United nations development programme recruits a programme assistant - unv national location : abidjan, cote d'ivoire application deadline : 22-sep-14 type of contract : unv post level : unv languages required : english french starting date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 20-oct-2014 duration of initial contract : 1 year renewable background unep is a united nation’s organization in charge of the protection of the global environment. unep has been established since 1974 the regional seas program with the view to addressing the degradation of the oceans and seas of many regions of the world, including african region. the abidjan convention has been established in this context along with the purpose to set up legal mechanisms and instruments for the protection of marine and coastal areas of the neighboring states of the western, central and southern african states. the secretariat of the convention is implementing (i) the component 3 (biodiversity, habitat and water quality) of the gef canary current large marine ecosystem (cclme) project and (ii) the west, central and southern africa part of the unep marine and coastal strategy for africa supported by sida. in order to efficiently carry out the activities related to the implementation of these two programs, there is a real need to recruit additional staff to support the secretariat of the abidjan convention. duties and responsibilities under the direct supervision of the coordinator of the secretariat of abidjan convention, the national un volunteer (programme assistant) will provide full range of programme/project management and implementation assistance pertaining to abidjan convention secretariat and will assist to undertake the following tasks: unep marine and coastal strategy for africa – sida grant support the development and implementation of integrated ecosystem based management (ebm) of marine and coastal resources; support in developing assessment/evaluation tools and in building capacity on marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services and socio-economic assessments of most vulnerable coastal cities and local communities; assist in monitoring the implementation of the protocol concerning the protection, development and management of the coastal and marine environment from land based activities; assist in developing a regional policy on adaptation to climate change directed towards assisting countries to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to sustainably manage the impacts of climate change; support the implementation of the abidjan convention marine and coastal governance initiatives. component 3 of the cclme project in close consultation with the regional project coordinator, component 2 and 3 leaders, assist in the following activities: preparation of annual work plans for the component 3; coordination and ensuring of the consistency of activities within component 3, particularly as regards the activities supported by gef, national teams and project partners in countries of the abidjan convention geographical scope; implementation of the mangrove demonstration project under component 3 in coordination with collaborating organizations; preparation of terms of references for consultants assisting component 3 in collaboration with the regional project coordinator; providing support to consultants and national counterparts and ensure the adequate quality of their work; organization of relevant meetings and workshops and promote the participation of relevant stakeholders; coordination of habitats, biodiversity and water quality related survey work to be undertaken with the r/v dr. fridtjof nansen and other survey programs, including the identification of national researchers to participate in the survey cruises; development and organization of relevant training courses; assist in coordinating and editing of final publications of technical and consultants’ reports with regard to component 2; preparation of project progress reporting (quarterly, semi-annual, project implementation reviews) and provide inputs in other project reports as required, as well as in the draft project terminal report; collaboration with the convention on migratory species assist in preparing the memorandum of understanding (mou) with the cms convention; assist in implementing the mou with the cms convention; collaboration with grid-arendal assist in implementing the activities of the mou with grid-arendal; assist in the operationalization of the sa alghulas 2 project on the basis of the university of the sea program template; perform other related assigned duties. promotion of the un volunteer programme mandate un volunteers are expected to integrate the un volunteers programme mandate within their assignment as well as promote voluntary action through engagement with communities (urban & rural) during the course of their work. as such un volunteers should dedicate a proportion of their working week to the following in support of and in synergy with their primary role as un volunteer; strengthen knowledge and understanding of the influence of voluntary action by the communities affected by issues of interest of unep through the following: strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant unv and external publications and take active part in unv activities (for instance in events that mark ivd); be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in on-going reflection activities; 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 online volunteering service whenever technically possible; contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for unv publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; evelop knowledge of non-profit community based organizations and promote major issues of these organizations through publications and dissemination of information that will influence development and peace-building initiatives; undertake awareness-raising (promotion) activities in communities that will increase knowledge of issues of interest to unep’s mandate; encourage communities to volunteer thoughts and actions to the development of their communities on the basis of core issues discussed in or for publications; build relationships with a wide range (private/public) of community based organizations, (cbo’s) civil society organizations (cso’s) - to support and/or participate in community driven voluntary activities and assist them to tell their stories to the world volunteer web site; the united nations volunteers (unv) programme was created by the general assembly (ga) in 1970 through ga resolution 26/59. since then, unv’s mandate has been expanded by ga resolution 31/131 in 1976, ga resolution 56/38 in 2001 and others in the follow-up to the international year of volunteers in 2001; encourage, mobilize and support co-workers and fellow un volunteers to better understand the connections between unep’s mandate and voluntarism; monitor on a continual basis the impact of integrating unep’s mandate and activities voluntary action at the community level; contribute to articles/write-ups on the peace-building and development process and experiences from the above outlined activities and submit them to unv publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; promote and/or advise csos and citizens groups in the use of ov (www.onlinevolunteering.org), and encourage relevant - groups to use ov whenever – technically possible. results/expected output: the unep marine and coastal strategy for africa (sida grant) and cclme component 3 projects are given appropriate support for successful implementation; 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; abidjan convention cops previous decisions are properly implemented. competencies professionalism can demonstrate ability to provide in timely manner programmatic support in marine pollution and protection issue apply good judgment and be accurate; ability to take initiative, ownership; and work independently under established procedures; willingness to accept wide responsibilities. integrity demonstrate the values of the un in daily activities and behaviors while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behavior; does not abuse power or authority. communication good spoken and written communication skills; including ability to draft clear and concise reports; good interpersonal skills. corporate responsibility and teamwork demonstrating commitment to unv’s vision and values; supporting information-sharing environment; developing self-awareness; understanding and valuing diversity; developing team skills and coaching; assessing performance, promoting excellence in performance; facilitating learning from others; preventing and resolving conflicts. people skills listening, giving, and receiving feedback; demonstrating interpersonal effectiveness; sharing knowledge and experience; handling criticism, showing empathy and becoming assertive. service client orientation considering others in decisions and actions; designing/implementing processes and procedures that effectively meet partners’ and/or colleagues’ needs; providing effective and appropriate service to serving volunteers/other clients. accountability taking responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions; considering the consequences before acting and making a decision; interpreting and following unv’s policies and procedures accurately. required skills and experience education: advanced university degree in one or more of the following disciplines: economics, agriculture, international affairs, business administration, environmental management, social sciences, development studies or a field relevant to international development assistance; advanced training/courses in one or more of the following disciplines: social sciences, finance, business administration or management. experience: at least 3 years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in social sciences, environmental and natural resources management, finance, or business administration, experience in planning and effective management of projects; broad and in-depth knowledge, understanding and experience in various aspects of the law of the sea and international marine affairs. knowledge training and/or experience utilizing computers, including word processing, spreadsheet and other standard software packages and systems. desirable skills knowledge of unep policies, procedures and operations; previous experience with unep or any mea secretariat. language: fluency in french and english with good oral and written communication skills; working knowledge of portuguese or spanish will be an asset. 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. to apply, click here : http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_lang=en&cur_job_id=49657