Back TICAD Partnership Specialist

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Job Purpose and Organizational Context

With the extensive network of Country Offices, expertise in key development areas such as Poverty/Growth, Good Governance, Environment and Climate Change, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and Gender, as well as convening and coordination role for UN development assistance, UNDP has been partnering with Japan to support and enhance the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), initiated in 1993, as one of the key forum for the advancement of dialogue and collaboration on African development.

UNDP, as one of the co-organizers of TICAD along with the Government of Japan, UN-Office of Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA), the World Bank and the African Union Commission (AUC), has hosted the Special Unit for TICAD, which has been progressively integrated into the UNDP Regional Bureau of Africa (RBA) with a view to enhancing integrated UNDP support for the TICAD process.  Through the Special Unit for TICAD, UNDP has consistently supported the successful expansion and evolution of the TICAD process and provided critical support in substantive, programmatic, technical and operational aspects.

UNDP and Japan have developed an important partnership over 20 years, involving the Japanese Government, civil society, the private sector, the academic community and other stakeholders. A partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has also been enhanced both at country and HQ levels, complementing the geographical coverages, and thematic expertise as well as jointly organizing advocacy activities. To further back up the strategic focus of TICAD aligned with the aspiration of African member states, UNDP has opened a new chapter of partnership with Japanese business sector, through launching of the tripartite partnership with JICA/JETRO, a bilateral partnership with JETRO as well as the Japan Association of Corporate Executives to accelerate achievement of the SDGs with mobilizing business-based solutions and private finance.
 
With the theme, “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation”, TICAD7 showcased the successful consolidation of partnerships between Japan and African countries. It welcomed around 10,000 representatives from 53 AU Member States, including 42 Heads of States, regional and international organizations, private sectors of both Africa and Japan, parliamentarians, civil society organizations and development partners from around the world. Represented by the Administrator, UNDP demonstrated a firm commitment to African development, facilitated multi-sectoral partnerships, advocated for investments for the continent’s sustainable growth, encouraged innovative business and trade, and showcased UNDP’s signature solutions, through plenary sessions and bilateral meetings as well as high-level side-events.

Through the TICAD unit, UNDP has played an indispensable role to ensure smooth operationalization of the TICAD process with coordination of key actors and provision of substantive inputs and logistical support, including organization of conferences and implementation of follow-up mechanism, to advocate and communicate about TICAD, targeting wide-ranging audience in Japan, Africa, and beyond with setting key agendas on African development aligned with the focus of TICAD, engaging multi-sectoral partners and sharing knowledges, and to contribute to business/investment promotion, with supporting various partnerships between the African and Japanese private sector, providing insights and networks necessary for business promotion and expansion.

In this endeavor, UNDP has diversified collaborations vis-à-vis Japan beyond traditional partners, through the TICAD unit, including the Japanese Ministries such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japanese local government offices, private sector, financial institutions, academia, and civil society organizations. The expectation of stakeholders to UNDP for its roles in strategic, substantive, programmatic, technical as well as logistical support remain high against the backdrop of its track records and its new strategic direction in promoting business/investment in Africa.

With TICAD8 being expected to be organized in 2022 in Tunisia, it is imperative for UNDP to keep pitching its relevance and comparative advantages as a trusted partner for key areas such as innovation, digital transformation, private financing, public-private partnership, towards diversified key stakeholders and audience from Africa/Japan and beyond, to reposition itself under the new Corporate Strategy starting in 2022 by working with traditional and new partners, and to ensure successful preparation and organization of TICAD8  in order to secure continuous resource mobilization from the Government of Japan through enhancing UNDP-Japan partnership through the TICAD process, and support expansion and acceleration of UNDP’s existing platforms (such as Accelerator Labs, SDGs Impact, Youth Connekt) through connecting them with resources and partners in Japan.

Under the overall guidance of the RBA TICAD unit in close consultation with UNDP Representation Office in Tokyo, the TICAD Partnership Specialist is expected to perform the following duties:

1)    Enhance partnership with the Government of Japan.
2)    Advance engagement of private sector through the tripartite partnership and beyond.
3)    Strategize engagement of stakeholders through advocacy and communication.
4)    Ensure cross-bureau synergies on TICAD for timely preparation and successful organization of TICAD8.

1)    Enhance partnership with the Government of Japan by:

• Providing up-to-dated information on the key priorities of the Government of Japan and supporting formulation of projects and collaborations with JICA in Africa to promote TICAD priorities;
• Updating the key Japanese stakeholders such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the latest development in RBA including the new flagship initiatives and emerging development agendas;  
• Ensuring substantial and logistical support to facilitate UNDP senior officials’ missions to Japan. This includes the preparation of briefs and the provision of the latest analysis of Japan’s ODA Policy to Africa and funding to UNDP as well as the liaison with the Japanese counterparts;
• Coordinating agenda items and interventions by UNDP in the annual corporate policy dialogues with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA.

2)    Advance engagement of private sector through the tripartite partnership and beyond by:

• Operationalizing the strategic usage of the tripartite partnership/bilateral partnership frameworks with JICA/JETRO, and the Association of Corporate Executives, implementing joint activities, and stock-taking impacts for dissemination;
• Identifying partners and developing and implementing pilot activities to support application of business-based solutions to economic and social challenges in Africa through engagement of Japanese private sector;
• Strategizing expansion and acceleration of UNDP’s existing platforms (such as Accelerator Labs, SDGs Impact, Youth Connekt) through connecting them with resources in Japan including public and private sectors;
• Keeping UNDP as a trusted partner of choice through facilitating contribution of UNDP in terms of its intelligence and networks towards the private sector of Japan and Africa.

3)    Strategize engagement of stakeholders through advocacy and communication by:

• Ensuring sound development and implementation of UNDP’s communication plans for the TICAD process in close collaboration with the communication unit in RBA;  
• Planning and implementing bi-monthly advocacy event co-organized with JICA, namely “AFRI CONVERSE” and mobilizing stakeholders in alignment with the new corporate strategy and the focus of TICAD8;
• Strategizing other outreach activities among Japanese constituencies in the run up to TICAD 8 both inside and outside of Tokyo, through various platforms including business partners, media, universities, schools, public events, online platforms, and publications;
• Developing a comprehensive plan, conceptualizing and implementing advocacy and communication activities at high-level during TICAD8 in consultation and collaboration with various bureaus and units internally as well as with key external stakeholders including MOFA, JICA, JETRO, World Bank, Japan Business Federation, and Japan Business Association of Corporate Executives as well as civil society organizations.

4)    Ensure cross-bureau synergies on TICAD for timely preparation and successful organization of TICAD8 by:

• Participating in TICAD-related meetings and events in Japan and capturing key results by drafting substantive inputs and reporting back to the RBA-RBAS TICAD coordination group for follow-up actions;
• Closely liaising with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the operationalization of the TICAD process including the preparatory steps for TICAD8 and ensuring UNDP’s substantial and logistical support in effective and timely manner, in close facilitation with the Tunisia CO;
• Developing and proposing a plan for internal preparation steps for TICAD8 and a set of high-level engagement of UNDP in close consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tunisia CO as well as various bureaus and units;
• Developing the annual work plan for the TICAD Process Promotion Support Fund, ensuring the appropriate budget allocation, and facilitating the implementation of the plan by the unit.

Core

Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

• Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

• Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement.

Technical/Functional

Primary

UN System

• Knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply to strategies and/or practical situations.

 Representation

• Ability to productively share UNDP knowledge and activities (at UN and other venues).

Relationship management/partnerships

• Ability to engage with other parties, agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships.

Brief and Speech Writing

• Ability to prepare quality briefs and/or speeches.

Secondary

Quality Assurance

• Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to ensure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled.

Negotiation

• Ability to reach an understanding, resolve point of difference, or gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue.

Crisis Assessment

• Ability to use methods and tools to determine impact of various elements for crisis and post crisis situations.

Results-based Management

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results.

Education:

• Master’s degree in economics, business administration, social sciences or related disciplines.

Experience:

• At least seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in development cooperation at the international level.
• At least three years of proven records of field experience in development cooperation in Africa.
• First-hand experience with the TICAD process: both substantial/ logistic/operational preparation for its summit-level meeting and coordination of its follow-up process. Engagement in TIAD7 follow-up and TICAD8 preparation are strong assets.
• At least two years of progressively responsible professional experience in communication/advocacy at the international level. Performing a professional function in communication at the UN organizations is a strong asset.
• At least three years of progressively responsible professional experience in managing government relationship at the donor capital. Proven record of liaison with the Japanese Government and JICA at HQs level is highly desirable.
• Professional experience in establishing regional partnership agreements on business engagement for Africa. Proven records of liaison with the Japanese private sector, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan, JETRO, the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, and the Japan Business Council for Africa will be a strong asset.
• Experience in managing business promotion activities for Africa at the international organizations. First-hand experience of promoting African start-ups/SMEs and innovation will be a strong asset.   
• Experience in planning and implementing high-level advocacy activities at the international organizations for Africa. First-hand experience in coordination, preparation, and organization of side-events at the TICAD summit is highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Full proficiency in English and in Japanese is required. 

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Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension