International Communications and Advocacy Associate

Contract

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

UN Women, grounded in the vision of gender equality enshrined in the Charter of United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development and human rights. UN Women Country Office in Kyrgyzstan is one of the 25 agencies present in Kyrgyzstan and operate a Country Office with full Delegation of Authority obtained as of 2015. UN Women has been presented at the United Nations Country Team from its first day, is a member of all UNCT thematic working groups and and heads the Gender Thematic Working Group. UN Women in Kyrgyzstan is a strong advocate for improving the lives of women and girls in the country. The strategic focus areas of the Country Office are Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls, Women’s economic empowerment, Women in peace and security. UN Women in Kyrgyzstan extends continuous support to the Government, Parliament, CSOs, Media and LPAS and communities in the country in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women through close cooperation and coordination with the UN Agencies including under the guidance and leadership of the UN RC. In 2021, UN Women is implementing the following major projects: EU/UN Joint Programme Spotlight Initiative focusing on Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls, UN Joint Programme under Peace Building Fund, Joint UN Programme on Election focusing on Women’s equal participation, Statistics and Data Project, Advancing the rights of women living with HIV, Joint Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment, Women’s empowerment in Covid context, among others. All UN Women programmes are implemented through close inter-coordination at the policy, institutional and local levels in the country. Moreover, UN Women continues supporting UN Coherence agenda with specific inputs on promoting Gender Equality and women’s empowerment within the UN system and with the partners. Buildin

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and direct supervision of Communications Specialist, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: 1. Communications and Advocacy Strategy

Support in design, development and implementation of communication and out-reach/advocacy strategy of the Country Office (CO) in line with the new Strategic Note of UN Women;
Undertake a desk review of similar strategies in other entities with the particular focus on behavior change communications;
Support in conceptualizing of communication work using innovative tools such as behaviors change communications.

2. Support implementation of Communications and Advocacy Strategy and related plans

   Support in development of quarterly communications and advocacy plan jointly with the Communications associate and programme teams; Support in implementing the plans in line with the Strategy; Monitor and report on the implementation of the plan; Support the team in developing communication products for the country office of information and communications products for target audiences, to include press releases, media packets and reports, brochures, briefings, video clips, newsletters, websites, etc. Draft stories and media inputs (key messages, press releases, news stories); Support in maintaining online and social media presence of UN Women CO Kyrgyzstan, by providing substantive input to websites’ content and maintenance based on corporate requirements and supporting social media channels and other interactive tools in line with corporate social media policies; Support in monitoring and analyzing how media picks up CO’s communications products and recommend to the management to adjust products and dissemination strategies if relevant.

3. Researching and Learning about Behavior Change Communications (BCC)

   Support the team to track, research and analyze information to develop campaigns and engagement concepts; gather information from diverse sources and help

, Accountability, Adaptability and Flexibility, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Creativity, Ethics and Values, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Self-Management, Technological Awareness, Working in Teams

Experience

Relevant experience (ideally one year) at the national or international level in public re-lations, communications or advocacy;
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in communications, PR and journalism;
Excellence in public outreach and advocacy on development matters is an asset;
Experience in working with international organizations, civil society and/or government is an advantage;
Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded;
Experience in internet and social media systems, applications, and interactive tools (such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIN, Vimeo, Tilda and YouTube) and with standard computer applications is required;
Experience in video and photography computer-based programmes is desirable;
Experience in writing and producing communications in English such as news stories, press releases, newsletters and leaflets is desirable;
Experience in innovative communications solutions is desirable. Skills for creative problem solving and innovation;
Ability to plan and organize work, deliver results and meet deadlines;
Strong team player and ability to lead by example.

Knowledge:

Good knowledge of communication and advocacy tools and approaches;
Knowledge and experience in promoting gender equality and human rights;
Knowledge on behaviour change communication approaches is an advantage.

Bishkek, the duty station, is the capital of the country with the population slightly over one million. It has comparatively developed infrastructure with a variety of options for accommodation, transportation inside the city (including affordable taxi services) and many places for recreation with colleagues, friends, and family members.

Kyrgyz and Russian are the official languages with Kyrgyz being more widespread in rural areas of the country and Russia is commonly spoken in the capital area. Bishkek and all the regions are safe for traveling and Kyrgyzstan is popular tourist destination throughout the year. The weather embodies all four seasons from cold winter months to warm summer time to enjoy the seasonal activities outdoor. Due to the four seasons, both summer and winter clothing are necessary.

Bishkek is an international city with many opportunities for also non-russian speaking residents. In case of family members accompanying the UN Volunteer, a number of international schools with English language instruction are available.

Kyrgyzstan was the first country in Central Asia initiated launch of no visa entry. At least 60 nationalities can visit Kyrgyzstan without visas, including citizens of Korea, Japan, most major Western countries and former Soviet countries.

For more practical information, the following websites can be further consulted: https://cbtkyrgyzstan.kg/useful-menu/practical-information https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Kyrgyzstan.html