Job: POLICY, LEGISLATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS COORDINATOR, UNDP, Kabul

This information is cross posted from: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=34621

POLICY, LEGISLATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS COORDINATOR

Background
UNDP supports stabilization, state building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens. Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and subnational levels. UNDP has played a key role in the management of the Law and Order Trust Fund, which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the national police force and in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and reconstruction programmes have taken place nationwide. UNDP Programmes in Afghanistan have benefited from the very active support of donors. UNDP Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability and works in close coordination with the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground. Afghanistan’s justice system faces extraordinary challenges. Justice sector infrastructure has often been destroyed or damaged by fighting or decay during the years of conflict; a large number of Afghanistan’s court houses are in need of construction or rehabilitation. Legal professionals are very often the victims of violence by insurgent groups who target them as agents of the state; threatening of justice officials, particularly in the less secure regions of the country is absolutely commonplace, and assassinations are very common. Corruption is a constant concern; judges and other justice system officials are poorly paid, justice system capacity to prosecute corruption is very limited, and corruption is perceived as rampant both within and outside the justice system. The Government of Afghanistan (GoA) and international community are concerned about bolstering the credibility of the “formal” justice system, recognizing that Afghanistan’s traditional justice system plays a major role in resolving conflicts yet does so at times in violation of national and international human rights obligations, particularly the rights of women. Following continuous engagement in supporting Afghanistan’s justice sector since 2002, UNDP Afghanistan’s justice sector support has now entered a new phase. The Justice and Human Rights in Afghanistan (JHRA) Project draws on the lessons learned through two previous UNDP justice projects– Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan (SJSA) and Access to Justice at District Level (AJDL). The JHRA Project continues many activities piloted by these projects, while also adding several new activities identified as key priorities by Government partners. The 1st phase of JHRA Project was implemented from June 2009- 30 June 2012. The project was designed to support the achievement of the priorities and benchmarks on human rights, rule of law and justice as highlighted in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and the Afghanistan Compact. The JHRA project worked to improve access to justice at the national and provincial levels in Afghanistan. Programmatic interventions were undertaken by using human rights based approach that simultaneously strengthened citizens’ capacity to claim their rights and enhanced the capacity of justice delivery system actors to deliver justice in compliance with the rule of law and human rights standards. The Project activities included awareness raising through training justice officials, and raising the human rights awareness of community members including school teachers and students, and the general public and villages throughout districts in Afghanistan. It also engaged with the rehabilitation of district justice facilities providing emergency infrastructure works and basic equipment so facilities can function. At the national level, the project assisted the three national justice institutions including; the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Supreme Court (SCt), and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in strengthening their capacity so as to be able to better contribute to the justice reform process and the realization of human rights in Afghanistan. The new phase of JHRA is expected to be initiated by January 2013. At present, a Project Initiation Phase is being implemented. During this period a comprehensive project document for the second phase (JHRA Phase II) is being developed for implementation under a direct implementation modality. JHRA Phase II will leverage on the work undertaken in Phase I and deepen the interventions at the national level and provincial levels and attempt to work across the justice sector, involving the rule of law service providers. The project will also be introducing a component on legal empowerment for the poor and work on labour deficits and other civil law issues. JHRA Phase II has four project outputs: Output 1: High-level coordination mechanisms for developing policy and legislation in accordance with international and national standards are established and functional in State justice institutions. Output 2: Mechanisms for providing quality access to justice services to vulnerable groups are established and functional. Output 3: Public participation processes and knowledge base for improving access to justice and human rights compliance established. Output 4: Project Support Unit: Internal oversight, monitoring and evaluation capacity in place. The JHRA Phase II project output 1 which includes High-level coordination for developing policy and legislation in accordance with international and national standards will be under the leadership of a Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist, and supported by a Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Coordinator. The Coordinator will be reporting directly to the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist and coordinating closely with the National Project Manager and the Chief Technical Advisor. Note: UNDP Afghanistan reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP Afghanistan at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and education requirements.
Duties and Responsibilities
The work of the Policy, legislations and Human Rights Coordinator will include providing assistance to the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist for management of output 1, technical support to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) especially on substantive issues to the Taqnin (Legislative Drafting Unit), Planning and Policy Department, Human Rights Support Unit and mentoring staff working under different contractual modalities within this project component. Summary of Key Functions: Undertake day to day Project Management of output 1 or as directed by the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist. Lead technical support to the MOJ and JHRA in coordination with the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist. Mentoring and capacity development for output 1 in coordination with the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist. Manage JHRA’s overall programme of assistance to MoJ under project output 1 or as directed by the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist. This will include: Undertake day to day Project Management for output 1 especially coordination of all units within output 1 viz. Human Rights Support Unit, Translation Unit, legislative drafting, strategic planning and policy support to the Policy and Planning department of MoJ, Attorney General’s Office and Cabinet Boards. On a day to day basis supervise; coordinate the Rule of Law Baseline survey with the dedicated team members. Develop workplans, terms of reference (TOR) etc as requested by supervisor. Participate in preparing monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports and organize, corresponding, monthly, quarterly and annual progress reviews; Monitor project progress against annual and quarterly work plans and budgets; Prepare donor briefings and reports in accordance with UNDP reporting requirements and coordinate with Policy, legislations and human rights Specialist, National Project Manager and CTA to enable them to provide regular reporting and mobilize the resources necessary for the support of the component; Support technical aspects in managing calls for bids and for proposals and selection of implementing partners within the UNDP contractual framework for project activity implementation. Design the scope of works and TORs for the bids and call for proposals; Assist in identifying risks and challenges to the establishment and ongoing operations of the Translation Unit, HRSU, working with Planning and Policy Department and working with Cabinet boards. Also provide advice for mitigation strategies; Facilitate the recruitment of, and manage the team of staff who will collaborate in the implementation of component 1; Manage performance of consultants and specialist advisers; Preparation of project implementation activities, selection of implementing partners, (service providers and NGOs); Support by providing necessary documentation and make presentations while mobilizing resources to support the achievement of project outputs and outcomes. Perform other tasks as required. Lead technical support to the MOJ and JHRA in coordination with the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist. On legal drafting, development and analysis of the impact of draft policies, regulations and legislations covering criminal laws, civil laws, legislations which will impact human rights. Provide strategic advice to the senior leadership of MOJ especially Taqnin (Legislative Drafting Unit), Planning and Policy Department, Human Rights Support Unit or any other Department which would seek advice on legal drafting, development of laws and regulations laws and technical issues in legislative drafting. Ensure full national ownership of the HRSU and Translation Unit by working in constant collaboration with the MoJ and other Government partners; Ensure organizational and institutional development programmes for key MoJ functional and administrative units being supported by JHRA; Establish structures and systems for coordination between MOJ and JHRA and between JHRA and other government Ministries and entities; Analyze and research on issues affecting human rights and justice while legislations are in discussion nationally (in the context of international best practices); Advise and supervise preparation of Communication products and services for output 1 in coordination with output 3 which would be working on knowledge management and products; Provide guidance and technical support to the strategic planning processes for MoJ and other justice sector institutions such as Supreme Court, Attorney General’s office, Ministry of Interior etc; Identify opportunities to enhance team-work within the component and across other components, UNDP projects in the Rule of Law Cluster to capitalize on the specific advantages of multi-disciplinary support; Contribute to the production of reports and publications, and serve as peer reviewer. A provincial level newsletter maybe developed on access to justice and justice sector institutions with the support of service providers; Brochures, publications, press releases maybe coordinated with the knowledge management component and communications personnel of UNDP and JHRA. Mentoring and capacity development for output 1 in coordination with the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist. To upgrade the capacity of the staff and systems, particularly national staff involved in drafting legal and procedural regulations and guidelines. Prepare capacity building strategy for staff of UNDP, staff of government contract and Tashkeel staff involved in drafting regulations and reviewing draft legislation; Develop and execute systems for coaching, mentoring and training. Perform other capacity development assignments related to key functions at the direction of the Policy, Legislations and Human Rights Specialist or CTA of JHRA.
Competencies
Prior experience of working in legal reforms and legislative drafting and legal analysis skills. Ability in institution building and mentoring of diverse groups. Working knowledge with the UN human rights machinery and prior experience with UNDP would be an asset. Networking skills to engage with different stakeholders at international and country level Corporate Competencies: Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; Project implementation experience with the UN system a strong asset; Strong organizational and reporting skills; Results oriented, strong team player with outstanding interpersonal and coordination skills; Ability to work independently; Strong managerial competency with experience in results based management and results oriented approach to project implementation; Ability to establish substantive professional relationships with all stakeholders; Familiarity with post-conflict environments. Functional Competencies: Knowledge Management and Learning Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office; Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills. Development and Operational Effectiveness Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change. Management and Leadership Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback; Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills; Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude; Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills; Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors; Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure; Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
Required Skills and Experience
Education: Master degree or Bachelor’s degree in law, human rights, International developments, social sciences, political sciences, management or other relevant fields. Experience: With Master’s degree 5 years and with Bachelor’s degree 7 years of relevant work experience in the area of justice sector reform; Professional experience in project management/implementation in the field would be desirable; Minimum 3 years of experience in working with UN or international agencies and high level government officials. Experience in human rights and/or justice sector work and experience in the Afghan development sector. Proven knowledge and prior experience in legislative drafting. Proven knowledge in institution building and mentoring diverse groups especially senior government functionaries. Knowledge of Shari’a law is essential. Proven research, legal analysis analytical and data collection skills Commitment to gender equality and ethnical diversity; Excellent computer skills, with MS. Office (Word, Excel, Power Point). Prior experience with UN and UNDP especially in working with justice sector or other governance institutions. Language Requirements: Fluency in English, Proficiency in Dari and Pashtu. Interested and qualified national Afghan candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm . Please make sure to submit the following required documents for your application: Completed P.11 Form. The form is available http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm Updated CV and Motivational Letter (Cover Letter) explaining your suitability and interest applying for this job. Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date 01 January 2013 will not be given consideration. Please note that only applications who are short-listed will be contacted. For more detailed information about UNDP Afghanistan please visit our website at www.undp.org.af Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Tags: AND, COORDINATOR, HUMAN, Kabul, LEGISLATIONS, POLICY, RIGHTS, UNDP

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