Programme Coordination and Development Assistant

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was established in 1997 and is the global leader in the fight for global peace and security, human rights, and development by making the world safer from drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism by working for and with Member States to promote justice and the rule of law and build resilient societies. UNODC has its HQ in Vienna, Austria, and operates in more than 80 countries around the world through its network of 115 field offices as well as liaison offices in New York and Brussels with 2,400 UNODC personnel globally. UNODC works closely with Governments and civil society towards building security and justice for all.
The UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA) covers 18 countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen). In addition to the Regional Office located in Cairo, Egypt, there are 10 Programmes Offices in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. The Regional Office in Cairo where the UN Volunteer will be placed has a total of 122 staff members.
ROMENA has in place a Regional Framework for the Arab States (2023-2028) (RF) which sets out UNODC’s mission to contribute to peace and security, human rights, and development by making the region safer from drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism, including by reducing violence and inequalities within society. The RF lays out a roadmap to guide UNODC programming and accelerate progress towards Agenda 2030 in pursuit of key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by framing how UNODC will strengthen, prioritize, customize, and deliver support to the Arab region in effective response to some of the most pressing challenges faced by these countries.

Trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM) are two of the most pervasive forms of organized crime in the Arab States and involve serious human rights violations. These crimes disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, and are often driven by systemic inequalities, conflict, and lack of access to justice and protection mechanisms. Given their situation, irregular migrants are more vulnerable to smuggling and trafficking and they make up for 60 per cent of the detected victims of trafficking in the Middle East and 25 per cent in North Africa. The Arab States are particularly prone to TIP and SOM as countries of the region are origin, transit, and destination countries for irregular migration.
Despite existing normative international and continental frameworks, many Arab countries continue to face challenges in preventing and countering TIP and SOM, and how to address their drivers and enablers. This can be attributed to the lack of capacities, financial resources, and regional coordination and cooperation to prevent and counter TIP and SOM, coupled with a lack of accurate and updated data and evidence-based research on flexible and changing migration patterns and routes, all necessary to inform policy planning and decision making.
The UN Volunteer will support the UNODC TIP and SOM team based in Cairo, Egypt, with programme development, coordination and reporting, as well as general administrative assistance for initiatives under UNODC’s TIP and SOM portfolio in the MENA region.

Under the direct supervision of, Regional Programme Coordinator (Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling), the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of programme activities, such as workshops, training courses, study tours, official meetings, and other TIP and SOM-related events.
• Assist in the preparation and dissemination of evaluation/feedback reports upon completion of activities and support the compilation and consolidation of the responses;
• Support the monitoring and evaluation of projects by assisting in monitoring the achievement of indicators and documenting good practices/lessons learned from TIP and SOM projects;
• Support the communication and visibility activities under the TIP and SOM portfolio in close coordination with the relevant Programme Coordinators and the Communication Officer, including through contributing to the design, drafting, and dissemination of communication media (web-stories, brochures, project sheets, publications on ROMENA social networks);
• Support the preparation, organization, and reporting on expert/project staff missions and technical meetings, as required;
• Assist with the translation of relevant documents, as needed;
• Provide general administrative assistance, including drafting minutes of meetings (meetings with donors, partners, programme coordinators, and heads of offices, etc), organizing files, and supporting logistical arrangements for programme activities, support in drafting background notes, taking points, speeches etc.
• Perform other related duties as requested by supervisor, as appropriate.