The United Nations Resident Coordinator is the highest-ranking UN representative in country and leads the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Ghana, coordinating the UN System support to the Government of Ghana (GoG) and peoples of Ghana in achieving their development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. Towards achieving this, the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) supports and maximizes, in a coordinated fashion, the work of the UNCT to enable the UN Development System (UNDS) provide a collective, joined-up, coherent, timely and country-driven integrated response to support Ghana meet its national priorities, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international commitments. The RC system convenes stakeholders and connects knowledge across sectors and pillars to facilitate solutions that advance the 2030 agenda and facilitate the achievement the SDGs, providing visibility and synergies from the collective assets and capacities of the UN development system. These coordination investments enable the UNDS to offer an integrated approach and a joined-up response to the development needs through policy support and strategic interventions that are catalytic and aligned to Ghana’s vision, increasing efficiencies and leveraging economies of scale wherever possible.

Context

The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office supports the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team (UNCT) to ensure the strategic, coherent and efficient functioning of the UN System in Ghana under the UN Delivering as One (DaO) approach. The Resident Coordinator System is the main mechanism to coordinate the UN system’s operational activities for development. The incumbent will support the Programme department to undertake the outlined key tasks. The Programme Support Specialist will serve as part of the team that directly supports the UN Resident Coordinator (RC). The main function of UN Coordination is to support the UN Country Team (UNCT) to function as a coherent UN system in Ghana that is well positioned and uses its comparative advantages and distinct role to effectively support key national development priorities. The UNCT is composed of 15 resident and 9 non-resident UN agencies. The UN Country Team meets on a monthly basis to review UNCT progress on the UN Delivering as One effort, discuss and decide on strategic and substantive issues in conformity with the delivering as one guideline. With a strong focus on strengthening UN delivery through a well-coordinated RC system, the UNCT seeks to engage a UN Volunteer, who will work in close collaboration with the RCO colleagues to provide the needed programmatic support.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning and RCO Team Leader, and in close collaboration with the RCO Team, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: – Supports the UNRC and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in integrating the Leaving No One Behind five factor framework, gender equality and human rights into their programmes and activities, in particular the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and other key strategic planning tools, including by building UNCT capacities to apply a human rights-based approach to their programmes and activities, conducting situational assessments and a mapping of UNCT capacities and needs, facilitating country level coordination and acting as a re-source person in programme activities implemented by the UNCT; – Advises the UNRC and the UNCT in developing strategies and programmes to build and strengthen national capacities and institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, gender equality, and leaving no one behind based on assessment of national context, capacities and priorities and facilitate access to specific human rights expertise, including by drawing from human rights resources and tools available; – Supports the UNRC and the UNCT in promoting LNOB, human rights and gender equality as common UN values and core programming principles- upholding international norms and standards through advocacy and awareness-raising; – Supports the TA for the UN’s LNOB Inter-Agency Working Group to ensure information sharing information, organizing meetings, working with the Chair to draft agendas, take minutes, request and share inputs, including periodic reports from and with the members of the LNOB Group as well as UNCT/Results Groups/Mission as required. – Support the UN in Ghana’s Results and Inter-Agency Working Groups with LNOB and Gender Equality, Disability, Youth, and Human Rights markers and coding in UN IN-FO, responding to the annual IMS normative survey and reflecting LNOB, HRBA and GEWE in UN proposals, concepts notes and reports (including the UNCT annual results report). – Where applicable, supports on integrating human rights, gender equality and LNOB in humanitarian response and post crisis recovery under the direction of the RC/Humanitarian Coordinator, should a humanitarian emergency be declared in Ghana; – Supports the UNRC and UNCT and national partners (incl. National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow up) in their engagement with international human rights mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, as well as those under relevant international instruments of specialized agencies, including by supporting the dissemination and sharing of information, coordinating or facilitating the UNCT’s contributions and programmatic follow up to the recommendations of these bodies, and helping the UNCT to provide timely and effective support to relevant country missions of Special Procedures mandate holders and other UN mechanisms; – Supports the crafting of advocacy and communications materials as they relate to this. – Upon request, and under the direct supervision and guidance of the RCO Team Leader, provides assistance to the Government and other national stakeholders with a view to further catalyzing coordinated UN responses in order to strengthen national capacity for the promotion and protection of human rights, including follow up to recommendations from the human rights mechanisms. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.