Political and Conflict Analysis Specialist

The purpose of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) is to coordinate the efforts of the UN Country Team operating in Tajikistan to ensure provision of efficient and effective support to the UN Country Team and the government towards Tajikistan's progress towards sustainable, inclusive green economic growth, and advancement of governance that is inclusive, transparent, gender-responsive and serving to protect human rights for all.

The UN RC in Tajikistan is the designated representative of the Secretary-General and leads the resident and non-resident UN agencies, funds and programmes to deliver effective policies and efficient operational activities at the country level. The RCO works in close collaboration with the UN Country Team and serves as a nodal point for coherent and coordinated UN response to the needs of the people of Tajikistan, in concert with the national government institutions. The RCO promotes the vision of one-UN and draws on the diverse expertise of the UNCT members to demonstrate the value of the United Nations in the country. The RCO assists the UN Country Team to deliver visible and transparent system-wide results through strong monitoring, evaluation processes and reporting.

The UN Volunteer will work as part of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) team and will contribute to the implementation of the UNSDCF. Under the direct supervision of the Head of RCO, she/he will work closely with the relevant UN Agencies in Tajikistan.

Furthermore, the UN Volunteer will support the RC and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in their efforts to work with national partners on conflict prevention and social cohesion. This includes early warning and risk management measures and ensuring that UN assessments, frameworks (mainly UN Cooperation Framework), strategies, and programmes are conflict-sensitive and informed by high-quality analysis. While field missions will be required, the donor condition will be complied with in terms of avoiding restricted areas of travel.

The UN Volunteer will focus on three key duty areas:
• Undertake conflict analysis for the Resident Coordinator in his/her engagement with high-level government officials, academia, civil society, including youth and women’s networks, UNCT, HQ, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to build national capacities for conflict prevention and/or social cohesion, including development of joint programmes, and support the RC and the UNCT action in areas of conflict prevention and social cohesion.
• Contribute to strengthening partnerships with key national stakeholders, regional and international actors, and development partners on issues related to conflict prevention, social cohesion and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of UN RCO, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following duties and tasks:

1. Undertake conflict analysis for the Resident Coordinator in his/her engagement with high-level government officials, academia, civil society, including youth and women’s networks, UNCT, HQ, and other relevant stakeholders:
• Provide risk-informed analysis to the RC and the broader UNCT on political and socio-economic developments and conflict dynamics and identify appropriate entry points for conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
• Develop ad-hoc updates to the UN Headquarters (and regional level as relevant) on political and socio-economic developments and conflict dynamics.
• Support the regular update of the Common Country Assessment (CCA), including with written contributions to the conflict analysis part of the CCA.
• Engage with academia and think tanks in research and analyses on social cohesion and conflict-related themes, including areas such as climate-related security risk.

2. Identify opportunities to build national and local capacities for conflict prevention and/or social cohesion, including development of joint programmes, and support the RC and the UNCT action in areas of conflict prevention and social cohesion:
• Support the design and initiation of social cohesion and conflict prevention initiatives with engagement of international and national multi-stakeholders.
• Identify and engage civil society actors in collaboration with the RCO Human Rights Advisor in the analysis supported by the UN, and work with other UN entities, including OHCHR and UN Women, to protect human rights and expand civic space.

3. Contribute to strengthening partnerships with key national stakeholders, regional and international actors, and development partners on issues related to conflict prevention, social cohesion and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
• Establish and maintain networks and partnerships at various levels, for information sharing and evidence-based analysis.
• Liaise closely with national, regional, and local stakeholders, including civil society, academia, think tanks, women’s and youth networks and key international actors (including International Financial Institutions and regional organizations) for strengthened partnerships on conflict prevention and social cohesion initiatives.