Background
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is strongly committed to the accelerated development and poverty reduction in Africa which is underscored by the fact that the African continent as a whole is the biggest recipient of UNDP's core resources. As part of this commitment and given the fragility of individual African countries, UNDP recognizes the crucially important role of the African Union Commission in the economic development and stability in Africa. UNDP is also playing a crucial role in the economic development and poverty reduction in the Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Organs of the African Union Commission.
With the dynamism and determination of the new leadership of the African Union Commission and its vision to face the complex challenges the continent is grappling with today, UNDP is determined to support the leadership to respond to these challenges. Already UNDP is providing support to the African Union in the specific areas of peace and security, women and gender empowerment, youth development and govenance and will deepen and broaden its support in the near future.
It is in the light of the above, UNDP will provide technical assistance to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in the form of an Advisor - Finance and Economics to assist her on finance, economic and monetary issues.
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Duties and Responsibilities
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Summary of Key Functions:
- Assist the Chairperson in all economic, financial and monetary issues that require action from the Office of the Chairperson;
- Review and analysis of economic and financial issues raised in documents submitted to the Office of the Chairperson;
- Monitor all key development issues such as the Doha trade negotiations, Africa’s progress towards the achievements of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, and scenarios for the solution of Africa’s debt problem.
Within the overall context of the supervision of the UNDP Resident Representative, Ethiopia and under the guidance and supervision of the Chairperson, and working through the Chief of Staff/Director of Cabinet of the Bureau of the Chairperson, the Economic & Finance Advisor will assist the Chairperson in all economic, financial and monetary issues that require action from the Office of the Chairperson:
- Conduct analysis of all economic, financial and monetary issues raised in documents and notes received from departments of the AUC, member states, regional economic communities (RECs), and continental as well as global organizations and;
- Make comments and propose a course of action to the Chairperson on these issues. More specifically, on behalf of the Chairperson, she/he will analyze and draft position papers on policy proposals formulated by Africa's development partners, including those stemming from the G8 countries, the European Union (EU), the Bretton Woods institutions, World Trade Organizations (WTO), and other multilateral and bilateral Agencies.
The incumbent will closely monitor all developments related to:
- International trade negotiations within the framework of the Doha Round;
- Scenarios for a lasting solution to Africa's debt problem, including the HIPC initiative;
- Africa's progress towards the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations for 2015.
The incumbent will keep close working relationship with the RECs and with institutions involved in the financing of development in Africa on behalf of the office of the Chairperson. She/he will from time to time participate in national, regional and international expert meetings to represent the Commission and produce analytical reports and other reports as required. The incumbent will draft speeches, talking notes and recommendations and other inputs for presentations by the Chairperson whenever necessary.
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Competencies
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- The incumbent will have to exhibit a thorough understanding of monetary policy, public finance, international trade and payments, as well as employment creation and poverty issues with the view to providing advice to the Chairperson on problems facing African countries as well as on the steps needed for Africa to increase its access to world markets.
- The incumbent should be able to work under time pressure and to perform multiple tasks at the same time.
- She/he should be able to produce polished reports in a timely manner. To that end, she/he should be able to plan and organize her/his work effectively, with an in-depth understanding of its strategic direction.
- She/he should also be able to ensure meeting pre-determined deadlines for delivery of services.
- The incumbent will need to possess a mature judgment and initiative.
- She/he will also need an imaginative approach to this work, be reliable and tactful, thereby maintaining a good rapport with colleagues and subordinates.
- The incumbent will have to be able to anticipate the emergence of new issues, analyze their relevance to the work of the Chairperson, and propose appropriate strategies in order minimize the risk they may represent for the short and medium-term objectives of the AUC.
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Required Skills and Experience
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Education:
- The candidates should hold at least a master's degree in economics and finances.
- Preference will be given to those having advance knowledge of issues related to international trade, international finance, government finance and monetary economics.
Experience:
- At least 15 years of progressively responsible work experience, of which at least six (6) years with regional, pan-African and/ or global economic and financial institutions.
- Proven ability to deal with senior officials of member states of the African Union.
- Demonstrated management and extensive expertise in respect of planning is required.
- In addition, the candidates should have experience in providing advice to senior officials of the member states on economic development, poverty eradication strategies, financial, trade and monetary integration issues.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in spoken and written English and French is essential.
- Knowledge of other official languages of the African Union is desirable.
Other Skills:
- Computer literacy is a must.
- Comprehensive knowledge of the policies and objectives of the African Union and excellent diplomatic skills in dealing with representatives of the member states and of the RECs, as well as international organizations would be important additional assets.
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UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=34856