Job Description
Description of assignment title; Academic Coordinator (HREC)
Expected start date; 01/06/2025
Sustainable Development Goal; 4. Quality Education
Volunteer category; National UN Volunteer Expert
Host entity; UNDP
Duration; 12 months (with possibility of extension)
Duty stations; Lahore
Mission and objectives
UNDP works with the Government and people of Pakistan to develop local solutions to development challenges. In an evolving development context, we support Pakistan’s efforts to build a more equitable, prosperous, peaceful and resilient society, and to achieve its SDGs and COP25 targets. UNDP promotes transformational change by fostering strategic partnerships with national counterparts in the federal, provincial and regional governments, civil society, the private sector and the local and international community. UNDP supports transformational change by providing technical assistance focusing on developing capacity within national and local authorities, providing solutions with strong monitoring and evaluation tools, and delivering programmes with maximum efficiency, transparency and accountability. UNDP’s ultimate goal is to improve the lives of the people of Pakistan through keeping people out of poverty; governance for peaceful, just and inclusive societies; crisis prevention and increased resilience; nature-based solutions for development; clean affordable energy; and women's empowerment and gender equality.
Context
UNDP works to improve the lives of vulnerable communities, with the overarching objective of preventing loss of development gains, promoting human rights, and finding sustainable pathways to development. UNDP projects under the democratic governance portfolio aims to strengthen state institutions, support democratic development and the rule of law, ensure crisis prevention, support policy development, and integrate gender equality into all areas of work. UNDP works to support the human rights ecosystem by strengthening human rights institutions to promote and protect human rights for all. This UNV assignment is part of UNDP Pakistan’s Decentralization, Human Rights and Local Governance (DHL) project. The DHL project is a multi-sector project aimed at strengthening rights-based development, community stabilization, gender equality, and social inclusion across all regions and provinces of Pakistan. The core objective of the project is to ensure inclusive and equitable service delivery by providing technical assistance and capacity development support to relevant federal ministries, provincial line departments, statutory bodies, civil society, and private sector organizations. A key aim is to support the creation of an enabling environment for accelerated access to rights, people-centered justice, and people-centered security. The project focuses on institution building while connecting with vulnerable and at-risk communities to build trust between rights. Under the European Union supported Huqooq-e-Pakistan II programme, UNDP-DHL is engaged with institutes of higher education to design curricula and knowledge materials that are predicated on respect for human rights, tolerance and inclusivity. This also entails the facilitation of an exchange of best practices between academic stakeholders in Pakistan and international partners, primarily through the platform of a human rights education centre (HREC) in Lahore. In this regard, UNDP-DHL is collaborating with international universities, academic networks and research centres to provide technical support to local academic partners.
Task description
Facilitate an exchange of best practices between UNDP-DHL and international academic partners • Coordinate with the Global Campus of Human Rights to ensure the integration of their technical inputs into UNDP-DHL’s human rights education initiatives. • Prepare substantive briefs regarding the latest developments in the field of human rights education globally, with a particular emphasis on the European Union. • Provide technical and logistic support to international academic experts to develop a revised human rights curriculum by liaising with the academic task force and partner universities. • Submit regular reports to relevant focal persons at UNDP-DHL and its international partners detailing the integration of international best practices in the curriculum and operations of partner universities. • Provide monitoring support to partner international academic institutions and ensure that the academic task force’s surveying reports align with UNDP-DHL’s quality assurance mechanisms. Support the functioning of the Human Rights Education Centre by ensuring the integration of technical support from international counterparts • Support the EU Human Rights Education Officer to pilot developed modules and courses at the human rights education by monitoring and evaluating learning outcomes. • Support the Human Rights Education Centre’s international advocacy and strategic relationships with international partners, various global academic centres and research organisations. • Facilitate international academic experts to monitor the activities of the centre and to ensure the integration of technical inputs. • Ensure alignment of the centre’s advocacy and knowledge materials with global best practices pertaining to human rights education. • Assist UNDP-DHL and its global partner universities to raise awareness for international academic conferences and student exchanges related to human rights education and research. • Streamline the deployment of the programme’s summer exchange opportunities by assisting universities to nominate students and supporting the centre to implement guidance and orientation materials developed by UNDP-DHL’s international partner universities. Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to human rights education • Assist the human rights education centre and partner universities by ensuring the alignment of organized trainings, workshops, panel discussions, report launches with international best practices, and facilitating the participation of international experts. • Participate in knowledge networks and consultations with international organizations and facilitate the participation of key stakeholders such as academics, human rights defenders and civil society in these networks. • Collaborate with international partners to identify relevant global advocacy events and international days related to youth engagement and human rights education and develop strategic plans for disseminating key messages and developments in Pakistan through these platforms.
Eligibility criteria
Age; 18 - 80
Required experience; 3 years
Nationality; Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.
Assignment requirements
Relevant experience; 1 year
Languages; English, Level: Working knowledge, Required
Required education level; Bachelor degree or equivalent in Law, Social Sciences, Development Studies or relevant field related to human rights; a first-level university degree or equivalent in combination with relevant training and/or professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;
Competencies and values
• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management
Skills and experience; • International level in human rights, law or academia; experience in the promotion of human rights education is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization. • Experience supporting or working with international academic institutions, • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in human rights, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.
Area(s) of expertise; Communication, Development programmes, Education
Living conditions and remarks
As this is a national UNV assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. UNV Field Unit will help you open a Pak rupee bank account with Standard Chartered Bank or any other local bank at your duty station.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
How to Apply: click the below link to apply online for this position and upload current and updated Resume prior to the deadline for this role: https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1784880649908480?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=impactpool