Details
Mission and objectives
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) works to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition, sustainably manage natural resources, and build resilient agrifood systems. FAO’s work is guided by its Strategic Framework 2022–2031 and subsequent Country Program Framework and structured around the “Four Betters”: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life, leaving no one behind. In Rwanda, FAO supports Government efforts to transform food systems in line with national development priorities, including the Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA 5), and Rwanda’s commitments under the UN Food Systems Summit pathways and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
Context
Rwanda has positioned food systems transformation as a national priority to enhance food security and nutrition, strengthen climate resilience, create decent jobs especially for youth and women, and while fostering inclusive and green growth. FAO Rwanda works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), decentralized entities, development partners, civil society, the private sectors, and the UN Country Team to support these national efforts across policy, investment, and program implementation.
To strengthen national ownership, policy coherence, and resource mobilization, the UN Associate Volunteer will support strategic advocacy, stakeholder engagement, communications, and UN system coordination for Rwanda’s food systems agenda. She/he will also support evidence-based advocacy, facilitate multi-stakeholders’ processes and help align FAO contributes effectively to national priorities while ensuring integration of cross-cutting priorities on gender equality, youth empowerment, nutrition, climate action, and digitization.
To strengthen national ownership, policy coherence, and resource mobilization, the UN Associate Volunteer will support strategic advocacy, stakeholder engagement, communications, and UN system coordination for Rwanda’s food systems agenda. She/he will also support evidence-based advocacy, facilitate multi-stakeholders’ processes and help align FAO contributes effectively to national priorities while ensuring integration of cross-cutting priorities on gender equality, youth empowerment, nutrition, climate action, and digitization.
Task description
Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Rwanda and the direct supervision of Senior Policy Advisor, in close collaboration with government counterparts, FAO country office, regional and headquarters divisions, and UN partners, the UN Associate Volunteer will support advocacy and institutional coordination for food systems transformation, including the following specific tasks:
Policy advocacy and government engagement.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team to coordinate and support national advocacy for Rwanda’s food systems transformation, ensuring FAO contributions are well aligned with national strategies (PSTA5, NST2, Vision 2050), the UN Cooperation Framework priorities (UNSDCF), the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, and relevant SDG targets.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team in FAO’s engagement with MINAGRI, Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB), the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), districts, and national coordination platforms involved in agri-food systems transformation.
• Assist in data collection and information gathering in preparation of relevant advocacy briefs, systematic analysis, policy and technical notes, and presentations for senior FAO and government leadership on topics such as climate‑smart agriculture, nutri-tion‑sensitive food systems, youth employment, digital agriculture, and value‑chain de-velopment.
• Assist in the organization of policy dialogues, consultative workshops, and stakeholder forums, and preparing subsequent reports. Mainly supporting the Policy Team in fol-lowing‑up to Rwanda’s UN Food Systems pathways, food security and nutrition coor-dination mechanisms, and investment planning processes.
• Assists in gathering information for monitoring policy and regulatory developments across agriculture, food security, nutrition, climate action, and private‑sector develop-ment, mainly supporting the Policy Team to prepare periodic policy landscape updates to inform FAO engagement.
UN coordination and partnerships.
• Assist in consolidating information and data to support FAO’ engagement within the UN Country Team and relevant Results Groups under the UNSDCF, where Policy and Program Team will be involved in preparing briefing notes, meeting summaries, and joint advocacy on food security, nutrition, climate resilience, livelihoods, and sustaina-ble value chains.
• Keep record of FAO’s structured engagement (bilateral meetings, steering committee meetings etc) with International Financial Institutions (World Bank, AfDB), resource and development partners, CSOs, academia, agribusiness actors, and farmer organi-zations, active in Rwanda’s agrifood sector.
Strategic communications and visibility.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team substantive and logistical preparation for national and international events hosted or attended by FAO and MINAGRI, such as World Food Day celebrations, Agriculture Shows, Africa Food Systems Forum, climate and nutrition summits, and donor roundtables.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team to document good practices, innovations, and lessons learned from HIH and projects in Rwanda focusing on agri-food systems trans-formation to strengthen FAO’s policy positioning and advocacy messages.
Resource mobilization support.
• Support in primary data collection and stakeholders analysis/mapping for the prepara-tion of investment cases and advocacy packages for development partners where the policy team will lead the compilation of evidence on programme results, financing gaps, and return-on-investment.
• Review the websites of development partners, donors, private sector and embassies and prepare a matrix in maintaining a pipeline of potential funding opportunities and mapping donor interests relevant to food systems transformation.
Knowledge Management and Learning
• Support the FAO Policy and Programme Team in facilitating knowledge exchange across government institutions, UN agencies, and partners through technical working groups, policy dialogues, workshops, learning missions, and communities of practice related to food systems transformation.
• Support internal reporting and coordination processes within FAO Rwanda, including preparation of periodic progress summaries for management.
• Undertake any other tasks as assigned by FAO Rwanda management.
Policy advocacy and government engagement.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team to coordinate and support national advocacy for Rwanda’s food systems transformation, ensuring FAO contributions are well aligned with national strategies (PSTA5, NST2, Vision 2050), the UN Cooperation Framework priorities (UNSDCF), the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, and relevant SDG targets.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team in FAO’s engagement with MINAGRI, Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB), the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), districts, and national coordination platforms involved in agri-food systems transformation.
• Assist in data collection and information gathering in preparation of relevant advocacy briefs, systematic analysis, policy and technical notes, and presentations for senior FAO and government leadership on topics such as climate‑smart agriculture, nutri-tion‑sensitive food systems, youth employment, digital agriculture, and value‑chain de-velopment.
• Assist in the organization of policy dialogues, consultative workshops, and stakeholder forums, and preparing subsequent reports. Mainly supporting the Policy Team in fol-lowing‑up to Rwanda’s UN Food Systems pathways, food security and nutrition coor-dination mechanisms, and investment planning processes.
• Assists in gathering information for monitoring policy and regulatory developments across agriculture, food security, nutrition, climate action, and private‑sector develop-ment, mainly supporting the Policy Team to prepare periodic policy landscape updates to inform FAO engagement.
UN coordination and partnerships.
• Assist in consolidating information and data to support FAO’ engagement within the UN Country Team and relevant Results Groups under the UNSDCF, where Policy and Program Team will be involved in preparing briefing notes, meeting summaries, and joint advocacy on food security, nutrition, climate resilience, livelihoods, and sustaina-ble value chains.
• Keep record of FAO’s structured engagement (bilateral meetings, steering committee meetings etc) with International Financial Institutions (World Bank, AfDB), resource and development partners, CSOs, academia, agribusiness actors, and farmer organi-zations, active in Rwanda’s agrifood sector.
Strategic communications and visibility.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team substantive and logistical preparation for national and international events hosted or attended by FAO and MINAGRI, such as World Food Day celebrations, Agriculture Shows, Africa Food Systems Forum, climate and nutrition summits, and donor roundtables.
• Assist the Program and Policy Team to document good practices, innovations, and lessons learned from HIH and projects in Rwanda focusing on agri-food systems trans-formation to strengthen FAO’s policy positioning and advocacy messages.
Resource mobilization support.
• Support in primary data collection and stakeholders analysis/mapping for the prepara-tion of investment cases and advocacy packages for development partners where the policy team will lead the compilation of evidence on programme results, financing gaps, and return-on-investment.
• Review the websites of development partners, donors, private sector and embassies and prepare a matrix in maintaining a pipeline of potential funding opportunities and mapping donor interests relevant to food systems transformation.
Knowledge Management and Learning
• Support the FAO Policy and Programme Team in facilitating knowledge exchange across government institutions, UN agencies, and partners through technical working groups, policy dialogues, workshops, learning missions, and communities of practice related to food systems transformation.
• Support internal reporting and coordination processes within FAO Rwanda, including preparation of periodic progress summaries for management.
• Undertake any other tasks as assigned by FAO Rwanda management.
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