Corruption, both petty and grand, constitutes a serious problem in Afghanistan. According to a survey conducted by Transparency International in 2004 corruption outranks security in terms of the main challenges for the government to address. In 2008 Afghanistan was ranked as the fifth most corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Despite the urgent need to fight corruption only 31 percent of the respondents considered the government to be doing a good job in the fight
against corruption in a nationwide survey carried out by the Asia Foundation, down from 36 percent in the previous year.
There are several reasons for this. In an environment where access to justice and enforcement of the law is limited, there is a lack of adequate processes and procedures for the performance of government functions and service delivery, and corruption has become a means for survival. As a result corruption has become a high reward, low risk activity. Decades of war and repression, weak state authority, the omnipresent threat of violence, the high discretionary powers of public officials, low civil service salaries and the weakness of the judiciary and legal enforcement system has led to a culture of corruption and impunity, with limited transparency and accountability in the use of public resources.
There is no doubt that corruption poses a considerable threat to sustainable peace and development in Afghanistan, and fighting corruption is increasingly seen as one of the key priorities of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the international community. Ultimately minimizing corruption is a prerequisite for rebuilding the country and the creation of a legitimate, peaceful and pluralistic state.
The commitment to fight corruption was stated publicly stated by GIRoA and the international community during the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan, held in Paris on 12 June 2008. Several key steps have been taken by GIRoA in the fight against corruption including the ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) on 25 August 2008, the finalization if the NACS, the abolishment of the General Independent Administration Against Corruption (GIAAC) and the establishment of the HOO. In January 2010, the London conference was held and the support to the GoIRA was renewed in their fight against corruption. The GoIRA has come up with a Presidential Decree that will chart out a renewed focussed approach to the fight against corruption.
Duties & Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager the Project Assistant will provide overall support to her/him in planning and implementation of ACT project.
Administrative management:
• Provide support to Project Manager/international advisors in the implementation of their tasks for the achievement of project results (communication, contracts, agenda, visas, hotel reservations, etc);
• Maintain records on all project personnel and local consultants and their respective status (contracts, ToRs, sick leave, vacation, etc.) in accordance with accepted policies and procedures;
• Make pertinent logistical arrangements for the prompt and effective implementation of the programme activities;
• Draft minutes of meetings;
• Assume overall responsibility for administrative matters of a more general nature, such as registry and maintenance of project files and records;
• Arrange external and internal meetings;
• Generate recurring reports as scheduled and special reports as required for administrative monitoring by the Project Manager;
• Any other administrative activity required by the Project Manager.
Financial management:
• Prepare requests for advance of funds and/or direct payments;
• Monitor budget expenditures and maintain a proper record of approved project budgets and their revisions;
• Follow up on expenditure and programme budget status reports;
• Prepare response to queries from the Government and UNDP with respect to financial aspects of the programme, liaise with UNDP-appointed and external auditors wherever required;
• Generate recurring reports as scheduled and special reports as required for budget preparations and audit;
• Advise and assist Project Manager and international advisors on all aspects of allowances, travel claims and other financial matters and calculate payments due for claims and services;
• Undertake other financial and administrative tasks on an ad hoc basis;
• Any other financial activity required by the Project Manager.
Procurement:
• Arrange for equipment maintenance and insurance as required;
• Maintain an equipment and spare inventory including verification and transfer when required;
Support to strategic partnership development and donor relations:
• Support project networking and partnership development as required.
Qualifications
Education:
• High School graduate with specialized training. Bachelor’s degree in field related business administration, management or public administration.
Experience:
• Relevant working experience in administrative, financial, procurement in a multilateral organization;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and experience in handling of web based management systems;
• With high school certificate 3 to 5 years of experience and with bachelor’s degree 1 to 3 years of experience is required;
• Previous experience working with UNDP, other UN agencies, Government of Afghanistan, international organizations, or NGOs an asset.
Language Requirements:
• Fluency (written and spoken) in English, Dari and Pashtu. Translation capabilities will be an added advantage.
Submission Guideline
Interested and qualified national Afghan candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm
Closing Date: Sunday, 03 June 2012
