Background

In the fall of 2012, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic requested assistance from the UN Secretary General (SG), articulating long-term peacebuilding priorities of the country that still needed to be addressed in the areas of rule of law and human rights, mechanisms for promoting dialogue at national and community level, and implementation of a policy aiming at enhancing national unity and interethnic relations. The SG in his response letter of 14 November 2012 supported this request and encouraged to initiate the establishment and of an inclusive Joint Steering Committee (JSC) to provide strategic guidance to plan further peacebuilding interventions to be funded under the Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility (PRF) of the UN Peacebuilding Find (PBF). A PBF JSC was established in Kyrgyzstan and received its mandate through and official decree of the President. The JSC is comprised of representatives from the Government, Parliament, Office of the President, Civil Society Organizations and the UN system (28 JSC members in total). The meetings of JSC are also attended by donors/ development partners to ensure coordination and coherence between projects funded by the PBF in Kyrgyzstan and those funded by other partners.

The JSC is co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) and the Head of the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic who provide overall leadership to the process. The JSC is a strategic decision-making and oversight body. It is accountable to the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) managing the PBF to ensure that the peacebuilding outcomes formulated in the Peacebuilding Priority Plan (PPP) are achieved and PBF project funds are used appropriately.

Based on the findings of a Peacebuilding Needs and Priorities Assessment the PPP was developed in a multi-stakeholder process involving, civil society, key development partners, and state institutions at national and local levels. The PPP was approved by the JSC and the PBF and received US$ 15.1 million for its implementation until the end of September 2016 in order to achieve the three peacebuilding outcomes of the PPP:

• Priority Outcome 1: Critical laws, policies, reforms and recommendations of human rights mechanisms, including UPR, are implemented to uphold the rule of law, improve access to justice and respect, protect and fulfill human rights.
• Priority Outcome 2: Local self-government bodies, in partnership with related state institutions, and civil society, bridge divisions and reduce local tensions.
• Priority Outcome 3: Policies, pilot initiatives and approaches are developed and implemented that enable the further development of a common civic identity, multilingual education and respect for diversity and minority rights.

 A Secretariat was set-up to support the co-chairs of the JSC. It serves as an interface between the JSC as the strategic decision-making body, state institutions and UN agencies in the country. To meet the responsibilities of the Secretariat and to implement related coordination and M&E tasks, a project entitled ‘PBF Secretariat Support to Joint Steering Committee and PRF projects’ was established. The tasks of the Secretariat (among others) will include:

• Provision of technical support and coordination services to all 10 PRF projects so that the results of these projects will contribute to the PPP outcomes by enhancing maximum synergies and coherence between all projects and other peacebuilding interventions in the country, also ensuring local ownership and participation;
• Organization and preparation of JSC meetings (e.g. suggesting strategic measures to the JSC for its consideration to ensure that PPP outcomes are met);
• Providing regular information and updates to JSC, PBSO (and the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office MPTFO that acts as a Management Agent for the PBF), and RUNOs related to the PBF PRF process and status of PPP implementation, ensuring that the JSC can make appropriate and timely decisions and RUNOs implement projects in a way that effectively contributes to achieving PPP outcomes;
• Carrying out M&E-related activities towards tracking progress/ success in achieving PPP outcomes;
• Communicating information related to the implementation of the PPP (process, results etc.) to the wider public, ensuring transparency and national ownership of the process;
• Increasing the capacity of JSC members and relevant stakeholders to provide guidance and oversight to the implementation of the PPP.

Duties and Responsibilities

Competencies

• Strong communication, facilitation and advocacy skills;
• Proven ability to manage complex ideas and to maximize synergies effectively;
• Ability to convey difficult issues and sensitivity to local cultures;
• Ability to work in a high-pressure environment and to handle politically sensitive issues;
• Understanding of the UN system and experience in coordinating UN joint programmes is an advantage;
• Knowledge of the political, economic and social dynamics of the Central Asia region would be an asset.

Corporate competencies:

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

Required Skills and Experience