Associate Civil Affairs Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Assignment is renewable on an annual basis (1 July - 30 June) up to a maximum of 4 years. There is no expectation of automatic renewal. Contract renewals are granted based on Mission mandate, availability of budget, operational necessity and satisfactory performance.

====================

Duty station can change in the course of an assignment based on operational necessity; UN Volunteers may be required to work and travel anywhere in the area of operations of the host organization, including in remote locations.

====================

Expected results of the assignment:

• Conflict resolution committees seeking peace, mediation, dialogue and reconciliation are supported as requested in the Area of Responsibility (AOR);
• Restoration and extension of State authority: Recognized State representatives are deployed and functional in areas formerly occupied by armed groups. State institutions have the capacity (priority setting, budgeting and planning) to deliver basic social services to citizen. Participative coordination structures for recovery, development and poverty reduction in place of the AOR are achieved.
• Protection tools are in place and functioning: Community Liaison Assistants, Community Alert Networks, Community Protection Plans, Perception surveys on protection and security.
• Confidence building and support to civil society: Civil society is structured and representatives are involved in internal and interprovincial consultation frameworks and outreach. Civil Society Organizations are implicated in Aid effectiveness and outreach on peace and security.

Roles and responsibilities of Civil Affairs Officers depend on the mandate and situation on the ground, and tend to evolve over time during the mission life-cycle. Under the direct supervision of Chief Civil Affairs and his designated official in the Sector and/or Officer in Charge Civil Affairs (CA) and within delegated authority, the Associate Civil Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provide representation of the Mission at the local level and ensure that all relevant governmental and non-governmental actors have accurate information about the mandate and full-range of operations of the Mission;
• Establish and maintain contact with representatives of local authorities, as well as civil society actors, non-governmental organizations, community representatives and representatives of local interest groups;
• Coordinate activities and initiatives (across disciplines and components) with other team members to achieve consistency and synergy in mandate implementation;
• Undertake assessment of specific sectors with a view to identifying needs and priorities.
• Contribute to overall mission monitoring and planning;
• Assist in the organization of outreach activities to promote good relations and understanding between Mission’s actors and the population as well as to ensure accurate information dissemination on Mission’s role and mandate;
• Contribute to the design and management of Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) to foster confidence in the peace process and demonstrate peace dividends among the population;
• Work closely with civil society groups or institutions that promote a culture of peace and reconciliation by organizing joint initiatives such as community events;
• Assist in protecting and promoting rights of excluded and/or threatened groups through advocacy in full respect of Mission’s mandate;
• Assist in the design and implementation of civic education programmes at the local level on a range of issues, including elections, policy issues, good governance principles, structure of government, in coordination with local authorities and/or civil society actors;
• Assist in the implementation of transitional government policy and establishment of sub-district and village councils;
• Draft daily, weekly and situation reports as required;
• Consolidate monitoring and reporting methodologies and information tools for the CA;
• Consolidate reporting and operational management tools;
• Liaise with MILOBs and substantive Sections for collection of information linked to reporting (Child Protection, Human Rights, Political Affairs, Public Information, CIVPOL…);
• Organize a physical and computerized filing and archive system of relevant information, reports and other documents received or produced by the CA: Constitute a database on civil affairs in CAR;
• Standardize the filing and archive system of the field offices;
• When working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, the incumbent is strongly encouraged to set aside dedicated time for capacity development through coaching, mentoring and formal and on-the-job training.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

Staff within work unit, mission and in DPKO/Headquarters; UN Agencies such as UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, etc., international non-governmental organizations, and multilateral/bilateral donors; Counterparts in regional organizations (e.g., AU, EU, NATO, OSCE etc.); Senior national and local government officials, community representatives, national non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizers; Local and, as required, international media. Because of the relatively wide scope and the evolving nature of Civil Affairs responsibilities, Civil Affairs Officers are expected to demonstrate competency and experience in one (or more) of five specialized areas, in addition to a core profile. The specialisations include: (1) Conflict Management, Reconciliation and Confidence Building; (2) Support to State Institutions; (3) Protection of civilians; (4) Reporting and analysis.

1) Conflict Management, Reconciliation and Confidence Building: - Work closely with civil society groups and/or institutions that promote a culture of peace and reconciliation by organizing joint initiatives such as community events, conflict transformation initiatives etc.; - Facilitate and support dialogue between groups in conflict at the local level by convening structured meetings and similar activities; - Promote and protects the interest of excluded and/or threatened groups through advocacy in full respect of humanitarian and international law. Where appropriate, s/he provides an interface between these groups and Mission’s uniformed components; - Engage and negotiate with local interlocutors and develops and maintains close contact with senior and local government officials, community-based organizations, and other central agencies, etc.; - Conduct situation analysis to identify areas of interventions to build confidence in the mission’s mandate. - Design and lead implementation of activities contributing to reconciliation and confidence building.

2) Support to State Institutions: - Provide preliminary assessment of capacity building needs of local institutions and/or decision making structures, and assist local institutions in identifying capacity development needs and undertake joint capacity development programmes; - In close coordination and cooperation with specialised UN agencies, design and manage training projects on subjects such as public financial management, public administration, provision of social services, etc.; - Initiate and/or supports civic education programmes at the local level on a range of issues, including elections, policy issues, and good governance principles, in coordination with local authorities and/or civil society actors; - Initiate and/or support events such as of political fora or town-hall meetings to foster the development of political space at the local level; - Support dialogue and cooperation between authorities and relevant interest groups with the aim of creating political space and accountability, and provides support to the development of structures of accountability and transparency; - Participate in the development of training plans and programmes for local governance systems that are in line with local needs, and ensures adequate implementation.

3) Protection: - Actively participate and contribute to the Protection Working Group (PWG) and protection cluster with analysis of information on protection of civilians gathered from MINUSCA and other protection partners from the Provinces and capital; - Support the revision, regular monitoring and implementation at the local level of the UN System Wide Protection Strategy. - Regularly update and advise the PWG on progress, key challenges, blockages and suggest appropriate actions; - Support protection mechanisms at local level in the provinces in adequately reporting and analysis key challenges in their provinces and formulating actionable recommendations; - In liaison with the Protection Cluster, Civil Affairs section and CIMIC, participate in the planning of MINUSCA military operations, in particular with regard to humanitarian contingencies for displaced populations; Identify priority areas for providing protection and facilitate and participate in missions for assessing protection needs; - Identify training needs and training programs on protection issues, for all (internal/external) stakeholders (including the Government) focusing on the special protection needs of women and children; assist with missions to the area of responsibility.

4) Reporting and analysisInformation collection, analysis and reporting: - Receive, examine, collect and compile civil affairs related information; - Liaise with assigned partners to verify, complete and follow-up related information; - Draft regular reports for CAS HQ: daily sitreps, weekly assessments, monthly reports, special reports, as required; - Draft ad hoc reports, code cables, briefing notes, and Power-Point presentations as required; - Attend meetings and briefings on pertinent humanitarian issues within OCHA, UN agencies, international and local/civil society partners, as required.

• Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented. • Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities. • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, remote and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within area of operations as may be necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

in one of the five specific sector of responsibility or related areas such as 1) Conflict Management, Reconciliation and Confidence Building; 2) Support to State Institutions; 3) Reporting and analysis working with community groups, civil society, public administration, NGOs and/or international relief or peacekeeping operations. Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to communicate effectively orally. Solid computer skills, including full proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and other IT applications and office technology equipment

• Assignment is renewable on an annual basis (1 July - 30 June) up to a maximum of 4 years. Contract renewals are granted based on Mission mandate, availability of budget, operational necessity and satisfactory performance.

• Duty station can change in the course of an assignment based on operational necessity; UN Volunteers may be required to work and/or travel anywhere in the area of operations of the host organization, including in remote locations.

• The Central African Republic is a non-family duty station with a difficult security and working environment. Security instructions from the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) need to be strictly complied with in all duty stations. The country security level is 4, restricting movement to official travel only. Currently a curfew applies from 10 pm to 5 am.

• The country is landlocked, with very limited travel possibilities, and surrounded by countries with volatile and security problems (Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Sudan, South Sudan). There is an unstable socio-political situation and social unrest and grievance, in particular in the capital city Bangui, with frequent civil servant strikes causing interruption of health, education and civil service, due to years of unpaid salaries. Power cuts are a norm, causing insecurity in the city. The country is entirely dependent on the Cameroon seaport, situated 1500 km away, causing regular shortage of basic domestic goods. Travel time for a truck from Douala in Cameroon to Bangui averages a week because of bad roads and roadblocks along the way.

• This situation puts tremendous stress on personnel. There are very limited medical infrastructures and services do not function properly. Living conditions are difficult due to the high cost of living and the scarcity of basic products and food. Supermarkets having a variety of food and consumer goods are available, but are costly. Fresh vegetables and fruits are available in the market.

• There is no MINUSCA guesthouse in Bangui. Private accommodation possibilities are limited and getting a house that is compliant with UN security measures can take several weeks. UN personnel in Bangui live on the local economy by renting apartments and houses. In comparison to a few years ago, more accommodation is available now, but at high cost. Sharing accommodation is recommended. Currently all serving UN Volunteers have access to decent accommodation ensuring minimum standards of comfort. The average monthly cost for accommodation varies from around 1000 USD for a small apartment with basic furniture, but no power generator and interrupted running water supply, to 2,000+ USD with all commodities.

• A UN dispensary provides basic medical care for UN personnel and a UN hospital has been operational since August 2014. A Level II Hospital run by a military medical team exists as well.

• Only four airlines officially recognized by the UN System serve the country: Air France (twice a week), Royal Air Maroc (twice a week), Kenya Airways (three flights per week) and Asky (three flights per week). Flights are sometimes subject to cancellation when security situation volatility increases.

• A Rest & Recuperation (R&R) scheme has been re-established since August 2013 and maintained for all CAR duty stations at a 6-week frequency.

• The Central African Republic is a unique country and MINUSCA is a unique operation. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural and security 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.