Consultant Job at The United Nations Development Programme(UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations.

Headquartered in New York City, the status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Consultant - Capacity Building on Conflict Sensitive Approach to National Development
Job Locations: Kaduna, Ekiti and Osun
Additional Category: Democratic Governance and Peacebuilding
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: National Consultant
Starting Date: (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 13-Jul-2020
Duration of Initial Contract: 7 Days
Expected Duration of Assignment: 7 Days

Background

• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Norwegian Government, is implementing a Conflict Prevention and Peace Building and Support to Democratic Empowerment Project. The 3-year programme has 6 outputs with output 3.3 focusing on capacity building on conflict sensitive approach to national development for Legislators, Executives and CSOs at National and State levels.
• This output component is aimed at mobilising capacities at the decision and policy level, necessary to curb conflict, and promotes peace across Nigeria. It intends to reach 120 Primary beneficiaries across legislators, top executives and civil society organisations with equal representation across the three states.
• Nigeria is currently facing peace and security challenges occasioned by Boko Haram insurgency in the North East; a resurgence of separatist movements in the South East and South-South zones; criminal activities in the Niger Delta; violent clashes over farming and cattle grazing rights; communal violence in the Middle Belt; kidnappings and armed banditry in the North West; and acute budgetary and economic crises etc. These conflict disorders, no doubt, have dire consequences for Nigeria’s cultural and social core values, national cohesion, social integration and stability, and sustainable development.
• The need to meet human development targets is enunciated in Goal 16 of the United Nations General Assembly Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 16 is on Peace, justice and strong institutions, and as such, requires that some investment be made in strengthening capacities for peace and justice among all peoples of the world by inculcating the right attitudes in development programming and budgeting for maximum results. It is, therefore, appropriate that development organizations like the UNDP, begin to engage practices and measures that will facilitate the attainment of development, while at the same time promoting peace and security. In Nigeria, inclusive development programming, budget formulation, monitoring and reporting has been central to avoidable communal crisis that often erupt intermittently across the states of the federation. Consequently, UNDP and partners have viewed this as development issues that must be addressed. This gave rise to the conduct of conflict-sensitive development programming, budget formulation, monitoring and reporting for legislators, top civil servants and civil society in the past.
• The interventions have helped to guarantee involvement of civil societies in all aspects of legislative businesses beyond budget formulation till date. The support ensured that most legislative houses at the state level and the National Assembly created CSO Desks in the complexes. The achievements recorded under the previous interventions and the lessons learnt therefrom, informs the need to continue to equip legislators, senior government officials, traditional leaders and civil society organizations with the basic skills for proactive and constructive engagement with stakeholders and civil populace on all aspects of their businesses.
• These stakeholders require deeper understanding of the interplay between development, peace and conflict. More so that the Nigeria society is thirsty for development on all fronts and as a result, a wide variety of actors have become involved with development programming in ways that sometime unfortunately, ignite conflict. This makes it imperative for development partners, national stakeholders, peace practitioners and actors to continue to create awareness and build national capacities on the best approach to constructively engage with stakeholders on all aspects of their activities to prevent development-induced violent conflict as well as improve their standing of living and boost economic activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Violent conflicts can result from unequal access to social, political and economic opportunities as well as inequity in development infrastructures among the constituents.
• This training is, therefore, planned to assist legislators, senior government officials, traditional leaders and civil society organizations in the three states to bridge the gaps that account for much of the negative impact of development programmes on the peaceful co-existence.
• The training will enable participants to understand and proactively integrate into their development programming, people-centred and rights-based peace building practices.

The specific objectives include:

• To familiarize participants with concepts and strategies of peacebuilding, and conflict prevention, management and resolution in a development context;
• To build capacities of participants on rights-based approach to development programming;
• To increase the ability of participants to use interactive rights-based approach to development and promote the use of dialogue in generating inclusive solutions to development challenges;
• To acquaint participants with the techniques of mainstreaming peacebuilding and conflict-sensitive approaches to the design, budgeting and management of development programmes including monitoring and reporting;
• To explore with participants, the various culture-specific sensitivities that might impinge on development, and
• To encourage participants to interrogate the concepts, methods and strategies presented, and incorporate these into planning and development action plans for peacebuilding before, during and after occurrence of conflict, an in their day-to-day businesses.

The deliverables expected to be produced at the end of the training are:

• Inception report with workplan and timeline.
• At least 120 legislators and bureaucrats with skills and capacities for conflict sensitive development programming, budget formulation, monitoring and reporting.
• Network of legislators and bureaucrats with capacities for formulating conflict sensitive development programming, peace building and constructive engagement with stakeholders including civil societies.
• Training manual on conflict-sensitive development programming, budget formulation, monitoring and reporting.
• Pre/post evaluation questionnaires.
• Pre /post session evaluation reports.
• Detailed training narrative report with pictures.

Competencies
Competencies in the following areas;

• Training and facilitation with focus on peace and security (conflict prevention, human rights and conflict sensitive reporting or development programming). At least 10 years cognate experience.
• A mixture of academic experience, facilitation, and workshop administration. UN or international organization experience.

Required Skills and Experience

• Degree in Social Science, Human Rights, Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Psychology, Political Science, Law and Humanities.    

Note

• UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.