UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Federal Government of Somalia, with the support of UNESCO and UNICEF and funding from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), will implement the project Building peace through religious education in Somalia. The aim is to support government efforts to enhance social cohesion and resilience amongst Somalis by integrating foundational, peace-centered pedagogy, safeguarding, and inclusive teaching practices into early childhood Quranic education.
To achieve this, the project will focus on three main results: (1) facilitating coordinated government leadership on improving and standardizing early childhood Islamic education across formal and informal schools, (2) integrating peacebuilding pedagogy and safeguarding standards into religious instruction and child learning spaces in target schools in Jubaland and Banadir; and (3) sensitizing parents, community members and community leaders to their role in supporting peacebuilding through early childhood Quranic education.
The project will help girls and boys in Quranic schools develop relevant knowledge, skills and values that enable their inclusion, flourishing and social and economic empowerment in the society, in safe and secure learning environments.
The position will be based in Mogadishu, Somalia, and will operate within the organizational framework of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (Nairobi, Kenya).
MAIN TASKS AND SERVICES
Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (UNESCO Nairobi), the functional authority of the Chief of Education Sector of the Regional Office, and the direct supervision of the Project Manager in Mogadishu, the National Project Officer will be based in Mogadishu and supervise the day-to-day implementation of the project in Somalia on behalf of UNESCO, in cooperation with the Project Manager who will provide the project leadership, as well as the members of the joint project team consisting of education and other specialists from UNICEF. Specific responsibilities include:
- Ensuring the management and quality of the project from UNESCO’s side in line with the project specific objectives, activities, and expected outputs, in cooperation with the Project Manager.
- Supporting the Project Manager in the overall management of the project.
- Regularly monitoring and supporting the updating of the project workplan as necessary.
- Planning and organizing the procurement of goods and services to be carried out by UNESCO and closely monitoring their implementation.
- Identifying suitable project implementation partners and providers of goods and services.
- Monitoring the implementation of contracts, assessing the quality of services provided, and requesting disbursement of funds.
- In coordination with the Project Manager and team, liaising with other development partners, donors, and stakeholders in Somalia to ensure coordination, harmonization, and alignment of the project with other relevant initiatives and interventions in the country.
- Ensuring the monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and reporting on project activities:
- Regularly monitoring the financial status of the project for UNESCO’s side and promptly developing a budget revision if needed.
- Overseeing monitoring and evaluation efforts and reporting on progress.
- Supporting the Project Manager in regularly preparing, conducting, and following up on meetings with government and stakeholders, preparing their minutes and action plans with a clear division of responsibility and timeframe.
- Preparing reports on project activities for UNESCO, the donor, and partners.
- Contributing to the dissemination of the project’s results and knowledge products through various channels, such as workshops, webinars, and publications, and ensuring that the information is accessible and usable by project stakeholders.
- Providing policy advice and technical assistance to project stakeholders in Somalia on the project implementation, evidence generation, framework development, piloting and operationalization, and monitoring and evaluation in line with the government policies as well as the Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG4-Education 2030) and 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Somalia.
- Mobilizing UNESCO’s entities, including UNESCO Headquarters, UNESCO Nairobi, UNESCO Institutes, and others in support of ensuring expertise and successful project implementation.
- Facilitating the sharing of international experiences and access to information, knowledge and good practices.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The National Project Officer is expected to supervise the day-to-day implementation of the project in Somalia and to ensure that the project outcome and outputs will be achieved according to the project document, in cooperation with the Project Manager.
DURATION OF THE CONTRACT
Initial appointment: 6 months, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and availability of the project fund
COMPETENCIES – Core (C) & Managerial (M)
- Communication (C)
- Accountability (C)
- Innovation (C)
- Knowlegde sharing and continuous improvement (C)
- Planning and organizing (C)
- Results focus (C)
- Teamwork (C)
For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
