Job Description & Skills/Qualifications Required
Details
Mission and objectives
The UN Development Programme is the lead UN agency fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in more than 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. In the Pacific, UNDP provides regional and country support to ten countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) and regional support to five countries (Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tokelau), together with a total population of 2.4 million. UNDP is guided by a Sub-regional Programme Document for the Pacific Island Countries and Territories 2018-2022, which in turn contributes to the achievement of an overarching UN system-wide Pacific Strategy. The Programme is shaped to assist countries to advance the global 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda tailored to each country's priorities, through focus on data, policy prioritization, participatory planning, and budgeting and monitoring - and with accelerated action to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP seeks to target the most vulnerable i.e. people experiencing hardship, the marginalized living in remote rural areas, those who are vulnerable to climate and disaster risks, as well as women and youth excluded from socio-political and economic participation. UNDP adheres to an inclusive, pro-poor and human rights-based approaches that leverage cross-practice, multi-disciplinary expertise of UNDP.
Context
The Vaka Pasifika project supports Pacific Island countries in strengthening public financial management (PFM), accountability, transparency and the effective use of public resources to contribute to more inclusive and sustainable development outcomes. As part of its engagement with Pacific stakeholders, the project seeks to strengthen awareness and understanding of PFM issues by documenting practical experiences, lessons and examples from across the region. Effective communication and storytelling can help translate complex PFM concepts into accessible and relatable narratives, demonstrating how public finance decisions, accountability mechanisms and the management of public resources can affect communities, public services and people’s everyday lives. Human-interest stories can also help bring Pacific perspectives and experiences into wider regional discussions on PFM and development. Against this background, the PFM Communications and Storytelling Associate will support the Vaka Pasifika project team in researching, identifying and developing a collection of PFM-related human-interest stories for publication. The assignment will involve desk research, stakeholder engagement, interviews, information gathering, fact-checking and drafting of accessible stories that connect technical PFM issues with practical experiences and development outcomes. Working under the guidance of the Vaka Pasifika project team, the UN Volunteer will contribute to the identification of relevant story themes and sources, support the coordination of interviews and research, and assist in developing and refining stories for the intended audience. The assignment will provide an opportunity to strengthen communication around PFM issues while highlighting Pacific experiences, perspectives and practical examples.
Task description
Under the overall guidance of the Vaka Pasifika project team, the Associate will support communication and storytelling activities aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of public financial management (PFM) issues and their relevance to people, communities and public service delivery in the Pacific. The Associate will: • Support research and identification of relevant PFM themes, issues, initiatives and country experiences that can be developed into accessible human-interest stories. • Review existing Vaka Pasifika communication materials and previous journalist engagements to identify relevant lessons, story opportunities and potential sources. • Support the development and implementation of a workplan for researching and producing PFM-related stories. • Conduct desk research and gather relevant background information, data, evidence and other materials to inform story development. • Identify and support engagement with relevant stakeholders, including government representatives, oversight institutions, civil society organisations, communities, development partners and other appropriate sources. • Support the planning and coordination of interviews and consultations with identified stakeholders and document relevant perspectives, experiences and examples. • Assist in translating technical PFM concepts and information into clear, engaging and accessible narratives for non-technical audiences. • Draft human-interest stories, case studies and related communication content based on research, interviews and verified information. • Support fact-checking and verification of key information, data and quotations used in communication products. • Work closely with the Vaka Pasifika project team to refine story angles, structure, messaging and presentation. • Incorporate feedback from the project team and support revisions through the UNDP review and clearance process. • Contribute to the compilation and preparation of approved stories and supporting content for publication and dissemination. • Support other communication, research and knowledge-sharing activities related to PFM and the objectives of the Vaka Pasifika project, as required.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 - 80
Required experience
1 month
Nationality
There are no nationality requirements for remote assignments. Successful candidates will need to provide proof of citizenship, residency and/or right to work in their remote work location. In the case of refugees, candidates need to provide proof of their protected status in the country. Proof of address will also be required.
Assignment requirements
Relevant experience
5 months
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Desirable
Required education level
Secondary education
Competencies and values
• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management
Skills and experience
• Demonstrated ability to research, gather and organise information from multiple sources and translate it into clear and accessible content. • Experience conducting interviews, consultations or stakeholder engagement and capturing relevant perspectives and human-interest stories. • Good writing and editing skills, with the ability to develop clear, concise and engaging stories for non-technical audiences. • Ability to undertake basic fact-checking, information verification and desk research and to present information accurately. • Familiarity with developing communication products such as articles, human-interest stories, case studies, profiles, web content or social media content. • Good interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage respectfully with a diverse range of stakeholders. • Ability to work collaboratively with project teams and incorporate feedback into written products. • Good organisational skills and ability to manage multiple research, interview and writing tasks within agreed timelines. • Basic knowledge of public financial management, governance, accountability, development issues or Pacific regional priorities would be an advantage. • Experience working with Pacific Island communities, government institutions, development partners or regional organisations would be an advantage. • Familiarity with basic digital communication tools and platforms, including Microsoft Office and online research and communication tools.
Area(s) of expertise
Communication, advocacy, public information
Driving license
-
Other information
Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.
Living conditions and remarks
As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of allowances for UN Volunteers is to enable them to sustain a modest and secure standard of living at the duty station. The allowances are in no way to be understood as a compensation, reward or salary in exchange for the volunteer work.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy
Scam warning
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Job Functions
Industry
UNDP strives to support the Pacific by coordinating United Nations activities at country level and through direct policy advice in the following areas: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) acceleration, resilience and sustainable development, inclusive growth, and poverty reduction; effective governance; gender equality; and environmental management, climate change and disaster risk management.
In the Pacific, UNDP has an office in Fiji (including an office in the Solomon Islands), Samoa and Papua New Guinea. The UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji covers 10 countries including: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands (sub-office), Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu; the Samoa Office covers the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau, and Papua New Guinea has its own office. Through the Joint Presence initiative, UNDP has a presence in Kiribati, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.