Social Cohesion Advisor to Ministry of Youth and Sports

Location: Kyiv, UKRAINE

Application Deadline:22-Oct-20 

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

Post Level: National Consultant

 Duration of Initial Contract: Up to 60 working days between 30 October 2020 and 31 January 2020, with possible extension

Apply here: https://bit.ly/379NSH6

Duties and Responsibilities:

The incumbent will provide advice to the Ministry of Youth and Sports on identifying opportunities to support policy development on the YPS agenda in the country, as well as consolidate existing social cohesion and youth peacebuilding initiatives and ensure alignment with global UN and UNDP strategies and initiatives promoting and supporting young people’s positive role in sustainable development and peace.

The incumbent will report primarily to the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, with a reporting line to the UNDP Ukraine and the Civil Society Project Coordinator. The Advisor will work closely with the other members of UNDP and Ministry teams as well as leadership and staff of All-Ukrainian Youth Centre.

They will provide support to the Ministry of Youth and Sport through the following functions:

• Provide technical expertise to designing the thematic programme interventions, project implementation and coordinate efforts on the overall promotion of social cohesion, the national unity, confidence building and a culture of dialogue from a youth-focused, rights-based approach;
• Lead efforts in supporting the emergence of an enabling environment for peace and national and local youth-inclusive and youth-led platforms that would advance the national unity agenda based on accountable authorities, tolerance and non-discrimination while promoting greater dialogue at all levels;
• Ensure local dialogue and trust-building within communities, with a special focus on youth civic engagement and meaningful participation in governance and decision-making, and between them and the authorities through local democracy tools;
• Develop capacities of citizens’ groups, civil society organisations, youth organisations, movements and networks to effectively initiate, plan and implement human rights-based and conflict sensitive strategies, projects and initiatives in relation to confidence building and social cohesion;
• Develop civic activism among young people and support their social, cultural and volunteer activities based on priorities identified together with youth and other stakeholders;
• Build close relationship with the authorities at national and subnational levels to implement conflict-sensitive communication strategies and public awareness approaches as well as explore the establishment and implementation of youth, peace and security roadmaps and/or national action plan;
• Ensure conflict sensitivity and the principles of Do No Harm in the intersections between youth engagement interventions and the local dynamics, and lead the design and delivery of activities in ways that do not exacerbate division and conflict, but instead mitigate these and enable and strengthen peace and social cohesion;
• Ensure inclusion of gender-specific activities and mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in social cohesion and youth engagement, promote a safe and enabling environment free of any kind of discrimination and abusive behavior, and use gender-responsive communications principles in line with the UNDP corporate standards;
• Advice Ministry of Youth and Sports and contribute to the implementation of the State Target Social Programme “Youth of Ukraine 2025” once approved and other guiding policy documents;
• Liaise with the AUYC, subnational youth centers, regional structural units of the subnational authorities on youth and sports to ensure smooth social cohesion programme implementation;
• Support Ministry of Youth and Sports and AUYC in developing strategic partnership and developing vision for the future cooperation and identify opportunities to support policy development on the YPS agenda in the country, as well as consolidate existing social cohesion and youth peacebuilding initiatives;
• Support Ministry of Youth and Sports coordination efforts with Parliamentary Committee on youth and sports in the key areas of youth policy development with a focus on youth participation and social cohesion.