UNDP Jobs - 70149- Intern-Programme Management/Communication

Intern-Programme Management/Communication

Location :

Nairobi, KENYA

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

27-Jan-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 Months

Languages Required :

English French

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 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

As an integral part of the UNDP’s Regional structure in Africa, the East and Southern Africa Sub-Regional Platform (SRP) has been established as an anchor for strategic sub-regional initiatives and strategic support to and representation of UNDP in the Regional UNDG Team. The sub-region is confronted with significant development challenges, most prominently visible during the 2011 Horn of Africa drought and the continued peace and security challenges in the Great Lakes Region.

Thus there are two primary geographic areas of focus for the assignment of the intern:

Great Lakes Region

The United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda along with the Regional Representatives and Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region (GLR), agreed to develop and adopt a UN Great Lakes Strategy and Action Plan in support of/in line with the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSC-F) and identify key focus areas and develop strategic cross border/regional programmes/projects for joint inter-UNCT collaboration and implementation, with clear accountability, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The strategy has been aligned to the UN Special Envoy’s Road Map for the Great Lakes 2015-17 and it has been developed in six pillars: Sustainable Natural Resources Management, Economic Integration, Mobility, Youth and Children, Gender and SGBV, Justice and Conflict Prevention. The official launch of the Great Lakes Regional Strategic Framework 2016-2017 (Strategic Framework – Annex 2) took place in New York on 21st March 2016 by the Secretary General at the Security Council Open Debate on "The maintenance of international peace and security: prevention and resolution of conflicts in the GLR. " The UN Secretary General called on the Security Council, the States of the GLR and donor community to endorse the Strategic Framework and extend their full support to its implementation. On 30th March, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2277 which "takes note of the UN Great Lakes Regional Strategic Framework and urges the donor community to provide the necessary support to help its implementation".

Subsequently at the R-UNDG Dakar meeting on 16th April with the Special Envoy for the GLR and Resident Coordinators from the five countries the implementation plan was endorsed. This followed extensive work during the first months of 2016 on the implementation plan by Pillar Leads under the guidance of UNDP and WFP, in their quality of co-champions. In October 2016, a meeting on cross-border implementation of the Strategic Framework was held in Kampala, under the chairmanship of the Special Envoy and the Chair of Africa R-UNDG, bringing together Resident Coordinators, Regional Representatives, UNCTS and Pillar co-leads. The meeting led to the creation of a Management Board to ensure coordination and oversight of the Strategic Framework and to the definition of an action plan to ensure effective cross-border implementation.

Horn of Africa

In October 2014 the UN Secretary General, the World Bank President, the President of the Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Union launched a joint regional effort to address the drivers of conflict in the Horn of Africa. The initiative aims to boost economic growth, increase stability, reduce poverty and promote business activities in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda) through, among others, cross-border cooperation particularly in borderland areas in the Horn.

UNDP promoted in 2015-2016 an assessment to identify the strategic responses to development challenges in the Horn of Africa. The assessment seeks to generate fresh approaches to ‘ending need indeed’ in the Horn of Africa, through breaking cycles of climate and conflict-related emergency, addressing root causes, and improving development outcomes. UNDP will seek to ensure that the wider strategy for the Horn builds on the work already underway in the existing UNDP regional project in support to IGAD and the cross border initiative between Kenya and Ethiopia. An internal validation workshop took place in Nairobi in July 2016 at a technical level. A high-level consultation meeting on “ENDING NEED INDEED: Harmonizing Humanitarian, Development and Security Priorities in the Horn of Africa” was organized in Addis Ababa with development partners in December 2016. The assessment will be launched in early 2017 and a regional response framework developed.

Duties and Responsibilities

Programme Management and Support

Provide support to strategic planning and development in the Great Lakes Region AND/OR Horn of Africa and contribute to the overall implementation of the Regional Frameworks;
Assist in preparation of the work plan, activities, targets, budget, standards for measuring progress and results;
Support in drafting donor reports and other corporate reporting
Contribute to the assessment of programmes impact and assist in providing accurate monitoring of progress and results.

Knowledge Management

Assist in knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned, ensuring that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools;
Support horizontal sharing of good practices between the COs to increase the efficient implementation of the programmes;
Support the development of a knowledge sharing platform in support of RC/RRs, leveraging existing capacities, lessons learned and best practices in the sub-region;
Access UNDP’s worldwide and regional knowledge, best practices and lessons learned, distil best practices and ensure its dissemination for organizational and stakeholders learning and sharing;
Actively support knowledge building and sharing.

Communication and advocacy

Support in the design of products/tools for external communication on the regional strategies;
Assist in the identification of key advocacy messages and development of an information kit and/or joint calendar of advocacy events or special occasions and/or appropriate tools on the regional strategies;
Actively support in the development of an internal information sharing system for the regional strategies.

Competencies

Core competencies:

Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
Communication: Ability to speak and write clearly and effectively in English and French
Planning and Organizing: Ability to develop clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies
Creativity: Ability to actively promote new ideas and different options

Functional competencies:

Demonstrate research and analytical capacity;
Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills;
Ability to manage diverse and complex tasks, with tight deadlines;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty;
Commitment to UNDP’s vision, mission, and strategic goals.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Degree programme in public administration, political science, sociology, international relations, law, gender studies, development studies, communications or other relevant fields.

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
Be enrolled in the final academic year of a four year first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);
Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

Familiarity with the UN system, and/or other international organisations, multi-lateral and other academic and international institutions;
Interest and good knowledge of the Africa region, including the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region would be an advantage;
Experience with web-based applications and websites, Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) is required.

Languages:

Fluent in English (written and spoken) is required. Knowledge in another UN official language an asset in particular French