UNDP Jobs - 48362- Regional Consultant on Crime and Violence Statisti

Regional Consultant on Crime and Violence Statistics and Epidemiology

Location :

El Salvador, EL SALVADOR

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

15-Aug-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months

Languages Required :

English Spanish

Expected Duration of Assignment :

12 months

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

UNDP works in areas where natural disasters, insecurity and violent conflicts negatively determine sustainable development, based on a Crisis Prevention and Recovery (CPR) approach and Practice Area. In 2009, UNDP enhanced its presence in the Latin American and Caribbean region with the establishment of a Regional Service Center (RSCLAC) in Panama, with the purpose of providing technical assistance and effective support to UNDP Country Offices in the region for the promotion and implementation of its programs and strategies in disaster risk reduction and recovery activities, citizen security, conflict resolution and other areas of UNDP focus, both nationally as well as locally.

The Regional Service Center’s CPR Practice Area prioritizes three main issues:

Conflict prevention;
Citizen security; and
Disasters risk reduction and recovery. The efforts in these three issues are carried out in a coordinated manner with the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC) and the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR).

The increase in violence rates has elevated insecurity as one of the main problems according to citizen perception at a global level, in the region and in particular sub-regions, such as Central America, that has witnessed relatively high levels of violence as well as in perception of insecurity over the last decades, which in turn has constituted an obstacle to development.

A range of individual, family, community, cultural and societal factors contribute to the engagement of the youth in gangs and illicit activities, proliferation of violence and high levels of impunity. These factors include the lack of opportunities for young people, a culture that validates violence as a primary mechanism for resolving conflicts, availability of a large number of weapons among the population, permissive laws for their possession and carrying, and poor or no coordination between the agencies responsible for crime control (police, prosecutors and judiciary). There is a regional necessity for an initiative to detect current factors of insecurity and understand citizens as the key actors for interventions against violence, insecurity and detecting its causes.

In the case of the northern triangle, comprised of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, insecurity has been growing since 2000 according to their police data, especially the homicide rate that rose at more than 30% compared with the previous period. Insecurity is also the main concern of the population in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, which creates an atmosphere of vulnerability, anxiety and despair. In El Salvador approximately 70 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants are homicides, representing one of the highest rates in the world. By gender and age group, the highest incidence of homicide occurs in men between 15 and 29 years, with a homicide rate exceeding 200 per 100,000 inhabitants in this population group. Additionally, El Salvador also ranks first in the world with the highest rate of femicides (12.94 per 100,000 women).

Based on this experience, USAID seeking to create a cooperative effort with UNDP have formulated the project “Evidence-based Citizen Security Information Management in Central America” to work in the countries of the Central America northern triangle in citizen security information management at the regional and national level. The focus of this initiative is in the establishment of effective information management mechanisms that monitor specific interventions both at national and regional level, which will vary depending on the context within each country. For this, detailed contextual analysis will be carried out with participation of governments and civil society at national and regional level.

The project aims as well to strengthen evidence-based policy making by improving the quality and comparability of regional citizen security statistics and increasing regional coordination and collaboration on effective citizen security strategies in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panamá, Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

On the other hand, the citizen security team in UNDP’s Regional Center will coordinate this initiative with its Country Offices in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and will articulate with other UN agencies in the regional context as well as with national institutions and civil society, focusing on the improvement of information, strengthening data sources and the functioning processes of citizen security observatories.

In that context, a regional project team, which will be located in San Salvador, is being established to start and implement this initiative.

Justification and purpose

From the RSCLAC the area of security citizen proposes the coordination of this initiative, together with the CO of el Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and articulation with other Agencies in the regional context, for information improvement, sources enhancement and the strengthening process for observatories of citizen security, working with the national institutions and civil society.

Within this context the Project is seeking a Crime and Violence Statistician or Epidemiologist expert to be the main responsible for leading this area in the project framework and to provide technical support to the different components and UNDP Country Offices.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support statistical progresses/tasks and elaborate monthly report to the different components;
Advice on indicators baseline and monthly institutional reports;
Support the production of national reports on the operation indicators on citizen security within STU national level;
Support the establishment and consolidation of indicators for new countries and data quality in information systems for coexistence and citizen security;
Build and support consolidated data reporting proposal and work plan for the Project;
Technical support on general assessments plans for data production with technical units;
Monitor national and regional, scheduling for information management and data collection process;
Preparation of periodic reports on the status of Project Data, to USAID-UNDP and the Direction Committee;
Foster Statistical analysis and reports revisions including CSO data;
Support for Terms of Reference of national Statistical technicians;
Others assigned by project team leader and CPR cluster on Panama.
Final Epidemiology and Statistical support analysis.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Excellent interpersonal and team work skills;
Extensive knowledge and demonstrated understanding of UNDP/UN’s conceptualization and approach to citizen security, in the framework of human rights and human development;
Strong communication and interpersonal skills as also ability to foster networks and partnerships;
Proven ability to provide strategic direction in a service area and in coordinating a large team;
Excellent skills and ability to use information management as a tool and resource for capacity development and institutional strengthening at local, national and even regional level;
Personal organization and ability to multi-task and to work under pressure.

Corporate competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University Degree in Statistics or Epidemiology or a related field with emphasis in statistical analysis, data quality assurance, violence trends indicators, or a related areas; preferably with thematic knowledge on Citizen Security and UNDP system or similar regional organizations.

Experience:

At least five years of experience in statistical in-depth analysis, scopes on quality of the data, and statistical procedures, ensuring quality of indicators for violence prevention;
Experience in planning and conducting field-based monitoring activities using a variety of data collection and analysis methods;
Familiarity with international organizations´ procedures;
Familiarity with common statistical packages, GIS and new shareware software or stats packs;
At least 5 years of experience implementing Statistical or epidemiological analysis, research or planning;
In-depth knowledge of the Central America political, democratic and security context.

Languages:

Excellent knowledge and fluency in English and Spanish (both written and oral).

Note:

To apply please follow the instructions in the procurement notice with reference number: 381 RSC 2014 in the following link:
http://www.regionalcentrelac-undp.org/es/adquisiciones.