Participatory and Anticipatory Governance Portfolio Lead

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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.

Pacific Islands countries (PICs) boast “big ocean” economies, with young and mobile populations and highly resilient and adaptative societies. Past and recent investments have however fallen short of developing diverse economies offering inclusive services and opportunities, resilient to external shocks and the increasing pace of climate disasters. While the scale of Pacific economies does not allow them to respond to all these challenges alone, public investment and revenues would gain from empowered officials accountable to keep basic service delivery and development priorities in mind while driving fiscal decisions.

For this reason, the “Accountable Public Finances to serve Pacific people – Vaka Pasifika” project (hereafter Vaka Pasifika project) builds on the results of the “Strengthening Public Finance Management and Governance in the Pacific” (PFM) project implemented between 2018 and 2022 thanks to the support of the European Union. The proposed overarching goal of this project is to strengthen the governance mechanisms enabling Pacific countries to deliver public services that are better calibrated to meet specific needs of the people. Its specific focus will be to ensure scarce Pacific resources are better managed and the resource base available for achieving national development goals will be increased. To achieve this goal, PIC economies require stable and reliable institutions implementing the right mix of creativity and rigor informed by ground reality. The Project will contribute to this vision by (a) supporting oversight institutions and decision makers to define and implement their priorities through leadership and institutional capacity strengthening and (b) enhancing responsiveness of service delivery and public finance management by developing institutional mechanisms for engagement and openness and strengthening civil society capacity.

The Vaka Pasifika project is implemented through a team based in Suva, Fiji in the UNDP Pacific Office. As part of the Effective Governance unit, the team is responsible for implementation of the project, its various activities and corresponding institutional processes and requirements. The Vaka Pasifika project focuses on the human and networked resources available to public finance stakeholders in the Pacific, one of the core focuses of the project is to grow a pool of resources working on tailored public finance and accountability tools for the Pacific.

The Governance for Resilience Project (herein Gov4Res), also implemented by a team based in Suva, Fiji, works with Pacific governments to ensure that countries adapt their decision making and governance systems towards more resilient development. The projects theory of change rests on a core assumption that Pacific Island people will be more resilient to the impacts of climate change and disasters if countries manage all development through a risk informed approach. This is consistent with the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific which calls for the ‘mainstreaming’ of climate and disaster risk treating risk management as fundamental to all development decisions.

This assignment is a matrix reporting to two flagship projects of the UNDP Pacific Office focusing on ensuring that public finances and core government process in general are risk-informed and accountable. The position is to deliver activities related to budget consultations and planning consultations, supporting government partners in innovating and developing tailored tools to ensure that citizen, civil society, media, the general public and especially marginalised and vulnerable groups within these categories are not only heard but inform and participate to the allocation of public funds, whilst ensuring that these allocations are inclusive and risk informed.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Gov4Res Project Manager and the Vaka Pasifika Project Manager or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Participatory and Anticipatory Governance Portfolio Lead will:

Develop a portfolio of activities through engagement with local partners and research.

• Create, plan, carry out, and report on a portfolio of consultation-related activities with the government, including a) information access; b) a calendar, process, and methodology for consultations; c) mechanisms for engagement and participation informed by the Pacific context and the most recent innovation reflection; d) a localization agenda; e) risk-informed and GESI tools and narratives; f) agile and anticipatory governance.

Position UNDP and create community of practice (internal or external learning community) around anticipatory/participatory and risk-informed development nexus in the Pacific.

• Develop, administer, and keep an eye on the outputs for the regional community of practice's anticipatory and participatory tools, such as their online presence and forums, their in-person events, their learning opportunities, their regular updates, and their engagement possibilities. Maintain constant communication with the other project team members to make sure the community is providing value for their efforts, particularly to the fellows, the technical expert network, the CSO, and the media partners. Make sure that every project activity is utilized to its full potential in order to benefit the project community and promote learning, and always seek ways to better the team and the network. • Ensure visibility of the portfolio of activities and results and of both projects and all donors through press release, invitations, blogs, communication pieces on behalf of the project and partners and provide templates, guidance and training where required. • Constantly seeks and incorporates new data and knowledge into the activities that create or oversee the creation of resources. Provides technical assistance to all project partners, including the creation of templates and reports as needed, assistance with communication and knowledge products, and the comparison of workplans and activity designs.

Increase the relevance and occurrences of budget consultations in the Pacific.

• Create or oversee the creation of resources, including reports on budget consultations and the possibilities for participatory budgeting in the Pacific, that support engagement, participation, and consultations for anticipatory, risk-informed, and agile governance and public finance management.

Develop capacity of local network of consultants/talent pool to support budget consultation work in the Pacific with an anticipatory/risk-informed development lens.

• Establish mentorship training and capacity building programs through ongoing project activities, such as CSO engagement and ongoing small grants initiatives. Develop and propose innovative ideas and/or solutions to help local networks and stakeholders build capacity.

Coordination and project management support

• Facilitate learning across and within projects for Gov4Res and Vaka Pasifika and support MEAL officers in both teams to incorporate results and learning from joint and project specific activities. Work in close collaboration with management teams of both projects to ensure activities are integrated and reflected in workplans and relevant corporate planning tools for both projects. • Hold regular engagement with Vaka Pasifika and Gov4Res partners to ensure timely feedback and guidance from key partners on implemented activities and identify new entry points. • Document results by ensuring data collecting in line with GESI standards and providing inputs or taking the lead for corporate and donor reporting (quarterly, annual, ad-hoc) of both projects. • Support both project teams and activities as requested by the respective Managers. • Take overall responsibility for the above-mentioned portfolio of activities, including their planning, design, implementation, quality control, and reporting. • Take full responsibility for carrying out the workplan, which includes writing terms of reference and work specifications, managing personnel, goods and services, training, and low-value grants, as well as checking the technical accuracy of all work, supervising all contractor work, and delivering all necessary documentation to the Project Finance Officer and Associates on time.

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.

Results/expected outputs:

• As an active UNDP team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNDP and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: - Develop a portfolio of activities through engagement with local partners and research: Action plan developed through engagements with both teams, including through strategic retreats. Minimum of 3 priority pilot interventions identified and articulated as experimentation portfolios with local partners in the first 6 months (for specific activities). The plan should incorporate at least 1 knowledge product on participatory/anticipatory tools and or learnings in the Pacific with a strong focus on leaving no one behind. - Position UNDP and create community of practice (internal or external learning community) around anticipatory/participatory and risk-informed development nexus in the Pacific: (1) Series of blogs. (2) Tools (or knowledge products) supporting an approach based on project-based learning. Explore how these learnings could translate into the broader portfolio of work and audiences of the two projects. - M&E capacity building and support to partners: Grantees report QA and drafting where necessary, training with PIANGO network. Develop package of templates and tracker tools. - Increase the relevance and occurrences of budget consultations in the Pacific: Surveys conducted in 3 Pacific Island countries investigating the increase in engagement and/or interest in budget consultations (at national and/or sub-national level). - Develop capacity of local network of consultants/talent pool to support budget consultation work in the Pacific with an anticipatory/risk-informed development lens: Pool of consultants trained and tested through learning by doing opportunities. • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment; • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNDP; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNDP procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNDP in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • 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; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards [Insert name of Host Agency]’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• 3 years of experience minimum working on sustainable development issues with a preference of governance, resilience or innovation profile, additional years of experience especially in the Pacific would be highly valued; • At least one publication or equivalent (thought piece, event, speaker) in the following areas: participation, inclusivity, anticipatory governance, risk-informed governance; • Experience working with government either as technical assistance, partner or policy advisor. • demonstrating commitment to UN values, learning and innovative approaches; • Some exposure and proven interest in at least one of the following areas: participation, anticipatory governance, risk-informed governance; • Some experience in working with governments ideally from a multilateral organisations or within governments or from an organization providing services to governments in the Pacific. • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Desirable: valid national driver’s license and proven ability to drive manual gear 4x4 over rough terrain; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in governance and innovation, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Fiji, one of the larger countries in the South Pacific region, has a relatively high level of human development and is one of the most developed economies in the region. Fiji became independent in 1970. Its multi-ethnic population, which numbers approximately 900,000, is growing slowly due to a moderately low level of fertility and a high level of emigration. The economy rests primarily on sugar production and tourism but is becoming more diverse, with manufacturing now an important sector of employment. The unit of currency is the Fiji dollar. Fiji comprises approximately 330 islands, approximately a third of which are inhabited. Fiji covers about 1.3 million square kilometers of the South Pacific Ocean. The two major islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The capital city is Suva, which is located on the south-eastern side of the main island of Viti Levu. The population is made up of a mixture of native Melanesian and Polynesian islanders and a blend of Indian, European, Chinese, Rotuman, and Rabi islanders, making it a rich and vibrant mix of cultures, sights, sounds, and exotic island delicacies. English is spoken widely on the island, and it is the common language of communication, although the native indigenous Fijian language is spoken by many, as is the Hindi language. Fiji enjoys a mild and stable climate most of the year, due to the large expanses of open water that surround its islands. The wet season extends from November to April, but rainfall occurs throughout the year. Tropical cyclones can blow up between November and April, although they are rarely dangerous. Fiji enjoys year-round tropical temperatures of between 25 and 29 degrees with generally high humidity, making it a perfect location for sun-lovers. Suva, the capital of Fiji, has a population of approximately 141,000 and is a multiracial and multicultural city. Suva is the largest city in the whole of the region, but it remains easy-going and friendly. It has reasonably modern facilities, including two large hospitals, sporting facilities, restaurants, and supermarkets. Modest accommodation is readily available in Suva, but the availability of small apartments is limited. An open mind and flexibility come in handy when looking for housing in Suva. The public transport is quite good: local buses run every day of the week, and taxis are affordable. Public transport is also available for exploring and visiting other parts of the country, which provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities and tropical nature.

Added 11 months ago - Updated 11 months ago - Source: unv.org