Job Description
SPECIALIST - PARLIAMENTARY STRENGTHENING -
Location : Tunis, TUNISIA
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required :
Arabic English French
Duration of Initial Contract : 3 Months
Background
On October 23, 2011 the people of Tunisia elected a Constituent Assembly (CA). The CA is currently preparing Tunisia's new constitution and acting as an interim parliament. The CA works in an environment of political sensitivity, uncertainty and rapid change.
The UN has received from the interim government a request for three types of assistance:
1. Constitutional Support: to assist the Constituent Assembly in tasks associated with the preparation of the constitution, with particular emphasis on improving its capacity to reach out to civil society.
2. Constitutional Dialogue: to assist civil society in developing its understanding of the constitution building process and its capacity to engage in constructive constitutional dialogue with the Constituent Assembly and with other stakeholders in the process.
3. Parliamentary Strengthening: to assist the Constituent Assembly in developing essential infrastructure and in developing the capacities of its members and the Secretariat in connection with their legislative, representational and oversight roles.
As part of its planned support, UNDP will set up Support to Constitution Building and National Dialogue in Tunisia, a project to design and deliver assistance in each of these areas. Best practices in constitution building emphasize the importance of community outreach and constructive dialogue as tools to improve mutual understanding between the CA and civil society.
Duties and Responsibilities
Working under the supervision of the Governance advisor, the Specialist will provide :
1. Advice to the Constituent Assembly: Provide to the Constituent Assembly – both its members and its Secretariat, advice on all aspects of building Tunisia's first democratic parliament.
2. Capacity Development: Ensure that the project designs and implements activities that strengthen the capacity of the CA – including both CA members and the Secretariat, in the exercise of its legislative, representative and oversight functions. Ensure that the best practices in parliamentary strengthening are considered in the design and delivery of project activities.
3. Knowledge Building and Sharing : Support the project in the identification of knowledge gaps among project staff, target groups and beneficiaries and design measures to address such gaps; actively support the sharing of project results and products, lessons learned and good practices with other projects, government agencies, donors, etc. and participate in UNDP global knowledge networks.
Main deliverables :
1. Assessment missions of the needs and capacities of the Constituent assembly, including elected members and parliamentary administration, are organized ;
2. Assessment reports are produced and transmitted to the Constituent assembly in a timely manner ;
3. Contacts are taken with foreign parliaments and exchange visits are planned for the members of the Constituent assembly ;
4. Training sessions for both elected members and parliamentary administration are organised within the scheduled timeframe ;
5. A final report is submitted at the end of the mission.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
- Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Functional Competencies:
- Knowledge and expertise in parliamentary strengthening, democratic governance and democratization.
- Knowledge and expertise in supporting parliamentary activities designed to foster inclusive involvement of civil society in the work of parliament. Experience constitutional process is an asset.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships, and good working knowledge of information and computer technology.
- Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.
- Demonstrates strong intellectual and operational capacity in providing and coordinating advisory services to stakeholders
Communications and Networking:
- Has excellent oral communication skills and conflict resolution competency to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors.
- Has excellent written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for the preparation of quality project reports.
- Has experience in parliamentary activities designed to raise public awareness about the work of parliament and to engage civil society.
Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior parliamentarians and secretariat staff.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
· Masters degree in political science, law, public administration institutional/organisational development or related field
Experience:
· A minimum of 5 years working experience in the area of parliamentary strengthening or other relevant democratic governance work. Experience in constitution building is an asset.
· Knowledge and experience from working with countries in transition. Previous work experience in Tunisia or another Arab country is an asset
Language:
· Fluency in French & English. Arabic is an asset.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
No Fee
AJS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND AJS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.
SOME EMPLOYERS MAY ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF YOUR APPLICATION.
