Youth Engagement Specialist

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The UNESCO Office in Kathmandu, established in 1998, contributes to build peace through international cooperation in education, sciences and culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.’

UNESCO has engaged with thousands of youths to create change through its fora, built solid youth networks, reached young people to work on peacebuilding and prevention of violent extremism, and is committed to empowering underprivileged youth by providing them with spaces to participate. We encourage engagement of youth in UNESCO’s action from design to implementation and follow-up, in their communities through the scaling up of youth-led initiatives, and in the policy agenda through the integration of youth concerns and issues.

Accordingly, UNESCO Kathmandu office aims at empowering young people, fostering and supporting their action, promoting partnerships, and ensuring their recognition and visibility. In this regard, UNESCO’s Youth Programme in Nepal first established in 1957. Now, there are more than 200 UNESCO Clubs in the country, under the aegis of the National Commission for UNESCO Nepal, comprising of volunteers of different ages and socio-professional status who become activists in the service of UNESCO’s ideals. The activities carried out by the Clubs are irrespective of their nature and scope and these initiatives foster the dissemination of UNESCO’s principles and objectives in civil society. In the light of civil society’s growing role in public policy-making, the Club movement can play a key part in educating citizens and can contribute to dialogue between cultures and generations for sustainable development.

Within the delegated authority and under the direct supervision of Head of Office and Representative to UNESCO Nepal or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Youth Engagement Specialist will:

1. Manage and improve interaction and engagement of UNESCO clubs and associations in Nepal

- Act as a focal point for UNESCO at the Federation of UNESCO clubs and associations in Nepal and Develop a comprehensive database of the clubs and associations - Plan and organize online and offline engagements with the members to strengthen team sprits and foster their association with the UNESCO Kathmandu office - Facilitate the communication and close coordination between the clubs/members and with UNESCO Kathmandu office

2. Strengthen capacity of the clubs and associations supporting youth related issues and UNESCO projects and build strategic partnerships with other organizations

- Provide guidance and training on expected roles and responsibilities as UNESCO clubs and associations - Plan, organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance competencies of the clubs and associations on youth related issues and UNESCO projects with a wide range of partners and stakeholders - Build strategic partnerships with local/national governments, UN system agency partners, NGOs and private sector to reinforce cooperation and broaden the network for promoting goals and achieving sustainable results of UNESCO projects

3. Support UNESCO projects/activities especially on knowledge sharing, communications and visibility

- Contribute to develop strategies and tools for youth engagement in the UNESCO project implementation - Support the UNESCO teams to develop communications and public advocacy initiative related to youth including social media content and promote engagement of UNESCO clubs and associations - Support communications teams for creative content production and online community management in social media through utilizing the clubs and associations - Ensure active engagement of the youth network through various communication mechanisms for communications and visibility of UNESCO/UNESCO projects - Contribute to the knowledge management to document lessons learnt and good practices on the adolescent and youth participation initiatives - Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

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:

• Developed comprehensive database on UNESCO clubs and associations • Improved communications between the UNESCO clubs and UNESCO Kathmandu teams • Developed plans to manage, re-activate, build capacity of and utilize UNESCO clubs and associations in Nepal • Enhanced youth engagement with UNESCO projects
• Produced communications and advocacy materials related to youth issues and/or with active youth engagement • Built and strengthened partnerships with other organizations • Documented stories, lessons learned and good practices • 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 • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNESCO technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNESCO procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement;

• Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNESCO 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;

• 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;

Youth related projects and strategic planning initiatives/projects at national level

Kathmandu is in Low level (Level 2) of the UN Security level but may change depending on the development of the security situation. English is widely spoken and understood by both locals and expats and is considered to be the business language in Kathmandu although Nepali and Nepal Bhasa are the official national languages of Nepal. Kathmandu has a multi-ethnic population with the majority being Hindu and Buddhist. Religious and cultural festivities form a major part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu. In terms of living costs, Kathmandu is considered as a very inexpensive city with average living expenses being significantly low compared to numerous other Asian cities. The climate in the city of Kathmandu is characterized by warm days followed by cool nights and mornings and unpredictable weather can be expected given that winter temperatures can drop to 1ºC or less. During the monsoon season (June to August) heavy rainfalls reach the city with average humidity of about 75%.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan.