Background

Myanmar consists of diverse ethnic groups and poverty levels are currently at an estimated 26 per cent of the population.

Myanmar is at an historic stage in its development. Parliament and governments have been formed at the national and region/state levels, and the new Constitution provides for basic principles of democracy, human rights, and social services. The Government has expressed its interest to work with the international community to help advance the reform process, and a number of positive reform steps have already led to increasing engagement with the international community.

Conflicts occur in many parts of the country. Violence has resulted in internally displaced persons, curtailed basic services and limited economic opportunities. This is against a backdrop of severe vulnerability and poverty in these underdeveloped areas of Myanmar. The country is also highly vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, as the devastating Cyclone Nargis of 2008 showed.

Ceasefires have been successfully negotiated with 10 non-state actors and talks are underway with the 11th non-state actor still yet to sign the agreement. The Government has recently established the Myanmar Peace Centre as a one-stop shop for liaising with the international community on peace building initiatives. 

Natural disasters and human-induced humanitarian crises are likely to put sustainable development at risk. Sustained transition should aim at a seamless process of scaling down humanitarian assistance (an exit strategy) and a scaling up recovery and reconciliation linked to longer-term development goals. Such process needs to be articulated jointly by humanitarian and development actors, within a single and integrated strategy that shifts the analytical perspective from the symptoms of the crisis to the underlying causes, and from short-term to medium-term and long-term objectives.   

When the UN System works together to provide a well-coordinated, focused, and coherent response to the country’s priority problems, the impact it can have is much greater than when UN agencies work alone. No single agency has the range of funds, skills, knowledge, and experience to tackle the multi-dimensional causes of poverty. Working together, the UN System can provide advice and assistance in a wide range of issues, and can ensure that the support provided by each agency is complementary, rather than duplicative.

Duties and Responsibilities

As the designated representative of the Secretary-General, and team leader of the UN system organizations, the Resident Coordinator assumes overall responsibility for and coordination of the operational activities for development of the United Nations system carried out a the country level, in conformity with the objectives and priorities of the Government and mandates and objectives of United Nations system organizations.

Under the direct supervision of the RC/HC, and in collaboration with other RC Office staff, and with OCHA and joint UNCT working groups as relevant, the incumbent's key functions are to :

• Provide advice on policy development and planning
• Provide input and guidance to the design of UN strategic plans
• Strengthen coordination mechanisms
• Oversee the operations of the RCO

• To support and facilitate needs assessment processes and any other analytical work to help determine the UNCT strategy and priorities, reflecting the overall framework of the Millennium Development Goals;
• Where relevant, liaise closely with OCHA to ensure complementarity in policy advice, coordination mechanisms and field presence;
• Facilitate and monitor quality of UN contributions to internal and external medium to long term needs assessment exercises and other similar analytical work;
• Reinforce capacity of the UN Country Team to analyze political, social and economic trends, including support to preparation of key periodic situational analyses;
• To support and facilitate the definition of the UN’s strategy, role, and common priorities.
• To support various coordination mechanisms including support to lead agencies of Theme Groups and Inter-Agency Task Forces;
• To facilitate, at the request of the RC and UNCT, consultations with the Government, donors and organizations of the UN system, and provide technical support for policy and programme development and related strategic initiatives. At the request of the RC or UNCT, represent the RC or UNCT in various national and UN meetings as well as in regional coordination of UN activities; liaise with the UNSG’s Special Envoy’s Office as and when needed;
• Where appropriate, work with the political actors in the country to ensure a coordinated and complementary approach to recovery and reconciliation.

• Support the RC in the preparation and coordination of UN strategic plans (such as the UNDAF or similar), based on needs assessments, analysis and other identified priorities and strategies;
• To support the RC and UNCT in engaging bilateral and multilateral donors, including for resources mobilization, and to direct the initiation and development of related preparatory and follow-up action;
• Provide input and guidance in the development of appropriate modalities for a multi-donor trust fund and or resource mobilization mechanisms; 
• Support the RC and the UNCT in the preparation of a Common Country Assessment (CCA) and a UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), when appropriate;
• Where relevant, liaise closely with OCHA to ensure complementary in policy advice, coordination mechanisms and field presence;
• Ensure appropriate linkages are made to other ongoing initiatives – e.g. the preparation of the national budget, I-PRSPs or donor strategies.

• Ensure efficient secretariat functions are provided to the UNCT;
• Coordinates the development and implementation of cross-cutting and management policy among the various components of UNCT, when required;
• Ensure that advice and information on cross-cutting issues is coordinated with all relevant components of UNCT. Ensures effective functioning of coherent communications structures and systems and serves as the focal point for communication with United Nations Headquarters in New York;
• Strengthen the RCO’s information and reporting systems, ensuring efficient  flows of information between the RC and the UNCT as well as the UN Global system including DOCO;
• Ensure M&E systems are in place for the purpose of the UN Strategic Framework and recovery related activities in the UN & Partners work plan; 
• Monitor relevant developments in the Security Council, and within the Peace and Security departments of the United Nations HQ;
• Support the UNCT in the development of a common work plan ensuring timeliness, coherence and quality of results and the promotion and development of proposals for UN System capacity building initiatives in order to achieve shared results;
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with Agency representatives, UN Colleagues and Government counterparts of all levels;
• Ensure that information regarding planning and programming activities of the UN system is conveyed in a transparent manner to all UN Agencies and Partners;
• Support the RC and UNCT in engaging bilateral and multilateral donors, including for resource mobilization, and direct the initiation and development of related preparatory and follow-up action;
• Provide input and guidance in the development of appropriate modalities for resource mobilization mechanisms;
• Support the RC in identifying and managing required resources for coordination; Where the UNCT decides to promote joint programmes in a given area, support the elaboration, negotiation and implementation of these programmes through concrete and immediate support on operational and substantive issues as required;
• Establish system to effectively monitor and report progress of UNCT against jointly agreed results including regular reports such as: reporting against conference declarations, producing the RC Annual Report, UN Thematic Reports, Unified UN Development Reports, inputs to the Secretary-General’s Quarterly Reports to the Security Council;
• Serve as interface with the Development Group Office.

• Provide leadership, coordination and effective oversight to established coordination structures;
• Set priorities, supervise and ensure follow-up and feedback;
• Provide strategic advice and technical support to RC, and other heads of agencies on transitional and development issues;
• Provide direction and guidance on the transition from humanitarian to recovery and development led coordination;
• Manage and coordinate the preparation of the RC Annual Plan and Report, ensuring an inclusive process to capture the key outputs of the UNCT’s work; 
• Financial management: Establishes and implements adequate internal controls to ensure the integrity of financial transaction, systems and reports consistently applies rules and regulations;
• Prepare proposals for the allocation of RC and UNDG funds.  Monitor and control the usage of these funds, review transactions and prepare expenditure reports;
• Serve as interface with UN Development Group Office;
• Coordinate and prepare inputs into reports of the Resident Coordinator.

Competencies

• Strategic vision and strong technical and analytical capabilities. Good political judgment.
• Excellent organizational and management skills.
• Ability to negotiate at decision-making level. 
• Ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit and positive working relationships. 
• Ability to operate effectively in a changing and complex environment, and to produce results under stress.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven experience of UN coordination and working and working with UN Country teams.
• Proven experience in humanitarian resource mobilization and preferably transition coordination.
• Good knowledge of UN system, procedures and operational activities for development. Previous experience in UNDAF planning/strategic UN planning of development or recovery plans will be considered as plus.
  
• Knowledge of results-based management, monitoring and evaluation.

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree or higher, in development, economics, political science, statistics, international development, management, coordination and related disciplines.  
  

Experience:

• Senior grade advisor with at least 10 years work experience in development and/or transitional operations. At least four years work experience in the field, ideally in a post-conflict setting.

Language Requirements: