Result of Service

Under the supervision of the Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention Officer in charge of coordinating the regional platforms in Africa in close collaboration with other substantive officers assigned to these activities, the individual contractor will:

a) Assist in organizing and delivering technical assistance and capacity building materials in thematic areas of the three regional platforms existing in Africa (Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa and the Sahel), with a particular emphasis on issues related to whistle-blower protection and the thematic of gender dimensions of corruption;
b) Support in carrying out technical assistance to Ghana and Sierra Leone on Corruption Risk Management processes in the public sector;
c) Assist in providing support to the SADC Member States to implement the SADC anti-corruption Roadmap adopted in June 2023 in Angola, including regarding issues pertaining to whistle-blower protection that has been identified as a cross cutting thematic area and a necessary element to implement the roadmap.

Work Location

Home-based with missions to Nairobi, Sierra Leone and Cote D’Ivoire

Expected duration

01/08 – 31/12/2023

Duties and Responsibilities

Background of the assignment:

The Corruption and Economic Crime Branch (CEB) of UNODC has established a leading global position in delivering support to countries to prevent and combat corruption. It is the guardian of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and it manages the UNODC Global Programme to Prevent and Combat Corruption through Effective Implementation of UNCAC in Support of Sustainable Development Goal 16.

The far-reaching scope of UNCAC and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive, national response to a global problem. Through the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of UNCAC (the Mechanism), States self-identify gaps in the implementation of the Convention and, as part of the peer review process, are recommended to take specific steps to address these gaps in the four substantive areas of prevention, criminalization, international cooperation and asset recovery. While corruption exists in every country, developing countries and countries with economies in transition often require assistance in developing effective mechanisms to prevent and combat corruption.
With objective to strengthen the anti-corruption technical assistance delivery on the field, UNODC is establishing Regional Anti-Corruption Hubs. Those Hubs backstop and strengthen anti-corruption technical assistance in countries of the regions where they are established in a more agile manner. They also serve as repositories of regional expertise, good practices, and lessons learned in UNCAC implementation. After the successful creation of a Regional Anti-Corruption Hub in Mexico for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNODC is now creating a Regional Anti-Corruption Hub in Kenya for Africa.

The Hub is, among other, encompassing the existing regional anti-corruption platforms. Against this background and under the UNODC programme entitled “fast-tracking UNCAC Implementation”, UNODC has created seven regional platforms across the world those objective is to fast-track effective implementation of the Convention by leveraging regional capacities and knowledge to identify achievable and practical reform priorities, by assisting countries and development partners to fast-track identified UNCAC implementation priorities, and by carrying out activities that serve to achieve tangible results in advancing countries’ efforts to implement UNCAC.

Among the seven platforms, three exist in Africa and are coordinated through the regional hub. The three platforms have identified some common and similar priorities for which workstreams are being connected.

The purpose of this assignment is therefore to provide backstop to the Regional Anti-Corruption Hub in advancing the workstreams on the common thematic areas of the three regional platforms existing in Africa, provide support to advance the work initiated in the most recent platform created in West Africa and the Sahel region, including with a particular emphasis on the gender dimensions of corruption and to provide support to the anti-corruption team for delivering technical assistance in other African countries covered by the Hub.

Qualifications/special skills

• High school diploma is required.
• A minimum of one (1) year of professional experience in law, rule of law or similar area is required.
• Experience in providing legal and technical advisory services on matters related to anti-corruption is required;
• Experience in working on matters related to whistle-blower protection, gender dimensions of corruption and risk management processes is required;
• Experience working with the United Nations, or a similar international organization is desirable;
• Experience with technical assistance and other interventions to support States in the implementation of international and regional treaties is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in French with a strong working knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an advantage.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.