Historique

Anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in line with the priorities outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan, the Regional Bureau for Arab States supports the Arab States region to achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerating structural transformations for sustainable development, and building resilience to crises and shocks. Within this work, the Regional Bureau for Arab States responds to needs across development settings including Least Developed Countries, Middle Income Countries, Net Contributor Countries and countries affected by crisis, with a view to support the building of resilience, fight climate change, leverage the promise of innovation, and prioritize the advance of women, youth and vulnerable groups as part of its commitment to the principles of universality, equality and leaving no one behind in an increasing challenging regional context which has been further impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

RBAS is establishing a roster from which to pool qualified interns during the course of 2021 for a maximum period of 6 months, subject to the needs of the following Teams in New York and Amman.

RBAS New York

The Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) serves as the headquarters for UNDP regional programme and country offices in 16 Arab countries and the office located in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Bureau proactively engages with internal units and external partners/stakeholders such as the UN Secretariat, the Permanent Missions, donors and the Executive Board, to discuss and facilitate the work of UNDP in the region. It focuses on RBAS positioning and policy decisions as well as programmatic and operational oversight to enhance country office, sub-regional and regional programming results and performance. The Regional Bureau develops and implements partnership strategies for the region in addition to shaping the definition and implementation of the regional communications strategy and advocacy, as a means of positioning development issues and UNDP as a trusted development partner across the region.

RBAS Amman Regional Hub, Jordan

The Hub provides expanded technical backing to Country Offices and ensures effective, timely and responsive support focused on UNDP’s realigned programme priorities and tailored to the emerging and changing needs and priorities in the region. The Regional Hub in Amman offers a wide range of support to Country Offices including knowledge services, and operations, strategic policy advice, programme development and implementation, capacity development, policy research and analysis in the following thematic areas:

1- SDG Integration

The team is at the heart of UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN), as it influences, shapes, and activates platforms for intersectional collaboration on complex, multi-faceted, and ‘frontier’ issues in sustainable development. The team provides technical support on national planning, and integrated SDG mainstreaming into national and regional processes. The advisory support provided by the team includes SDG Joint funding and localization, research/data analytics on SDGs linkages, enabling ‘sense making’ of development trends and building sustainable futures, alignment of national development planning to SDGs, and advisory support on COVID-19 integrated response and recovery, among others.

2- Gender

The team provides support and advice to ensure all programming in the region is gender responsive, working closely with other technical teams in the regional hub to develop and support programming targeting the most vulnerable women. The gender team also works closely with other UN agencies, including UNWomen, UNFPA and ILO on region wide initiatives on gender justice, women economic empowerment and women, peace and security issues.

3- Nature, Climate and Energy

The team supports local programming on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, expanding solar solutions, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing food, land and water security for the poor to help communities manage climate related risks and build resilience. The team manages over fifty projects and $500 million of grants for countries in the Arab region on these issues, making UNDP the UN leading partner in the region to achieve results under the environment pillars of the SDGs and global environmental agreements like the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Global Biodiversity Framework.

4- Governance and Peacebuilding

The team provides assistance to ensure quality programming in the areas of conflict prevention and peacebuilding, inclusive political processes, social cohesion, rule of law, security and Human Rights, prevention of violent extremism (PVE), state building and public-sector reform, and local governance. The team is structured along the following sub-themes: a) Core Governance Functions; b) Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding (including Prevention of Violent Extremism); c) Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights; and d) Inclusive Political processes (i.e. Elections and Parliaments support).

5- Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development

The team supports partners in the region to develop integrated, transformative and scalable solutions to tackle the interconnected challenges of poverty, vulnerability, inequality and exclusion, in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. The team assists in enhancing prospects for inclusive growth, jobs and livelihoods at national and local levels, including through economic recovery and resilience-building in crisis and post crisis contexts, focusing on empowering women and youth, and advancing opportunities for the most vulnerable. It also supports research, policy and program guidance around: macroeconomic stability, private and financial sectors, fiscal policy and public finance management, economic transformation, social protection, women economic empowerment, urban and digital economy, etc.

6- Innovation

The team supports regional and country initiatives to embrace new approaches and methodologies, in collaboration with 13 Accelerator Labs in the region, the UNDP’s global Strategic Innovation Unit, Chief Digital Office, and the global network of 90 Accelerator Labs. Through new sources of information and a variety of unusual perspectives embedded in strategic priorities that are leverage points for achieving the SDGs, innovation enables UNDP to reach for systemic change and ultimately greater impact. The Team’s portfolio includes initiatives on digital transformation, innovation applied to youth, gender and human rights, behavioral science, data innovation, futures thinking and foresight, systems thinking and portfolio approaches, next generation cities, and alternative finance.

7- Regional Programme

The Regional Programme for Arab States is guided by outcomes and solutions outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and is designed to deliver integrated responses to identified challenges in the region. The Regional Programme aims to: a) accelerate the structural transformation of productive capacities in a sustainable and inclusive manner; b) strengthen institutions to promote inclusive participation, prevent conflict and build peaceful societies. The programme includes more than 10 initiatives covering several thematic areas, including anti-corruption and integrity, data and knowledge for the SDGs, electoral support, youth empowerment, climate resilience, etc. Priorities and objectives for the new programming cycle will be formulated based on the upcoming UNDP Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

8- Sub-Regional Response Facility for the Syria Crisis (SRF)

The Sub Regional Response Facility (SRF) hosts the UNDP-UNHCR Joint Secretariat and coordinates the implementation and monitroing of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). The team focuses on improving the policy space offered to ensure a resilience-based development response in Syria's neighboring countries hosting refugees and in Syria. This include, amongst others, improving monitroing of resilience interventions, and analysis on: the humanitarian-development nexus; social protection in crisis context; resilience-building and human rights, conflict prevention, women and youth empowernment; resilient economic systems, as well as private sector engagement in crisis contexts.

9 - Country Operations Support

The team provides strategic and technical support on the use of corporate tools for programme and project management, including project quality assurance, evaluations, etc.  The team also provides support to designing UN cooperation framework (UNCF), country programme document (CPD), and development projects. In addition, the team generates analysis of county office results in support of informed and improved programming in the region as part of the overall implementation of the UNDP Strategic Plan.

10- Operations

The team provides advice on corporate operational strategies, policies and plans. It is responsible for delivering effective and efficient financial, human resources, procurement, administrative and logistical, and ICT services to COs, as well as to the teams in the Hub in line with UNDP rules and regulations.

11- Partnerships

The team advises on partnerships and fund raising from governments, private entities, development banks, and foundations to deliver on the vision and outcomes in UNDP’s Strategic Plan and promote sustainable development. It provides partner intelligence and analysis on alignment between donor development mandates and UNDP priority thematic areas of work and facilitates partnership agreements.  The team advises Country Offices and the Regional Programme on their Partnership and Communication Strategies and Action Plans.

12- Communications

The team provides advice and technical support on strategic means to raise the visibility of RBAS work and results to promote greater understanding of UNDP key development endeavors. Support provided by the team includes: development of communication and media strategies; branding; reputation management; media outreach and development activities; production support to a wide range of communication products (print, audio-visual and online); managing online presence and maintaining new media platforms.

Devoirs et responsabilités

While specified TOR will be based on the selection of the cluster/team, the tasks to be performed by the intern fall under one or more of the following categories as per the requirements/needs of each cluster/team:

Policy and Strategy Advice and Development:

• Prepare policy briefs, sector scan, status papers on development challenges based on desk review studies and analysis for evidence-based advocacy and policy development in the relevant field.;

• Assist in the development of new or ongoing initiatives, including review of policy literature in respect to the subject to enhance UNDP programming in the relevant field within the Arab Region;

• Document good practices, cases studies, innovations and pilot models for wider dissemination and sharing;

• Prepare Report/Note on the role of UNDP’s Programmatic Support in Structural Transformation in Arab States

Project Design, formulation and other project related functions:

• Assist in policy development in relevant area within UNDP in the Arab Region feeding into global policy development;

• Prepare conceptual framework / concept notes on new areas of work or development challenges;

• Assist in the development of technical support in development of new interventions or projects;

• Prepare and review project documents;

Knowledge Management & Communications:

• Prepare knowledge and communication products for advocacy and outreach, related to national, regional and global initiatives within the relevant team;

• Review knowledge and communications products (subject, design and content);

• Disseminate knowledge and communications products;

• Contribute to the preparation of social media content, the drafting of news, interviews and stories for knowledge platform, the development of relevant brochures, videos and infographics;

• Contribute to the development of press releases for printed and online media outlets, especially on the occasion of regional projects’ activities and events;

• Draft or support drafting of blog posts and other externally-facing pieces on emerging trends in relevant field;

• Capture stories which reflect on know how (procedures, processes, tactics) and know why (lessons learned, reasons for failures/success);

• Undertake regular website updates;

Research and Data Management:

• Undertake research on relevant initiatives in areas of interest;

• Conduct data collection and analyze data collected;

• Conduct desk reviews of existing research and literature on specific areas;

• Develop a repository of certain/specific initiatives from the region, with supporting resources such as presentations, press releases, blogs, etc;

• Manage files and online database of related documents in a structured way;

Operations Support:

• Provide administrative and logistical support;

• Support organization of workshops, conferences and retreats in coordination with other staff; support for international participants’ travel and logistics matters;

• Organize travel arrangements, including drawing up itineraries, preparing travel authorization and visa forms, obtaining clearances and signatures, ticket reservations, and processing travel claims;

• Support administration of supply and assets management;

• Collection of information for DSA, travel agencies and other administrative surveys;

• Support preparation of specific budgets;

• Assist in preparation of financial and accounting documents;

• Support preparation of documentation for audit;

• Support to organization of procurement processes including preparation of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their preliminary evaluation;

• Development electronic template and applications to facilitate automation of operations processes;

• Provide help desk services.

Compétences

Core Competencies:
Professionalism:
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of complex issues/problems;
• Ability to negotiate and to influence others to reach agreement;
• Ability to work under pressure;

Communication:
• Speaks and writes clearly, concisely and effectively;
• Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;

Teamwork:
• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise;
• Is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda;
• Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position;

Planning & Organizing:
• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;
• Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required;
• Allocates appropriate amount of time and resource for completing work;

Accountability:
• Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honor commitments;
• Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards;
• Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules;
• Supports subordinates, provide oversight and take responsibility for delegated assignments;
• Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:

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

(a) Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);

(b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);

(c) Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;

(d) Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Experience:

Excellent communication skills; Ability to write clearly and concisely;

Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;

Good command of information and communication technology.

Some knowledge of the Arab region would be helpful.

Languages:

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Arabic and French language skills would be an asset but not necessary.

Stipend

-Where an intern is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme, a stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station, must be paid by the receiving office.

-The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.

-Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.

-No other payments of any kind will be made to an intern by the office in connection with an internship agreement.