Global Lead, Inclusive Public Sphere in a Digital Era

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Governance is one of the six signature solutions in UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 – alongside poverty and inequality, resilience, environment, energy and gender equality - to support countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no one behind and resilience.  The objective of UNDP’s governance work is to ensure that accountable, inclusive and effective governance underpins sustainable development. UNDP’s governance assistance, including that provided in UNDP’s Global Programme, Governance for People and Planet (G4PP), is multi-dimensional and multi-level and goes beyond technical solutions to support a “systems approach” which is human rights based, problem-driven and participatory to accelerate development and ensure no one is left behind.   An important push area for UNDP’s governance work in the coming period as reflected in the G4PP is to build up and prioritise programming and policy support around supporting an inclusive public sphere.  Broadly, this is to reimagine and reinvigorate an inclusive public sphere in the countries in which UNDP works, including the protection of civic space, support to civic engagement, the inclusion and active engagement of more voices (youth, LBGTI groups, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities) and to elevate the role of information integrity and independent media in that space. 

The IPSDE portfolio will also integrate and connect with other areas of governance including democratic institutions and processes; rule of law and human rights; digitalisation and e-governance; information integrity; environmental governance;, LGBTIQ+ persons, and racial, ethnic and religious minorities ensuring that democratic governance support is holistic and multi-level and dimensional.  

Reporting to the Head of Governance, BPPS at UNDP HQ, the Global Policy Advisor, based in Brussels, Global Lead, Inclusive Public Sphere in a Digital Era (IPSDE), will be responsible for shaping and implementing a programme of work that ensures that policy development and technical assistance to inclusive public spheres is delivered in a way that strengthens synergies substantively (with other governance portfolios and with other GPN teams) and organisationally, facilitating more integrated delivery of policy and programmatic support  aligned with the G4PP programming principles and results framework.  S/he will also lead the UN inter-agency work on civil society and civic engagement from a policy and programme perspective, including supporting senior-level engagement in Our Common Agenda commitments and workstreams.  S/he will also lead the small Brussels-based BPPS Governance team and, under the guidance of the leadership of the UNDP Brussels Office, act as focal point for the representation of UNDP’s Governance work to the European Union and other Brussels-based partners and initiatives. 

The Global Lead, IPSDE will work closely with the other G4PP Global Leads; the Oslo Governance Centre; CB/RoL & Human Rights team, the Chief Digital Office the BPPS gender team and the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy;  in particular and will have responsibility for the following: 

• IPSDE Strategic and policy advice
• Support for IPSDE programme development and implementation 
• IPSDE management, staff supervision 
• Partnerships, representation and advocacy, including in UN inter-agency spaces related to civil society and civic engagement, and resource mobilization
• IPSDE knowledge management

1. Strategic and Policy Advice 

• Lead UNDP’s global policy development on inclusive public spheres in a digital era 
• As part of UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN), contribute to UNDP’s thought leadership on IPSDE;
• Recommend options to integrate IPSDE priorities in BPPS and Crisis Bureau’s portfolios and across UNDP Signature Solutions.

2. Programme Development and Implementation 

• Provide overall oversight of policy and programme support provided by BPPS/GPN on IPSDE themes, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and appropriate coordination with regional bureaux and hubs 
• Encourage integrated approaches within the G4PP outcome and output areas and also integrated approaches and across the Global Policy Network to maximize impact, ensure complementarity and sustainability and/or reduce transaction costs; 
• Ensure programme development and implementation is ambitious and impactful in advancing gender equality.
• Support UNDP Bureaux, Hubs and Country Offices deliver programmes related to IPSDE;
• Ensure programme development is aligned with the G4PP delivery principles
• Support South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

3. Management, Staff supervision 

• Manage and supervise the IPSDE team (including project staff) and ensure that the work of the team is conducted in accordance with relevant business processes and that high-quality outputs are delivered on time;
• Coordinate the Brussels-based BPPS Governance team ensuring coherence and complementarity of initiatives
• Establish and maintain an enabling environment for harmonious working relationships and team building, by promoting consistent and constructive communication, open information sharing, and staff coordination;
• Encourage team members to seek new client opportunities and amplify the value and reputation of the GPN in the thematic areas;
• Manage workplans, budgets, recruitments and procurements according to UNDP rules and regulations and within delegated level of authority;

4. Partnerships, Representation and Advocacy, and Resource Mobilisation

• Maintain and develop relations with Governments, multilateral and bilateral organizations, academia, NGOs, CSOs working on democratic governance;
• Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant regional bodies and provide substantive inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives;
• Act as UNDP’s Focal Point for Civil Society at the technical level in relation to policy and programming, including but not limited to workstreams under the Secretary General’s “Our Common Agenda” ” and the Summit for the Future, ensuring that UNDP is actively engaged in the overall UN scale-up of engagement with civil society.
• In collaboration with the Bureau for Management Services, oversee UNDP’s annual reporting on progress on implementing the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS)
• Represent UNDP and engage in UN interagency coordination with the aim to advance UNDP’s strategic agenda in the thematic area;
• Advocate and represent UNDP in the thematic area in various professional and/or public fora and events, including with academia and civil society.
• Maintain high quality external relations and contribute to mobilizing resources with Governments, UN agencies, public and private organizations, development partners, academia, NGOs, CSOs and relevant private sector institutions. Maintain an overview of funding opportunities and mechanisms relevant to the portfolio; donor priorities and maintain regular contact with relevant BERA and GPN focal points. 
• Lead in the development and quality assurance of funding proposals;
• Lead in the development and quality assurance of internal (briefs, talking points) and external (speeches; blogs, promotional materials) communications 

5. Knowledge Management 

• Provide thought leadership on IPSDE, informed by high-quality analytics, learning and robust knowledge management;
• Provide thematic leadership and support community engagement on IPSDE themes in the Community of Practice on Governance for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies 
• Guide and coordinate global and cross-regional exchange of knowledge by collaborating with other policy teams in the GPN to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools and guidance;
• Support and input into corporate reporting processes such as the Integrated Results and Resources Framework and Quality Assurance Standards; 
• Support Governments, UNDP Bureaux and Country Offices access methodologies and tools to enhance IPSDE programming. 

2030 Agenda: Peace - Governance:

• Civic engagement.

2030 Agenda: Peace - Governance:

• Civil society engagement.

2030 Agenda: Peace - Governance:

• Inclusion and participation.  

2030 Agenda: Peace  - Governance:

• Political inclusion.

2030 Agenda: Peace - Governance:

• Youth leadership & participation.

Business Direction & Strategy - Strategic Thinking:

• 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 UNDP.

Business Development - UNDP Representation:

• Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities; advocate for UNDP, its values, mission and work with various constituencies.