UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT AFGR001401--Translator/Interpreter The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.in most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.in all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive. General Information Country of Assignment Afghanistan Host Institute United Nations Development Programme Volunteer Category National Specialist Number of Volunteer 1 Duration 8 months Possibility of Extension Yes Expected Starting Date Immediate Duty Station Kabul [AFG] Assignment Place Family Duty Station Assignment Place Remark The National Translator will be responsible for the following key functions to achieve desired results: Written translation: Perform written translation upon request; Assist and support the UNDP Support to Elections Advisors to liaise with IEC and ECC counterparts on substantive issues; Translate drafts and documents from Dari, Pashto into English and vice versa (English into Dari and Pashto); Translate assessment reports and final project activities reports from Dari and Pashto into English; Work in close consultation with the personnel from IEC, ECC and with interlocutors from other 11 Mar 2019 Page 1 of 7
institutions, as well as other government offices and international organizations; Perform translation of correspondences from English into Dari, and Pashto and vice versa; Translate project related documents and official correspondences in a concise manner from English to Dari, and Pashto; and from Dari and Pashto into English, as requested. Oral interpretation: Performs consecutive, simultaneous oral interpretation in Dari, Pashto and English languages; Provide interpretation for international project staff and other non-dari speakers at presentations, meetings, conferences, briefings and selected community-based presentations; Other interpretation tasks as needed within the project implementation. Assistance to the UNESP International Project Staff to liaise with IEC and ECC counterparts on substantive issues; Act as an interpreter in meetings, conferences, trainings, press conferences; Assist in making contacts and setting up meetings; Oversee the meeting preparation and reporting of the meetings, such as preparation of agenda, taking necessary correspondences, taking minutes and preparing meeting reports as requested; Performs other duties and responsibilities as required and necessary; Remain flexible for travelling to other provinces if required, subject to UN security standards; Perform other duties and responsibilities as required and necessary within the area of responsibilities; Coordination and Analysis: Following up coordination and correspondence with IEC and ECC; Provide analysis to specific consultation meetings and gatherings. Living Conditions All UN staff personnel working in Afghanistan in general and Kabul in particular are required to strictly adhere to standard security protocol as issued and advised by the UN Security apparatus. Health: Exposure exists to diseases. All medical formalities specified in the Offer or Travel Advisory should be completed before traveling. Vaccinations for Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Polio and Meningitis are recommended. Vaccination Card (yellow card) must be brought. Malaria prophylaxis is highly recommended. UN personnel have access during working hours to a Clinic inside the compound. Assignment Details 11 Mar 2019 Page 2 of 7
Assignment Title Translator/Interpreter Organizational Context & Project Description The UN Electoral Support Project (UNESP) is the international community s programming vehicle to support the next elections in Afghanistan, including the parliamentary and district council elections announced by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) for 20 October 2018. The project has two overall objectives 1) to build the capacity of the Afghan electoral institutions (the Independent Elections Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission) to implement elections in line with the national electoral legal framework and Afghanistan s international commitments; 2) to allow a programming mechanism for the international community to partially finance the elections as per the request of the Government of Afghanistan. The project follows previous UN projects in support of the Afghan electoral process, most notably the Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) projects, from 2006-2011 (ELECT I) and 2012-2015 (ELECT II), and the UNDP Project Initiation Plan that is in place since July 2015 October 2017. The UNESP places the UN s electoral support to Afghanistan directly under the political and supervisory oversight of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and reflects the growing sustainability of the Afghan electoral process, as evidenced by the Government of Afghanistan s financial commitment to both electoral institutions, and the provision of significant in-kind support to the implementation of elections. The Project Board, under the overall political guidance of the UNAMA Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political, will be co-chaired by UNAMA DSRSG for Political and the Chairpersons of the IEC and ECC or their delegates. It will be comprised of all key stakeholders to oversee and approve UNESP s budget, annual work plans and policy in support of the Afghan electoral institutions. Project implementation support will be provided by the UNDP Country Office, reporting, on fiduciary and operational matters, to the UNAMA Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Development/ UN Resident Coordinator/ UNDP Resident Representative through the UNDP Country Director. Along with support to both electoral institutions, UNESP will also support Afghan civil society s civic and voter education and observation efforts to enhance the quality and quantity of participation in the electoral process. Overall, the project will have five outputs: (i) administration of credible elections is facilitated by the meeting of key IEC structural and planning milestones; (ii) credible electoral dispute resolution is provided 11 Mar 2019 Page 3 of 7
by the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) (iii) public outreach (along with support to civil society) to encourage citizen engagement in the electoral process. (iv) a polling center specific voter list for the upcoming elections is produced by the IEC. (v) the IEC and ECC provide credible administration of and electoral dispute resolution for the Wolesi Jirga and District Council elections, respectively. Mainstreaming of gender throughout the project is evident in key output indicators related to women s participation in all three project outputs, reflecting the importance that UNESP places on increasing the position of women in Afghan electoral and political life. The project also aims at supporting the EMBs in strengthening integrity of the electoral process by enhancing accountability of responsible actors and supporting the implementation of electoral fraud mitigation mechanisms. Assisting the EMBs to implement Sustainable Development Goals Task description 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions The National Translator will be responsible for the following key functions to achieve desired results: Written translation: Perform written translation upon request; Assist and support the UNDP Support to Elections Advisors to liaise with IEC and ECC counterparts on substantive issues; Translate drafts and documents from Dari, Pashto into English and vice versa (English into Dari and Pashto); Translate assessment reports and final project activities reports from Dari and Pashto into English; Work in close consultation with the personnel from IEC, ECC and with interlocutors from other institutions, as well as other government offices and international organizations; Perform translation of correspondences from English into Dari, and Pashto and vice versa; Translate project related documents and official correspondences in a concise manner from English to Dari, and Pashto; and from Dari and Pashto into English, as requested. Oral interpretation: Performs consecutive, simultaneous oral interpretation in Dari, Pashto and English languages; Provide interpretation for international project staff and other non-dari speakers at presentations, meetings, conferences, briefings and selected community-based presentations; Other interpretation tasks as needed within the project implementation. Assistance to the UNESP International Project Staff to liaise with IEC and ECC counterparts on substantive issues; 11 Mar 2019 Page 4 of 7
Act as an interpreter in meetings, conferences, trainings, press conferences; Assist in making contacts and setting up meetings; Oversee the meeting preparation and reporting of the meetings, such as preparation of agenda, taking necessary correspondences, taking minutes and preparing meeting reports as requested; Performs other duties and responsibilities as required and necessary; Remain flexible for travelling to other provinces if required, subject to UN security standards; Perform other duties and responsibilities as required and necessary within the area of responsibilities; Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:- Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day)- Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country- Provide annual and end of assignment reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities using UNV s Volunteer Reporting Application- Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.- Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers- Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. Results/Expected Outputs The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development dur-ing the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed Qualifications/Requirements Required Degree Level Education - Additional Comments Bachelor degree or equivalent Bachelor s degree preferably English literature and Law or High School Certificate. Special certification in translation is an asset. Required experience Experience Remark 48 months 4 years of relevant experience (with Bachelor s degree), or 6 years of progressively responsible translation experience (with High School Certificate); Previous experience working with an Election Management Body shall be an asset. 11 Mar 2019 Page 5 of 7
Language Skills English (Mandatory), Level - Fluent And One of these - Dari, Pashto (Mandatory), Level - Fluent Area of Expertise Translation and interpretation Mandatory Area of Expertise Requirement 4 years of relevant experience (with Bachelor s degree), or 6 years of progressively responsible translation experience (with High School Certificate); Previous experience working with an Election Management Body shall be an asset. Need Driving Licence Competencies & Values No Adaptability and Flexibility Commitment and Motivation Working in Teams Conditions of Service and other information Condition of Service Click here to view Conditions of Service Conditions of Service: The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. Travel to duty station (if applicable) and a Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event the duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment. The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service. Furthermore, in non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis will be provided. 11 Mar 2019 Page 6 of 7
For UN Volunteer entitlements, kindly refer to the link https://vmam.unv.org/calculator/entitlements Supervision, induction and duty of care of UN Volunteers UN Volunteers should be provided equal duty of care as extended to all host entity personnel. Host entity support to the UN Volunteer includes, but is not limited to: - Introductory briefings about the organisation and office-related context including security, emergency procedures, good cultural practice and orientation to the local environment; - Support with arrival administration including setting-up of bank accounts, residence permit applications and completion of other official processes as required by the host government or host entity; - Structured guidance, mentoring and coaching by a supervisor including a clear workplan and performance appraisal; - Access to office space, equipment, IT support and any other systems and tools required to complete the objectives of the assignment including a host entity email address; - Access to shared host entity corporate knowledge, training and learning; - Inclusion of the volunteer in emergency procedures such as evacuations; - Leave management; - DSA for official travel, when applicable; - All changes in the Description of Assignment occurring between recruitment and arrival or during the assignment need to be formalized with the United Nations Volunteer Programme. Application Code AFGR001401-4151 Application procedure Disclaimer United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. 11 Mar 2019 Page 7 of 7