Security Sector Reform (SSR) Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

Concerned with the security, humanitarian, human rights and political crisis in the Central African Republic and its regional implications, the Security Council authorized in April 2014 the deployment of a multidimensional United Nations peacekeeping operation, MINUSCA, with the protection of civilians as its utmost priority. Its other initial tasks included support for the transition process; facilitating humanitarian assistance; promotion and protection of human rights; support for justice and the rule of law; and disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation processes. The newly established mission subsumed the UN Integrated Peace building Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA). MINUSCA current uniformed personnel levels stand at 11,650 military personnel and 2,080 police personnel, and are tasked with the strategic objective of creating the political, security and institutional conditions conducive to sustainably reducing the presence of — and threat posed by — armed groups. See http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minusca/.

Context

Concerned with the security, humanitarian, human rights and political crisis in the Central African Republic and its regional implications, the Security Council authorized in April 2014 the deployment of a multidimensional United Nations peacekeeping operation, MINUSCA, with the protection of civilians as its utmost priority. Its other initial tasks included support for the transition process; facilitating humanitarian assistance; promotion and protection of human rights; support for justice and the rule of law; and disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and repatriation processes. The newly established mission subsumed the UN Integrated Peace building Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA). MINUSCA current uniformed personnel levels stand at 11,650 military personnel and 2,080 police personnel, and are tasked with the strategic objective of creating the political, security and institutional conditions conducive to sustainably reducing the presence of — and threat posed by — armed groups. See http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minusca/.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Chief Strategic Planning & Reporting Unit or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer SSR Officer :
• Assists in crafting essential elements of the endorsed SSR Programme, encompassing the overarching policy and legal framework, implementation strategy, operational modalities, and action plans, while considering national program priorities and targets.
• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned projects, monitors and analyzes project development and implementation, reviews pertinent documents and reports, identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant stakeholders, and identifies and tracks follow-up actions.
• Offers technical expertise to ongoing projects and provide technical guidance and assistance to key stakeholders (such as SSR unit management, established Commissions, or government officials).; consults with relevant stakeholders through inclusive and participatory processes; and conduct continuous monitoring of project activities.
• Organizes or conducts research on various aspects of SSR work; analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources; identifies problems and issues to be assessed and proposes corrective actions.
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, and so on.
• Undertakes survey initiatives; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identify problems/issues and prepare conclusions.
• Participates in field missions, providing guidance to government officials and other involved parties, drafts mission summaries, and so on.
• Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; contributes to conducting training workshops and seminars; makes presentations on assigned topics or activities.
• Contributes to coordinating activities related to budget and funding (including project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, and so on) and prepares related documents and reports (pledging, work, programme budget, and so on).
• Liaises closely with others relevant parties to ensure to ensure the effective integration and coordination of SSR activities.
• Prepares various written outputs, such as draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, and similar materials.
• Provides substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, and so on.
• When collaborating with (including supervising) national staff or (non-)governmental counterparts, the incumbent is strongly encouraged to allocate dedicated time for training, coaching, mentoring and capacity development.
• Performs other related duties as required by direct supervisor.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.