Background
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UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Violent conflict has surged in recent years, and in 2016, more countries experienced violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years. While the complex relationship between conflict, security and development is increasingly understood, international assistance and investment in conflict prevention have remained relatively low. At the same time, approaches to preventing conflict have been refined considerably, as policy and practice on peacebuilding have evolved – and the UN, its Member States and other partners are increasingly looking to prevention as a critical strategy for sustaining peace and nurturing development. Conflict prevention is increasingly recognized as a rational and cost-effective strategy for countries at risk of violence and for the international community.
The joint UNDP-DPPA programme on building national capacities for conflict prevention has made a ground-breaking contribution in bridging the gap between political engagement and development assistance in pursuit of preventing conflict and sustaining peace. In its new phase (2019-2023), the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme will further strengthen the analytical capacities of national stakeholders and the UN system in support of Member States’ efforts to advance policy and programmatic coherence on conflict prevention and support strategies for sustaining peace.
The deployment of Peace and Development Advisors has been the primary instrument of the Joint Programme to provide capacity for Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams to support national partners in dialogue and national or local mediation processes, the establishment and operationalization of national infrastructures, and mechanisms for peace; and other initiatives aimed at sustaining peace.
In an effort to ensure that PDAs are better equipped and empowered to deliver on their mandates, the Joint Programme has established in a number of contexts small ‘Peace and Development teams’ where a national Peace and Development Analyst provides reinforced capacity to the PDA’s engagement in support of the RCOs (Resident Coordinators Office) and UNCT (UN Country Teams) in the area of conflict prevention and sustaining peace. There current cadre includes 120 Peace and Development Advisors deployed globally, including 40 national positions.
Sudan Country context
Sudan, one of the largest and most geographically diverse states in Africa, has long been beset by conflicts and lack of development. After three decades of military rule, President Omar al Bashir was removed from power during the 2019 revolution, which laid out a path towards civilian governance through agreements between the Forces for Freedom and Change and the Transitional Military Council. In the following years, the country reached important milestones, advanced democratic governance and peacemaking efforts, and undertook ambitious economic reforms, despite major challenges. However, many important benchmarks were not met and the security and economic situation remained dire, while tensions between the power-sharing partners persisted.
In October 2021, the military removed civilian members of the government in a coup which halted the transition and resulted, amongst other issues, in the freezing of all international development aid to Sudan. Various Sudanese-led initiatives then emerged to bring together civilian and military actors around an agreement to restore the civilian-led transition, but to no avail. The UN supported the political process through the Trilateral Mechanism comprising the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). In April 2023, the security situation deteriorated dramatically with the onset of armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started in the capital and has since spread across the country.
The conflict has inflicted unimaginable suffering on the Sudanese people, caused a nationwide humanitarian catastrophe and has dramatically worsened Sudan’s human development outlook. Close to 6.9 million people have fled their homes since the beginning of the armed conflict of whom over 5,4 million individuals have been displaced internally, making Sudan the largest internal displacement crisis worldwide. With more than 3 million children fleeing the violence, Sudan is also the world’s largest child displacement crisis. The IDP caseload has been observed in 5,939 locations across all of Sudan’s 18 states putting immense pressure on host communities.
The number of people who need humanitarian assistance has increased from an estimated 15.8 million in November 2022 to 24.7 million in May 2023, representing a 57 per cent increase. In 2024, every second person in Sudan (24.8 million people) will need humanitarian assistance with the severity of needs increasing. The number of food-insecure people (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification/ IPC phase 3 or above) is estimated to remain at about 17.7 million through February 20247 while the conflict is endangering Sudan’s farming season thus further threatening food security in 2024.
Without urgent support to restoring livelihoods, the situation will become increasingly tenuous.
There has been an alarming escalation of protection threats, and the human rights situation has deteriorated rapidly since the outbreak of the conflict. The use of heavy artillery as well as airstrikes have inflicted high numbers of civilian casualties while deliberate targeting of civilians based on ethnicity and mass killings have been reported from Darfur.
Reports indicate a steep increase in Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender Based Violence (CRSV/SGBV) in addition to reports of women and girls abducted and held in slave-like conditions in Darfur. Meanwhile violent intercommunal conflict and ethnically motivated attacks have escalated in several of Sudan’s states. New contamination with Explosive Ordnance (EO) – through use of artillery and airstrikes – is threatening lives and livelihoods amongst local communities and displaced populations, and limits humanitarian access.
Following 5 years of continuous decline, Sudan’s economy is expected to experience a further massive contraction of 18 percent in 2023. The armed conflict has destroyed the industrial base, halted services including wholesale/retail sales and banking services, severed trade links and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, including many education and health facilities, as well as private residences. The price of the local food basket is 71.8 per cent higher than prior to the conflict and the cost of wheat flour is 88.6 per cent.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the PDA, the main duties and responsibilities of the PDO will include:
Assisting on research, information-gathering, and support analysis with a specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
Identify programming entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, women, and youth.
Provide technical support for coordination, partnerships, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: N/A
Competencies
Core Competencies
Cross-Functional and Technical Competencies
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Experience:
Knowledge and Skills:
Languages:
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
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Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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