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Project Officer Civic Education In Libya

The current roadmap for the political transition in Libya includes elections for a National People’s Conference towards the middle of 2012. The NPC will nominate a constitutional committee who will be tasked with drafting a new constitution to be approved by popular referendum; another round of general elections and also local elections will take place afterwards.

However, deeply engrained practices built up over forty-two years do not change with the holding of an election and the adoption of a new constitutional framework. Libya has no experience of organizing and participating in electoral and constitution-making processes such as those currently planned. The public has never participated in any similar events and has little knowledge and understanding of such processes. There is as yet no parliament, electoral management body or constitution-making entity, no established political parties, only a few civil society organizations or independent media and no previous experience of freedom of expression or access to information based on developed professional and ethical standards.

Transforming the political culture of a society is one of the most difficult aspects of any post-conflict transition. Transformation takes years and requires substantial changes to behavior and social norms which can only be managed with long-term strategies involving large segments of society. Strengthening civil society & media, extensive civic education and engagement campaigns, local and national-level public dialogue and consensus-building within society are all essential components of such a strategy.

The role of women in public life in Libya has been traditionally very limited. The social position of women in Libya is deeply rooted in patriarchal values and traditions, especially in the rural areas. Yet, the revolution has begun to change the overall perception of women’s role in society. Thus, the promotion of the role of women is central to the post-conflict stabilization of the country and the creation of an inclusive civil society in Libya.

As part of the mandate given by UN SCR 2009 (2011), the UN in Libya is tasked with assisting and supporting Libyan national efforts to undertake inclusive political dialogue, promote national reconciliation, and embark upon the constitution-making and electoral process. To contribute to fulfilling this role, UNDP has developed a project titled “Support to Civic Engagement in Libya’s Transition” (SCELT). It follows a multi-pronged strategy in order to assist with the emergence of a new citizenship in Libya, a paramount ingredient to a peaceful and successful transition to democracy. The SCELT is initially planned for 12 months.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor, the Project Officer will contribute to UNDP’s civic engagement support in Libya. The Project Officer will contribute to the achievement of SCELT output: “Libyan citizens, and in particular the youth and women, benefit from a number of initiatives carried by civil society and government, to increase their understanding of and involvement in the democratic transition process”.

S/he will participate in achieving results in the four following core activities:

  • Strengthening capacities of civic education providers
  • Promoting you civic engagement
  • Increasing women's participation in the political transition
  • Establishing national capacity for public consultations & constitutional dialogue

S/He will be responsible for executing activities defined by the Chief Technical Advisor in the Annual Work Plan in accordance with partnerships, quality criteria, budget levels and timeline et in the project document.

Specific duties:

I. Project Implementation

  • Assist CTA in preparing Annual Work Plans and Budgets on the basis of project document.
  • Identify potential project partners and beneficiaries (in particular among CSOs) when not yet identified in project document.
  • Assist in negotiating and formalizing partnership agreements for implementing project activities
  • Assess capacities and needs (technical, operational) of partners and beneficiaries to achieve planned activities
  • Prepare concept notes, training materials, requisition for services and terms of reference needed for the timely execution of project activities.
  • Provide technical & training support in project management to project partners, beneficiaries and other project staff.
  • Provide operational advice to project partners for implementing activities
  • Ensure timely and sufficient information-sharing on project implementation with project partners and field project staff and maintain close communications with them
  • Mobilize internal IT resources to set up a CSO database for use by UNDP staff
  • Mobilize UNDP operations department as required for timely implementation of project activities
  • Occasional written translation or interpretation to assist project staff and consultants
  • Carry out any additional tasks which may be requested by the CTA

II. Monitoring & Reporting

  • Keep track of all project progress against indicators defined in the results framework
  • Keep developing project indicators and methods of collection
  • Ensure timely submission of reports on field activities by project field staff and beneficiaries / contractors
  • Maintain the project in ATLAS
  • Compile data needed for regular project reports by CTA and contribute to drafting regular progress reports for donors.

III. Project Development and Partnership Building

  • Keep abreast of important developments in the Libyan civil society through contacts, media, reports & academic research.
  • Network with CSOs, government departments engaging with civil society as well as with international / national sponsors of civil society sponsors in order to raise profile of UNDP assistance to civic engagement and the democratic transition in Libya, and to uncover individual and civil society champions eligible for UNDP assistance.
  • Participate in the continuous refinement of UNDP SCELT strategy and in the development of new projects in the same area.

IV. Public relations and outreach

  • Work with UNDP communications associate to ensure strong visibility of UNDP SCELT activities and achievements
  • Present the SCELT project and its achievements in conferences, seminars and to the media when necessary
  • Maintain media monitoring on all SCELT-sponsored activities

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the project.
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly and without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

  • Knowledge and expertise in project management as well as in democratic governance, electoral assistance and/or civil society.
  • Knowledge and expertise in capacity development of CSOs
  • The candidate should have significant experience in providing practical advice to policy makers; be able to work well with senior counterparts in government, civil society and the donor community; and know how to contribute to building national capacity for development.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships, and good working knowledge of information and computer technology. While representing UNDP views, the candidate should also be able to provide coordination among the UN family of agencies.
  • Demonstrates sound knowledge of UN rules, regulations, policies, procedures and best practices in the electoral assistance field.
  • Excellent negotiation and representational skills, at senior level (with international organizations and/or diplomatic missions).
  • Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.
  • Demonstrates strong intellectual and operational capacity in providing and coordinating advisory services to stakeholders in electoral processes, specifically to EMBs and civil society organizations.
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities. Demonstrated ability to multitask under pressure and to meet strict deadlines often under hardship conditions.
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to work effectively in teams, delivering through and with others.
  • Self-management, including conflict management/negotiating skills.

Required Skills and Experience

  • Education: Master degree or equivalent in political sciences, law, development studies, journalism, teaching science or a related field.
  • Experience: Minimum 5 to 7 years of experience in a field related to civic engagement and well experienced in project implementation; if possible, experience in the promotion of gender equality is highly desirable; excellent understanding of the current situation of civil society in Libya and the various aspects of the transition to democracy. Experience in other Arab region countries is an asset.
  • Language Requirements: Fluency in English & Arabic required.

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.

Project Officer Civic Education