Country: Guinea-Bissau
Closing date: 29 Nov 2015
The divisions within the political leadership of Guinea-Bissau are an important source of instability and paralysis in Guinea-Bissau. Good offices of the UN Secretary-General as well as other track 1 and track 2 efforts are essential in bringing this about. More broadly, it is critically important to enable Guinea-Bissau to develop the institutionalized mechanisms for constructive dialogue, peaceful conflict resolution and consensus building, as articulated in the Peacebuilding Priority Plan (PPP). In this connection, and following the elections in 2014, the National Assembly (ANP) appointed a new Organising Commission to re-launch the parliamentary national conference “Road to peace and development” subtitled “Causes, consequences and resolution of conflicts in Guinea-Bissau”, which had been initiated in 2010**[1]***. The new organising Commission was sworn-in on 18 May 2015. It is composed of 35 members (male female ratio 8:1) and includes representatives of all parliamentary political parties, the representatives of sovereign organs of the state, ministries of defence and interior, civil society organisations and National Assembly staff, who are part of the Commission’s technical support. The new chairperson and the vice chairs are drawn from the religious community of Guinea-Bissau.*
The Organizing Commission has defined a roadmap for the organisation of the National Conference which identifies the following activities: the development of a two-pronged communications strategy to mobilize support to and engagement in the national dialogue process of with the sovereignty organs and public opinion, the capitalization of previous work by the previous Commission and other relevant dialogue initiatives in a consolidated report that will then be taken through a validation process through grass-roots consultations and once finalized presented to the National Conference.
The Scope of the Consultancy
The UN intends to support the National Dialogue process in Guinea-Bissau through two objectives which are interlinked and mutually reinforcing:
a) Support the inclusive national dialogue process through assistance to the Organising Commission for National Dialogue;
b) Reinforce good offices efforts to address institutional conflict;
UNIOGBIS is seeking to engage a consultant to develop a concrete project proposal which details activities and outputs under these two objectives, as per the Peacebuilding Fund project proposal outline.
The specific objectives of the consultancy will be as follow:
· Consult with the UN system in the field and at headquarters on the specificities of the PBF project on National Dialogue;
· Consult and work closely with the Organizing Commission for National Dialogue to develop the specificities of the PBF project on National Dialogue. This will include an aspect of technical assistance, namely in process design;
· On the basis of consultations, draft a proposed set of activities, their sequencing over a timeline, and related inputs/outputsm factoring in applicable PBSO guidelines and templates.
Outputs
Finished proposed set of activities, timeline for their implementation and related inputs and outputs which will receive UN support to a nationwide national dialogue process in Guinea-Bissau
Other
The international consultant will work closely with the UN system in Guinea-Bissau and under the direct supervision and guidance of the Political Affairs Section of UNIOGBIS.
Qualifications
University degree in political science, development science, or combination of professional training, certification and experience in advisory skills.
Work experience
A minimum of 15 years of field experience in conflict analysis, national dialogue process design, mediation and facilitation at senior level.
Experience of, and profound knowledge on Guinea-Bissau historical and political intricacies and current political situation;
The candidate must have good communication skills;
Languages
Fluency in oral and written English and Portuguese. Spoken creole a distinct advantage.
Other skills
Good oral and written communication skills; computer skills; team work. Experience within the UN system would be advantage.
How to apply:
please email with attachment of CV, references and credentials to ayyash@un.org and copy reksten@un.org