Youth Peace Ambassador

Volunteering Communications & PR Elections & Governance

Overview

Serve as a Youth Peace Ambassador to promote peaceful electoral processes.

You have:

• Demonstrated experience in non-partisan youth or student activism; community mobilization or grassroots organizing; and youth leadership or civic engagement initiatives or other relevant programmes is an asset.
• Proven commitment to non-partisan activism and peacebuilding.
• Strong understanding of civil and political rights including electoral and democratic governance processes.
• Excellent communication skills in English and at least one local language.
• Demonstrated community engagement and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work with diverse groups, including women, youth, and vulnerable populations.
• Digital literacy, including social media engagement.
• Basic computer skills (MS Office, online tools).
• Demonstrable interest and/or training and experience in conflict resolution, mediation, or peacebuilding initiatives.
• Prior involvement in election observation, civic education, or advocacy programmes.
• Experience working with youth networks, civil society, community and faith-based organizations or student unions.
• Knowledge of gender equality and inclusion principles.

Contract

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Zambia has made significant strides in strengthening democratic governance and electoral processes. This has been achieved through progressive constitutional, legislative and practices aligned with regional and international frameworks that promote gender inclusive participation and peaceful electoral and political engagement. The 2021 electoral cycle demonstrated improved voter turnout, stakeholder engagement, and electoral dispute resolution mechanisms. While these mechanisms contributed to mitigating conflict, the high number of electoral petitions, misinformation and disinformation, and localized incidents of violence indicate underlying structural and socio-political tensions. These dynamics highlight the need for sustained investments in conflict prevention, civic education, and inclusive engagement, especially at community level.

Youth play a central role in this context. As a majority demographic- youths constitute over 60% of Zambia’s population - they are highly visible in political processes, as voters, mobilizers, candidates, and campaigners. However, socio-economic challenges, including unemployment, exclusion from decision-making, and limited access to civic and peace education, young people remain vulnerable to manipulation, recruitment into political violence, and exposure to misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, particularly through digital platforms, pose a growing threat to peaceful electoral processes.

At the same time, youth are critical stakeholders in peacebuilding. UN Security Council Resolution 2250 sets out a global Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) framework which recognizes that sustainable peace is unattainable without the inclusion and leadership of young people in decision-making and conflict prevention processes. When empowered, youth represent a powerful force for positive change, serve as innovators, communicators, and bridge-builders within their communities.

In this regard, the Deepening Democracy Project’s focus on strengthening conflict prevention, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and promoting inclusive participation (Outcome 4.0) provides a strong foundation for integrating youth as active agents of peace. As such, integrating the YPS dimension into electoral processes means moving beyond viewing youth as beneficiaries or risks, and instead positioning them as strategic partners in safeguarding electoral integrity and promoting peaceful democratic transitions.

Therefore, the recruitment of Youth Peace Ambassadors (YPAs) constitutes a strategic intervention aligned with the project’s objective of reducing electoral violence and strengthening conflict prevention mechanisms in Zambia.

Under the guidance of the Senior Elections Advisor and implementing partners, the Youth Peace Ambassadors will:

• Conduct community-based civic and voter education sessions; • Facilitate dialogue and mediation to prevent and de-escalate tensions; • Lead peer-to-peer youth engagement initiatives; • Participate in radio, television, and social media campaigns; • Promote messages of non-violence, tolerance, and democratic participation; • Identify and report early warning signs of electoral conflict; • Counter misinformation and harmful narratives online.

Fluency in Bemba/ Nyanja/ Lozi/ Tonga/ Lenje/ Kaonde/ Chewa/ Lamba or any other Zambian language is an added advantage.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organizing • Professionalism • Self-management

• Demonstrated experience in non-partisan youth or student activism; community mobilization or grassroots organizing; and youth leadership or civic engagement initiatives or other relevant programmes is an asset; • Proven commitment to non-partisan activism and peacebuilding; • Strong understanding of civil and political rights including electoral and democratic governance processes; • Excellent communication skills in English and at least one local language; • Demonstrated community engagement and facilitation skills; • Ability to work with diverse groups, including women, youth, and vulnerable populations; • Digital literacy, including social media engagement; • Basic computer skills (MS Office, online tools); • Demonstrable interest and/or training and experience in conflict resolution, mediation, or peacebuilding initiatives; • Prior involvement in election observation, civic education, or advocacy programmes; • Experience working with youth networks, civil society, community and faith-based organizations or student unions; • Knowledge of gender equality and inclusion principles.

Key Recruitment Consideration: • Youth Peace Ambassadors will be recruited from all ten provincial capitals, namely: Kabwe (Central Province), Chipata (Eastern Province), Mongu (Western Province), Solwezi (North-Western Province), Chinsali (Muchinga Province), Mansa (Luapula Province), Choma (Southern Province), Kasama (Northern Province), Ndola (Copperbelt Province), and Lusaka. • Suitable candidates will be selected from the provincial capital in which they currently reside. • Applicants are required to clearly indicate their preferred duty station in their application. • Age requirement: 18-34.

Zambia is a land-linked, resource-rich country with sparsely populated land in the centre of Southern Africa. It shares its border with eight countries (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe) that serve as an expanded market for its goods. Lusaka is the capital of the Republic of Zambia. The climate is sunny and temperate, but it can be very cold during few months, with freezing temperature at times especially during the night. It is therefore advisable to bring warm clothing and foresee using heaters and other heating options when necessary. As the commercial and cultural centre of Zambia, Lusaka has seen rapid development in recent decades, with reasonable transportation connections and widely spoken English making the city highly attractive to vacationers and experts alike. Unemployment and poverty are issues in the city, and beyond. Key industries for the region and Zambia as a whole, include mining, agriculture, and tourism. Like most Southern African cities, life in Lusaka will require some adjustments for a person moving from outside the region, but the potential rewards and opportunities for experiences are well worth the effort. Lusaka hosts several international organization and embassies/diplomatic missions, therefore there is a very large community of expatriates from around the world. Housing is most of the time readily available and of good standard options are available. Most foodstuffs, beverages, household goods, furniture, and clothing, mostly imported from South Africa, Europe, and China while some ranges of local brands are available at a competitive price to imports. Meat, fish, fresh fruits, and vegetables are reasonably priced and abundantly available. The basic infrastructures - roads, utilities, and telecommunications are of reasonable standard, although the city experiences power outages from time to time. Medical facilities are still largely inadequate, although several private clinics and hospitals provide reasonably good routine care. Several restaurants around the city serve local or international cuisine and there are numerous social and sports facilities (fitness, tennis, swimming, riding, golf, etc.) in the major hotels or in different establishments around the city. There are no major or special security concerns within Lusaka city limits. For more information, please visit http://zambiatourism.com.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 hours ago - Updated 2 hours ago - Source: unv.org