General

Description of assignment title

Associate Political Affairs Officer

Assignment country

Turkmenistan

Expected start date

03/01/2022

Sustainable Development Goal

PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

Volunteer category

International UN Volunteer Specialist

DoA reserved for persons with disabilities

No

Host entity

UNRCCA

Type

Onsite

Duration

12 months (with possibility of extension)

Number of assignments

1

Duty stations

Ashkhabad

Details

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) was established in December 2007 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, at the initiative of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is a Special Political Mission under the Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs (DPPA) of the United Nations Secretariat. In addition to its Headquarters in Ashgabat, UNRCCA maintains a small presence in each of the other four capitals of the region. The Centre is mandated by an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (S/2007/279 and S/2007/280). UNRCCA is active in promoting preventive diplomacy among the five countries of the region and, increasingly, Afghanistan. The Centre annually organizes meetings for high-level officials of the region, events for regional experts and others. UNRCCA also partners with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism to support the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia. Another key aspect of the Centre’s work is to promote regional cooperation on trans-boundary water management in Central Asia. UNRCCA also promotes the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the region.

Context

In 2019, UNRCCA launched a new initiative focused on young men and women throughout Central Asia and Afghanistan. The aim is to build linkages between UNRCCA and young people in the region, particularly those in underserved communities. The initiative seeks to spark a culture of prevention among young people that could help reduce the risk of conflict and pay peace dividends far into the future. This position will be part of UNRCCA in Ashgabat, reporting to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Asia and Head of UNRCCA. The work will include country-specific and regional activities related to the implementation of the new youth initiative, including organizing and participating in workshops around the region and developing the Centre’s relationships with youth oriented governmental agencies, civil society and young leaders. As such, there will be interactions with government officials of the countries of the region, civil society representatives, academia and colleagues from other UN agencies.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Asia and Head of UNRCCA or his/her designated representative, the UN Volunteer will: Support the UNRCCA youth initiative, inter alia, by following up on implementation, coordinating with partners and UN Country Teams in the region, accessing regional networks, etc.; Monitor and analyse political developments in Central Asia and identify regional trends particularly related to youth and gender issues; Network and build relationships with relevant local and regional actors, including government, civil society, youth leaders, the international community and academia; Develop and maintain a database of youth agencies, organizations and leaders to facilitate UNRCCA’s outreach on youth- related issues; Provide support to the mainstreaming of youth-related and gender issues throughout UNRCCA’s work;

In coordination with the UNRCCA Public Information Unit, prepare regular updates, press releases, social media posts, etc. on youth-related and gender-related events and other relevant developments;

Participate in conferences, seminars and academic fora as appropriate;

Support the monitoring of results against strategic outcomes and as per approved plans;

Contribute to reporting obligations for donors and outreach to new donors, including the development of resource mobilization strategies; Work with the regional office of UN Volunteers to better integrate UNV’s work and initiatives into UNRCCA’s preventive diplomacy work. Assist in UNRCCA activities aimed at enhancing cross-border confidence-building measures in Fergana Valley, Central Asia, and also in activities promoting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and, specifically, implementation of the project on the Central Asia Women Leaders’ Caucus. Perform other related duties as required.

Eligibility criteria

Age

27 - 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in Other development programme/project experience is mandatory.

Area(s) of expertise

Development programmes

Driving license

-

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required Russian, Level: Working knowledge, Required

Required education level

Bachelor degree or equivalent in Law, political science, international relations, social sciences or related field is required.

Competencies and values

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Turkmenistan is situated in the very heart of Central Asia, and an independent state, founded in 1991 after the disintegration of the USSR; five years later it attained a unique political status, which was recognized by the United Nations Organization. Ashgabat is the capital city of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan. The city's name Ashgabat comes from a Persian word “eshg” and “abad”, translated as ‘the city of love’. Ashgabat is also the largest industrial, scientific and cultural center of Turkmenistan. Within national borders, population density drops drastically to an average 29 Turkmen per square mile (11 per square kilometer) for Turkmenistan overall. Ashgabat is recognized for having the world’s greatest concentration of white marble buildings by the Guinness Book of Records. Turkmenistan's cuisine is very similar to the other Central Asian countries and predominantly comprises rice and vegetables and various meats. Locals like to drink "gok chai"- green tea with dried fruit. Herbs may also be added to the tea to give it flavours such as mint. Ashgabat has a cold desert climate; cool, short winters and hot, dry summers. Turkmenistan is a unique country and UNRCCA is a unique UN Entity in the region. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy