Social Stability Officer

1.      Project Description 

The impact of the Syria crisis on Lebanon is reaching a scale unprecedented in the history of complex, refugee-driven emergencies. The crisis is not only challenging the country’s existing social and economic infrastructure, it also brings to Lebanon a new set of disparities, cleavages and tensions that threaten to undermine Lebanon’s delicate social and political stability.

With the escalation of the crisis, Lebanese, refugees and migrants are increasingly living in poverty, accumulating debt and making tough choices to reduce costs, with negative consequences for quality of shelter, access to health, clean water and education opportunities. Forced displacement has impacted on access to services, led people to live in the street or in over-crowded shelters were the diseases outbreaks and protection risks are high. Areas affected by strikes have lost infrastructures with people in hard to reach areas, surviving only due to the humanitarian aid while in areas impacted by displacement, municipalities and local authorities are struggling to ensure services to the displaced and the populations living the area before the crisis. Furthermore, areas with the highest concentration of people in displacement are among the poorest and most underserved regions of Lebanon (the Noth and Akkar) or densely populated like Mount Lebanon. Even before the crisis, social services, infrastructure and livelihood opportunities were inadequate. Now, the results of the conflict are putting enormous pressure on water, sanitation, education and health care systems, with critical consequences for Lebanon’s natural and environmental resources. 

Furthermore, this dynamic is unfolding within the context of a socio-economic crisis in Lebanon where on 17 October 2019, nation-wide protests erupted throughout the country, coinciding with a major economic and financial crisis. The unfolding crisis presents new challenges which are resulting in further difficulties for both Lebanese and Syrian refugees in terms of livelihoods, food security, and health care (including mental health). The number of vulnerable families has severely increased and the situation for those already living in poverty will worsen. The unpredictability and fluidity of the situation is affecting the crisis response.

Reflecting the protracted nature of the crisis and its profound impact on Lebanon, the response to the crisis moved in 2023 towards a two-year integrated humanitarian-stabilization response, the Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) 2024-2025 which remains the main overarching framework to address the needs of the country and whose Flash Appeal, launched on the 1^st October 2024 is an integral part. The main objectives of the LRP are to: (1) Ensure protection of vulnerable populations, (2) Provide immediate assistance to vulnerable population, (3) Support service provision through national systems, and (4) Reinforce Lebanon's economic, social and environmental stability by investing in Lebanese institutions, services and systems in a manner that helps maintain Lebanon's stability throughout the crisis. UNDP’s role has evolved in parallel, with UNHCR leading on the refugee dimension of the response, UNDP leads on stabilization, under the overall leadership of the Government of Lebanon. In addition to this overall leadership role, UNDP is also leading three of the ten sectors and two clusters of the response, the social stability and livelihoods sectors, while UNDP programmes are providing crucial contribution to Lebanon’s stability by supporting host communities in the areas of livelihoods, basic infrastructure and environmental and social stability.

2.      Scope of Work 

• Coordinate the Social Stability Sector by chairing working group meetings, ensuring agency representation, and liaising with partners, donors, and government institutions.
• Provide close guidance and support to Social Stability working groups at field level and ensure priorities linked to the emergency are identified and addressed.
• Ensure sector strategy (including objectives and log frame) are in line with the strategic objectives of the Lebanon Response Plan and include both the humanitarian and stabilization components to address the current escalation in the short and medium-term.
• Lead Solid Waste Management efforts through mapping, coordination, and implementation under the SWM Task Force, addressing challenges from displacement pressures.
• Conduct regular reporting and programmatic and funding gap analyses related to the LRP. 
• Support LMAC and the Mine Action Sub-Group’s meetings and activities.
• Develop and harmonize monitoring, evaluation, and impact tracking for sector interventions.
• Draft reports, guidance, and correspondence for meetings and workshops.
• Participate with the sector in national inter-agency and inter-sector meetings.
• Support donor engagement on funding/resource needs for the sector.
• Contribute to inter-agency updates.

• Responsible for mapping and developing a good understanding and knowledge of what other actors are doing in the sphere of social stability. 
• Understand the responsibilities of the different Line Ministries with regards to social stability and advise and establish key partnerships, accordingly, ensuring a Government-led response for the crisis through the involvement of MoSA and MoIM;
• Responsible for developing partnerships with other UN Agencies, particularly UNHCR, and for developing new partnerships with partners for UNDP and for the sector and support partners to carry out advocacy and regularly flag key challenges and issues that requires coordination.
• Responsible for advising UNDP management on new partnerships in the area of Social Stability. 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

3.      Institutional Arrangement

The Social Stability Officer will work in the Strategic Planning & Policy unit of UNDP. The Unit is based in the UNDP Lebanon Country Office in Beirut. The Social Stability Officer will work under the overall guidance and direct supervision of Senior Inter-Agency Coordinator at the Country Office in Beirut. 

4. Competencies

6.       The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.