Antecedentes
The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) was launched at the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in September 2008 with the aim of increasing the transparency of development cooperation in order to maximize its effectiveness in reducing poverty. It is a voluntary, multi-stakeholder initiative which seeks to empower governments in developing countries by providing them with timely, comprehensive and forward-looking information on aid available. Development actors choosing to publish to the IATI standard commit to publish data on their development cooperation spending, and an online registry maintained by IATI acts as a library of direct links to the data published on publishers’ own websites. Users can access the data they need and apply it in different contexts, for different purposes. This increased access to comparable information on development cooperation results in more openness and accountability, and makes it easier to monitor the flow and results of funds for development.
As a relatively new standard established only three years ago, IATI continues to develop and change under the careful guidance of its Steering Committee, to meet the needs of new groups of publishers and users.
Since September 2013, the IATI Secretariat has been led by the United Nations (UNDP and UNOPS), with technical support provided by Development Initiatives (DI), partner country outreach led by Ghana, and donor country outreach led by Sweden. The Secretariat supports a governance structure that comprises a Steering Committee, a Technical Advisory Group and a number of thematically focused sub-committees.
The IATI Steering Committee has identified three areas of focus for the next two years, and a work plan for the first year has been approved supporting these areas of focus. In broad terms, the workplan includes:
- Supporting existing publishers to improve the quality of data published;
- Increasing and diversifying membership of IATI;
- Promoting increased use of IATI data, particularly at country level.
UNDP coordinates the overall work of the Secretariat and leads implementation in the areas of support to the Steering Committee, as well as outreach and information - with particular respect to partner countries. Within this context, UNDP is seeking a communications professional who can support IATI both through expansion of its outreach and communication work, whilst also conducting research and analysis on the use of IATI data at partner country level.
Objectives
To support the work of the IATI Secretariat in two key areas:
- Conduct research and undertake analysis on the use of IATI data at partner country level;
- Strengthen and implement IATI’s communications strategy and generate necessary materials for a range of outreach and communications purposes.
Deberes y responsabilidades
Under the direct supervision of UNDP’s IATI Secretariat Coordinator and with regular consultation with IATI Secretariat members, the IATI consultant will focus on the following:
Produce a report on the current use of IATI data at country level:
- Conduct analysis including through survey, e-discussions, workshops and interviews with providers, users and potential users of IATI data; this analysis should consider accessibility, quality, diverse user needs of different user groups;
- Determine what challenges there are, if any, that impede use of IATI data at country level;
- Based on this analysis, make recommendations to promote or enhance use of IATI data among users at country level.
Provide support to IATI’s outreach and communications activities. This work includes
- Develop or where applicable update communications materials promoting benefits of IATI for different constituencies;
- Identify outreach opportunities for IATI and make recommendations for exploiting such opportunities;
- Develop content as and when required, for a range of purposes and for different audiences, and disseminate via a number of channels including social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and UNDP internal knowledge networks;
- Respond to specific requests for information about IATI;
- Update IATI’s website www.aidtransparency.net with new materials on a regular basis;
- Develop press kits as necessary in relation to news about IATI;
- Scan external feeds for news related to aid transparency and share those of relevance or interest;
- Develop a regular newsletter for IATI members;
- Prepare internal briefings, substantive papers and presentation materials on IATI
Deliverables
- Produce a report on the use of IATI data at country level, recommending concrete measures on improving usage;
- Develop and implement a communications campaign and produce materials as outlined above (point 2), to meet a range of different needs.
Competencias
Functional Competencies:
- Excellent communications and facilitation skills;
- Familiarity with the work of the United Nations system;
- Strong analytical and research skills;
- Good drafting and writing abilities;
- Work under minimum supervision and tight deadlines;
- Strong organizational awareness, client orientation and negotiation skills;
- Excellent interpersonal skills and team player;
- Demonstrated use of social media for professional purposes
Core Competencies:
- Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modelling the UN/UNDP's values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
- Respect for diversity: understanding of the United Nations system, operations and structures, this includes demonstrating keen political awareness, particularly in relation to the principles of development effectiveness and transparency
- Excellent intercultural communication skills; sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the political and ethical issues in different country contexts.
Habilidades y experiencia requeridas
Education:
- Master’s degree in communications, social media, social media marketing, journalism, or equivalent relevant experience
Experience:
- Three years’ experience in the field of communications; focus on the area of aid coordination, development cooperation, transparency and accountability is desirable;
- Familiarity with development cooperation principles;
- Prior experience with international organization is desirable;
- Excellent communication, negotiation, analytical and organizational skills;
- Experience establishing strategic partnerships;
- Relevant experience working in developing countries, an asset;
- Excellent computer skills.
Language:
- Fluent in written and spoken English. French is an asset.