment.

Business Direction & Strategy – System Thinking:

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

 

Required Skills and Experience
 

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in political science, conflict studies, political economy, climate, environment, or other related social sciences or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years (with Master´s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in the areas of climate security, climate change, environment, conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding.
• Experience working with the UN/UNDP and/or other international institutions on climate security, climate change, environment, conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding is required;
• Experience in climate change, environment, conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding programmes in is desired;
• Experience in conflict and political analysis, and strategy development required;
• Programme design and management, and results monitoring experience within the United Nations system in climate security, climate change, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding will be considered an asset;
• Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience, and track record of engagement with senior officials in the UN, government and external partners are desired.

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in French is required.
• Knowledge of other UN languages is a plus.

Note:

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

 

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders) 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

 

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

 

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

 

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