Mission and objectivesUNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWAโs services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWAโs primary role is to offer humanitarian services in education, healthcare, relief, social services, infrastructure, camp improvement, and emergency response to over 5 million registered Palestine refugees across its five areas of operations: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank including the East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The agency also plays a key role in advocating for the rights of Palestine refugees and supporting their well-being until a durable solution to their plight is found. The Department of External Relations and Communications (ERCD) is responsible for raising funds and ensuring due diligence of private sector contributions for the entire Agency. Its Communications Division (CD) focuses on improving internal communication within the agency, as well as communication with Palestine refugee communities and the general public. The Internal Communications Unit is seeking a qualified volunteer to join the team to enhance communications between UNRWA staff, management, and Palestine refugee communities.
ContextUNRWA is establishing a Monitoring and Verification Unit, within the Agencyโs Communications Division, to better monitor media and social media mentions of the Agency as well as to track and respond to misinformation. Additional information: International Specialist UN Volunteers are entitled to: โข Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of USD 2565.48 (subject to change in monthly Post Adjustment Modifier). โข Entry lumpsum, Exit lumpsum; and Travel Allowance โข Annual and learning leaves; โข Free Medical and life insurance; and โข Free access to different learning platforms. For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit: https://www.unv.org/become-volunteer/volunteer-abroad
Task DescriptionUnder the Direct Supervision of the Senior Communications Manger, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: -Monitoring and Evaluation: โข Monitor and report on mainstream and digital media channels, social media platforms, and other online forums. โข Identify risks, including from online lobbyists/campaigners that have a track record of attacking UNRWA. โข Evaluate media coverage of UNRWA and the impact of UNRWAโs messages in mainstream and social media and conducts sentiment analysis in both domains. โข Utilize advanced analytics tools and social listening techniques to detect and identify misinformation trends related to UNRWA. Shares recommendations with other team members and management based on misinformation trends and the impact of responses to these trends. โข Produce daily and weekly trend analyses, and other periodic reports on misinformation and verification, including risk and reputational management assessments. โข Identify also UNRWA supporters (or potential supporters) to grow list of those that we can solicit as third-party defenders (in ways similar to detractors but positively). - Partnerships: โข Undertake fact-checking and suggest messaging to respond to misinformation based on previous/similar precedents and existing TPs. โข Liaise and consult with international, regional, and national fact-checking entities. Regularly shares fact-checked content with such organizations to cultivate a two-way relationship. โข Regularly share fact-checked content through official UNRWA channels to amplify the work of partner fact-checking organizations. - Communications strategy: โข Contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of UNRWAโs anti-misinformation and verification plan, within UNRWAโs overall communications strategy. Contributes adapting the communications strategy based on emerging trends and lessons learned, to ensure continuous improvement.
Competencies and valuesCommunication, Creativity, Ethics and Values, Integrity, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Self- Management, Technological Awareness, Working in Teams, Accountability, Adaptability and Flexibility, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning.
Living conditions and remarksLocation: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located in the Middle East. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Red Sea to the south and the Palestinian National Authority to the west. Weather: Jordanโs climate can be classified as semi-arid (Bsh) on the Koeppen-Geiger classification. It features a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. The climate is influenced by Jordan's location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5ยฐC to 10ยฐC, and August is the hottest month at 20ยฐC to 35ยฐC. Daily temperatures can be quite hot, especially in the summer; on some days it can be 40ยฐC or more, especially when a hot, dry southerly wind blows. Such winds can sometimes be very strong and can cause sandstorms. About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to season and from year to year. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter months. Safety and Security: Jordan is a relatively stable country. The potentials for internal or external armed conflict are considered very unlikely in the current political environment. Peaceful demonstrations, and sometimes road blockages, do occur in Jordan, motivated by domestic factors such as unemployment, deprivation of resources and development or for regional issues such as solidarity with the Palestinian cause or with the Syrian crises. Most of these events are driven by civil society unions and Islamic parties. Domestic tribal civil unrest sometimes turns violent, especially outside main cities, due to tribal disputes or socio-economic reasons. In all occasions law enforcement agencies usually manage to contain the situation rapidly. Road traffic accidents are the primary threat against UN personnel in Jordan. Poor road conditions and bad driving behaviours are the main reasons for the high rate of traffic accidents. Amman is a category A duty station with security level 1. Transportation and housing: Taxis as well as ride-hailing services (Uber and Careem) are abundant and affordable in Amman. Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Public minibuses are the most common form of public transport. They normally only leave when full, so waiting times of an hour or more are inevitable, especially in rural areas. The larger air-con buses offer a speedy and reliable service, departing according to a fixed schedule. Housing is readily available with rents for one- to two-bedroom apartments ranging between 500 and 800 JD (1 JD = 0.708 USD) depending on the location. Health Services: Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Almost all doctors (and most pharmacists) speak English; many have studied abroad. Language: The official language of Jordan is Arabic, but English is widely spoken โ especially in the cities. Many Jordanians have travelled or have been educated abroad so French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken, but to a lesser extent. Learn more about Jordan from the Ministry of Tourismโs website: https://www.mota.gov.jo/Default/En