Staff Counsellor with MINUSMA in Mali

UN VOLUNTER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

MLIR0005590 -- Staff Counselor

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will makel the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.

 

General Information

Country of Assignment Mali Host Institute United Nations Multidimensional Integr. Stab. Mission in Mali Volunteer Category International Specialist Number of Volunteers 1 Duration Until 30-06-2018 Duty Station Tombouctou Assignment Place Non-Family Duty station 

 

Living Conditions

Timbouctou is a non-family duty station with a difficult security and working environment. However staff has a variety of accommodation options available on both sides of the Niger River. Security recommendations from the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) must be followed by all UN staff during the course of their assignment in Mali. It is recommended to always have a mosquito net and a pool of mineral water.

For the sake of rewarding experience, UN volunteers in MINUSMA carry out their duties with flexibility, commitment, and a willingness to live and work in challenging conditions including heat and limited water and electricity supply.

 

Assignment Details

Assignment Title: Staff Counsellor

 

Organizational Context & Project Description

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established by Security Council resolution 2100 of 25 April 2013 to support political processes in the country and carry out a number of security-related tasks. By unanimously adopting resolution 2295 of 29 June 2016, the Council further decided that the MINUSMA to support the implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali” notably to support the cantonment, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of armed groups, including through the integration of elements of the signatory armed groups in the MDSF as an interim measure, within the framework of the reform of the security sector, and without prejudice to the anticipated plans of the demobilization, disarmament and reintegration and integration commissions; and to take into account the particular needs of women associated with armed groups, and to provide for their full access to Disarmament Demobilization Reintegration (DDR) programmes, inter alia, through consultation with women’s organizations (paragraph 19 a (ii) and (v)).

The Mission has been asked to assist the transitional authorities of Mali in developing and implementing programmes for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants and the dismantling of militias and self-defense groups, consistent with the objectives of reconciliation and taking into account the specific needs of demobilized children (http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minusma/)

 

Sustainable Development Goals: 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

UNV Focus Area: Peace building

 

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Staff Counselling Unit based in Bamako, the UN Volunteer Staff Counsellor will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide counselling services within the designated duty station, i.e., overall assessment of the psychosocial needs of staff members, development of programming and services, etc.; provide coverage for other regions if required;
• Perform individual assessments in the case of individual staff members experiencing difficulty coping with and/or presenting with mental health-related symptoms; follow up for additional intervention if indicated; maintain case records, reports and statistics;
• Advise the Chief Staff Counselling Unit as necessary on individual cases where an identified problem is likely to have professional and/or personal impact, such alcohol/substance abuse, depression, anxiety, work-related difficulty/conflict or family stress, etc.;
• Advise chiefs/heads of section(s) as necessary, or upon request, with the aim of improving the atmosphere in their section and resolving problems of a work-related or personal nature that adversely affect job performance and productivity;
• Perform critical incident stress management interventions, either individually or in a group format, whenever and wherever required; work closely with Security Section, Administration, and Medical Section, inter alia, in coordinating and providing critical incident stress management;
• Collaborate with medical team to address physical complaints that might be stress-related; assure, in conjunction with the medical team, a continuum of services (referral, short-term supportive intervention) to those staff members suffering from serious diseases or illnesses;
• Provide training sessions on crisis and stress management, conflict resolution and other topics as required;
• Monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations;
• Develop, organize and implement a resilience-building programme for all staff;
• Liaise with national mental health professionals and other psychosocial resources;
• The UNV Staff Counsellor must be available at all times 24/7 to provide support to Mission personnel as necessary;
• Perform related other duties as may be required by the Chief of Staff Counseling Unit.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

- Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerismby reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNVactivities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day)

- Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms ofvolunteerism in the host country

- Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they areundertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities

- Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNVpublications/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 OnlineVolunteering service whenever technically possible.

 

Results / Expected Outputs

• Well-being of staff members and mission personnel improved by providing services in efficient, effective, timely, and professional manner;
• Work relationships improved and stress-related health problems in the mission minimized;
• Productivity at large improved;
• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs);
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment;
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

 

Qualifications / Requirements

Required Degree Level: Master degree or equivalent

 

Education - Additional Comments

Psycho-educational studies, psychology, psychiatry, Clinical Social Work, or other Clinical Mental Health Profession; knowledge of Conflict Resolution, Human Resources, or Administration would be an asset.

 

Years of Required Work Experience: 36 months

 

Experience Description

The incumbent must be self-confident, compassionate and friendly. He/she must be highly motivated and possess excellent communications skills. He/she must be prepared for stressful situations, including being on-call for emergencies and medical evacuations. The incumbent will provide primary dental care services and continuing medical care for patients and, as the usual first contact for patients needing medical services, he/she will take account of physical, emotional and social factors when diagnosing illness and recommending the required treatment. The volunteer must work as part of a team alongside other health care professionals in MINUSMA clinic. Specific qualifications include:

A minimum of 5 years of clinical experience is mandatory.

Have affinity with or interest in humanitarian relief, post-conflict situations, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

 

Language Skills

• English (Mandatory), Level - Fluent
• And One of these - French (Mandatory), Level - Working Knowledge

 

DoA Expertise

• Mental health (Mandatory)

 

Additional Requirements or Area of Expertise

Working computer skills, including full proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, Power Point, etc.).

 

Need Driving Licence: Yes

 

Conditions of Service and other information

Condition of Service: Click here to view Conditions of Service

 

 

Conditions of Service for International Specialist:

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,587. The VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org.

For example, kindly enter the link Calculator

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station.

UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements).

UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for periodic home visit and for the final repatriation travel (if applicable). Resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.

 

Application Code: MLIR000590-2190

 

Application procedure

Not yet registered in thee UNV Talent Pool?

Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup.

Important: Once you have created your UNV account by validating your email address, please complete all sections of your profile. Go to ‘My Page’ section of your profile, click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink and select the special call you would like to apply. If you are registered in the UNV database, please update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/. Go to ‘My Page’, click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink and select the special call you would like to apply for.

 

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 for.

 

Application deadline: 3 August 2017. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

Disclaimer

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.