Reporting and Communication Expert

Mission and objectives

UNDP's mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with Bangladesh ever since its birth and through its remarkable journey from a war-ravaged economy to a middle-income country. It remains a catalyst in Bangladesh’s journey from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. UNDP assists in building institutions and helps strengthen institutional capacities through people-centric, pro-poor, inclusive and sustainable policy making and development governance.

Context

This assignment is part of the Integrated Support for Advancing Reforms and Democratic Governance in Bangladesh (IP-SARG), implemented by UNDP Bangladesh under the Democratic Governance Cluster. IP-SARG supports interim authorities, national institutions and civil society to advance democratic and institutional reforms and contributes to Outcome 3 of the UNSDCF and Country Programme Document: more equitable, non-discriminatory, gender-responsive, participatory and accountable governance and justice, in a peaceful and tolerant society governed by the rule of law. The UN Volunteer will support two of the project's outputs. Under Output 1, IP-SARG provides tailored, on-demand policy and technical advisory support to interim authorities and national institutions to advance reform priorities. Under Output 2, the project works to improve access to justice, advance judicial reforms and strengthen justice institutions to uphold the rule of law and restore public confidence, including through the digitalization of justice services. IP-SARG works across the justice chain with counterparts including the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the Office of the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MoLJPA), the National Legal Aid Services Organization, the Law Commission and relevant reform commissions, in partnership with UN agencies, development partners, academia and civil society. The UN Volunteer will be part of the IP-SARG project team within the Democratic Governance Cluster of the UNDP Bangladesh Country Office. This is a short-term assignment of one month, designed to provide surge policy, coordination, results-tracking and communication capacity to a set of live justice sector engagements.

Task Description

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, IP-SARG and/or Rule of Law Adviser, and in close coordination with the Democratic Governance Cluster, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following key roles and responsibilities: • Provide policy and programme support to IP-SARG’s engagement with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Office of the Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MoLJPA), including coordination, documentation and follow-up of agreed interventions. • Support court digitization and justice innovation initiatives, particularly AI-enabled court transcription, through global good-practice research, stakeholder consultations, documentation, coordination of pilot activities and tracking of results. • Conduct targeted policy research and comparative analysis on justice sector reform, court administration, commercial court operationalisation, digital transformation, institutional strengthening and other priorities identified in consultation with government counterparts. • Coordinate day-to-day with government counterparts, implementing partners, technical experts and other stakeholders, and follow up on agreed actions to support timely implementation of project activities. • Maintain systematic results tracking and documentation, capturing progress, outputs, institutional changes, challenges, lessons learned and evidence of results across assigned interventions. • Prepare donor and corporate reports, policy briefs, briefing notes, presentations, talking points, success stories and other strategic communication and knowledge products based on project evidence and results. • Support communication and visibility of IP-SARG’s governance and justice interventions, translating technical and policy results into clear and accessible narratives for government, development partners, UNDP and wider audiences. • Perform other related duties as required by the supervisor to advance the objectives of the assignment.

Competencies and values

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Innovation & Change

Living conditions and remarks

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is a large and densely populated city and a family duty station. The UN Volunteer will be based at the UNDP Bangladesh Country Office in Dhaka, with regular travel within the city to counterpart institutions and occasional domestic travel as required by the assignment. The security situation in Dhaka is generally stable, although demonstrations, strikes and traffic disruption can occur at short notice. All UN personnel are required to comply with United Nations security regulations, to complete mandatory security training (BSAFE), and to follow UNDSS advisories. The climate is tropical, with a hot and humid summer, a monsoon season from June to October and a mild, dry winter; heavy rainfall and seasonal waterlogging can affect movement in the city. Dhaka offers a full range of accommodation, banking, telecommunications, internet and grocery services, as well as private medical facilities of a reasonable standard for routine care. The cost of living is moderate by regional standards, although housing in the main diplomatic areas is comparatively expensive. Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country with strong traditions of hospitality; modest dress and cultural sensitivity are expected, and alcohol is not generally available in public venues. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the incumbent is expected to be a national of Bangladesh or a legal resident with valid authorization to work in the country, and to be based in Dhaka or able to relocate at their own arrangement for the duration of the assignment. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos