YouthConnekt Officer

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.

Over the years, UNDP has been supporting youth development initiatives across the globe and including Uganda. In realization of the key role played by different stakeholders, efforts to consolidate and streamline provision of support to youth development in Africa have gained momentum resulting to establishment of a coordinated regional platform i.e., YouthConnekt Africa. This platform designed to connect the youth for socio-economic development transformation and empower young people through enhancing their knowledge, experiences and skills while investing in their ideas, innovations, and initiatives.

Before it became continental in 2017, YouthConnekt was launched by the Government of Rwanda in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a multifaceted initiative aimed at providing a comprehensive answer to the several challenges faced by the youth. With the support of national governments, UNDP, and other partners, YouthConnekt has scaled up beyond Rwanda to about 17 African countries.

In view of the important role played by YouthConnekt - Africa, the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (MGLSD), and with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), now wishes to formalize the establishment of a YouthConnekt - Uganda chapter; a platform focus on enhancing youth entrepreneurship and promoting the youth innovation ecosystem in Uganda by enabling Ugandan youth participate effectively and benefit from the regional youth development initiatives; and facilitating the identification and resolution of systemic business challenges and connecting young people to key stakeholders such as government; business enterprises; financial institutions; BDS providers; academia; markets; and knowledge and information. Through this initiative, the ministry will promote mentorship, provide training, information-sharing, and networking opportunities. Besides, the YouthConnekt - Uganda will assist young entrepreneurs to get information on enterprise development and knowledge about funding and how to implement innovations. It is through this Platform that existing business incubators will be identified, leading to the formation of an Alliance of Business Incubators. This will not only aid in identifying best practices, problems, and solutions, but will also record the impact of interventions. Reports highlighting the innovative ideas, interventions and impact updates on the SDGs' implementation shall be produced and shared.

It is against this brief background that UNDP Uganda is seeking to recruit a National UNV to support the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development in the operationalization of the YouthConnekt - Uganda Chapter. Focused on promoting employment and productivity, positive cultural values, rights of vulnerable groups and gender responsive development, the MGLSD mobilizes and empowers communities to harness their potential while, protecting the rights of vulnerable population groups with the overall aim being to achieve a better standard of living, equity, and social cohesion. To achieve this, amongst other initiatives, the Ministry promotes capacity building and participation of youth in development process.

Under the technical supervision of the Commissioner, Youth and Children Affairs or his/her designated mandated representative(s) and the administrative supervision of the Team Leader for the Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Programme at UNDP Uganda. The UNV YouthConnekt Officer will:

a) Linkages and Development of strategic documents • Support the formulation of a YouthConnekt - Uganda strategic plan
• Draft workplans and support coordination of approaches to support the implementation of the YouthConnekt Uganda Chapter • Support Ministry in establishing and developing strong partnerships with relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations and relevant projects. • Draft monitoring schedules • Enhance collaboration at the national, regional, and global level

b) Mobilize youth and support implementation • Prepare youth events and provide operational support, • Mobilize, organize and enhance participation of youth in development processes and including national and regional youth events • Promote decent employment by connecting young people to potential stakeholders, markets and employment opportunities through skills development, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and networking opportunities. • Promote rights, gender equality & equity and youth empowerment in the development process. • Assist young entrepreneurs to get information on enterprise development and knowledge about funding. • Identify existing business incubators and support the formation of Alliance of Business Incubators in Uganda

c) Knowledge Building and management • Support development of content for setting up a YouthConnekt - Uganda website • Draft progress reports highlighting the innovative ideas, interventions, and impact updates on the SDGs' implementation etc. • Support development and sharing of information and knowledge products including lessons learnt.

d) Undertake any other related tasks as may be needed or assigned by the Commissioner of Youth and Children Affairs and or Team Leader for the Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Programme at UNDP Uganda

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 shall 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:

• An operational YouthConnekt Uganda Office • Fully functional youth entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem

Professionalism: Demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNDP and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNDP and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development 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, UNDP, and the Government of Uganda (Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development) 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.

national and/or international level engagement in youth programming or other relevant programmes. Experience in youth related projects/initiatives is an asset Experience working in government and the UN or other international development organizations. Computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.