PEACEBUILDING, GENDER & YOUTH EXPERT

Background

Darfur Community Peace and Stability Fund (DCPSF) was established by late 2007 as a UN Multi-Partnership Trust Fund (MPTF) mechanism that supports community-level peacebuilding activities and fosters social cohesion by drawing diverse communities together through processes of dialogue, mediation, and reconciliation. The rationale of DCPSF is that alongside any progress in the local peace process, there needs to be a community-based, bottom-up approach to the stabilization of Darfur and the creation of conditions for local peace, and equitable and sustainable growth.  DCPSF supports initiatives which aim to restore trust and confidence between diverse communities in Darfur and respond to root causes and triggers of conflict.

DCPSF has made significant progress in promoting conflict-sensitive approaches that seek to engage diverse communities in processes of trust and confidence building. Two central elements of this approach have been through supporting the establishment or revitalization of local mechanisms for resolving and through preventing conflicts and providing tangible inputs which respond to and address root causes and triggers of conflict.

Through this approach, DCPSF-funded activities and processes have enabled diverse communities to coalesce around a common agenda towards reconciliation and peaceful coexistence at a local level. However, the new context requires the addition of  more dimensions to DCPSF interventions. In this new era for DCPSF and Darfur, it is crucial to mainstream gender equality in all project activities, and work in a coordinated manner with all peacebuilding actors, towards a common goal and better results.

Conflict dynamics in Darfur revolve around unresolved disputes over land, livelihood, and natural resources, prevalence of weapons, sexual violence, armed group activities, tensions around IDPs and host communities, as well as between returnees and communities, including new settlers. The drivers of the conflict in Darfur are complex, multi-level, politicized and encompass local, national, regional, and international dimensions simultaneously. An understanding of historical causal factors is required since each cycle of conflict has led to the current dynamics in the region.

Description of the Assignment

Delivered through projects implemented by national and international NGOs and UN agencies, DCPSF seeks to draw communities closer together and to restore trust and confidence among diverse communities that have historically disputed the sharing of scarce assets and resources. The DCPSF Steering Committee (SC) has approved an initial amount of $10,410,400.86 to be allocated in this round of funding.  These funds will be used to support projects of DCPSF partners which further the objectives of the Fund.

While a massive international humanitarian operation has been carried out, DCPSF’s work is focused on a comprehensive bottom-up approach to enhance the community-level dimension of the conflict prevention and peacebuilding. However, given the current changing context in Sudan and particularly in Darfur, this is the time to direct efforts to strengthening horizontal links between communities and DCPSF partners to expand their learning and knowledge. At the same time, DCPSF must ensure strengthening vertical links to bring the results achieved at the community level to the state/national levels. The overall rationale of the DCPSF Phase 2 Extension will be implemented to fill this gap.

In this regard, DCPSF conducted a conflict analysis in November 2019 aiming to contribute to an improved understanding of the current conflict dynamics in Darfur. The analysis outlines the gendered security risks, drivers, proximate and structural causes, the actors and potential future triggers of conflict, as well as the connectors and peace stakeholders, following the revolution and related changes. The findings of the conflict analysis provide a basis for the identification of programmatic priority areas for this Call for Proposals. Consequently, DCPSF is seeking to fund projects that will contribute to the DCPSF results framework. All project should contribute to output one and two (mandatory), however, TS CFP gridlines encourage partners to work on both outputs three and four or either  output three  or output four (optional)

• PROFESSIONALISM: Comprehensive knowledge of and exposure to a range of human rights issues related to operational, institution building and accountability of national institutions and actors; very good knowledge of  UNCT structures and mechanisms; very good knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to human rights in the U.N. system; very good knowledge of national human rights protection systems, including law enforcement and security agencies; strong analytical and research skills and ability to conduct in-depth studies and reach conclusions on possible causes and solutions to human rights problems; ability to develop frameworks, methodological tools and guidelines.
• COMMUNICATION: Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts, both orally and in writing, in a clear and concise style. 
• TEAMWORK: Ability to interact and to establish and maintain effective working relations across divisions and with people in a multi-cultural environment.
• JUDGMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Ability to identify the key issues in a complex situation, provide advice on sensitive issues and courses of action.
• PLANNING and ORGANIZING: Proven ability to plan and organize own work and the work of others.

• Master Degree in Anthropology, Gender, Conflict Resolution, Development, Social Science, Political Science, International Relations, Natural resources Management or related fields
• At least 15 years relevant experience in research, proposal reviews and/or project management in the areas of the peacebuilding, social cohesion, anthropology, early recovery and recovery, agriculture, gender equality/women’s empowerment, pastoral livelihoods, environment, and other related field.
• Extensive experience of research on conflict prevention and peace building in the context of Darfur
• Knowledge of working context, challenges, and capacity development of INGOs/NGOs working in Darfur, and of goals of DCPSF
• Knowledge of or participation in international developments in the field of peacebuilding, gender and youth advocacy work.