Mission and objectivesUNDP's mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with Bangladesh ever since its birth and through its remarkable journey from a war-ravaged economy to a middle-income country. It remains a catalyst in Bangladeshโs journey from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. UNDP assists in building institutions and helps strengthen institutional capacities through people-centric, pro-poor, inclusive and sustainable policy making and development governance.
ContextThe UNDP Bangladesh will implement the Initiation Plan for Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Development (IP- RSID) from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. This plan aims to benefit the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in both rural and urban areas. Key outcomes include fostering a gender-responsive, cleaner, and more resilient environment, enhancing natural resources, promoting low-carbon development, and in-creasing resilience to climate change and disasters. The Initiation Plan will strengthen national capacity for managing climate-induced disaster risks through new programming opportunities. In addition, the IP commits to contribute to the Kigali amendment of reducing GHG and developing pathways for climate risk insurance, inclusive budgeting and financing for climate resilience, Islamic microfinance, and green Sukuk initiatives. Additionally, it will address solid waste management and strengthen disaster risk management and community resilience in Cox's Bazar, particularly for host and Rohingya communities. Innovations will be fostered through the UNDP Accelerator Lab, which focuses on exploring the blue economy, promoting sustainable tourism, enhancing the informal economy, and leveraging island development experiences. The combined efforts aim to establish an integrated program for creating healthier ecosystems. The Initiation Plan for Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Development (IP-RSID) of UNDP Bangladesh is established with an aim to contribute to retaining development gain, protecting growth, and providing solutions for current and future development challenges in the country's environment, climate change and disaster management. Due to the rapid changes in global and national geo-physical and socio-economic contexts, many associated risks are increasing, such as climate-induced disasters, pandemics, and humanitarian crises that trigger development challenges in many ways. The IP provides support to the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to manage the development impacts of disaster, climate change and emergency, mobilizes resources and implements innovative interventions, and advocates for partnerships and investment in the above-mentioned areas. Moreover, the IP is flexible, with a core team able to quickly expand when disasters and emergencies take place.
Task DescriptionUnder the direct supervision of the Program Specialist, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for supporting the following tasks: 1. Lead Nationwide Skills Program Delivery through Strategic Coordination: โข Oversee the implementation of Futurenationโs skills training programs, ensuring effective rollout across more than 150 tertiary educational institutions nationwide. โข Manage and coordinate an on ground network of 8 Regional Skills Hub Facilitators and 20+ Campus Facilitators to ensure smooth execution of training schedules, participant engagement, and campus-based support services. โข Ensure program alignment with local context, youth aspirations, and evolving labor market needs by regularly reviewing course content and delivery mechanisms for Business & Social English, Frontier Tech, Green Skills, Freelancing, and Employability Masterclasses. โข Provide technical and operational guidance to regional and campus teams to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance with Futurenationโs training standards. 2. Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement, Delivery Strategy & Institutional Partnerships: โข Serve as the national focal point for liaising with tertiary academic institutions, UNDP, corporate employers, global academic partners (e.g. HarvardX, British Council), and event management agencies. โข Lead the planning and execution of large-scale career enablement activities including National Career Fairs, Divisional Workshops, Youth Entrepreneurship Expos, and global job connect programs. โข Design adaptive strategies and revise implementation plans based on field data, youth feedback, and institutional capacity to ensure timely achievement of out-put-level delivery targets. โข Ensure effective collaboration across the public-private-academia triangle to enhance employment readiness, entrepreneurship capacity, and access to transboundary economic opportunities for Bangladeshi youth. 3. Ensure Effective Reporting, Performance Monitoring & Volunteerism Integration: โข Oversee timely collection, consolidation, and analysis of program data from field teams for reporting to UNDP, UNV, and external stakeholders. โข Ensure quality assurance across all training activities by monitoring KPIs such as course enrollment, completion, certification, employment uptake, and participant satisfaction. โข Support documentation of success stories, lessons learned, and innovation case studies for knowledge sharing and public communication. โข Promote volunteerism and civic engagement by integrating youth-led outreach, peer mentoring, and micro-volunteering initiatives within Futurenationโs program delivery, aligned with UNVโs mission of leveraging volunteerism for development impact. Results/Expected Outputs: โข Effective nationwide coordination and high-quality delivery of Futurenation training pro-grams across 150+ tertiary institutions, reaching over 130,000 youth. โข Strengthened partnerships with academic, private sector, and global certification bodies; successful execution of divisional workshops, career fairs, and regional expos. โข Timely, data-driven reporting to stakeholders; key performance indicators (KPIs) on enrollment, completion, and employment tracked and analyzed regularly. โข Volunteerism and youth engagement integrated through mentorship, peer support, and campus-led initiatives promoting inclusive, youth-led development. โข Consistent application of gender equality and inclusion principles across all delivery and reporting processes. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: โข 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 in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); โข Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; โข Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; โข Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; โข Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; โข 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.
Competencies and valuesโข Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to ap-ply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take owner-ship; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, im-partiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented. โข Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations. โข Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. โข Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priori-ties and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities. โข Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender; โข Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse back-grounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; โข Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, re-mote and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of operations; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary; โข Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.
Living conditions and remarksDhaka is located in central Bangladesh along the Buriganga River. Not only is it the capital city, but it is also the largest in the country. It is the centre of political, cultural, and economic life in Bangladesh. The official language is Bengali, while English is the working language of UN Agencies. In recent decades, Dhaka has seen the modernization of services, communications, and public works. The city is attracting large foreign investments and greater volumes of commerce and trade. It is also experiencing an increasing influx of people from across the nation; this has reportedly made Dhaka one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Good English-speaking medical, dental services, and educational centres are available for internationals. Dhaka is connected to other cities by rail, road, and by air and internationals can move easily from one city to another. Dhaka has venerable green spaces, including many gardens and parks, historical places, and nice restaurants. The weather is tropical - hot and very humid during the summer monsoon season (April-September) and drier and cooler in the winter (October-March). Historically, Bangladesh has been a safe country for internationals so far. While Dhaka is not categorized as a hardship station, the volunteer should be prepared for limitations in freedom of movement on foot, by public transport, and to certain locations.