Communication and Partnership Specialist

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System. It serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a continuous spectrum of in-depth local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UN Guiding Principles) is widely recognized as the most authoritative, normative framework guiding efforts to reduce or eliminate the adverse impact of business operations on human rights. Experts have described it as the single most important innovation in promoting sustainable business practices in the last 25 years – a role that is reinforced by its inclusion as one of the Means of Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda).

Operating at the heart of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus, the Peace Support Facility plays a pivotal role in driving rapid stabilization efforts by restoring essential services, rebuilding trust, and delivering critical peace dividends to conflict-affected communities in Northern Ethiopia. Launched in 2023 with the full backing of Ethiopian federal and regional authorities, the peace Support Facilities focuses on enhancing the functionality of local governments, building community resilience, catalyzing economic recovery for vulnerable groups—including women, children, survivors of SGBV, and IDPs—and strengthening social cohesion to promote trust and unity within communities. Supported by various funding sources, including UNDP resources, the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), and Japan's Supplementary Budget (JSB), the peace Support Facilities has achieved significant milestones in its mission to restore stability and foster sustainable change.

The peace Support Facilities geographic focus includes Afar, Amhara, and Tigray, where it closely collaborates with federal and regional Recovery and Reconstruction Offices (RRROs). These collaborations ensure that peace Support Facilities' activities align with national recovery priorities and are tailored to local contexts. At the federal level, coordination with the Ministry of Finance ensures that the peace Support Facilities' initiatives are integrated into national strategies, while the regional Resilient Recovery and Rehabilitation Offices play a key role in engaging local communities and overseeing the implementation of recovery efforts.

The peace Support Facilities focuses on four main pillars:
1. Local Governance, Human Rights and Social Cohesion
2. Basic Social Services (health, education, WASH)
3. Economic Revival (enterprises and livelihoods)
4. Durable solutions to Internal Displacement

Key achievements of the PSF (the Peace Support Facility) include:

• Government-led stabilization and recovery efforts: The establishment of effective and robust coordination mechanisms through the Resilient Recovery and
Rehabilitation Offices at both regional and federal levels, enabling swift and responsive recovery efforts.
• Delivering Immediate Stabilization Results: Focused on rapid interventions that restore trust in public services and governance, ensuring that communities experience
tangible peace dividends quickly.
• Community Engagement and Ownership: Gaining widespread community recognition and support by fostering local participation in recovery and peacebuilding efforts,
ensuring a sense of ownership and inclusion.
• Proven Impact and Scalable Model: The implementation of rapid, effective, and scalable interventions, creating a solid foundation for long-term peace and recovery.

Under the direct supervision of Moncef Kartas, Head of the Peace Support Facility, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Create Communication Materials

• The incumbent International UN volunteer will mentor and support the communications National UN volunteer in developing skills and capacities in developing
communication and partnership strategy for the peace Support Facilities, and in developing communication products and knowledge products.
• Write and record high-quality human impact stories from the northern regions of Ethiopia (Amhara, Afar, and Tigray), with a special focus on the Japan's Supplementary
Budget -funded support for
the return of IDPs, particularly focusing on women and children.
• Develop stories on the JSB-funded e-voucher system and its role in the successful reintegration of IDPs, enabling access to essential services such as MHPSS.

livelihood assistance.

• Establish strong communication with local, regional, and federal partners to advance peace Support Facilities activities that align with Japan's Supplementary Budge
priorities.
• Mentor colleagues and regional partners in refining communication skills.
• Use innovative approaches in field reporting, ensuring high-quality storytelling that effectively communicates the peace Support Facilities' positive impact on the
regions and communities.
• Create engaging data visualizations, infographics, interactive storytelling formats, and animations to amplify project outcomes.
• Record high-quality videos and photos to reflect the impact of the Peace Support Facility in northern Ethiopia.

Develop Partnership Engagement and Donor Relations:

• Research events, publications and announcements, to track and screen opportunities for possible UNDP’s peace Support Facilities partnership opportunities.
• Monitor and evaluate humanitarian and development trends and needs to identify are-as of collaboration for the peace Support Facilities.
• Identify, design, formulate and negotiate new projects and programs and draft concept notes and project document briefs for discussions with partners.
• Create, in coordination with the National UN volunteer Communication Officer, content for communications and outreach materials to be shared with both international
development partners and national government partners.
• Work closely with the Humanitarian Development Peace (HDP) Nexus National UN volunteer to map key UN agencies that perform similar activities to the Peace
Support Facility and international development partners, whom priorities align with the Peace Support Facility.
• Ensure the alignment of the Japanese development cooperation objectives with the Peace Support Facility.
• Develop and maintain close contacts with government officials, donors, civil society organizations.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UN volunteer and external publications and take active part in UN
volunteer activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• 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 ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UN volunteer publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• 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 UN volunteer Online
Volunteering service whenever technically possible.