Background
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Violent conflict has surged in recent years, and in 2016, more countries experienced violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years. While the complex relationship between conflict, security and development is increasingly understood, international assistance and investment in conflict prevention have remained relatively low. At the same time, approaches to preventing conflict have been refined considerably, as policy and practice on peacebuilding have evolved – and the UN, its Member States and other partners are increasingly looking to prevention as a critical strategy for sustaining peace and nurturing development. Conflict prevention is increasingly recognized as a rational and cost-effective strategy for countries at risk of violence and for the international community. 

The joint UNDP-DPPA programme on building national capacities for conflict prevention has made a ground-breaking contribution in bridging the gap between political engagement and development assistance in pursuit of preventing conflict and sustaining peace. In its new phase (2019-2023), the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme will further strengthen the analytical capacities of national stakeholders and the UN system in support of Member States’ efforts to advance policy and programmatic coherence on conflict prevention and support strategies for sustaining peace. 

The deployment of Peace and Development Advisors has been the primary instrument of the Joint Programme to provide capacity for Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams to support national partners in dialogue and national or local mediation processes, the establishment and operationalization of national infrastructures, and mechanisms for peace; and other initiatives aimed at sustaining peace. 

In an effort to ensure that PDAs are better equipped and empowered to deliver on their mandates, the Joint Programme has established in a number of contexts small ‘Peace and Development teams’ where a national Peace and Development Officer provides reinforced capacity to the PDA’s engagement in support of the RCOs (Resident Coordinators Office) and UNCTs (UN Country Teams) in the area of conflict prevention and sustaining peace. The current cadre includes 120 Peace and Development Advisors deployed globally, including 40 national positions.

Country context – Republic of Ghana

Ghana’s context Ghana stands at a critical point, especially following its presidential and legislative elections of 7 December 2020. A number of ongoing issues require close and intentional engagement during the coming 18 months. In the immediate post-electoral period, the resolution of disputes from the closely contested 7 December elections and efforts to foster national cohesion will be a priority. While polling was overall conducted in a peaceful manner, a few pockets of violence occurred resulting in the death of five persons. The election results as announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) on 9 December, declared incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the winner of the presidential election with 51.29% of votes against 47.36% for the main contender, former President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The EC also announced the results of the parliamentary elections for the 275 seats, where the NPP won 137 seats and the NDC won 136 seats; an independent candidate won one seat, while one seat (Sene West Constituency) remains outstanding. 

Ghana is still trying to recover from a highly contested 2020 elections that left the country’s political class deeply divided. COVID-19 has exacerbated a sense of conflict and insecurity, especially in the Northern Region. A recently completed UN study (undertaken by UNDP) identified a range of conflict-triggers across the country. The study noted that nationally, although Ghana was experiencing accelerated economic growth, inequality is deepening leading to increased frustration with the state. Additionally, political polarization has affected security governance, creating a deficit of meritocracy and public trust as well as a lack autonomy from politics for law enforcement agencies. At the societal level, the key drivers of conflict were identified as politics, chieftaincy disputes, inter-religious struggles and interests of business elites. Other sub-national factors relate to ruptures in social cohesion, poor resource management and the effects of climate change. Natural resource (mis)management has become the fulcrum around which several conflicts revolve. On social cohesion, especially in the North, the state was found to be ‘in retreat,’ with crime and the fear of crime on the ascendency. The North has emerged as a challenging area for security and governance due to a combination of political and cross-border factors and has recorded a number of violent incidents. Continued regional insecurity across the Sahel region is impacting Ghana’s peace. 

Military takeovers in Mali and  Burkina Faso, have and continued border security issues along the Togo-Ghana border continue to be cause for concern. UNODC and UNDP are undertaking actions to build on the report findings and recommendations of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTCED) report, but there has been limited capacity to follow-up and implement the requisite legislative and judicial reforms, improve border management and improve coordination across the security architecture in the country. Recent deployments of military to the border have also heightened tensions as opposition factions have alleged this is to intimidate and repress citizens on the one hand, while agencies, such as IOM, report uncoordinated efforts at the border, leading to concerns about the growing threat of violent extremism in the North, as well as the spill over implications for conflict arising from violent extremism in Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire, especially in relation to forced displacement which could trigger a migrant and refugee crisis. In addition, the Gulf of Guinea presents significant challenges on piracy as well. Working on the Accra Agreement, with UNOWAS, ECOWAS and other actors to strengthen coordination and see to progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the CTC Report on Ghana from CTED conducted in 2019 will be critical Growing inequality is an increasing fundamental national challenge. 

While there has been marked improvements in key areas such as primary school enrollment and access to preventative healthcare, the benefits of economic growth and poverty reduction are not equally distributed. Youth unemployment constitute a major socio-economic and political challenge; and analysis of income inequality in relation to gender indicates that women are more likely to be poor in comparison to men, particularly in the northern region and rural areas. The lack of job opportunities for the growing youthful population increases their vulnerability and makes them susceptible to social vices as well as constitutes a source of conflicts and civil disorders. Against this backdrop, the NPDO should have experience in working on elections, supporting mediation processes, and coordinating with the Government, political parties, electoral management bodies, and civil society, on ways to mitigate political and social tensions going forward. The NPDO will be located in the Office of the Resident Coordinator (RC), will help to build the RCOs capability to work across the tranche of areas needed to contribute to peace and security in the country, and in this regard support the PDA to strengthen the capacity of the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Ghana to understand the political and conflict dynamics underlying the country’s peace and development prospects, particularly around the context of elections, and to support national stakeholders in leading appropriate responses and preventive initiatives. The need for a continuous understanding of political, social and conflict dynamics in a gendered and human rights focused manner is crucial to help the UN set a risk and resilience informed and conflict-sensitive strategies. 

Position Purpose 
The Peace and Development Officer works under the direct supervision and guidance of the Peace and Development Advisor (PDA), to provide substantive support in three main areas of activity, including:
Assist with research, information-gathering, and analysis with specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention;  Identify entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, including women’s and youth networks; Provide technical support for coordination, partnerships, and M&E (Monitoring & Evaluation).

Key Duties and Accountabilities

Under the direct supervision of the PDA, the main duties and responsibilities of the PDO will include:

1)  Assisting on research, information-gathering, and support analysis with a specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention:

Gather and process data and information relevant to the UN’s role and activities in Ghana and the sub-region as relevant, with a specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding, social cohesion, conflict prevention, and sustainable development; Support the PDA in undertaking political, political economy, and/or conflict analysis, monitoring the situation in the country, and reporting of issues related to peace and security, including through analysis of local sources;   Carry out and coordinate research on particular issues and thematic areas, in particular prevention, social cohesion, peace and security. 

2)  Identify programming entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, women, and youth:

Assist the PDA in identifying areas of programmatic engagement with national stakeholders related to social cohesion, dialogue, conflict prevention, and consensus-building; and contribute to the development of conflict-sensitive approaches;  Under the guidance of the PDA, support the exploration of entry points with key national counterparts including the Government and civil society; Advise on mainstreaming conflict-sensitive approaches, including the provision of training UN Country Team staff and key national partners on conflict analysis, conflict prevention, and/or conflict-sensitive development; Undertake mappings and analysis of civil society actors, including youth, women, and marginalized groups, and their capacities for conflict prevention/ peacebuilding at the local and national level. This analysis will inform and provide support to the PDA and UNCT throughout the duration of the assignment;  Support the PDA in their engagement with national and local stakeholders, focusing particularly on engaging with civil society actors at the local level and academia, to help link local initiatives to national-level institutions, structures, and processes, as well as reinforcing dialogue between government and civil society and/or people-to-people dialogues.

3)  Provide technical support for coordination, partnerships, Monitoring, and Evaluation;

Support the external coordination of existing partnerships between stakeholders (government, civil society, private sector, and the international community, including the UN system); In close collaboration with the PDA and the Joint Programme Secretariat, support monitoring and evaluation function, including collecting, processing, and analyzing data in the framework of peace and development teamwork workplan; Support knowledge management and sharing of good practices on conflict prevention and peacebuilding; ensure that stories and lessons learned are shared with the Joint Programme Secretariat, and respond to specific requests for information; and Perform an array of duties that support UN coordination and effective Peace and Development Team programme implementation. These may include assisting in organizing meetings and consultations, organizing and implementing consultation processes with national and international partners. Competencies
Core competencies
Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work. Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking. Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning. Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process. Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously. Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build and/or /maintain coalitions/partnership. Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.

Functional/Technical competencies

Business Development - Knowledge Generation

Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Business Management - Partnership Management

Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UN strategy and policies.

Business Management: Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.

Agenda 2030: People - Gender

Women, Peace, and Security

Agenda 2030: People: Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive

Community engagement for prevention, response, and social cohesion 

Agenda 2030: People: Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive

Conflict Analysis and conflict sensitivity 

Agenda 2030: People: Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive

Infrastructures for peace  Requirements
Education:
Master’s degree in political science, conflict resolution, peace studies, sociology, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences. Bachelor’s degree in relevant field with additional two (2) years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master's degree. Experience: Minimum 2 years (Master's degree) or 4 years (Bachelor's degree) of professional experience in conflict analysis, development and/or conflict prevention in a governmental, multilateral, or civil society organization;  Extensive experience in analysis, research and sound drafting skills; Experience in project/programme development, management; Experience in national and community-level conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives and programming; In-depth knowledge of and extensive experience in (country/region), including in dialogue and conflict prevention initiatives. and awareness and familiarity of key actors and stakeholders across the political, economic, and development spheres alongside knowledge of government, civil society, and other non-state actors. Language: Fluency in written and spoken English and Tui is required. Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.  
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