Research Assistant

Result of Service The individual contractor is expected to complete assignments and tasks with high quality and in a timely manner, thereby contributing to the successful implementation of the activities related to the project on Supporting the Palestinian People towards Development and Self-Determination, in particularly those activities funded by the ESCWA Platform to support the Palestinian People.

The individual contractor is also responsible to provide substantive input and administrative support to the activities under projects, including "Supporting the Palestinian People towards development and self determination" as per the project canvas, with specific focus on activities related to enhancing service delivery in the occupied Palestinian territory and enhancing the capacities of the National Team for the Sustainable Development Goals. As well as other related administrative and substantive duties as assigned.

Work Location UN-House ESCWA

Expected duration 5 Month

Duties and Responsibilities The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is mandated to assist its member countries to mitigate the social and economic impact of conflict and attain peaceful and just societies. This includes providing knowledge and technical support to institutions to address the root causes and repercussions of conflict as well as to enhance their abilities to identify potential risks for conflict and instability.

In this context, ESCWA is mandated to support the Palestinian people and their institutions to mitigate the social and economic impact of the Israeli occupation and achieve national development goals, namely the National Development Plan 2021-2023 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, ESCWA seeks to enhance Palestinian institutional capacity to plan and implement development strategies, policies, and programs to attain sustainable development, mitigate the impact of the Israeli practices and policies thereon, as well as to reduce economic dependency on Israel. Furthermore, during its sixth meeting (June, 2019), the ESCWA Executive Committee recommended working to "develop a trust fund at ESCWA to support Palestine, aimed at increasing resources within the ESCWA secretariat to supporting the Palestinian people and institutions in achieving sustainable development, building their capacity and empowering them to realize their inalienable rights, and communicating with member States to urge them to finance the fund".

Accordingly, ESCWA established the Palestine Program of the ESCWA Resource Platform for Technical Cooperation, which aims to mobilize resources to upgrade its activities to support the Palestinian people, in line with its mandate and in synergy with its activities financed from the regular budget. The resources mobilized through the platform will be used by ESCWA to implement activities and programmes to support Palestinian institutions, particularly in upgrading the ability to provide better services, plan and monitor the implementation of the SDGs.

Under the supervision of the cluster leader of the Governance and Conflict Prevention Cluster and the project coordinator, the individual contractor will be responsible for the following duties:

- Assist cluster leader and project coordinators in conducting background research for of technical material and publications in areas relevant to mitigating the impact of conflict, including the impact of the Israeli occupation on social and economic development in the occupied Palestinian territory - Gather, compile, and regularly update information about development trends and indicators, and the impact of Israel's occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as the impact of conflict in the region. - Review and use existing datasets to provide inputs and analysis needed for the activities related to the project, especially those related to service provision and the implementation of the SDGs - Select and evaluate a variety of documents, summarize pertinent material, collects and analyses data and prepares background materials for assessment papers, studies, briefs and reports. - Assist in the organization of meetings, EGMs, workshops, and other relevant events, - Prepare forms required for events and publications, including website templates, proposals, contracts...etc. - Assist in the preparation of documentation and reports for relevant conferences and meetings - Participates in the substantive and policy discussions of the team and cluster. - Attend and assist in coordinating relevant meetings, takes notes and prepares summary report, notes for the file, correspondence, etc. - Other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications/special skills A Bachelor's degree in Political Sciences or related area is required.

All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. No previous work experience is required for this job opening. Strong writing skills is an added value.

Languages Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA.

For this position, fluency in English required; fluency in Arabic is desirable.

Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.