UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian, and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement, and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.
New York Service Cluster (NYSC) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management
Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.
UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement the activities for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which responds to a broad consensus across nations, cultures, and religions that all societies are interdependent, bound together in their development and security, and in their environmental, economic, and financial well-being. The Alliance seeks to forge collective political will and to mobilize concerted action at the institutional and civil society levels to overcome the prejudice, misperceptions and polarization that militate against such a consensus. UNAOC hopes to contribute to a coalescing global movement which, reflecting the will of the vast majority of people, rejects extremism in any society.
The complex, demanding dialogue of civilizations, cultures, and religions is necessary, possible, and fruitful. It is a critical tool against isolation, mistrust, and confrontation and it is also the most powerful incentive for understanding, and tolerance. History has shown that dialogue is not a simple process, but that if we fail to teach and cultivate it, the situation can give way to a monologue or to mutism, which is conducive to conflict and violent extremism.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was created to serve as a soft-power political tool of the United Nations Secretary-General for conflict prevention and conflict resolution. It is a coalition against extremist forces; a movement to advance mutual respect for cultures, traditions and religious beliefs, and a platform to bridge divides and overcome prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions, and polarization. The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was intended to promote collective action in society as a means of addressing the threats that emerge from the hostile perceptions that foment violence, overcoming cultural and social barriers, reducing tensions, and improving relations between societies and communities with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, and combatting violent extremism.
During its more than fifteen years of existence, UNAOC has pioneered a range of approaches and activities across its four priority areas namely, Youth, Education, Media, and Migration. The impact of many of its projects on the ground has been significant and measurable particularly those implemented with civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations. Nonetheless, the context of the current global challenges is more complex than ever before. The multidimensional nature of the scope of today’s conflicts requires a new approach to conflict resolution and conflict prevention. Around the world, there has been a rising wave of violent extremism conducive to terrorism, growing intolerance, hate speech, xenophobia, and discrimination, posing a threat to international peace and security. These new approaches are reflected in the UNAOC Action Plan 2019-2023. It builds on and develops existing UNAOC programming activities and suggests new focus areas that strengthen the Alliance’ ability to fulfill its mandate in a more effective and measurable way. The Plan further suggests new approaches for institutional development and political advocacy that should provide a viable framework for the way we respond to the current global challenges. Institutionally, the plan re-affirms the important role played by all stakeholders, including state and non-state actors, in developing and implementing national plans and regional strategies to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue, the mainstay of the Alliance. The framework aims to expand and consolidate the global scope of UNAOC in Africa, Asia, Europe, MENA, and Latin America.
This is a position in UNOPS for supporting the implementation of UNAOC. The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full administrative and financial responsibility.
One of the tools promoted by the new action plan is sport. Sport has the power to convey essential human values, such as respect, discipline, inclusion, solidarity, courage and ethics. These values seem more critical today than ever—particularly in the resolution of significant global issues. To that end, UNAOC develops partnerships with sport organizations and create initiatives in which sport is used as a tool to foster social inclusion and cohesion, understanding and diversity. Sport can be a vehicle for positive change and development. It unifies those of all faiths, cultures and languages.
UNAOC is a partner in the Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism, a programme led by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in partnership with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), in consultation with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and with the participation of INTERPOL. Attacks against sports events are particularly condemnable, as sports have historically played a significant role in the dissemination of positive values throughout the world and across civilization and cultures, especially for the youth. Research has demonstrated that sports both play a positive role in preventing radicalization, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and facilitating integration at large, thus making sports a powerful vector for the development of efforts aimed at preventing and countering violent-extremism and radicalization.
In this context we are working to launch a series of initiatives within the prevention of violent extremism component of the UN Global Sports Programme and one of those is a Training Handbook to assist the organizers of sporting events, particularly governments (at all levels), federations and organizing committees, to conduct initiatives aiming at preventing violent extremism by leveraging on sport values such as tolerance, respect, integrity, solidarity, and equality and advocate for youth and children’s participation in sports as a recreational activity helping current and new generations build transferable skills such as confidence, self-control and teamwork.