UNDP Jobs - 38307- Re-advertisement - Technical Advisor (Rule of Law)

Re-advertisement - Technical Advisor (Rule of Law)

Location :

Kinshasa, CONGO, DEM. REPUBLIC

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

01-Aug-2013

Application Deadline :

30-Sep-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year

Languages Required :

English French

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Africa’s second-largest country, the DRC is notorious for its chronic absence of functioning rule of law infrastructure and state authority. Security forces and illegal armed groups commit human rights violations and abuses against the country’s civilian population and, despite a relatively sound legislative foundation, the implementation of human rights protection is weak.

The conflict-riddled Eastern provinces of the DRC (North and South Kivu and parts of Province Orientale) are home to a number of militia groups. Fighting between these armed groups, high criminality and serious human rights violations have characterized the rule of law landscape of the region. The prevalence of impunity contributes to undermining the basic security of the civilian population. Legal uncertainty and the chronic lack of access to justice are obstacles to the stabilization of the region and to the restoration of lasting peace. An environment conducive to human development can only be achieved through an increasing respect for human rights and rule of law.

As part of its national Rule of Law portfolio, UNDP has developed a number of different projects across the country aimed at promoting access to justice for the population, in particular women. Ongoing projects seek to contribute to increasing awareness about legal and judicial protection mechanisms available to the population; improving access to legal aid and assistance by the local population; and strengthening law enforcement and judicial presence and performance. For the next programming phase, UNDP plans to refine the overall strategic vision for the Rule of Law portfolio and to implement a programming approach with increased coordination of various Rule of Law projects.

Furthermore, in September 2012, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the Global Focal Point (GFP) for Police, Justice and Corrections areas in the rule of law in post-conflict and other crisis situations. This new policy is an important part of a reform process that will strengthen the United Nations’ ability to fill critical civilian capacity gaps in the aftermath of conflict by joint efforts. The GFP provides support to UNDP and MONUSCO to develop and implement one UN Rule of Law strategy in DRC which also includes joint programming.

In close collaboration with UNDP DRC’s Senior Management, the Rule of Law Advisor shall provide high-level policy advice to the relevant national counterparts, provide programmatic oversight, lead policy advocacy, and liaise with MONUSCO and UN Agencies, Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society in the areas pertaining to the Rule of Law portfolio. The Rule of Law Advisor will also assure coordination and close collaboration with UNDP’s HQ unit on Rule of Law, Justice and Security Unit at the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and alignment with the UNDP/BCPR Global Programme on Rule of Law and the new GFP arrangement.

The post will be based in Kinshasa.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the UNDP Country Director and direct supervision of the UNDP Deputy Director- Program, the Rule of Law Senior Advisor provides strategic direction and leadership on rule of law-related programming.

To this end, the selected candidate shall undertake the following:

Advise UNDP DRC country programme on strategies and responses to changes in the rule of law context, oversee rule of law programming, and develop and implement a rule of law programming approach with increased coordination of various rule of law projects;
Manage, supervise and provide strong leadership for UNDP Country Office staff working in the area of rule of law, and an overall strategic vision for all rule of law-related work with a view to building national capacities and strengthening the rule of law to support the overarching peace-building objective of the UN;
Invoke the new Global Focal Point arrangement such that it supports existing rule of law efforts on the ground
Ensure the integration of cross-cutting issues, such as gender and SGBV, peace building, and human rights into justice and security project design, monitoring and evaluation; and
Ensure regular monitoring and evaluation, including but not limited to, regular field visits and participation in Project Board and/or Steering Committee meetings.

The Rule of Law Advisor shall support partnership building and resource mobilization for UNDP in the area of justice and security by undertaking the following:

Engage in a dialogue with donors, identify funding opportunities and endeavour to ensure sufficient resource mobilization for the programme in close consultation with Senior Management and be responsible for reaching the annual resource mobilization targets;
Advocate for UNDP justice/rule of law work and represent UNDP DRC with national authorities, MONUSCO and UNCT, the donor community, and international financial institutions;
Liaise regularly and forge close linkages with other UN programmes, agencies and entities, as well as other international and national stakeholders concerned with or providing assistance on justice/rule of law issues in DRC;
Ensure high-quality and timely reporting to donors and other partners involved in the programme;
Contribute to the harnessing of effective partnerships and competitive selection of partners for implementation of UNDP projects; and
Promote joint programming, especially as part of the GFP arrangement, and UN reform, and collaborate effectively in established frameworks for UN and other international coordination.

The Rule of Law Advisor shall promote UNDP’s mandate and corporate policy and provide senior high level policy advice to government and other partners by undertaking the following:

Promote justice and rule of law results, ensuring appropriate levels of visibility and public awareness on results and ongoing activities;
Provide policy advice to UNDP Senior Management in DRC, government counterparts, donors and other partners on issues related to justice and rule of law;
Develop a close partnership with the Ministry of Justice and other key national partners: and
Represent UNDP, as requested by the Resident Representative, Country Director or Deputy Country Director, in meetings related to justice and security issues.

The Rule of Law Advisor shall ensure knowledge management focusing on achieving the following results:

Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned from the project area for organizational sharing and learning as well as external information;
Active participation in UNDP knowledge networks and taking advantage of best practices and lessons learned that are available in the region and globally, and encouraging project staff to do so by creating a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
Promoting the participation of UNDP DRC in regional programmes and regional activities related to the project area as appropriate; and
Supporting capacity and knowledge building of national counterparts.

The Rule of Law Advisor shall fulfill any other tasks as assigned by the UNDP DRC management.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Strong competencies in the area of Justice /Rule of Law and post-conflict experience;
Professional experiences in most of these areas: justice sector reform, access to justice, gender justice, capacity building, security sector reform and related issues;
Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills;
Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices inside and outside UNDP;
Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, RBM and reporting;
Ability to lead formulation, design, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Ability to lead and manage effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree preferably in law, political science, international studies, development studies or a related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in development, preferably in emergency and post-conflict situations, with a focus on field-work;
Proven experience of at least 8 years of specialist expertise in rule of law;
10 or more years of senior-level management responsibilities of similar scope and complexity;
Previous experience with UNDP is desirable.

Language requirements:

Fluency in both English and French.