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Associate Civil Affairs Officer

Bangui, Paoua (CAF)

  • Organization: UNV - United Nations Volunteers
  • Location: Bangui, Paoua (CAF)
  • Grade: Volunteer - International Specialist - Internationally recruited Volunteer
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Civil Society and Local governance
  • Closing Date: Closed

Eligibility criteria

Minimum age: 25 years old. Nationals of the country of assignment are not eligible, except the assignments in Headquarters duty stations.

Description of task

Roles and responsibilities of Civil Affairs Officers depend on the mandate and situation on the ground, and tend to evolve over time during the mission life-cycle. Under the direct supervision of Chief Civil Affairs and his designated official in the Sector and/or Officer in Charge Civil Affairs (CA) and within delegated authority, the Associate Civil Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

  • Provide representation of the Mission at the local level and ensures that all relevant governmental and non-governmental actors have accurate information about the mandate and full-range of operations of the Mission.

  • Establish and maintain contact with representatives of local authorities, as well as civil society actors, non-governmental organizations, community representatives and representatives of local interest groups.

  • Coordinate activities and initiative (across disciplines and components) with other team members to achieve consistency and synergy in mandate implementation.

  • Undertake assessment of specific sectors with a view to identifying needs and priorities.

  • Contribute to overall mission monitoring and planning.

  • Assist in the organization of outreach activities to promote good relations and understanding between Mission’s actors and the population as well as to ensure accurate information dissemination on Mission’s role and mandate.

  • Contribute to the design and management of Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) to foster confidence in the peace process and demonstrate peace dividends among the population.

  • Work closely with civil society groups or institutions that promote a culture of peace and reconciliation by organizing joint initiatives such as community events.

  • Assist in protecting and promoting rights of excluded and/or threatened groups through advocacy in full respect of Mission’s mandate.

  • Assist in the design and implementation of civic education programmes at the local level on a range of issues, including elections, policy issues, good governance principles, structure of government, in coordination with local authorities and/or civil society actors.

  • Assist in the implementation of transitional government policy and establishment of sub-district and village councils.

  • Draft daily, weekly and situation reports as required.

  • Consolidate monitoring and reporting methodologies and information tools for the CA.

  • Consolidate reporting and operational management tools.

  • Liaise with MILOBs and substantive Sections for collection of information linked to reporting (Child Protection, Human Rights, Political Affairs, Public Information, CIVPOL…).

  • Organize a physical and computerized filing and archive system of relevant information, reports and other documents received or produced by the CA: Constitute a database on civil affairs in CAR.

  • Standardize the filing and archive system of the field offices.

  • When working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, the incumbent is strongly encouraged to set aside dedicated time for capacity development through coaching, mentoring and formal and on-the-job training.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

  • Staff within work unit, mission and in DPKO/Headquarters; UN Agencies such as UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, etc., international non-governmental organizations, and multilateral/bilateral donors; Counterparts in regional organizations (e.g., AU, EU, NATO, OSCE etc.); Senior national and local government officials, community representatives, national non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizers; Local and, as required, international media.

  • Because of the relatively wide scope and the evolving nature of Civil Affairs responsibilities, Civil Affairs Officers are expected to demonstrate competency and experience in one (or more) of five specialized areas, in addition to a core profile. The specialisations include:

1) Conflict Management, Reconciliation and Confidence Building

2) Support to State Institutions

3) Reporting and analysis

1) Conflict Management, Reconciliation and Confidence Building

  • Work closely with civil society groups and/or institutions that promote a culture of peace and reconciliation by organizing joint initiatives such as community events, conflict transformation initiatives etc.

  • Facilitate and supports dialogue between groups in conflict at the local level by convening structured meetings and similar activities.

  • Promote and protects the interest of excluded and/or threatened groups through advocacy in full respect of humanitarian and international law. Where appropriate, s/he provides an interface between these groups and Mission’s uniformed components.

  • Engage and negotiates with local interlocutors and develops and maintains close contact with senior and local government officials, community-based organizations, and other central agencies, etc.

  • Conduct situation analysis to identify areas of interventions to build confidence in the mission’s mandate.

  • Design and lead implementation of activities contributing to reconciliation and confidence building.

2) Support to State Institutions

  • Provide preliminary assessment of capacity building needs of local institutions and/or decision making structures, and assist local institutions in identifying capacity development needs and undertake joint capacity development programmes.

  • In close coordination and cooperation with specialised UN agencies, design and manage training projects on subjects such as public financial management, public administration, provision of social services, etc.

  • Initiate and/or supports civic education programmes at the local level on a range of issues, including elections, policy issues, and good governance principles, in coordination with local authorities and/or civil society actors.

  • Initiate and/or support events such as of political fora or town-hall meetings to foster the development of political space at the local level.

  • Support dialogue and cooperation between authorities and relevant interest groups with the aim of creating political space and accountability, and provides support to the development of structures of accountability and transparency.

  • Participate in the development of training plans and programmes for local governance systems that are in line with local needs, and ensures adequate implementation.

3) Reporting and analysis

  • Information collection, analysis and reporting:

  • Receive, examine and compile civil affairs information and reports from the 17 assigned field offices, and from other MINUSCA and non-MINUSCA sources.

  • Liaise with assigned field offices to verify, complete and follow-up related information.

  • Draft regular reports for CAS and DPKO-NY: daily sitreps, weekly assessments, monthly reports, special reports, as required.

  • Draft ad hoc reports, code cables, briefing notes, and Power-Point presentations as required.

  • Produce regular external reports on the humanitarian/protection/development situation and broadcast reports and relevant information to UN, Donors, international partners and national stakeholders.

  • Attend meetings and briefings on pertinent humanitarian issues within OCHA, UN agencies, international and local/civil society partners, as required.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

  • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);

  • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;

  • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;

  • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.

  • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

  • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Qualifications/Requirements Required degree level: Master degree or equivalent Education - Additional Comments:

Sociology, Political Science, Law, Economics, International Relations, other social science or related humanities field. A combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of the advanced degree.

Required experience: 24 Months Experience remark:

A minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible experience in one of the five specific sector of responsibility or related areas such as 1) Conflict Management, Reconciliation and Confidence Building; 2) Support to State Institutions; 3) Reporting and analysis working with community groups, civil society, public administration, NGOs and/or international relief or peacekeeping operations.

Language skills:
  • French(Mandatory), Level - Fluent
  • English(Mandatory), Level - Working Knowledge
Area of expertise: Crisis and conflict prevention, mitigation, resolution and reconciliation, Governance and decentralization, Other civil society or community development experience Driving license: Yes Competencies values:

Adaptability and Flexibility, Building Trust, Communication, Empowering Others, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Self-Management, Vision, Working in Teams

Application procedure:

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup. Important: After creating your account, complete all sections of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink. Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call to which you would like to apply.

Application deadline: 16-05-2021

This vacancy is now closed.
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