Background
The Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI) (originally known as the Tumen River Area Development Programme – TRADP), is an intergovernmental cooperation mechanism in Northeast Asia, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with a membership of four countries: the People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.
In 1995, member governments signed formal agreement to establish the intergovernmental cooperation mechanism, aimed at strengthening economic and technical cooperation, and attaining greater growth and sustainable development for the peoples and countries in Northeast Asia and the Tumen River area in particular.
Since its creation, the GTI has remained a unique intergovernmental platform for economic cooperation, fostering peace, stability and sustainable development in Northeast Asia. It is playing a significant role in expanding policy dialogue and strengthening a business-friendly environment in the region, therefore contributing to the improvement of living standards through the development of infrastructure and the promotion of trade and investment.
In 2005, the member countries agreed to assume the full ownership, and focus on the promotion of regional cooperation in the key sectors of economy: energy, transport, tourism, trade & investment and environment as a cross-cutting sector.
In recent years, GTI member countries recognized the importance to expand cooperation in wider areas, and agreed to establish the new mechanisms under the GTI framework, including the Northeast Asia Local Cooperation Committee, NEA Exim Bank Association, GTI Research Institutions Network, GTI Agriculture Board, and NEA National Chambers Association.
The GTI Tourism Board was established in 2008. The recent GTI Tourism Board meeting was convened on 18 May 2014 in Vladivostok, Russia. The meeting identified a few priority projects to promote the tourism industry in the region. The Northeast Asia Tourism Forum is scheduled to be held annually.
In this context, the GTI Secretariat is recruiting a Programm Officer to be in charge of transport and tourism sectors to promote the regional cooperation in the field.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Manage activities of GTI Transport Board and Tourism Board (two Boards): 1) organize, in close coordination with Chairpersons, annual meetings of two Boards, including drafting meeting documents and agenda, management of the meeting logistics, coordination with the respective agencies of the member countries on meeting participants, etc. 2) manage and monitor implementation of annual work plans of two Boards.
- Provide strategic vision of regional cooperation in transport and tourism sectors and identify relevant project/activities proposals in cooperation with board members;
- Monitor implementation of the Regional Transport Strategy;
- Promote practical cooperation in the transport and tourism sectors by effective management of research and other types of projects in transport and tourism sectors as tasked by GTI board members or the GTI Consultative Commission;
- Organize activities, such as workshops, seminars or other fora for the implementation of the approved workplans in close cooperation with the Chairpersons, board members and National Coordinator;
- Provide timely planning and reporting on projects and activities in the transport and tourism sector to the Director of GTI secretariat, Board Members and the GTI Consultative Commission;
- Strengthen partnerships with research institutes, industry players, regional and international organizations involved such as UNESCAP, GIZ, UNWTO, PATA, etc;
- Draft project proposal in transport and tourism sector;
- Mobilize additional funding for GTI transport and tourism projects;
- Evaluate the impact of GTI transport and tourism projects in the Greater Tumen Region;
- Provide general support in communications with member countries on GTI related issues;
In particular, the Programme Officer is responsible for following responsibilities:
- Maintain regular communications with Board Members, National Coordinators on transport and tourism related issues;
- Manage studies in the transport and tourism sector;
- Monitor the progress of projects and submit an annual report on GTI transport and tourism sector activities to the GTI Consultative Commission;
- Identify new projects in the transport and tourism sector suitable for public sector financing;
- Organize meetings (workshops, seminars, etc.) in transport and tourism sector;
- Monitor and manage the work of two Boards, implementation of the Regional Transport Strategy;
- Evaluate the impact of completed projects on growth and development indicators for the region;
- Promote transport and tourism cooperation in GTI by participating and delivering presentations on the relevant partner events and industry conferences;
- Attract donors to mobilize financial resources;
- Facilitate general communications with member countries on GTI related issues;
- Other tasks assigned by the Director of GTI Secretariat.
Competencies
- Deep knowledge of transport and tourism policies, as well as main interests in projects in Northeast Asia in related field;
- Teambuilding and good communication skills;
- Ability to work with large-scale multinational projects and keep deadlines;
- Good command of Microsoft Office software packages (Word, Power Point, Excel);
- Knowledge of international organization regulations, rules, policies and procedures would be an asset.
Required Skills and Experience
Education- Master’s Degree or equivalent in Economics, Transport, Logistics, Trade, Tourism, International Relations or Development Studies.
- Min 3 years directly relevant (transport or tourism sector) working experience at the national or international level, hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
- Fluency in both written and spoken English; knowledge of 1-2 GTI languages (Chinese, Korean, Mongolian and Russian) is an advantage.