UNDP Jobs - 70908- Consultancy to Develop a Social Cohesion Project S

Consultancy to Develop a Social Cohesion Project Strategy and Document

Location :

Lilongwe, with limited travel to selected districts, MALAWI

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

27-Mar-2017

Application Deadline :

14-Mar-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

Malawi has a reputation for being a peaceful and stable country but the events of 20/21 July 2011 that led to 20 deaths were a wake-up that Malawi cannot take its peace for granted.

Over the years, the country has benefitted from the use of traditional conflict management mechanisms and practices in resolving local and national conflicts. Government, Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders have provided various forms of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. These institutions include the Judiciary, District Labour Offices, the Office of the Ombudsman, Malawi Human Rights Commission, Public Affairs Committee, National Forum for Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts, etc. While some of these institutions have played a critical role in managing national conflicts, their efforts have been impeded by two main challenges, namely; lack of enabling legislation and absence of a national peace architecture that promotes pro-active rather than reactive conflict management in the country. As a result, their efforts were mostly being ad-hoc and unsustainable.

The country’s commitment to continued use of non-violent means of resolving conflicts is specifically provided for in the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi under section 13(l) which states; “adoption of mechanisms by which differences are settled through negotiation, good offices, mediation, conciliation and arbitration”. In furtherance of this commitment, and following the 2011 violence, the Government of Malawi invited the United Nations to provide support in building national capacities for peace and dialogue.

Ongoing support to the government to develop a National Peace Architecture (NPA) has seen the establishment of three pilot District Peace Committees (DPCs) and a final draft national peace policy awaiting cabinet approval. National Peace Architecture is understood as a dynamic network of independent structures, mechanisms, resources, values and skills which, through dialogue and consultation contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding in a society. A full-fledged NPA mechanism is expected to be in place by end of 2018.

The UN is also supporting the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), an interfaith organization, as ‘insider mediators’, playing the roles of intermediaries between national leaders, and as advocates for peace and good governance.

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of the assignment is to support the Government of the Republic of Malawi, represented by a National Peace Architecture Secretariat at the Office of President and Cabinet and Public Affairs Committee to design a strategy and finalize a multi-year project document for consolidating the peace initiatives so far and transitioning to a single project, taking into account the lessons learnt from the ongoing support to both. The assignment will enhance the role of the ‘insider mediators’, and make the National Peace Architecture fit for purpose and responsive to the country’s peace needs in the long term. The assignment will facilitate the development of mechanisms for cooperation between Civil Society and Government in the implementation of the project. The consultant will also be expected to make recommendations on how the National Peace Architecture Process and the Insider Mediators support will transition into one umbrella National Peace Architecture for Malawi.

Objectives

The main objective of the consultancies is to support the Government of the Republic of Malawi and the Public Affairs Committee to develop a strategy document and finalize a draft multi-year project document and strategy for collaboration of support towards establishing the structures of a National Peace Architecture.

Specific Tasks

Literature review: Review documents on existing and past strategies for the project, project reports, draft peace policy and other relevant documents in order to have an in-depth understanding of the existing structures, their status, strategies and work plans.

Stakeholder consultations: Conduct stakeholder mapping with partners (National Peace Architecture Team and Public Affairs Committee) to identify key stakeholders to be consulted. The consultations should, among other things, be aimed at examining existing strategies, identify challenges and opportunities with a view to drawing lessons for the proposed strategy and project document.

On the basis of the above tasks, develop a strategy document, finalize the draft Project Document and quality assure the 2017 Annual Work Plan. This will entail proposing the most viable and gender sensitive interventions for the ‘insider mediators’ in the short to medium term and for the National Peace Architecture process. The strategy should have a clear implementation plan with results.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Demonstrate integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Designing peace programming for civil society organizations and developing National Peace Architectures in developing countries, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Familiarity with National Peace Architectures and UNDP policies and programming procedures
Computer knowledge in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet applications
Excellent communication and networking skills
Excellent reporting and writing skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education

A university post graduate degree or its equivalent in conflict transformation, public administration, political science, development studies or other relevant social science.

Experience

Minimum of 15 years work experience in the field of peacebuilding & conflict transformation programming, project design & implementation, especially in the area of conflict transformation with civil society.
Prior senior institutional management experience and familiarity with National Peace Architectures and UNDP policies and programming procedures will be added advantages.

Language

Fluency in written and spoken English

Method of Application

Interested individual consultants must submit Technical and financial proposals including documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one attachment by 14th March 2017, by 5:00 pm. Detailed Procurement Notice and Terms of reference can be accessed through the following link http://procurement-notices.undp.org/