The performance of the Parliament is an important indicator of the country’s governance framework. As the interrelated socio-economic crises continue to deepen, the Parliament will be critical to realize the governance reforms required to stabilize and improve the situation.
Legislatures are complex institutions which involve multiple agencies therefore, coordination is a key factor that is recognized as essential to ensure success of any provided support.
The signed Partnership Compact between the UNCT and the Parliament reflects the UNCT’s commitment to effective and efficient engagement with the Parliament under the UNSDCF through the relevant pillars, particularly the Peace and Governance. The Partnership Compact will set the framework to provide coordinated and comprehensive UN support to national priorities and needs of the Lebanese parliament.
This position will be recruited under UNICEF contract but will be based in the UN Resident Coordinator Office supporting the coordination of UN engagement with the Parliament, institutionalized within the signed UN-Parliament partnership compact, to address critical reform priorities and enable greater engagement of Parliamentarians in the implementation of the overall reform agenda. The position will ensure that the work of the Parliament will respect, protect and promote children’s rights. The Governance Officer will also work around three main objectives (1) Promoting dialogue and technical support for the implementation of evidence-based gender-sensitive policies for inclusive development, including social protection; (2) Promoting the importance of child protection legislative frameworks within parliamentarians; (3) Advocating the development of child-friendly legislative systems and the alignment of laws with international standards.
Coordinate, monitor, and follow up on the operationalization and implementation of the UN-Parliament partnership compact, and monitor development updates that impact the advancement of the agreed priority areas, develop regular reporting on concrete results of the Partnership Compact and provide relevant policy advice and analysis to the RC and the UNCT;
Facilitate linkages for UN parliamentary support and liaise with Parliament officials based on the partnership compact to identify engagement opportunities and ensure effective cooperation at the technical, institutional and policy levels in support of identified reform priorities;
Provide best practices and lessons learned for the UNCT contributing to an effective and efficient approach to supporting the Parliament in (1) Strengthening a democratic parliament and develop inter-parliamentary and international cooperation; (2) Promoting human rights, and child rights in particular, as well as advance gender equality and women’s rights; (3) Fostering youth empowerment and civic engagement; (4) Promoting right to quality health; and (5) Promoting the global development agenda;
Provide updates, technical and advisory assistance to agencies engaged in the front line of parliamentary support and within the Peace and Governance pillar under the UNSDCF 2023-2025;
Maintain an updated mapping of ongoing and planned UNCT support to Parliament;
Identify, in coordination with relevant partners, reform priorities where the UNCT has the capacity, expertise, mandate, and added value to support and provide quality strategic advice on;
Promote participation of national and international actors, including CSOs, women, and youth to ensure inclusive progress on reforms.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education: Bachelor/university degree in Law, Public Administration, Political Sciences, or other related fields
Experience: Minimum one year of professional experience in the field of Governance, Coordination, Legal Support or other relevant areas.
Previous experience in working with parliament or government counterparts in Lebanon is an asset;
Previous experience in covering topics related to legal review, parliamentary work and reforms in Lebanon is an asset;
Previous experience in developing policy and technical recommendations on legislative and reform issues in Lebanon is an asset;
Previous experience in coordination and support to multi-stakeholder processes in Lebanon is highly desirable.
Language Requirements: Fluency in written and oral communication skills in English and Arabic is required; French is an asset
