National Associate Civil Affairs Officer

Volunteering Security

Overview

Support management and development of Community Alert Network and contribute to situational awareness.

You have:

• Solid experience or a degree in International Law, Political Science, Social Sciences, Sociology, or any related field.
• A combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Formal training in basic statistical analysis is required.
• Ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential.
• Must ensure that they are up-to-date with all appropriate vaccinations.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) was established in 1999 under the auspices of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). – http://monusco.unmissions.org.

Under the authority of the Chief Civil Affairs Section, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Support the management and development of the Community Alert Network (CAN) and contribute to the Situational Awareness Geospatial Enterprise (SAGE ) database; support and coordinate related field activities; • Generate analytical weekly and monthly reports on Protection of Civilians (POC) incidents and related protection responses and advise Civil Affairs management on early warning related issues. • In coordination with the MONUSCO Communication Information and Technology System (CITS), monitor the Civil Affairs SAGE interface and formulate recommendations to the system developers and designers to improve and optimize the database, including the mission Geographic Information System (GIS) , in order to generate specific maps to support the production of accurate visualized context. • Ensure that CAN stations are operational in close liaison with Civil Affairs field offices; identify hot spots and support the CAN extension plan. • Contribute to capacity building for CAN focal points on CAN reporting using the SAGE database interface in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG ) for SAGE. • Contribute to overall mission monitoring and planning as required, in line with Protection of Civilians tools and activities. • Actively participate in the SAGE task force and steering committee. • Perform other duties as required, in line with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Department of Field Support (DFS) policy directives on Civil Affairs. • Ensure the good functionality of protection tools at field offices. • Ensure the good functionality and monitoring of the Early Warning System (EWS ) at field offices regarding conflict-related tasks. • In collaboration with field offices, produce and update emerging conflict maps. • acilitate structured dialogue sessions between conflicting parties/communities to decrease intra- and inter-community tension and violence.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

Solid experience or a degree in International Law, Political Science, Social Sciences, Sociology, or any related field. A combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree. Formal training in basic statistical analysisis required.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa, and as a result is quite diverse.

Living conditions therefore vary between MONUSCO duty stations, with all usual amenities present in the capital Kinshasa, but only very basic conditions in remote duty stations in the provinces, where, for instance, there may be no guarantee of public power supply nor running water. The ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential.

Accommodation is very expensive in both Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. Supermarkets exist in the large towns (e.g. Bukavu, Kisangani), but consumer items are generally very expensive (as everything is imported). For food, local markets offer a much cheaper alternative.

All MONUSCO duty stations are considered non-family duty stations, except for Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Entebbe which are now considered family duty stations, and most are currently under UN Security Phase III (“relocation phase”: internationally-recruited staff are temporarily concentrated or relocated to specified sites/locations). In addition to insecurity related to the relatively volatile political situation as well as various conflict situations, certain places are subject to increasing street and residential crime, including in Kinshasa and Goma. Some degree of medical service is provided in all MONUSCO duty stations. Certain vaccinations are mandatory for MONUSCO personnel to enter the DRC, while others are compulsory for all other incoming persons. It is possible for incoming MONUSCO personnel, including UN Volunteers, to be asked to provide proof of some or all vaccinations, though this is unlikely. All UN Volunteers must ensure that they are up-to-date with all appropriate vaccinations, which should be clearly and properly endorsed in the International Certificate of Vaccination (“carte jaune”). Malaria is present virtually throughout the DRC, and it is therefore recommended to take prophylaxis.

The unit of currency is the Congolese Franc. The US dollar is the other preferred currency. It may be impossible to exchange traveller’s checks away from the capital city. Credit cards are usually accepted in major hotels only in Kinshasa. In larger towns and cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani), UN Volunteers are recommended to open US Dollar bank accounts, while in other places, banks may be absent (including ATMs) and VLA payments will be processed in cash. UN Volunteers have the possibility to send part of their allowances to a bank account abroad.

In addition to French, there are four major spoken languages in DRC, namely Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.

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Potential interview questions

Added 23 days ago - Updated 9 days ago - Source: unv.org