UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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.

BACKGROUND

Peace and Development Specialists (hereafter PDA) work with national stakeholders to build, strengthen, and sustain nationally owned and driven efforts to prevent violent conflict and build just and peaceful societies. The range of countries to which PDAs are deployed varies considerably, with some deployed to countries emerging from conflict, others where violence is escalating, and others to countries where there is no violent conflict but underlying structural causes of conflict are present. PDAs are also deployed in countries where political and developmental challenges exist around elections and constitutional processes, exclusion and inequality, environment, climate change, and natural resource management.

•           PDAs are deployed through a partnership between the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention. 

•           PDAs support Resident Coordinators (RC) and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in their efforts to work with national partners on conflict prevention and sustaining peace. They support early warning and risk management measures and ensure that UN assessments, frameworks (mainly UN Cooperation Frameworks), strategies, and programmes are conflict-sensitive and informed by high-quality analysis. They are located in the Resident Coordinators’ office, with a direct reporting line to the RC and a secondary reporting line to the UNDP Resident Representative and DPPA-DPO regional divisions. 

In 2022, PDAs will have been deployed into more than 70 countries through the Joint Programme. While most PDAs are deployed at the country level, there are a number of PDAs who cover multiple countries. 

•           In some contexts, PDAs are part of a small Peace and Development Advisory team composed of a PDA and a substantive national or international officer/analyst.

•           PDAs also receive additional support from a Joint Programme secretariat based at UN Headquarters in New York, from UNDP and DPPA technical advisors/specialists globally, and from a cadre of regional programme specialists supporting their regions from Amman, Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Dakar, Istanbul, and Panama. 

Given the broad range of skills and experience required by PDAs, the Joint Programme encourages applications from individuals with a combination of expertise spanning sustainable development, political affairs, peacebuilding, sustaining peace, conflict prevention/resolution, community engagement, justice, reconciliation, dialogue, mediation, and humanitarian-development-peace nexus among other relevant areas. While UN experience is a major asset, it is not a requirement for this position. Moreover, the skills of diplomacy, dialogue and facilitation, analysis, advocacy, networking, capacity development and coordination are critical elements of a PDA’s work.

Cambodia’s Context

Cambodia has achieved a remarkable transformation over the past two decades. Cambodia plans to become a middle-income country in 2025, buoyed by a 15-year average growth of 7% GNI, in a context of high inequalities and exclusion exposed during COVID-19. The government has set its vision for future development of the country through the Fourth Rectangular Strategy, aiming to bring Cambodia to a high middle-income status by 2030. Good governance is a central pillar supporting development that emphasizes private sector development and employment, physical infrastructure, capacity building, and human resources development. The current UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2019-2023) supports national economic and social development priorities, including contributing to improvements in good governance and human rights toward an inclusive, democratic, and peaceful society. The UNCT is working closely in support of the Royal Government as it responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, and through the UN socioeconomic response and recovery framework, and coordinating support across UN agencies, including on governance and social cohesion issues.

The UNCT has also supported national authorities, civil society, and other stakeholders in sustaining peace, promoting a culture of dialogue, and building national capacities to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 18 Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals (including SDG 18 on Mine Action). A new Common Country Assessment will be developed in 2022 as the basis for the next UN Cooperation Framework.

Cambodia entered a new electoral cycle this year, with local (commune) elections on 5 June 2022 and parliamentary elections in 2023, which will be a critical test for the country’s progress. Meanwhile, Cambodia holds the Chair of ASEAN in 2022 at a time when the region faces multiple crises, most notably the situation in Myanmar, as well as heightened geopolitical competition.

Cambodia met the graduation criteria from Least-developed-countries category for the first time in 2021. It will be re-assessed in 2024. However, unequal distribution of wealth, infrastructure, and access to services, particularly in the provinces, limited civic space and plurality, and political instability namely around election times are affecting long-term sustainable development. Despite notable achievements, threats posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to persist in Cambodia, which is still considered one of the most contaminated countries in the world.

Position Purpose:

There are three broad functions of the position:

1. Undertake regular political analysis and provide strategic advice to the UNCT and the UN Resident Coordinator in his/her engagement with various stakeholders (high-level government officials, academia, civil society, including youth and women’s networks). Submit regular analysis, including the monthly reports and ad-hoc situation reports, to the RC, UNDP RR, and DPPA-DPO Asia and the Pacific Division.

2. Identify opportunities to build national capacities for conflict prevention, including areas of strategic, programmatic, and policy engagement with national stakeholders, and support the RC and the UNCT action in the areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, human rights, humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus, Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) among others.

3. Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key national stakeholders, regional and international actors, and development partners on issues related to Sustaining Peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Undertake regular political analysis and provide strategic advice to the UNCT and the UN Resident Coordinator in his/her engagement with various stakeholders (high-level government officials, academia, civil society, including youth and women’s networks). Submit regular analysis, including the monthly reports and ad-hoc situation reports, to the RC, UNDP RR, and DPPA-DPO Asia and the Pacific Division:

  • Submit the analysis on political and socioeconomic developments and their actual or potential impacts as drivers of conflict to the RC, UNDP RR and DPPA-DPO’s Asia and the Pacific Division, in line with the Joint Programme reporting guidelines as well as on an ad-hoc basis, when the situation warrants it. When appropriate – and in consultation with the RC – share analytical reports with UNCT.
  • Using a risk-informed approach, analyze the local and regional context and provide ad hoc and monthly reporting to the RC and the broader UNCT as well as the UN Headquarters (and regional level as relevant). This would also require identifying appropriate entry points for conflict prevention and sustaining peace, strengthening social cohesion, and proposing concrete, actionable and timely recommendations for consideration by the UN leadership.
  • Manage and update the Cambodia Crisis Risk Dashboard and coordinate the use of UN online risk monitoring dashboards and inform early warning and scenario-based response mechanisms;
  • Strengthen and support the capacity of the UNCT, including through training, to undertake conflict, context and political economy analysis, to integrate Do-No-Harm principles in UN activities, ensuring that gendered and human rights dimensions are reflected in both analysis and programming; and inform early warning and response mechanisms.
  • Support the regular update of the Common Country Assessment (CCA), which informs the design and implementation of the UN Cooperation Framework, including leading the multidimensional risk analysis of the CCA;
  • Regularly brief the UNCT on political developments and provide strategic advice on integrated approaches across the UNCT in the context of SDG 16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutions.
  • Support the RC and UNCT in politically-sensitive communications;
  • Facilitate the linking of political economy considerations, conflict and political analysis and strategies as well as risk-informed approaches to the UN’s programmatic and policy engagement at the country-level; and
  • Engage with academia and think tanks in research and analyses on peace and conflict-related themes, including areas such as climate-related security risk.

Identify opportunities to build national capacities for conflict prevention, including areas of strategic, programmatic, and policy engagement with national stakeholders, and support the RC and the UNCT action in the areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, human rights, humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus, Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) among others:

  • Provide strategic and technical advice, and support for the design and initiation of peace-promoting initiatives or engagements in areas such as conflict prevention and sustaining peace; infrastructures for peace; dialogue processes; and confidence-building measures, in the context of efforts related to electoral violence prevention; social cohesion; and reconciliation;
  • Support the design and facilitation of national multi-stakeholder processes, building national and local capacity for negotiation, mediation and dialogue; and strengthening networks of mediators and facilitators (including women and youth mediators) at national and local levels;
  • Identify opportunities and options for UN preventive diplomacy engagement as required;
  • Support connecting local and national level conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts, as well as regional and/or cross-border initiatives as appropriate;
  • Identify and engage civil society actors in the peace and development agenda supported by the UN and work with other UN entities to protect human rights and expand civic space;
  • Support the UNCT in their efforts on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gendered dimensions of peacebuilding and SCR 1325 (and related resolutions) as well as Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) and SCR 2250;
  • Support the design and programmatic mainstreaming of conflict prevention and conflict sensitivity in the work of the UNCT (including within the CCA, Cooperation Framework, Country Programme Documents (CPD), etc.); and where relevant, support UN’s resource mobilization efforts for conflict prevention;
  • Provide strategic guidance to the RC and UNCT and support quality assurance for the design and implementation of programmes funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), where applicable; and
  • Build UN staff capacity and raise awareness on conflict analysis, conflict sensitivity, strengthening social cohesion, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding.

Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key national stakeholders, regional and international actors, and development partners on issues related to Sustaining Peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

  • Establish and maintain networks and strategic partnerships for sustaining peace-related strategies and initiatives and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and national SDG plans;
  • Support UNDP in designing a portfolio of strategic interventions to accelerate SDG16 and promote coherent governance and public participation;
  • Liaise closely with national, regional, and local stakeholders, including civil society, academia, think tanks, women’s and youth networks and key international actors (including International Financial Institutions and regional organizations) to identify entry points, foster dialogue and strengthen strategic alliances and partnerships on conflict prevention, trust- and confidence-building, and reconciliation initiatives;
  • Maintain close liaison with relevant development partners, the diplomatic corps, regional organizations and other actors supporting the UN’s conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts;
  • Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Headquarters as well as at the regional level, including relevant focal points at UNDP, DPPA-DPO, and DCO, and work closely with the regional programme specialist based in the region;
  • Liaise with the DPPA-Peacebuilding Support Office together with the respective DPPA-DPO regional division in countries where PBF activities are being developed and/or implemented; and
  • Contribute to the results-based management efforts of the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme, including through setting up mechanisms to assess and measure the impact of peace and development initiatives and providing the Joint Programme secretariat with inputs on progress at the country level.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

  • Supervise the National Peace and Development Analyst.

COMPETENCIES

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction and Strategy – Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UN’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.’

Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for the UN.

Business Management – Partnership Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UN strategy and policies

Business Management – Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.

Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels

Agenda 2030: People – Gender: Women, Peace, and Security

Agenda 2030: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive: Conflict Analysis and conflict sensitivity

Agenda 2030: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive:    Early Warning

Agenda 2030: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive: Infrastructures for peace.

RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS

Education

  • Master’s Degree or equivalent in conflict resolution, peace studies, political science, sociology, human rights, international relations, economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences.

Experience

  • Minimum 7 years of experience in political analysis, strategy development, risk-informed/conflict-sensitive development and/or conflict prevention & sustaining peace in a governmental, multilateral or civil society organization;
  • Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience and track record of engagement with senior officials, such as in the United Nations, government and external partners;
  • Experience in programming and project management, such as programme design and results monitoring, in areas related to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and/or development;
  • Experience working within a UN Agency/Fund/Programme or Department and/or field experience would be an asset;
  • Experience in national and community-level conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives and programming; with experience in gendered dimensions of peacebuilding would be an asset;
  • Proven experience in working on the Southeast Asia sub region and/or substantive knowledge of Cambodia would be an asset

Language Requirements

  • Proficiency in oral and written English 
  • Working knowledge of French and/or Khmer is an advantage.

Qualified female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

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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UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

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