Political and Governance Reporting 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.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is mandated by Security Council Resolution 2626 (2022) which was extended under Resolution 2678 (2023).

This mandate tasks UNAMA with the promotion and support of humanitarian assistance in line with humanitarian principles, human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance, resilience, and economic stability, and with the use of our good offices for principled and constructive engagement with all national, regional, and global stakeholders in the pursuit of Afghanistan’s peace and stability.

UNAMA reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Afghanistan; as well as its continued support for the people of Afghanistan, within the framework of the UN Charter and other international laws and instruments.

UNAMA's vision is for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan that lives at peace with itself and its neighbours, where the rights of all the people of Afghanistan are upheld, without discrimination.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Political Affairs Officer/Team Leader and the Head of Field Office or his/her designated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Political and Governance Reporting Officer will:

•Maintain situational awareness and analysis of the political, security (including conflict), social, economic, and governance situation in the area of responsibility, including emerging key political and security developments, trends, and dynamics; •Draft situational and analytical reports on political, governance, security, social, environmental, and economic developments and trends, including daily situation reports (DSR), meeting notes, thematic reports, background notes and profiles, in support of the Head of Field Office and PAU; •Gather, select, and analyze the information contained in communications and publications received from different sources, including the media; •Maintain and update information management tasks/database information of the Political Affairs Unit (PAU) in Bamyan field office; •Establish and expand contact with de facto authorities, and maintain engagement with civil society, political actors, UN agency and international partners in the area of responsibility on mandate-related issues, including through remote outreach; •Support development and implementation of political, governance, and community outreach programs, and conflict prevention/resolution initiatives, including preparatory work and engagement with internal and external partners; •Where appropriate, support, encourage and facilitate relationship/consensus-building between interlocutors and de facto authorities and/or communities/other stakeholders, to enhance the sub-national governance as well as the inclusion of vulnerable/marginalized groups e.g. women, youth, elderly, persons with disabilities, IDPs; •Support enhanced inter-agency coordination through secretariat support to the UN Regional Team or relevant coordinating mechanism; •Perform other related duties as required.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNAMA; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNAMA 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 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 UNAMA’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

political affairs, development, security, or administration is required; • Experience in drafting situational and thematic reports on security, socio-political and/or other related field of research or analysis is required; • Experience in inter-agency coordination through secretariat support to the UN Regional Team or similar coordinating mechanism is desirable.

Afghanistan is a hardship duty station with a volatile security. Living and working conditions for UN volunteers in UNAMA are similar to the living conditions of all other internationally recruited staff members. UN volunteers are provided with safe accommodation in an extensive compound in Kabul with good infrastructure and amenities.

Generally speaking, stringent security measures are in place throughout the country and UN volunteers as other UN staff, are quite limited to duty stations when it comes to movement. The movement is done inside the “green zone” (only) in armored vehicles driven by national qualified UN drivers.

The single unit accommodation in UNOCA and other field locations are fully furnished; this includes, furniture, washing machine dryer, hot plate, iron and iron stand, microwave, plates, cups, spoons, cooking utensils, electric kettle. One bedsheet and pillow cover is provided.

Inside the UNOCA compound are two cafeterias, a restaurant, a Supermarket and 3 small shops which provide a variety of imported canned and frozen food on offer. There is a Fresh vegetable market daily. There is also a social center, a gym hall and a small library with books and DVDs, run by the welfare Office, within the same compound. UNOCA has a new minimarket where basic goods can be bought also. There are also a number of UN cleared supermarkets in Kabul, in Jalalabad, and in Mazar-I-Sharif. The Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own towel and other personal accessories including toiletries and medicines which they may not find easily within the supermarkets inside the UNOCA Compound.

Some degree of medical service is provided in all UNAMA duty stations. There is a UN clinic in UNAMA/UNOCA complex, and access is granted in Kabul to other private international clinics (when and if needed).

Contact with and outreach to the local community is usually limited. As mentioned, many places are off-limits, and the choice of recreational facilities are very poor. For all these reasons, bring a stock of books, DVDs/VCDs, computer games, etc., is highly recommended.

Summer in Afghanistan is hot and dry, but winter is the opposite – cold and wet. Therefore, both summer and winter clothing and comfortable boots with insulation are necessary.