On 2 November 2022, in Pretoria, an Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities was signed between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (GoE) and the TPLF. Led by the AU, the Peace Agreement has ended active combat in Northern Ethiopia and raised hope for a gradual restoration of services and humanitarian operations in the region. This wide-ranging agreement committed, among other things, to an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities, the restoration of federal authority in Tigray, the creation of an interim administration pending regional elections, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants (XCs), resumption of unhindered humanitarian access, the restoration of essential services, reintegration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returning refugees, transitional justice, social cohesion and reconciliation, and recovery and reconstruction.

It is in this context that UNDP has developed a ‘Peace Support Programme/Facility (PSP/F)’ nested within the Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) but focused on urgent actions over the next 24 months to stabilize conditions, restore a sense of normalcy and deliver a first peace dividend to conflict-impacted populations. The strategic goal of the PSP/F is to contribute toward an irreversible peace process in Northern Ethiopia (Afar, Amhara and Tigray).  This will be pursued through an actionable set of measures that can build trust between communities and legitimate Ethiopian authorities and lay the foundations for recovery, peacebuilding, and sustainable development, founded upon country leadership and ownership.

Working within the broader framework of 3RF, the PSP/F will focus on the following windows:

Window 1:  Local Governance, Human Rights and Social Cohesion
Window 2:  Basic Social Services (health, nutrition, education, WASH, protection)
Window 3:  Economic Revival (enterprises and agriculture, demining)
Window 4:  Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants
Window 5:   Solutions to Internal Displacement

Many regions in Ethiopia have been challenged by large scale displacement due to natural hazards, conflict and impacts of climate change, with approximately 4.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in the country. In Northern Ethiopia alone, more than 2.4 million people were internally displaced in 2021-2022 due to conflict. Returning of IDP to their place of origin have recently been recorded in parts of Amhara, Afar, Tigray following COHA, as well as in Somali and other regions, seeking for durable solutions. Ethiopia is designated as a priority country for the implementation of the June 2022 United Nations Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement.

Building on its strengths and expertise, UNDP aims to contribute towards a more predictable and systematic development solutions approach to address internal displacement in Ethiopia. With the SDG Decade of Action and the UN Secretary-General Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, UNDP is increasing its engagement and programming on inclusive and gender-responsive development solutions to internal displacement by accelerating and scaling up innovative and successful initiatives.

The war has also significantly affected business including micro and small enterprises and disrupted their functions and operations. This in turn has affected the livelihoods of thousands of people either in losing jobs or reducing income. It is with this intention that the PSP has an economic revival window with the aim to support MSMEs to recover, restart and restore their business operation. Various support packages such as small grants for informal and micro enterprise, provision of soft loans, business development support and others are designed to support for the revival of these businesses.

The Livelihoods, Economic and Social Recovery Specialist will work in support of achieving durable solutions for IDPs under Window 5,  as well as focuses on the implementation of interventions to pave the way for full-scale recovery and reconstruction of business by restarting, restoring and sustaining local economic activity as well as restoring state capacity, both required to revive local economic development; reconnecting local economies that have been disconnected by conflict, including trade in essential goods and services under Window 3.

2.   Scope of Work, Expected Roles, and Responsibilities of the Incumbent

2.1.   Regional policy analysis and advocacy initiatives critical for livelihoods and social recovery

• Maintain up-to-date understanding of the regional policy, legal, regulatory, institutional, financing, and operational issues regarding livelihoods, economic and social recovery.
• Provide specialist advice on a timely basis to UNDP, Government, and other partners on crisis management and   recovery efforts towards businesses and IDPs.
• Provide overall support and facilitation on entrepreneurship and business development services implemented in the crisis affected regions by creating the right linkage with TVETs and other training institutions.
• Provide technical advice to UNDP Country Office Team on sustainable solutions for displacement, enhancing UNDP’s thought-leadership in convening and participating in coordination platforms and working groups and other forums.
• Contribute to studies, surveys and trainings for project and country office staff and other relevant stakeholders/partners in designing crisis response and recovery interventions to promote peace and stabilization interventions targeting small businesses.
• Support the CO in developing solutions data analysis and policy, through follow up on the JIPs scoping mission and by linking developmental profiling and assessments, data, and policy to better understand facts and experiences of IDPs, host and affected communities and local governments disaggregated by gender and age, in the target regions.
• Support efforts to strengthen capacity of the Government, including for the RRR offices in northern Ethiopia to boosting livelihoods through utilizing businesses to spur the rehabilitation work.
• Support the CO leadership in strengthening the development approach to displacement solutions in regional strategies and assessments, in the short, medium, and long terms to address potential and existing protracted displacement (plan and budget).
• Forge close and practical working relationships with the humanitarian cluster system to ensure that HDP nexus issues are addressed on the ground.
• Ensures that approaches to gender equality are integrated into all aspects of planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation; and ensure special measures are in place the role of women benefiting and actively participating in the economic and social recovery efforts.

2.2.   Thought leadership and technical support in programme planning, implementation and evaluation.

• Technical support for UNDP engagement with Ministry of Planning and Regional President’s offices to facilitate the integration of IDPs into national and regional development plans and programs.
• Support efforts to strengthen capacity of the Government, including for the RRR offices in northern Ethiopia to integrate sustainable IDP return and reintegration into the RRR monitoring framework.
• Provie the required regional support to the CO in project implementation on MSME ecosystem reform and development in restarting business activity at-scale, targeting start-up and survival of MSMEs, with a particular focus on women-owned or managed enterprises.
• Facilitate business support and restoration of market infrastructure, at a minimum in towns and larger settlements.
• Support the CO teams in developing solutions programmes with governments/ communities to reinforce local solutions, restore social contract between institutions and citizens/ displaced communities while supporting social cohesion and socio-economic integration.
• Manage, support, and coordinate timely, transparent, and effective implementation of project interventions under window 3:  Economic Revival (enterprises and agriculture, demining) and window 5 Solutions to internal Development.
• Conduct field level monitoring of progress in activity implementation, challenges and issues that impact the pace and quality of interventions.
• Identify specific risks that may threaten achievement of intended results. Identify and monitor risk management actions using a risk log. This includes monitoring measures and plans required as stipulated in the peace support programme.

2.3.   Multi-stakeholder partnerships, networking, and Resource Mobilization

• Identify strategic development partners and support the design of joint-program collaboration to build national capacities and infrastructure for solutions, including with the World Bank.
• Establish and sustain an active network of regional experts working on MSME issues in Ethiopia that enables productive dialogue and solutions identification as well as collaboration on analytics and advocacy related to the peace and stabilization initiatives of the northern Ethiopia.
• Facilitate and strengthen national and local government-led or co-led platforms and capacity on solutions to forced displacement, in close coordination with human rights, humanitarian, development, and peace-building actors such as the return working groups in Tigray and Afar and Amhara, and protection clusters.
• Develop and sustain deep and wide-ranging policy and programmatic partnerships with the private sector at regional levels, especially MSMEs themselves, financial institutions, service delivery organizations supporting MSMEs and other relevant actors.
• Help develop relevant documentation on solutions programming for donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization, including possible partnerships with private sector.

2.4.   Information sharing, knowledge management and data analytics

• Based on the technical support and guidance of JIPs, work in collaboration with JIPs, IOM and respective government offices for Ethiopia to have an up-to-date data on IDPs
• Facilitating information sharing and joint planning/programming, particularly within the framework of the Peace Support Facility within the UNDP and other development members of the WG and beyond.
• Support the setup of a centralized document folder with easy access to available data and information on solutions in the different regions, including UNHCR’s protection monitoring, IOM DTM data, ToRs of Regional SWG, as well as useful reports and plans on recovery and reconstruction efforts in Tigray and other regions.
• Prepare knowledge products and support the public-private sector consultation and dialogue through supporting the dialogue structure on policy issues.
• Knowledge, good practices, and lessons are captured regularly, as well as actively sourced from other projects and partners and integrated back into the programme.

2.5.   Facilitate Private sector engagement.

• Private sector engagement as partner in advancing sustainable development and crises response and recovery.
• Develop, co-creates and/or deploys solutions to development challenges, leveraging private sector technologies, innovations and expertise or services and products to accelerate the recovery and revival of businesses and livelihoods in the target areas.

3.   Institutional Arrangement and Reporting Lines

The Livelihoods, Economic and Social Recovery Specialist will work under the overall guidance and the direct supervision of the Deputy Director, Peace Support Office. The incumbent shall also discharge duties and responsibilities in close collaboration with wide range of stakeholders including but not limited to Team Leaders (TLs) at UNDP Country Office (CO), in particular with the Inclusive Economic Transformation (IET) unit as well as with relevant regional bureaus and offices, development and humanitarian partners at UN and I/N NGOs and local communities in support of UNDP’s institutional strategy and strategic plan in support of the government of Ethiopia’s policies and strategies for sustainable enterprises development. The required qualifications and experiences are described in the sections below.

4.   Competencies

Core