Digital Policy and Planning Specialist

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Natural and Social and Human Sciences, Culture and Communication and Information.

Political and economic arrangements of governments are not enough to secure the lasting and sincere support of the peoples. Peace must be founded upon dialogue and mutual understanding. Peace must be built upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity.

In this spirit, UNESCO develops educational tools to help people live as global citizens free of hate and intolerance. UNESCO works so that each child and citizen has access to quality education. By promoting cultural heritage and the equal dignity of all cultures, UNESCO strengthens bonds among nations. UNESCO fosters scientific programmes and policies as platforms for development and cooperation. UNESCO stands up for freedom of expression, as a fundamental right and a key condition for democracy and development. Serving as a laboratory of ideas, UNESCO helps countries adopt international standards and manages programmes that foster the free flow of ideas and knowledge sharing.

UNESCO's founding vision was born in response to a world war that was marked by racist and anti-Semitic violence. Seventy years on and many liberation struggles later, UNESCO’s mandate is as relevant as ever. Cultural diversity is under attack and new forms of intolerance, rejection of scientific facts and threats to freedom of expression challenge peace and human rights. In response, UNESCO's duty remains to reaffirm the humanist missions of education, science and culture.

The incumbent would support UNESCO's work in the Communication and Information Sector in close coordination with the education and culture sectors supporting implementation of the UN Joint Programmes and UNESCO projects pertaining to the work of the Communication and Information sector. The role will not be limited to this UN Joint Programmes and projects. Rather, while prioritizing the communication and information sector related tasks under the UN Joint Programmes and and UNESCO projects, the incumbent will support UNESCO work in promoting access to information, digital inclusion and multilingualism on the Internet and building pluralistic, equitable, open and inclusive knowledge societies across the Pacific SIDS Member States of UNESCO with emphasis on the ten countries - Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands (Republic of), Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The incumbent will coordinate this work with UNESCO's teams that is promoting universal access to education as a fundamental human right and a key to foster knowledge societies, sustainable development and maintain peace within and among nations and ROAM principles. This assignment will provide the incumbent with opportunities to use their expertise in digital policy and planning to support the creation of knowledge societies is important for sustainable human development. Knowledge Societies are built on the pillars of inclusion, openness, diversity and pluralism. They promote access to information and knowledge by leveraging ICTs with the goal of improving access to education, scientific knowledge & innovation and empower local and marginalized communities. Through universal knowledge societies, UNESCO promotes an environment where individuals develop abilities not only to access information but also to transform it into relevant knowledge.

Under the direct supervision of the CI Specialist in the Regional Bureau, and in close consultation with the Education Specialist and other heads of units, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

(1) Prepare a personal annual work plan based on the above and in line with the requirements of the UN Joint Programmes as well as other areas of the office's work.

(2) Review best regional and international practices in rights-based digital governance transformation strategies and policies and prepare comparative analytical reports for the ten countries.

(3) Conduct surveys and assessments, in person and virtually, using participatory and multistakeholder approaches for the above purposes and to create a baseline of national needs, and existing policies, legislation and strategies promoting rights-based digital transformation and gaps therein.

(4) Conduct workshops and seminars, in person and virtually, on the needed digital government transformation based on best practices, and national needs and gaps analysis for the development of policies, legislations, and normative frameworks for digital transformation, and capacity building of key stakeholders from public and private sectors, academia and civil society.

(5) Support and advice the national stakeholders, in person in Fiji and virtually in other countries, the development of policies, legislations, and normative frameworks for digital transformation, including data protection and privacy and for the agriculture, culture and creative industries, and education sectors, based on ROAM and human rights principles.

(6) Support organizing of other meetings and seminars for the purposes of the Communication and Information sector.

(7) Ensure gender equality and integration of youth in all areas of work in the work.

(8) At least, two months before the end of the assignment, provide a case study per country to indicate the change process / progress.

(9) Provide a final report of the outcome of the efforts to apply the Internet Universality ROAM Indicators framework in the South Pacific and North Pacific SIDS and lessons that may be drawn from the effort, ensuring gender and youth considerations are duly integrated.

(10) Contribute to the coordination meetings of the UN Joint Programmes, reporting to the Joint SDG Fund, and prepare internal technical reports and updates.

(11) Contribute to team-building and internal coordination and collaboration processes, including intersectoral programming processes and capacity building.

(12) Undertake any other task as assigned by the Director of Office.