Historique

The UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan (MPHSTF) was established in 2018 under the aegis of the United Nations. It serves as a unique unified platform for international development cooperation and the mobilization of donor resources to implement integrated measures to address the negative consequences of the Aral Sea catastrophe. Its core objectives focus on mitigating inter-connected risks to human security, resilience-building of communities affected by the Aral Sea Disaster through an integrated and multi-level approach and to maintain the ecological balance in the Aral Sea basin.  The MPHSTF is financed through joint funding from the participating UN agencies and the UN Human Security Trust Fund. The establishment of the MPHSTF is in line with Government priorities as defined in the State Programme on the development of the Aral Sea region for 2017-2021.

The strategy of the MPHSTF is two-fold:

1. To govern a well-coordinated financial mechanism for implementing and sustainable financing of human security initiatives to promote and mainstream the human security approach in the region.
2. To enhance the partnership with the development partners aimed at restoring the ecological balance and socio-economic development of the Aral Sea region, through cooperation and implementation of the practical joint projects.

The MPHSTF is governed by a Steering Committee and supported by a Technical Secretariat. Dialogue with key representatives of other donors, government organizations, and civil society networks are held by the Steering Committee periodically to foster cooperation and a shared vision.

In order to ensure good programming, the MPHSTF is supported by the Technical Secretariat. It provides technical, operational, and administrative support to the MPHSTF Steering Committee and works under its overall guidance.

The Technical Secretariat supports the entire programming cycle of the MPHSTF with a workplan and budget reviewed annually by the Steering Committee. The Technical Secretariat also provides advice and quality control over the MPHSTF implementation and coordinates the meetings. It facilitates collaboration and communication between the Government of Uzbekistan, Participating UN Organizations, contributing donors, and the co-chairs of the MPHSTF. It develops and implements a resource mobilization strategy to attract investments from other donors. The Technical Secretariat will supervise the implementation of interventions that are context-specific and rely on available local assets and resources thereby empowering the participating communities.

Successful communication of the MPHSTF messages and goals will help achievement of the planned results and can contribute to the overall change of policies and practices regarding the Aral Sea crises and impact effective mobilization of financial and technical resources of the IFIs, international donor community to the Trust Fund. Raising awareness of the various stakeholders including the ones mentioned above on best practices in the context of projects/programmes implemented at the expense of MPHTSF funds in the targeted communities of the Aral Sea region will create basis for further activities at local level.

More specifically, for this assignment, MPHSTF is seeking an Individual Consultant (Multimedia Designer) to support the Technical Secretariat in developing cohesive multimedia communications to support the MPHSTF Communications, Branding, and Marketing (CBM) strategy—including, but not limited to, campaign branding and production of audiovisual materials and content to support the implementation of the communications plan. The Individual consultant will ensure that the organization’s messaging on the Aral Sea disaster in general and the MPHTSF in particular, that will align with the written communications and resonate well with various stakeholders.

Devoirs et responsabilités

The Individual Multimedia Designer Consultant will work under the oversight and guidance of the Head of the MPHSTF Technical Secretariat, and in close cooperation with the PR & Communication Consultant and relevant programme staff, and undertake the following within the indicated components:

I. Development of a MPHSTF Brand Campaign to engage stakeholders

Based on global best practices, develop a brand for the next phase of the MPHSTF campaign, to engage stakeholders from the public, private, and development sectors. The directions for the brand shall be provided by the PR & Communications Consultant, together with the MPHSTF Technical Secretariat, and shall be used to make messaging more cohesive and consistent across channels. The brand development should correspond to the common UNCT Branding guidelines.

In line with this, the Multimedia Designer Consultant will be expected to fulfill the following tasks:

1. Based on the directions for the brand, present at least two visual designs/mockups to be further adopted and approved
2. Create a plan for agile content development, to take advantage of content on breaking news and rapidly-developing stories in light of the context/scenario changes
3. Work closely with the Editor and the PR & Communications Consultant to develop a social media content plan and ensure timely, accurate, complete, polished, and error-free production and publishing of communication materials
4. Coordinate with printing/publishing companies and other suppliers for the successful execution of branded merchandise
5. Perform other tasks as deemed necessary by the MPHSTF Technical Secretariat

II. Develop social media materials, infographics, and publications, and other multimedia materials in support of the MPHSTF Brand campaign

Develop all Aral Sea MPHSTF communications and marketing materials, such as but not limited to the following:

1. Presentation decks (in Power Point format- 5 templates with UN, Government and Partners logos; in EN, RU, UZ)
2. Project briefs, factsheets (2-3 on current 5 Joint Programmes as well as future project/programmes, and other themes in EN, RU, UZ)
3. Project brochures (2-3, thematic areas will be determined)
4. Infographics (3-5 products in EN, RU, UZ)
5. Social media materials (on day-to-day basis, approx. 3 per week, including social media images and GIFs)
6. Video infographics (1-2)
7. Promo kits (folders, banners, notepads, pens, nametags, others) -1-2kits designs
8. Aral Sea MPHSTF publications such as Annual Reports, Progress Reports, including cover designs and inside-page layouts (EN, RU, UZ)
9. And other such materials as may be directed by the MPHSTF Technical Secretariat.

III.Produce short videos in support of the MPHSTF Brand campaign, to further enhance the storytelling, engagement, and impact of the Aral Sea MPHSTF

1. Produce storyboards and co-develop scripts in collaboration with the PR & Communications Consultant and the Editor, and other key internal stakeholders to show the impact of the programmes/projects on the communities of the Aral Sea region; one (1) storyboard per required video, with up to two (2) major revisions if needed
2. Incorporate original or royalty-free videos, still photos, motion graphics, animations, supers, royalty-free music, etc., as needed, to achieve the communication (s) objective per video
3. Present a rough cut of the video output at least five (5) working days prior to the final deadline
4. Incorporate revisions in a timely manner, to ensure the timely approval of the final output
5. Export the final product in a format that is relevant to its content, use, and audience (e.g., GIFs versus .mp4 when needed).

IV.Other Outstanding Activities

1. Using research, develop and translate concise and quantifiable MPHSTF goals into marketing communications materials, in collaboration with the PR & Communications Consultant and the MPHSTF Technical Secretariat
2. Collaborate with internal/external stakeholders, as needed, to execute multimedia communication materials in line with the communications strategy, plan, and timelines
3. Ensure all products are of the highest technical standards in the areas of content, design, and impact
4. Pitch ideas confidently and present the design vision clearly to the MPHSTF Technical Committee and other key stakeholders
5. Collaborate on a regular basis with other team members and stakeholders within the MPHSTF Technical Committee.
6. Any other duties within the scope of the ToR.

Compétences

• Excellent design skills in the abovementioned design platforms
• Excellent communication skills
• Sensitivity and adaptability regarding cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age
• Experience in working with civil society organizations or international donors’ community, philanthropic institutions is desirable
• A good understanding of the UN policies regarding communication and trends in the online sphere is desirable but not a requirement
• Experience with graphic design, and the ability to create designs for digital media purposes in open-source graphic design programmes, such as Canva, would be desirable but not a requirement
• Strong organizational and communication skills, ability to work in a team
• Initiative, analytical skills, good ability in partnering and networking.
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Ability to use information technologies as a tool and resource
• Commitment to UN values
• Good knowledge of and strong interest in climate change and environmental issues is desirable

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:

• A minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Arts, Information Design, Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Mass Communications or related studies. Additional certifications would be an advantage

Experience:

• Extensive experience in brand identity design, collaterals and merchandise design, publications design, social media design, video production, multimedia production
• Extensive experience in Wordpress web design, development, and content uploading/integration
• Excellent creative/design skills, and creative approach to communications
• Solid experience working on conception, design, packaging, production and dissemination of communication products to a variety of audiences, and understanding of channels of dissemination
• Experience in various forms of communications production and marketing, such as publications and campaigning.
• Previous work in advertising agencies, digital marketing agencies, or multimedia newsrooms would be an advantage
• Previous work experience with governments and/or international development agencies would be an asset.

Proficiency one or some of the following design software:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe In-Design
• Final Cut Pro
• Canva
• Google Suite
• Others related software
• Proficiency in Figma and Webflow is an advantage

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English, Russian, Uzbek