Community Mobilizer

As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience. UNDP’s mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

The Action for Climate and Environment (ACE) Unit at UNDP is organized around the thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem & land restoration, disaster management and resilience, and access to clean and efficient energy.

The Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity pillar of ACE is supporting the Government of India in meeting national development objectives along with commitments under important multilateral environment agreements especially the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The programme/projects under the pillar have been supporting the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), National and State level planning for land restoration and biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, carbon sequestration through enhanced restoration, promotion of nature-based livelihoods and One Health approach.

UNDP is supporting the Ministry in the implementation of a GEF -7 project “Sustainable management and restoration of degraded landscapes for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in India”. The project aims to achieve land degradation neutrality by creating additional carbon sinks through an ecosystem-based approach for restoring degraded agricultural, forest, pastoral lands, and surface water bodies. It involves enabling institutional frameworks and policies for integrated sustainable land management practices and up-scaling landscape-wide practices in 3 states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh contributing to the national target of restoring 26 Mha of degraded lands by 2030.

The project being implemented over a period of five years will lead to the following outcomes: (1) Enhanced national, state and district-level enabling frameworks incentivizing SLM practices and supporting participatory multi-sector platforms to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate mitigation; (2) Integrated participatory landscape design and financing models established in support of avoidance, reduction and reversal of land degradation, desertification, biodiversity loss and negative impacts of climate change to generates multiple sustained environmental and economic benefits; (3) Improved capacity for LDN monitoring, assessment and reporting to UNCCD in support of LDN target setting and evaluation of capacities of partners; allowing government institutions and other agencies to better document, analyse and disseminate effective intervention strategies for restoring productive landscapes and replication of best practices at national and state level, and at international level through improved South-South cooperation, knowledge and adaptive management.

UNDP seeks to engage the services of a Community Mobilizer to support Landscape Project Management Unit in the implementation of the project. S/he will work under the supervision of Landscape Project Officer.

Under the direct supervision of Landscape Project Officer (LPO), the Community Mobilizer will perform the following tasks:
• Support the Landscape Project Officer & Landscape Project Coordinator on working with the community in carrying out day-to-day activities in the landscape.
• Assist the Landscape Project Officer to facilitate and record meetings of the relevant District Coordination mechanisms held to implement the project on the ground and to ensure participation from the community.
• Support the Landscape Project Officer in selection of the champion villages within the district.
• Assist the Landscape Project Officer in working with the Forest Department and communities on consultations and mobilising the leadership of all the target villages in the district.
• Mobilize and sensitize community for restoration of grassland, forest and agricultural land.
• Engage the community by demonstration of sustainable land management practices in the landscape.
• Implement project activities related to ecological restoration of degraded land, livelihood and community conservation of biodiversity and natural resources at the village and cluster level.
• Spread the message of restoration and sustainable land management to the people and enlisting their public support for nature conservation.
• Sensitise women and youth to engage them in restoration of degraded land, conservation of natural resources and livelihood diversification.
• Implement gender related activities pertains to ecological restoration.
• Help to facilitate access for project staff, consultants, and contractors to the relevant communities for activities on the ground.
• Prepare list of beneficiaries for training, capacity building and for demonstration of livelihood interventions.
• Support the team to organize community level meetings, trainings, workshops and exposure visits.
• Follow up with the community to adopt the learnings and keep track of the benefits.
• Conduct social and resource utilisation surveys and document community’s perception on resource utilisation, degradation, possible solutions and give ideas to innovatively engage the community in the project.
• Document community level existing practices for ecological restoration and sustainable land management. Support in knowledge management at the primary level (case studies, lessons learnt, achievements and successes).
• Support the team in compilation of information required for preparation and submission of quarterly and annual reports.
• Keep close coordination with the village/cluster level government agencies and relevant line departments and community-based organisation to build convergence of programmes and resources in implementation of project.
• Any other tasks/responsibilities assigned by the Landscape Project Officer, State Project Officer, UNDP.