UN Volunteer: Programme Associate – Sarajevo

  • Salary:
    negotiable / YEAR
  • Job type:
    VOLUNTEER
  • Posted:
    2 days ago
  • Category:
    Programme and Project Management
  • Deadline:
    28/01/2026

JOB DESCRIPTION

Mission and objectives

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a presence in 170 countries and territories, UNDP endeavors to help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships, and institutions so they can sustain their progress. Working with institutions and authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNDP supports economic and social development and resilience to climate change and disasters, helping people and communities recover from crisis and improve their livelihoods since 1996. UNDP’s continued commitment is on fighting poverty and inequality, accompanying partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina in their pathways towards the SDGs and working towards the Paris Agreement. We work in Bosnia and Herzegovina to expand people’s choices for a fairer, sustainable future. In line with its 2021-2025 Country Programme, UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) focuses on sustainable and inclusive growth, people-centred governance and social cohesion. UNDP is fully committed to support BIH with regards to its Agenda 2030 commitments as well as the European Union (EU) accession process. The CPD outcomes correspond to 3 outcomes of the UNSDCF 2021-2025 (outcome 1 on resilient, sustainable and inclusive growth, outcome 4 on accountable and transparent governance systems, and outcome 5 on social cohesion and trust). We are individually and collectively responsible for nurturing and promoting an organizational culture of ethics and integrity where we respect and uphold the organization’s values, and where staff are empowered and motivated to deliver sustainable development results. We seek people who are fair, impartial and honest. We value dynamic and adaptable persons who are not afraid to think creatively and are proactive, flexible and responsive.

Context

UNDP supports the country in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including its core principle of Leaving No One Behind. As part of this effort, we mainstream inclusion and empowerment of people coming from vulnerable groups across all our interventions, from governance to livelihoods and climate and environmental actions. UNDP has adopted a Disability Inclusion Strategy building on the global UN Disability Inclusion strategy as well as a Youth Engagement Strategy. Furthermore, we have Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as core principles: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. UNDP also partakes actively in inter-agency coordination mechanisms on disability inclusion at the country, regional and global levels, as well as in the design of both programmes and operations, including through the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network, the Inter-Agency Support Group for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and other informal inter-agency networks such as the UN Interagency Group on Disability Inclusion and Gender Equality (IWDG). The Programme Associate will directly contribute to the work described above, in close collaboration with other colleagues of the UNDP and UN Team. People identifying as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Under the direct supervisor of the Gender Analyst and overall guidance of the UNDP Resident Representative the Programme Associate will provide support to the policy advocacy work, programmes, and projects being implemented as well as UNDP’s communication work to ensure that awareness of the SDGs is raised and UNDP interventions are aligned to the achievement of the SDGs, in particular with a leaving no one behind lens. The Programme Associate will also support the implementation of interventions to advance the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Task Description

The Programme Associate will support the promotion and inclusion of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Leaving no one Behind agenda within the project/programmes. This role involves providing support, coordination, and advocacy to ensure that the project/programme activities are designed, implemented, and monitored with a strong focus on disability inclusion. The Programme Associate will work closely with programmatic and operational teams, other UN entities, and partners to mainstream disability inclusion across all aspects of the UN activities. • Under the direct supervision of the Gender Analyst and overall guidance of the Resident Representative, the Programme Associate will provide support in the following areas: • Support the implementation of the Diversity Inclusion Strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina • Advocacy and communication activities across projects • Collaborating with project teams to incorporate disability-inclusive strategies and activities into project design, implementation, and monitoring • Supporting the programme and project teams in conducting reviews of project documentation to ensure alignment with the projects’ overarching goal of leaving no one behind • Developing inclusive indicators and mechanisms for tracking disability inclusion-related activities • Monitoring project progress and reporting from an SDG / leaving no one behind lens • Inter-agency coordination and representation on SDGs and Leave No One Behind agenda • Liaising with partners, the private sector, and organizations of persons with disabilities, to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing on disability inclusion. • Identifying opportunities for capacity building and strengthening knowledge on SDGs and Leave No One Behind agenda among project teams and UNDP partners • Strengthening knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism in supporting the SDG / 2030 Agenda • Documentation and dissemination of best practices and lessons learnt.

Competencies and values

Core competences: • Achieve Results – Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline • Think Innovatively – Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements • Learn Continuously – Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback • Adapt with Agility – Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible • Act with Determination – Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident • Engage and Partner – Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships • Enable Diversity and Inclusion – Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination Cross-functional and Technical Competences: • Business Direction & Strategy/Systems Thinking – Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system. • Business Management/ Communication – Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels. Partnership management/ Relationship management – Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

Living conditions and remarks

The UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her housing and other living essentials. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements