Head of Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery of Conflict-affected communities is the Ce

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a vast country of more than 623,000 km2, which  faced several decades of cyclical political and security crises culminating in the events of 2012/2013, and disrupting most balances, with inter-community tensions without previous. 

The successive crises experienced by the CAR since 2013 have caused the displacement of 647,883 people (CMP July 2022), including 154,964 people in IDP sites and 492,919 in host families as of July 31, 2022. Other 734,9062 people found refuge in neighboring countries including: 347,545 in Cameroon, 124,488 in Chad, 29,168 in Congo, 206,967 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 24,285 in Sudan and 2,419 in South Sudan.

The conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) is a long-term crisis characterized by sporadic violence and state collapse due to deep divisions between social and ethnic groups over control for territory and resources. In order to promote a comprehensive peace in the country, the CAR government signed the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement (APPR) with fourteen armed groups which control large parts of the country on 6th February 2019, committing to a more inclusive government and integrating armed groups representatives and some soldiers into new army units.

The country recently organized its general (i.e. presidential and legislative) elections on 27 December 2020, only one year after the signing of APPR. Due to armed groups activities, many polling stations were either unable to open or unable to complete voting procedures, leading to partial elections being held along with the 2nd round of the legislative elections on 14th March 2021. In the meantime, the final results of the Presidential elections were announced by the Constitutional Court on 7 January 2021, leading to the re-election of the incumbent President for a second term. Only a handful of constituencies were unable to vote in the 14th March 2021 polls thanks to an increased security apparatus deployed throughout the country. 

While the incumbent President has been re-elected, the country still struggles to stabilize its territory and some newly established rebel groups are active in some areas. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic places immense strains on this fragile country, facing a multi-dimensional crisis with difficult economic and political conditions. The war between Russia and Ukraine erupts at a sensitive and critical time when the country is  preparing for its general and local elections. This situation increases the cost of urban transportation. Inflation of basic food products has also been recorded, thereby reinforcing social inequalities. According to a rapid study conducted jointly by the government and donors, the gross domestic product (GDP) of CAR is projected to drop by 6.2 percentage points, leading to a growth rate of negative 1.2 per cent as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to persist. Therefore, notwithstanding security improvements, development gains are at risk of being quickly reversed unless the country rolls out more resilience and livelihoods activities, with the support of partners.

MINUSCA and the government agreed on a concerted approach aimed at creating a more protective security environment for civilians and launching joint area domination operations, combined with community political engagements to advance the peace process, programmatic initiatives MINUSCA, UNCT and line ministries. 

These efforts have led  recovery measures that have fostered a more conducive environment for the safe return of displaced persons, the urgent provision of humanitarian assistance, the launch of livelihoods and sustainable solutions and,  paved the way for sustainable and community projects in view of stabilization programs

All these achievements, still fragile, must be consolidated, and the commitment of UNDP and other actors (United Nations agencies, other TFPs, humanitarian organizations), under the lead of the Government, consists in working for a global program of Stabilization, including Sustainable Solutions for IDPs and their host communities, as well as Ex-combatants within a broader framework of community reintegration.

In this connection, UNDP has developed projects in the areas of enhancement of community resilience and social stabilization as well as sustainable solution, prevention of violent extremism for communities affected by the conflicts in collaboration with PBF, the Government of Japan and KOICA. 

These interventions will play an important foundation for peace consolidation, violence prevention, human security and socio-economic development and will pave the way for longer-term socio-economic recovery programming in the identified areas. 

It is also important for UNDP to promote a broader partnership framework to optimize the synergies, comparative advantages and complementarity of potential or planned investments by partners as well as to continue the resource mobilization with donors and maintain an established relationship with them. Timely reporting of the results and positive impact of the projects is required to keep their confidence and UNDP is also required to propose them a strategic and cost-effective intervention which align with the interest of the CAR government and international communities. 

In line with this, UNDP CAR Country Office is recruiting a Head of Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Community Recovery Program to support the country office in implementation of these thematic and to mobilize resource for further interventions. 

Position Purpose

Under the general supervision of the UNDP Resident Representative and the direct coordination of the Deputy Resident Representative/Program, the Head of Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery, will be responsible for and contribute directly to the effective and efficient achievement of the objectives set out in the program component of UNDP CO relating to the CAR Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery Facility. In this regard, the Head of Stabilization will be responsible for the following functions:

1. Policy advice on Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery/Reintegration;

2. Building partnerships and mobilizing resources

3. Technical programming, direction and overall management;

4. Knowledge management.

• Promote stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery approaches and provide policy advice to UNDP senior management, government counterparts, donors and other partners on issues related to this area
• Perform an in-depth analysis of the political, social and economic situation in the country and in relation to the area of intervention and identifies strategic areas of support to UNDP in the areas of stabilization / Sustainable solutions / Recovery / Community reintegration and transition to recovery;
• Provide high-level advisory services to government officials in the areas of Stabilization/Sustainable Solutions and Transition to Resilience and Recovery/Community Reintegration;
• Ensure the integration of cross-cutting issues, such as gender, peacebuilding, human rights and resilience in stabilization and post-crisis community recovery/reintegration;
• Liaises closely with other UNDP projects, particularly in the stabilization and coverage area, and ensures the smooth transition of long-term development programs within the national planning process, especially in relation to the national strategies for reintegration, Sustainable Solutions, social cohesion and reconciliation and the various strategic documents (RCPCA, APPR, etc.)
•  Ensure systematic and effective analysis, program monitoring, including but not limited to regular field visits as appropriate and participation in partner platform and/or steering committee meetings ;
•  Propose and guide new innovative methodologies in terms of planning and financing related to stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery/Reintegration;
• Ensure strategic communication in areas related to stabilization, according to UNDP communication standards.

Building partnerships and mobilizing resources:

• Build strong relationships with key partners at the National level and identifies opportunities and priorities for institutional development and capacity development, as appropriate;
• Leads the coordination, planning, documentation, monitoring and implementation processes of the Stabilization Facility relating to the management of partnerships with regional organizations, country offices, United Nations agency partners and other humanitarian and development actors;
• Ensures mobilization of sufficient resources for the National Window in the Central African Republic of the Stabilization and Sustainable Solutions/Recovery mechanism, in close consultation with Management, and is responsible for achieving the annual resource mobilization objectives for this theme;
• Advocates for and represents UNDP activities with national authorities, the state-level donor community and international financial institutions, as requested;
• Maintains regular contact and builds close relation with other United Nations programmes, funds, agencies and entities, as well as other international and national stakeholders concerned or providing assistance within the framework of the protracted stabilization process in the Central African Republic;
• Ensures that Country Office Management submits high quality and timely reports to government partners and donors participating in the Programme;
• Contributes to the establishment of effective partnerships and the competitive selection of partners for the implementation of UNDP projects;
• Participate at the joint programming of UN and collaborates effectively within established frameworks for the coordination of the UN and other international bodies;
• Represents the UNDP at the request of the Resident Representative.
   

Technical programming, direction and overall management: 

• Provides strategic guideline to the overall Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions/Community Recovery portfolio and leads program teams.
• Works closely with a wide range of partners to ensure that the Stabilization Mechanism's National Window in the Central African Republic responds to UNDP's country program strategy and broader stabilization vision;
• Ensures liaison between stabilization and other relevant programs and/or portfolios of the country office in the Central African Republic;
• Oversees work plans and budgets for all Stabilization activities and ensures results are achieved;
• Ensures that adequate periodic reports are prepared on time against plans, including accurate and detailed situation reports;
• Identifies the risks and challenges of the program and advises the Management of the UNDP country office in the Central African Republic on mitigation strategies;
• Ensures appropriate levels of visibility and public awareness of results and ongoing activities;
• Ensures that appropriate environmental and safety standards and due diligence are applied to relevant program activities;
• Supervises all program staff, mentors staff and provides effective leadership and direction;
• Ensures the strict and consistent application of UNDP rules and regulations and the establishment of clear accountability mechanisms;
• Participates in internal control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UNDP rules and regulations in contracts, assets, procurement, recruitment, etc., as required;
• Ensures systematic and effective analysis, efficient monitoring, including but not limited to regular field visits, as appropriate, and participation in Program Steering Committee and/or Technical Committee meetings

Knowledge management: 

• Encourages the identification and compilation of good practices and lessons learned in the Central African Republic from the UNDP Stabilization program for organizational sharing and learning, as well as external information;
• Actively participates in UNDP knowledge networks and leverages good practices and lessons learned available in the region and globally, and encourages stabilization program staff to do so by creating a culture of knowledge sharing and learning ;
• Ensure the direction and coordination of stabilization-related knowledge exchanges to influence/advance policy dialogue and present such material at regional and other forums; including support for South-South exchanges;
• Uses and promotes the changes with  the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA);
• Encourages the participation of the country office in regional programs and regional activities related to the thematic, as appropriate;
• Supports capacity and knowledge development of national counterparts

People Management  - People Management : People Management is required competency for this assignment. The incumbent should aspire to create an enabling workplace, manage performance and ensure accountability, building capability of the team, motivating and directing the team to work towards a common vision and goal that is shared by Country Office.

Under the general supervision of the RR and the direct coordination of the DRR/P, the Head of Stabilization, Sustainable Solutions and Recovery, will supervise NO/NPSAs, UNVs, program and project associates, civil engineers, information management assistants, project coordinators, and project assistants.