Back Peace & Development Specialist

Peace and Development Advisors and Specialists (hereafter PDA) work with national stakeholders to build, strengthen, and sustain nationally owned and driven efforts to prevent violent conflict and build just and peaceful societies. The range of countries to which PDAs are deployed vary considerably, with some deployed to countries emerging from conflict, others where violence is escalating, and others to countries where there is no violent conflict but underlying structural causes of `conflict are present. PDAs are also deployed in countries where broad political and developmental challenges exist around issues related to elections and constitutional processes, exclusion and inequality, environment, climate change and natural resource management.
 
PDAs are deployed through a partnership between the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention.  PDAs support Resident Coordinators (RC) and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in their efforts to work with national partners on conflict prevention and sustaining peace. They support early warning and risk management measures, and ensure that UN assessments, frameworks (mainly UN Cooperation Frameworks), strategies and programmes are conflict-sensitive and informed by high quality analysis. They are located in the Resident Coordinators’ office, with a direct reporting line to the RC, and a secondary reporting line to the UNDP Resident Representative and DPPA-DPO regional divisions.  

In 2020, PDAs are deployed to more than 50 countries through the Joint Programme. While most PDAs are deployed at country-level, there are a number of PDAs who cover multiple countries.  In some contexts, PDAs are part of a small Peace and Development Advisory team composed of a PDA and a substantive national or international officer/analyst. PDAs also receive additional support from a Joint Programme secretariat based at UN Headquarters in New York, from UNDP and DPPA technical advisors/specialists globally, and from a cadre of regional programme specialists supporting their regions from Amman, Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Dakar, Istanbul and Panama.  

Given the broad range of skills and experience required by PDAs, the Joint Programme encourages applications from individuals with a combination of expertise spanning sustainable development, political affairs, peacebuilding, sustaining peace, conflict prevention/resolution, community engagement, justice, reconciliation, dialogue, mediation, and humanitarian-development-peace nexus among other relevant areas. While UN experience is a major asset, it is not a requirement for this position. Moreover, the skills of diplomacy, dialogue and facilitation, analysis, advocacy, networking, capacity development and coordination are critical elements of a PDA’s work.

Angola’s context

Following September 2017 parliamentary elections and a peaceful presidential transition, Angola embarked on a path of political and economic reforms aimed at curbing corruption, reducing poverty, implementing political and administrative decentralization as well as reforming the security apparatus in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. Diversifying the economy by promoting the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and innovation remain one of the main priorities of the Government. While relatively peaceful since the civil war from 1975-2002, the democratic and state institutions as well as civil society require further strengthening and support in the context of opening of the democratic space, freedom of expression, association and participation. The first local elections as part of democratic governance reforms, slated for 2020, were postponed due to COVID-19 complications. Meanwhile, Angola also strengthened and asserted its strategic position in Africa, and in the regional bodies such as African Union, Southern African Development Community, International Conference of the Great Lakes Region and Economic Community of Central African States, by playing a critical role in peacemaking and promoting political and security stability in the region.  

At the same time, Angola is experiencing an economic and financial crisis, with the drop in oil prices and a fourth consecutive year of recession. The COVID-19 pandemic hit amid high levels of poverty with a significant share of the population in the informal economy, a limited social protection system and high unemployment, especially among youth and women. Moreover, the macro- and socio-economic effects of the pandemic are likely to strain economic restructuring and other reform efforts. Furthermore, Angola remains vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change, particularly floods and droughts.

The UN work in Angola is anchored on the United Nations Sustainable Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2020-2022, signed between the Government and the UN, aligned with the African Union Sustainable Development agenda 2063. The UNSDCF is based on the national priorities set in the National Development Plan 2018-2022 sets six pillars: 1) human development and well-being; 2) economic, sustainable, diversified and inclusive development; 3) infrastructures necessary for development; 4) consolidation of peace, strengthening the democratic and rule of law, good governance, state reform and decentralization; 5) harmonious development of the territory; and 6) guaranteeing stability and territorial integrity in Angola and strengthening its role in the international and regional contexts. Since 2017, the UN has been supporting the strengthening of local governance, social cohesion and resilience in refugee-hosting communities in the Angolan northeastern province of Lunda Norte, helping to build bridges with the authorities in the neighbouring Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Within that framework, the UN prioritizes the SDG targets on social and economic areas, in particular focussing on children, youth, women, health, environment, resilience, stability (including refugees and transborder issues) as well as democratic governance support goals.

It is against this background that the services of a PDA are being sought to work in country, providing political and programmatic advisory services to the larger UNCT and UNHQ, drawing on the UN Secretary-General’s Prevention Agenda, and in this way contribute to the strengthening and sustaining of Angola’s efforts for the  consolidation of peace  with a view to preventing electoral violence, crisis management and contingency planning, and building a peaceful society. For this effect, the PDA will engage with national stakeholders owned and driven efforts, including identification of entry points of engagement for the UN. The PDA reports to the Resident Coordinator with a  reporting line to the UNDP Resident Representative, as well as the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the Regional Bureau for Africa of UNDP in New York.
 


 

While the nature of the PDA role varies according to country and regional context, there are three broad functions of the position:

PDAs have a primary reporting line to the Resident Coordinator, and secondary reporting lines to the DPPA-DPO regional division and the UNDP Resident Representative. Under their guidance and agreed workplan, and in close collaboration with the country team, the PDA will:

1.    Undertake political, peace and development analysis and provide strategic advice to the Resident Coordinator in his/her engagement with high-level government officials, academia, civil society including youth and women’s networks, UN Country Team, HQ, and other relevant stakeholders. Submit the analysis and reporting to the RC, UNDP RR and DPPA-DPO Division.

• Provide risk-informed analysis to the RC and the broader UNCT  as well as the UN Headquarters (and regional level as relevant) on political and socioeconomic developments and potential conflict dynamics. This would also require identifying appropriate ‘entry points’ for  inclusive dialogue and sustaining peace, proposing concrete, actionable and timely recommendations for consideration by the UN leadership; in line with reporting guidelines established by the Joint Programme, submit the analysis and reporting to the RC, UNDP RR and DPPA.
• Strengthen and support the capacity of the UNCT, including through training, to undertake contextual and political economy analysis, ensuring that gendered and human rights dimensions are reflected in both analysis and programming; and inform early warning and response mechanisms;
• Provide updates to the UN Headquarters (and regional level as relevant) in line with the Joint Programme’s reporting guidelines with advice on political and socioeconomic developments  dynamics.  
• Support the formulation and regular update of the Common Country Assessment (CCA), which informs the design and implementation of the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, including lead the conflict analysis part of the CCA;
• Regularly brief the UNCT on political developments, and provide strategic advice on integrated approaches across the UNCT in the context of SDG 16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutions;
• Facilitate the linking of political economy considerations, political and conflict analysis and strategies as well as risk-informed approaches to the UN’s programmatic and policy engagement at the country-level; and
• Engage with academia and think tanks in research and analyses on peaceconsolidation related themes, including areas such as climate-related security risk.

2.    Identify opportunities to build national capacities on strategic, programmatic and policy engagement with national stakeholders, and support the RC and the UNCT action in areas ofearly warning, peacebuilding, human rights, humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus, Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) among others.

• Provide strategic and technical advice, and support the design and initiation of sustaining peace initiatives or engagements, including; dialogue processes; confidence-building measures, electoral violence prevention; crisis management and contingency planning; social cohesion; reconciliation; countering violent extremism; and stabilization;
• Support the design and facilitation of national multi-stakeholder processes, building national and local capacity for negotiation, mediation and dialogue; and strengthening networks of mediators and facilitators (including female mediators) at national and local levels;
• Identify lessons learned for UN based on Angola’s national and regional efforts in preventive diplomacy engagement;
• Support connecting local and national level peacebuilding efforts, as well as regional and/or cross-border initiatives as appropriate;
• Identify and engage civil society actors in the peace and development agenda supported by the UN and work with other UN entities, including UNDP and OHCHR, to protect human rights and expand civic space;
• Support the UNCT in their efforts on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gendered dimensions of peacebuilding and SCR 1325 (and related resolutions) as well as Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) and SCR 2250; and
• Support the design and implementation of strategies for identifying entry points for mainstreaming of conflict prevention and conflict sensitivity in the work of the UNCT (including within the CCA, Cooperation Framework, Country Programme Documents (CPD), etc.); and where relevant, support UN’s resource mobilization efforts.

3.    Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key national stakeholders, regional and international actors and development partners on issues related to Sustaining Peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• Establish and maintain networks and strategic partnerships with key national stakeholders, regional and international actors and development partners for sustaining peace related strategies and initiatives and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and national SDG plans;
• Liaise closely with national, regional, and local stakeholders, civil society, academia, think tanks, women’s and youth networks and key international actors (including International Financial Institutions and regional organizations) to identify entry points, foster dialogue and strengthen strategic alliances and partnerships on confidence-building, and reconciliation initiatives;
• Maintain close liaison with relevant development partners and the diplomatic corps including through the Cooperating Partners’ Group (CPG), regional organizations and other actors supporting the UN’s conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts;
• Maintain close contact with relevant staff at UN Headquarters as well as at the regional level including relevant focal points at UNDP, DPPA-DPO, DCO, and work closely with the regional programme specialists based in the region;
• Maintain close contact and collaboration with Special Envoys, Special Representatives of the Secretary-General, political missions peace operations, and offices where relevant;
• Contribute to the results-based management efforts of the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme, including through setting up mechanisms to assess and measure impact of peace and development initiatives and providing the Joint Programme secretariat with inputs on progress at the country level; and
• Advise and support the RC on engagement with the  Southern African Development Community (SADC), in coordination with the DPPA SADC Liaison Team, with the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the Great Lakes Region and with the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) with a view to ensuring complementarity and alignment of support in and from Angola.

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

Technical/Functional

• Social Cohesion: Knowledge of methods and experience of supporting communities to achieve greater inclusiveness, more civic participation and creating opportunities for upward mobility
• Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: Ability to support peace processes to facilitate recovery and development
• Conflict-Sensitive Programming: Ability to use methods and tools to monitor conflict triggers and determine impact of various dynamics in conflict-prone situations
• Conflict and Political Economy Analysis: Ability to analyse socio-political dynamics influencing power and influence through various lenses (i.e. national, local, communal levels and ethnic, demographic, etc.)
• Knowledge Management: Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge
• Relationship Management: Ability to engage with other parties and forge productive working relationships
• Gender: Knowledge of gender issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, including analysis of projects from a gender perspective

Education:    

• Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree) in political science, sociology, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences. In lieu of an Advanced degree, a Bachelor university degree with two additional years of experience may be considered.

Experience:    

• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in conflict analysis, strategy development, risk informed/conflict sensitive development and/or conflict prevention and sustaining peace in a governmental, multilateral or civil society organization;
• Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience and track record of engagement with senior officials, such as in the United Nations, government and external partners;
• Experience in programming and project management, such as programme design and results monitoring, in areas related to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and/or development;
• Experience in national and community level conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives and programming; with experience in gendered dimensions of peacebuilding being an asset.
• Experience working within a UN Agency/Fund/Programme or Department and field experience would be a major asset.
• Sound knowledge of and extensive experience in Southern and Central Africa subregions , including in dialogue and conflict prevention initiatives, is an advantage.

Language Requirements:    

• Fluent written and spoken English is required.
• Working knowledge of Portuguese is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

Other:    

• Qualified female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

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Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension