BACKGROUND

Corruption – the misuse of entrusted power for private gain – takes many forms, including bribery, embezzlement, abuse of function, trade-in influence, illicit enrichment, and other similar offenses, and is often intertwined with money laundering and others forms of organized crime. It is a complex global challenge that manifests itself in varying degrees across all countries. It spares none but seems to flourish most in places where anti-corruption measures are weak and the overall political, economic and social environment is conducive to opacity, impunity, monopoly, and particularism. This includes the 22 Arab countries, which do share many commonalities but are also quite heterogeneous in terms of political systems, economic models, and social structures, facing different types and levels of corruption.

The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2005, boasts more than 186 states-parties, including 20 countries from the Arab States region. It is the most comprehensive legally-binding international instrument for action against corruption. It offers a roadmap for countries wishing to adopt and implement measures to tackle corruption, including measures for prevention, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, and asset recovery. Its implementation in the States Parties is subject to periodic examination in accordance with its own international review mechanism. Along with evolving literature in the field, the Convention expands the realm of anti-corruption reforms beyond the traditional approach of criminal law, making it a multi-disciplinary field of work that seeks to identify and tackle factors that drive or restrain corruption. Those include targeted reforms that promote transparency, accountability, integrity, the rule of law, and public participation, as well as broader reforms that seek to reduce administrative burdens and encourage trade openness, budget transparency, judicial independence, e-citizenship, and freedom of the press, amongst others.

From this standpoint, anti-corruption is not simply an agenda of crime and punishment, but rather a complex reform agenda and a critical part of the Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as a whole. This is clearly articulated under SDG 16 on “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” and its underlying targets. The most notable of those targets are the ones aiming to “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” (16.5) and “develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels” (16.6). This is in addition to other SDG 16 targets, such as those with references to asset recovery (16.4) and access to information (16.10), both of which are explicit requirements under the UNCAC.

UNDP emerged in the 1990s as a pioneering international development organization that supports countries in tackling corruption, as part and parcel of its governance portfolio. Its work in this area developed further and became more focused with the advent of the UNCAC in 2003, and later on the adoption of Agenda 2030. In the Arab States region, UNDP positioned itself at the forefront of the effort to promote dialogue and action against corruption at a time when this issue was still generally considered to be taboo and largely avoided in development programming. Its preparatory work between 2003 and 2010, contributed to the establishment of the Arab Anti-Corruption and Integrity Network (ANCIENT) in 2008, and culminated in the launch of the region’s first specialized regional initiative in this regard: Anti-Corruption and Integrity in the Arab Countries (ACIAC). Its first phase (2011-2014) enabled the establishment of national capacities for UNCAC implementation in at least 6 countries, while expanding the related regional reform agenda in multiple directions, including the introduction of sector-specific work and the strengthening of non-governmental participation. The second phase (2015-2018) accelerated and deepened earlier work, enabling the introduction of new legislative reforms and innovative sectoral measures that increased levels of transparency and accountability in at least 8 countries, while establishing cooperation avenues in new countries.

With the recognition that additional work is needed, and in response to the increasing demand for more robust assistance in this regard, ACIAC embarks on its third phase (2019-2023), in partnership with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), seeking to prioritize support countries where there is ongoing cooperation and further progress is likely to be achieved. The new phase is designed based on achievements made, lessons learned, and findings of consultations with stakeholders across the region, including in the framework of ANCIENT. The overall goal is to enable institutions and systems to address awareness, prevention, and enforcement of anti-corruption and integrity measures to maximize the availability of resources for poverty eradication and contribute to the establishment of inclusive and effective governance in line with SDG 16. The specific objectives are “to promote the de jure and de facto implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption”; “to institutionalize corruption prevention in key vulnerable sectors to enhance the effectiveness of public administration”; and “to mobilize sustainable regional evidence-based action-oriented support for the achievement of SDG 16 through an anti-corruption lens”.

To achieve those objectives, ACIAC will undertake a variety of activities to achieve three outputs that mutually reinforce each other to support the creation and empowerment of inclusive platforms and mechanisms, which will develop specialized capacities within government institutions and more broadly across society, and foster collective action models that design, advocate and implement innovative solutions.

The first output of the regional project is “multi-country cooperation enhanced to promote the effective and inclusive implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption”, which is expected to be achieved by conducting capacity assessments for anti-corruption agencies, supreme audit institutions, and civil society organizations and providing them with technical assistance to formulate capacity development plans. This will be complemented by the organization of regional workshops for governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to promote exchanges of experiences and expertise on anti-corruption awareness, prevention, and enforcement, and the holding of specialized regional training of trainers for them to develop, implement and monitor effective and inclusive national anti-corruption and integrity strategies. The regional project will then support national partners to follow up on the above-mentioned regional workshops and training, including through country-specific communication campaigns and capacity development events, setting up inclusive processes to review the compliance of national laws and regulations with UNCAC requirements, organizing country-specific and multi-country workshops to identify and share good practices and lessons learned, and finally providing technical assistance to the drafting and/or amendment of related laws and regulations, and holding specialized joint regional training of trainers to promote their implementation.

The second output of the regional project is “corruption risk management processes institutionalized in key vulnerable sectors across the region”, which is expected to be achieved by the development of implementation guides and training materials for corruption risk management in the transportation, education, water, energy and health sectors, as well as related regional studies to promote dialogue on nexus with public administration effectiveness in those five sectors. Building on the above, the regional project will organize regional workshops and working group meetings to identify challenges and opportunities for corruption prevention in the said sectors and to inform and sustain corruption prevention efforts therein. In parallel, it will be supporting the establishment and training of joint country-specific multi-stakeholder teams to assess and mitigate corruption risks in selected sectors, while providing technical assistance to develop corruption risk maps for each sector along with mitigation plans and indicators to track progress, followed by technical assistance and procurement support to introduce specific corruption prevention measures in pilot sites in those sectors. Finally, the regional project will support bi-lateral and multi-lateral exchanges on successful solutions within the region and beyond including through country missions and the documentation of case studies.

The third output of the regional project is “Arab Anti-Corruption and Integrity Network supported to transform into the region’s leading sustainable organization promoting SDG 16”, which is expected to be achieved by enabling the Network to foster high-level dialogue and secure political commitment to make progress on SDG 16, and setting up a regional center of excellence for it to support the effective integration of anti-corruption and integrity reforms in SDG implementation strategies in the project’s priority countries. This will be complemented by support to the development of regional studies on the nexus between corruption and each of the following topics violent extremism, women empowerment, youth, and private sector engagement, as well as the organization of regional conferences to identify challenges and opportunities for tackling the nexuses. Following up on the above, the regional project will support national partners to follow up on the recommendations of the regional conferences including through country-specific dialogues and formulation of related actions plans. In parallel, it will support ACINET’s Non-Governmental Group to develop and disseminate position papers on SDG 16 issues of their choosing based on preparatory activities. Finally, the regional project will support establishing and training a regional task force, on a gender-parity basis, under ANCIENT to promote corruption risk assessment of draft laws and another similar regional task force to advocate and monitor reforms for a more transparent and accountable justice system, followed up by the provision of technical assistance to national partners to design and implement related reforms.

Moreover, as a cross-cutting contribution to broader development efforts, the regional project will also be supporting women empowerment by empowering them and engaging them in shaping anti-corruption and integrity reforms in the Arab States region, while also directing those reforms to impact areas where corruption is a key driver of gender inequality. Furthermore, the regional project will be investing in knowledge production and sharing across all its activities, while also building a concrete synergy with environmental protection through a specific focus on the synergy between corruption and each of the water, energy, and transportation sectors. A final cross-cutting contribution will be aimed at engaging citizens, non-governmental organizations, and youth groups on the critical issue of corruption to enhance the legitimacy of governance reform efforts and help to reduce the chronic trust gap that exists with governments.

Direct beneficiaries of regional project activities include anti-corruption agencies, justice and audit institutions, concerned ministries and public institutions, parliamentarians, businesses, civil society organizations, and women and youth groups.

The project is managed and coordinated by the UNDP Regional Hub for the Arab States, which will also directly implement regional activities and related national activities. UNDP Country Offices in targeted countries will be responsible, whenever possible, for implementing activities at the national and local level, with support from the Regional Hub. The project closely coordinates the implementation with relevant actors at the regional level (regional civil society networks and regional institutions) as well as at the country level (governments, line ministries, universities, civil society organizations) building on existing strategies and interventions directed at strengthening inclusive and effective governance.

UNDP’s Regional Bureau for the Arab States is looking to hire a Research and Reporting Officer who, under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor, will be responsible for conducting research to support the implementation of the project’s activities and reporting on the project’s progress and results.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Support the effective implementation of the regional project on Anti-Corruption and Integrity in the Arab Countries (ACIAC)

• Conduct research on the state of anti-corruption and integrity efforts in the Arab countries as well as related developments at the regional and global levels, including but not limited to relevant policies, laws, institutions, initiatives, and stakeholders.
• Prepare materials for the implementation of various ACIAC activities, including but not limited to calendars of events, terms of reference, concept notes, advisory notes, background papers, operational checklists, agendas, presentations, list of invitees, and communications.

Support work planning and reporting

• Support development of annual work plans and reporting on the implementation of ACIAC’s activities, including but not limited to the preparation of progress reports, review reports, news pieces, minutes of meetings, briefs, event reports, lists of participants, and other information for monitoring and evaluation.

Facilitate knowledge management:

• Contribute to the development, drafting, validation, editing, and translation of knowledge products, including but not limited to studies, reports, papers, guides, training modules, newsletters, brochures, pamphlets, and online content.
• Research, collect, analyze and share data and information on governance and development in the Arab countries and compare them to related regional and global trends, including but not limited to relevant indices and reports produced by governmental and non-governmental entities and bi-lateral and multi-lateral organizations.

Technical / Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of Governance/Anti-corruption
• Strong substantive knowledge of governance and anti-corruption and development issues and ability to link knowledge to UN/UNDP global policies, treaties, processes, and frameworks.
• Strong Analytical Skills
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality reports and knowledge products.
• Knowledge Management and Learning
• Ability to strongly promote and build knowledge products; Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example; Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP

Gender

• Knowledge of gender issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, including analysis of projects from a gender perspective.

RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Master’s degree in Law, Public Administration, Economics, Business, or related Social Sciences.
• In lieu of an advanced degree, a Bachelor’s degree with additional two years of experience may be considered.

Experience:

• A minimum of two (2) years with a Master’s degree or four (4) years with a Bachelor’s degree of experience related to governance and anti-corruption;
• Experience with organizations working in the Arab region states region and knowledge of its governance challenges and priorities.
• Extensive experience in analysis, research, and drafting are highly desirable.
• Experience in project/program work planning and reporting is an asset.
• Proficiency in the use of the internet, email, word processing, graphics and multimedia (required), databases, and spreadsheets (asset).

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English and Arabic is required;
• French is a strong asset.

Source:https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/job/1685