Background

Continued political instability, conflict, and violence have impeded economic, social, and human development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is despite the country’s immense and diverse natural resource wealth: the DRC holds about 50 percent of the world’s cobalt reserves, a critical ingredient in today’s technologies. Close to twenty years after the official end of the Second Congo War (2003), the DRC continues to have one of the gravest humanitarian crises in the world, with more than 27 million people estimated as food insecure. There are over five million internally displaced, and more than half a million refugees from other countries put additional stress on already strained systems and institutions.

Over the past decade, persistent violence has affected nearly 40 million Congolese[1]. 2020 marked the most violent year in the DRC since the official end of the Second Congo War in 2003[2], with close to 5,800 conflict-related deaths. The three eastern provinces (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu) accounted for 94 percent of the fatalities.[3] Continuing conflict and violence affect women and girls in particular, where widespread conflict-related sexual violence compound other, more common forms of GBV. Pervasive use of violence has also contributed to an erosion of social cohesion[4]. Volatile security situations in neighboring countries (Burundi, Central African Republic, and South Sudan), and the presence of foreign armed groups (including some originally originating from neighboring countries) further increase tension and risk of conflict and violence.

The 2018 WBG Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) provides a holistic overview of development challenges and opportunities in the DRC. The SCD argues that political instability, weak state institutions, elite capture, and predation have led to persistent poverty, despite the DRC’s remarkable natural resource wealth. It states that political instability has impeded the emergence of stable and accountable governing coalitions, which has prevented the establishment of inclusive and strong institutions that work for the development of the nation. Lack of inclusive institutions has resulted in a lack of oversight and enforcement of and by government officials, weak coordination of public policies, and a lack of coordination among and with partners

The WBG will, for the first time, now target the entirety of its DRC country portfolio towards preventing and de-escalating conflict and violence through development interventions. Founded on analysis and conclusions from ongoing risk and resilience assessments and analytical work, and in support of the government’s commitment to preventing conflict and violence—as expressed in the DRC’s first National Strategy for Conflict Prevention, Stabilization, and Community Resilience[5]—the WBG will focus its engagements on stabilization (a mix of social protection and connecting infrastructure); human capital development and governance – with an overall chapeau of addressing the drivers of fragility and escalation of conflict and violence.

The Government’s strategy, which has benefited from cross-sectoral input—also from stakeholders outside government and from international partners—provides an anchor for the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) and for Prevention and Resilience Allocation (PRA) eligibility in terms of a strong government recognition of, and commitment to, addressing drivers of conflict and violence (identified as factors of fragility in the government’s strategy)[6]. It also represents a clear platform for emphasizing the alignment of the CPF focus areas with the key axes of the national approach to conflict prevention (governance, justice, security and stabilization and socio-economic inclusion).**

The World Bank has approved the Prevention and Resilience Allocation (PRA) of US$600 million for IDA 19 for the DRC. These additional funds will be added to the IDA portfolio for the country portfolio and will be used to support and address the prevention of escalating conflict and violence in the DRC – through both ongoing operations (through a portfolio recalibration process) and planned operations – both in discussion with Government. DRC’s PRA eligibility will be reconfirmed annually through an annual review basis – against achievement and progress of the milestones outlined in the Government’s strategy.

Objectives and Activities

The objective of the requested services is to support the DRC FCV Country Coordinators and relevant teams undertaking the PRA Annual Reviews and to ascertain that the milestones that the authorities have committed themselves to delivering, are being achieved on time. This will be done by:

  • Monitoring of progress against milestones and indicators made as part of the Prevention and Resilience Allocation (PRA) eligibility process (and contained within the Governments National Conflict Prevention, Stabilisation and Community Resilience Strategy and its associated monitoring framework);
  • Working in close collaboration, and through regular meetings with the dedicated Government Secretariat and inter-ministerial working group, and other government ministries, departments and agencies to ensure that the data required to demonstrate indicator progress/achievement, is reliable, up to date and targeted/robust;
  • Interacting with other international and regional partners, MONUSCO and UN agencies, and other international and regional partners, supporting the conflict, stabilization and security agenda in the DRC, to ensure that full details of their programming, relevant to the PRA are fully captured;
  • Supporting the FCV Country team and the Country Management Unit in ensuring that the portfolio rehabilitation (required as part of the PRA process) is fully addressed and that clear linkages around addressing the drivers of fragility can be established with the recalibrated (and new) operations;
  • FCV analytical and communications work as necessary related to the various facets of the PRA and other FCV initiatives, including the preparation of notes, briefs, presentations, talking points, speeches and any other relevant documents;
  • Providing, if needed, demand-driven support and specific contributions as determined by the Task Team Leader (TTL).

Administrative Arrangements

The consultant will work under the supervision of the FCV Country Coordinator(s) for DRC and Burundi based in Kinshasa, DRC. S/he will collaborate with the AECC2 Country Management Unit, the FCV Group based in Washington DC, and with other relevant teams, as needed.

This is a local recruitment (Country Office appointment) based in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Timing and Resources

The selected consultant will be contracted by the FCV Group for an initial period of 90 days, at a fee to be negotiated with the supervisor. The Consultant will report to a Task Team Leader based in Kinshasa, DRC.

The contract will comprise the Fiscal Year 2022 (until June 30, 2022). The consultant will be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Required Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have a primary expertise in fragility and conflict and development. S/he will be familiar with ways in which development aid can support conflict risk mitigation and the broader peace agenda, and with challenges of project preparation and implementation in FCV and insecure contexts. S/he will meet the following selection criteria:

  • Master's Degree in International Affairs, Political Science, Conflict Studies, Development or related field.
  • Minimum of 6-8 years of professional experience related to FCV contexts.
  • Excellent knowledge and understanding of conflict and fragility dynamics in the DRC.
  • Strong knowledge of the landscape of development cooperation in the DRC.
  • Experience working on development policies and projects gained in the field in FCV settings.
  • Significant project management experience, strong organizational skills and the ability to manage the delivery of assignments within deadlines.
  • Strong interpersonal, and team skills, with demonstrated ability to build strong networks and work with teams to achieve results.
  • Significant experience coordinating, negotiating and facilitating interactions with development partners and Government.
  • Excellent command of English and French, both orally and in writing.
  • Excellent writing, presentational and communication skills.

[1] OCHA data.

[2] https://www.inclusivepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/case-study-women-drc-2001-2003-en.pdf

[3] ACLED, 2021.

[4] World Bank, 2021: RRA.

[5] Stratégie Nationale de Prévention des Conflits, de Stabilisation et de Renforcement de la Résilience des Communautés

[6] The process of developing the strategy was led by representatives from the President’s offices and included representatives from the Prime Minister’s office, key line ministries, and decentralized leaders.

This vacancy is archived.

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