Associate Civil Affairs Officer

Mission and objectives

MONUSCO/MONUC was established in 1999 under the auspices of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). SCR 2277 (2016) requests MONUSCO to support efforts of the Government of DRC towards the protection of civilians, through a comprehensive approach involving all components of MONUSCO, including through reduction of the threat posed by Congolese and foreign armed groups and of violence against civilians, including sexual and gender-based violence and violence against children to a level that can be effectively managed by the Congolese justice and security institutions; and to support Stabilization through the establishment of functional, professional, and accountable state institutions, including security and judicial institutions. The project aims at a better understanding of the most serious violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law in DRC and supports the leadership of the Mission through informed policy and decision making on future vetting of security forces through risk assessment and mitigation, joint planning for MONUSCO operations, as well as advocacy efforts.

Context

MONUSCO/MONUC was established in 1999 under the auspices of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO); subsequently, MONUSCO mandate has been renewed through resolution 2556 (2020).

Task Description

Reporting to the Civil Affairs Team Leader/Coordinator at the field office level, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Maintaining contact with local government authorities, political leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders, civil society actors, as well as with representatives of local and international organisations, and briefing them on the mandate and activities of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO ) and Civil Affairs Section (CAS ) mandate if so required; • Providing analysis on potential threats against civilians and community conflicts including related political, security, social, and economic developments, youth and gender-related issues, or any other significant developments to identify trends within the area of responsibility (AOR), and in support of the Mission’s overall protection of civilians’ mandate; • Providing technical support and assistance to the CAS team, particularly Civil Liaison Assistants (CLAs ), in strengthening early warning and existing protection mechanisms at the local level. • Participating in Joint Assessment Missions and Joint Protection Team Missions in support of protection of civilians and stabilization activities. • Fostering confidence-building, dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between parties and assisting local authorities and relevant actors with conflict management and protection of civilians; • Engaging with and providing technical assistance and advice to civil society groups or institutions that promote a culture of peace and reconciliation, in support of the Mission’s protection priorities; • Collaborating and coordinating relevant activities with other UN agencies and other bodies and institutions, including local and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) operating at the state/county level at all levels; • Supporting the organization of CAS mandated activities; providing support to initiatives that build the capacity of local authorities and civil servants; • Providing accurate, timely, factual daily and edited consolidated monthly, weekly, and daily reports on conflict management, protection of civilians, and stabilization activities within the area of responsibility based on inputs received from the field bases and CAS Field Office (FO ) Headquarters (HQ ) office; reporting to adhere to the key aspects of the MONUSCO Civil Affairs mandate, guided by United Nations Security Council (UNSC ) Resolutions 2559 to assist the protection of civilians and support the stabilization and strengthening of State institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC ) and key governance and security reforms with emphasis on conflict management and protection of civilians including early warning and interventions at the local and provincial levels; • Maintaining a mechanism to track the use of Result Based Budgeting (RBB) tools and maintenance of the RBB database; establishing and maintaining a CAS partners/contacts database; • Producing briefs and other analytical reports as required on political developments, peace processes, conflict, and insecurity. • Working with designated information technology staff to manage Civil Affairs information and produce summary reports; consolidating alerts and information received and incorporating them into a database that produces trends and other summary information; • Providing support to the Joint Operations Centre and ensuring the link with Civil Affairs on Early Warning and Response issues. • Participating in meetings on behalf of CAS with other UN agencies, civil society organisations, and other partners, both local and international; • When working with (including supervising) national personnel, governmental or non-governmental counterparts, setting aside dedicated time for capacity development through coaching, mentoring, and formal and on-the-job training; • Undertaking other related tasks as directed by the Team Leader and/or the Director/Deputy Head of the Civil Affairs Section.

Competencies and values

• Adaptability and flexibility • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism

Living conditions and remarks

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa, and as a result is quite diverse. Living conditions therefore vary between MONUSCO duty stations, with all usual amenities present in the capital Kinshasa, but only very basic conditions in remote duty stations in the provinces, where, for instance, there may be no guarantee of public power supply nor running water. The ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential. Accommodation is very expensive in both Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. Supermarkets exist in the large towns (e.g. Bukavu, Kisangani), but consumer items are generally very expensive (as everything is imported). For food, local markets offer a much cheaper alternative. All MONUSCO duty stations are considered non-family duty stations, except for Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Entebbe which are now considered family duty stations, and most are currently under UN Security Phase III (“relocation phase”: internationally-recruited staff are temporarily concentrated or relocated to specified sites/locations). In addition to insecurity related to the relatively volatile political situation as well as various conflict situations, certain places are subject to increasing street and residential crime, including in Kinshasa and Goma. Some degree of medical service is provided in all MONUSCO duty stations. Certain vaccinations are mandatory for MONUSCO personnel to enter the DRC, while others are compulsory for all other incoming persons. It is possible for incoming MONUSCO personnel, including UN Volunteers, to be asked to provide proof of some or all vaccinations, though this is unlikely. All UN Volunteers must ensure that they are up to date with all appropriate vaccinations, which should be clearly and properly endorsed in the International Certificate of Vaccination (“carte jaune”). Malaria is present virtually throughout the DRC, and it is therefore recommended to take prophylaxis. The unit of currency is the Congolese Franc. The US dollar is the other preferred currency. It may be impossible to exchange traveller’s checks away from the capital city. Credit cards are usually accepted in major hotels only in Kinshasa. In larger towns and cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani), UN Volunteers are recommended to open US Dollar bank accounts, while in other places, banks may be absent (including ATMs) and VLA payments will be processed in cash. UN Volunteers have the possibility to send part of their allowances to a bank account abroad. In addition to French, there are four major spoken languages in DRC, namely Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.