job Description
Background and Organizational Context:
Violent conflict has surged in recent years, and in 2016, more countries experienced violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years. While the complex relationship between conflict, security and development is increasingly understood, international assistance and investment in conflict prevention have remained relatively low. At the same time, approaches to preventing conflict have been refined considerably, as policy and practice on peacebuilding have evolved and the UN, its Member States and other partners are increasingly looking to prevention as a critical strategy for sustaining peace and nurturing development. Conflict prevention is increasingly recognized as a rational and cost-effective strategy for countries at risk of violence and for the international community.
The joint UNDP-DPPA programme on building national capacities for conflict prevention has made a ground-breaking contribution in bridging the gap between political engagement and development assistance in pursuit of preventing conflict and sustaining peace. In its new phase (2019-2023), the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme will further strengthen the analytical capacities of national stakeholders and the UN system in support of Member States’ efforts to advance policy and programmatic coherence on conflict prevention and support strategies for sustaining peace.
The deployment of Peace and Development Advisors has been the primary instrument of the Joint Programme to provide capacity for Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams to support national partners in dialogue and national or local mediation processes, the establishment and operationalization of national infrastructures, and mechanisms for peace; and other initiatives aimed at sustaining peace.
To ensure that PDAs are better equipped and empowered to deliver on their mandates, the Joint Programme has established in a number of contexts small ‘Peace and Development teams’ where a national Peace and Development Officer provides reinforced capacity to the PDA’s engagement in support of the RCOs (Resident Coordinators Office) and UNCTs (UN Country Teams) in the area of conflict prevention and sustaining peace. There current cadre includes 133 Peace and Development Advisors deployed globally, including 45 national positions.
In some contexts, Peace and Development Officers are deployed in contexts where an international PDA is not present.
Over the past two decades, Uganda has made significant political and economic progress, reversing the economic and political turmoil that engulfed the country during the first two and a half decades of independence. The brutal civil war in Northern Uganda waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) for almost 20 years ended in 2005 and there is now overall normalcy in the region, albeit with high levels of poverty.
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in Africa. However, youth unemployment rates remain high and could pose a challenge if not carefully managed. Uganda stepped up its security following several terrorist attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in 2021 and suspected attacks in 2023. These attacks led to the deployment of Ugandan troops into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support counter-insurgency efforts against the ADF in eastern DRC. There has been increasing humanitarian needs emanating from natural disasters in the country. In addition, an influx of refugees into the country poses its own humanitarian challenges amongst refugee populations.
With the signing of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2021–2025), guiding the collective engagement and contribution of the UN Development System (UNDS) in Uganda, the UN Country Team would like to further leverage its collective voice on peace and sustainable development, as well as enhance its strong partnership with the Government on the Agenda 2030.
Position Purpose
The Peace and Development Officer works under the direct supervision and guidance of the PDA, to provide substantive support in three main areas of activity, including:
-Assist on research, information-gathering and analysis with specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention;
-Identify entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, including women’s and youth networks;
-Provide technical support for coordination, partnerships and M&E of peacebuilding programming.
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