Communication, community engagement and accountability expert – Papua New Guinea

Overview

• Location: Home-based from the Asia-Pacific region
• Type of contract: Consultancy
• Project: Technical Support on Communication, Community Engagement and Accountability to Papua New Guinea
• Languages Required: English
• Starting Date: ASAP
• Assignment days: Up to 65 working days (home-based with 1-3 trips to Papua New Guinea)
• Expiring date of consultancy: 31 July 2024

Background

In 2021-2022, the CDAC Network supported UNDP to complete a scoping assessment on the status of response wide communication, community engagement, and accountability (CCEA) with disaster- and crisis-affected populations in Papua New Guinea. It provided recommendations for strengthening a more consistent, inclusive and systematic approach across humanitarian preparedness and response. CDAC Network also delivered training for programme managers and decision-makers through the partnership.

CDAC has been contracted by UNDP to support the next phase of communication, community engagement and accountability work in Papua New Guinea in 2023-2024, building on the foundations from the first phase of collaboration. The aim is to contribute to more sustainable and predictable communication, community engagement and accountability in the country through the following objectives:

1. Providing technical oversight of communication, community engagement and accountability scale-up and implementation, by mentoring and supporting UNDP’s newly recruited Humanitarian Officer for CCEA.
2. Fostering opportunities to build capacity, develop quality products and share learning in and between Papua New Guinea and other regional contexts.
3. Enabling the Community Engagement Working Group to become fully operational and developing and implementing a joint action plan to progress agreed priorities.

CDAC project overview

CDAC is seeking a technical expert based in the Asia-Pacific region to lead the project’s delivery. They will provide remote and in-person technical guidance, capacity-building and mentoring to the Port Moresby-based Humanitarian Officer for Communication, Community Engagement and Accountability (CCEA) who is part of the UNDP Humanitarian Advisory Team. The Officer is responsible for coordinating CCEA activities during disaster preparedness and response, through the development and facilitation of the PNG Disaster Management Team’s Community Engagement Working Group and its associated work plan in humanitarian contexts.

The CDAC expert will also be responsible for leading the development of a Papua New Guinea media landscape guide/analysis and policy brief, delivering in-person training, contextualizing tools for the Papua New Guinea and providing recommendations on areas of strategic interest to UNDP. This assignment will include a special focus on activities related to protection from harm, including streamlining CCEA into Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and mentoring UNDP Disaster Management Team partners, thereby contributing to UNDP’s objective to be more sensitive to Gender-Based Violence in humanitarian responses.

Scope of consultancy

The main tasks are as follows:

1. Providing mentoring, capacity-building and technical remote support to the UNDP Humanitarian Officer for CCEA based in Port Moresby.
2. Supporting UNDP in defining CCEA roles for emergency preparedness and response and help develop the Terms of Reference for the Community Engagement Working Group (CEWG) and related Standard Operating Procedures.
3. Providing advice and recommendations on strategic areas of interest and the integration of CCEA into Disaster Management plans.
4. Producing a media language landscape guide or analysis for Papua New Guinea, complementing existing analysis.
5. Contextualising CCEA tools and materials for the Papua New Guinea context.
6. Delivering a CCEA training workshop with a training of trainers component for the Humanitarian Officer for CCEA and other interested staff.
7. Writing a policy brief in collaboration with UNDP, e.g. communication, community engagements and accountability in the context of conflict.

Consultant deliverables

1. Online and in person mentoring and capacity-building support for the Humanitarian Officer for CCEA
2. Provide advisory support to the process of developing a Terms of Reference/Standard Operating Procedure for the Community Engagement Working Group
3. A briefing note with recommendations on areas of opportunity in regard to: CCEA platforms/forums at a sub-national level; Links to nexus approaches; CCEA integration into PNG Disaster Response frameworks and plans; Strengthening CCEA considerations in Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) activities in the Papua New Guinea response.
4. Contextualising tools/advocacy materials for the PNG context
5. A policy brief on a topic selected in consultation with UNDP
6. An in-person CCEA training workshop delivered for key stakeholders, including a Training of Trainers component for the national CCEA officer and other UNDP staff
7. A Papua New Guinea media landscape guide or analysis

Institutional arrangements

The work will be undertaken between the contract start date and 31 July 2024. The expert will work independently alongside the UNDP team and Humanitarian Officer on the project. They will report to the CDAC secretariat and assess progress against deliverables.

Duration of the assignment

The assignment is due to start ASAP and will end on 31 July 2024.

Duty station

The duty station for this assignment is home-based in the Asia-Pacific region with expected travel to Papua New Guinea.

Qualification and Experiences

General expertise and qualifications of the consultant should be as follows:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience working on communication, community engagement and accountability, including in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Demonstratable experience in designing and delivering training activities.
• Demonstratable experience in working closely with others in a remote context.
• Availability to travel to Papua New Guinea.
• Ability to work independently and to deliver high quality deliverables with minimal supervision.
• Strong inter-personal skills and excellent oral communication skills.

Desirable:

• Experience of working in Papua New Guinea is a strong advantage.
• Demonstrable research and report writing experience, particularly on media landscapes, communication culture and telecommunications.