Peace and Development Analyst

Contract

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

Violent conflict has surged in recent years, and in 2016, more countries experienced violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years. While the complex relationship between conflict, security and development is increasingly understood, international assistance and investment in conflict prevention have remained relatively low. At the same time, approaches to preventing conflict have been refined considerably, as policy and practice on peacebuilding have evolved – and the UN, its Member States and other partners are increasingly looking to prevention as a critical strategy for sustaining peace and nurturing development. Conflict prevention is increasingly recognized as a rational and cost-effective strategy for countries at risk of violence and for the international community.

The joint UNDP-DPPA programme on building national capacities for conflict prevention has made a ground-breaking contribution in bridging the gap between political engagement and development assistance in pursuit of preventing conflict and sustaining peace. In its current phase (2019-2023), the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme will further strengthen the analytical capacities of national stakeholders and the UN system in support of Member States’ efforts to advance policy and programmatic coherence on conflict prevention and support strategies for sustaining peace.

The deployment of Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs) has been the primary instrument of the Joint Programme to provide capacity for Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams to support national partners in dialogue and national or local mediation processes, the establishment and operationalization of national infrastructures and mechanisms for peace; and other initiatives aimed at sustaining peace.

Under the direct supervision of the Peace and Development Advisor, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for supporting the following tasks:

1. Assist with research, information-gathering and analysis with specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention: • Gather and process data and information relevant to the UN’s role and activities in Bangladesh and the sub-region as relevant, with a specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding, social cohesion, conflict prevention, sustaining peace, and sustainable development in the country • Support the PDA in undertaking political, political economy and/or peace and conflict analysis, monitoring of the situation in the country, reporting of issues related to peace and security, including through analysis of local and national sources. • Carry out and coordinate research on particular issues and thematic areas, in particular, violent extremism, hate speech, climate-related security risks and sustaining peace,

2. Identify entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, including women’s and youth networks: • Assist the PDA in identifying areas of programmatic engagement with national stakeholders related to social cohesion, local and national dialogue, conflict prevention and consensus building; and contribute to the development of conflict-sensitive approaches; • Under the guidance of the PDA, support the exploration of entry points with key national counterparts including the Government and civil society; • Advise on mainstreaming conflict-sensitive approaches; including provision of training UN Country Team staff and key national partners on conflict analysis, conflict prevention and/or conflict-sensitive development; • Undertake mappings and analysis with civil society actors’ (including youth, women, and marginalized groups) capacities for conflict prevention/ peacebuilding at local and national level, using the exercise to inform the support provided by the PDA and UNCT throughout the duration of the assignment; • Support the PDA in their engagement with national and local stakeholders, focusing particularly on engaging with civil society actors at local level and academia, to help link local initiatives to national-level institutions, structures and processes, as well as reinforcing dialogue between government and civil society and/or people-to-people dialogues.

3. Provide technical support for coordination, partnerships and M&E: • Support the external coordination of existing partnerships between stakeholders (government, civil society, private sector and the international community, including the UN system). • Provide inputs and prepare talking points for engagements of the Resident Coordinator and with relevant internal and external interlocutors. • Support the Development Coordination team in coordination of relevant areas of development programming under the UNSDCF 2022-2026 and related advocacy. • In close collaboration with the PDA and the Joint Programme Secretariat, support monitoring and evaluation function, including collecting, processing and analyzing data in the framework of peace and development team workplan; • Support knowledge management and sharing of good practices on conflict prevention and peacebuilding; ensure that stories and lessons learned are shared with the Joint Programme Secretariat; and respond to specific requests for information; and

• Accountability • Adaptability and Flexibility • Commitment and Motivation • Communication • Ethics and Values • Integrity • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Respect for Diversity • Working in Teams

previous works in a related field that involves working with national and international interlocutors (i.e., international community, civil sector, public institutions) is re-quired.

• Strong research, communication, strategic thinking, public relations and advisory skills, including written and presentations is required. • Demonstrated knowledge of human rights-based approach and gender mainstreaming in programme development/coordination • Demonstrated networking and partnership building skills are required. • Strong expertise in coordinating activities is required; • Relevant, proven work experience in the UN system is an asset; • Peacebuilding and conflict transformation experience is an asset; • Experience in the diplomatic and political sectors is an asset; • The incumbent must be a dynamic, team-oriented, multi-functional person who supports the UNCT with professionalism and dedication • Timely, responsive and high-quality delivery of coordination and support to on-going and new development programs or other initiatives related to conflict prevention and peace building; • High quality analysis and collection of data on current domestic and regional issues of relevance for the Peace and Development Advisor (PDA) portfolio; • Strengthened engagement with civil society actors on issues relating to conflict prevention and peacebuilding; • Consistently take into account social inclusion and mainstream gender in all tasks; • Supporting coordination of existing and creation of new partnerships between relevant stakeholders (government, civil society, private sector and the international community, including the UN system).

Dhaka is the centre of political, cultural and economic life in Bangladesh. Although its urban infrastructure is the most developed in the country, Dhaka suffers from urban problems such as pollution, lack of public transport and overpopulation. In recent decades, Dhaka has seen modernization of services, communications and public works. The city is attracting large foreign investments and greater volumes of commerce and trade. It is also experiencing an increasing influx of people from across the nation; this has reportedly made Dhaka one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Historically, Bangladesh has been a safe country for internationals, but a series of security incidents since autumn 2015 have led to increased security measures for UN international staff and volunteers. While Dhaka is not categorized as a hardship station and a cessation of incidents is expected to lead to relaxation of security measures, the volunteer should be prepared for limitations in freedom of movement on foot, by public transport, and to certain locations.