Communications and Advocacy Officer

Peace and Security Centre

The UNOPS Peace and Security Centre (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Centre is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Centre Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Centre on behalf of its clients.

Afghanistan 
More than three decades of armed conflict in Afghanistan have left widespread mine and ERW contamination across the country. The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan (MAPA) has been working to clear this contamination since 1989. The MAPA currently focuses on implementing the ten-year 2013-2023 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) Extension Request Work Plan, which will see all recorded contamination cleared by 2023, subject to the continued availability of funding. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) supports the efforts of the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) to achieve this goal.

The explosive hazard contamination in Afghanistan affects an estimated number of 2.3 million people in Afghanistan. Some identified at-risk groups affected by the contamination include returnees, IDPs, nomads, scrap metal collectors, and people on the move (travelers); among all, children have been known to be the most vulnerable to the threat of mines, particularly ERWs.

For the past decades, the MAPA has been using a standard set of Risk Education (RE) materials (trainers’ kit and materials for display in vulnerable communities), as well complementary RE merchandise (i.e. pen, a notebook with RE messages). Considering the recent rise in casualty numbers (170 casualties per month) resulting predominantly from ERW and Victim Operated improvised explosive devices (VOIED) (not traditional anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines), DMAC identified the need to update the MAPA Risk Education strategy and materials, UNMAS concurred and agreed to provide support.  UNMAS is anticipating to implement this in two stages, including, the development of a behaviour change and communications strategy for the Risk Education programme of Afghanistan that examines the current RE approach, the conflict context, the risk-taking behaviours, the at-risk groups and tailors RE better ensure positive behaviour change takes place, addressing the characteristics of the at-risk groups and risk-taking behaviours. This will serve as a guide for the second stage, which is the implementation of RE interventions in Afghanistan, and the actual design of targeted new RE materials or new interventions, such as outlining new approaches to stigmatise and dissuade actions, for example, collection of ERW as scrap metal or the use of VOIED by armed opposition groups.

During December 2017, UNMAS, in collaboration with its local partner, Danish Deming Group (DDG), supported the conduction of a national MRE workshop under DMAC’s leadership. The goal of the workshop was to highlight current casualty trends and risk-taking behavior, as well as to consolidate key stakeholders’ recommendations on the way forward for improving MRE interventions. A report is available at http://dmac.gov.af/publications/mine-erw-risk-education/. The MRE Workshop report also includes an in-depth analysis of the mine/ ERW casualty data for the years 2009 to 2017.

Below please see a list of few other key reference documents including reports of KAP Surveys, Evaluations and other events related to Mine/ ERW Risk Education in Afghanistan. All reports are available at the above link.

• Afghanistan Evaluation-CB Approaches for Improving MRE and Perception of Deminers 2012
• Afghanistan KAP Analysis Report - 2004-2005
• Afghanistan KAPB Survey Report - 2009-2010
• Attitudes towards Mine Action - An Afghan Women Perspective Report - Jan 2009
• DDG Afghanistan RE baseline KAP Survey Report - Mar 2018

Under the guidance and the direct supervision of the Programme Officer, the incumbent will perform the following activities;

• Assist in the research and development of a Communications and Behavior Change Assessment for Afghanistan;
• Assist in Development/production of communication and advocacy instruments and materials for marketing and awareness-raising campaigns, including briefing materials and media materials in coordination with the supervisor;
• In close consultation with senior team member and supervisor, coordinate the development of strong links with national and international media, collaborating on content and organizing press-conferences for events, milestones and advocacy purposes;
• Support the management of UNMAS publications, including  drafting articles, managing content, developing/adhering to norms for publishing, design, maintenance of regular contact with printers and other suppliers to ensure production and publications dissemination;
• Preparation of the content for the web sites and social media platforms;
• Assist in the promotion and maintenance of public information campaigns;
• Assist the programme in preparation and dissemination of materials for the international donor community, including newsletter, donor reports, ad hoc updates;
• Assist with synthesis of proposals with the  UNMAS Afghanistan outreach strategy and plan ;
• Contribute to development of creative materials for campaigns, events, publications etc, using photo and image editing programmes;
• Effective and professional management of UNMAS Afghanistan’s photo bank;
• Management of the office web sites based on corporate requirements in cooperation with the ICT staff;
• Support in the integration of advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of UNMAS’s development programme.

Education

• Advanced University Degree (master’s or equivalent degree) in social sciences, public administration, business or development OR
•  First Level University Degree (Bachelor or equivalent degree) in social sciences, public administration, business or development with two (2) years of relevant experience

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• This is a local position,only Afghan nations will be considered for further assessment
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.  Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

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