Background Information – Philippines
UNOPS Philippines was established in early 2016 to support, develop and oversee UNOPS' growing portfolio of programmes and projects in the Philippines. The office currently provides implementation services to a range of projects where UNOPS works closely with development partners, the Government and the Supreme Court focusing on the Governance/Justice, health and infrastructure sector.
The office is based in Manila, Philippines with project sites in Manila and Cotabato.
UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners and is looking for qualified and committed personnel to join its growing country/project teams.
Background Information – Project Background
Over recent years, the Philippines has demonstrated a high potential for development. In 2013, in spite of Typhoon Haiyan, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 7.2%, a net increase from 6.8% in 2012. The country thereby became the fastest growing amongst the five largest economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (also including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand) and the second in Asia after China. However, the Philippines still faces some challenges to ensure inclusive growth for its population.
With the specific aim of promoting inclusive growth by generating mass employment and reducing poverty, the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016 sets out nine key priorities. Good governance and anticorruption constitute one of the nine distinct priorities, as well as being an overarching theme to each and every intervention. Within the governance chapter, the PDP gives a particularly prominent place to the rule of law, emphasizing its function as a key driver for both economic and social development.
Despite some exceptions, traditional governance indicators for the rule of law are on an upward trend. The country's percentile rank in the general rule of law measurement of the Worldwide Governance Indicator has been steadily improving since its lowest score of 34.1 in 2009, to 36.5 in 2012 and 41.7 in 2013, although it is still far from its highest score of 52.2 in 1998. Likewise, the more detailed 2014 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index shows major gains with regard to the absence of corruption and order and security, and slight improvements regarding regulatory enforcement, constraints on government power, and fundamental rights since 2010. On the other hand, the Index also indicates some lags in the standard of civil and criminal justice, might be partly due to the contrast with improvements in other sectors more than to an actual worsening. However it nevertheless addresses the need to emphasize the areas in most need of attention.
To support the reform agenda for the rule of law as part of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016, the Government of the Philippines (GoPh) and the European Union (EU) started to implement a Justice Sector Reform Programme to contribute to a better delivery of justice services. The Justice Sector Reform Programme: Governance in Justice (GOJUST1), was implemented from 2016-2020, focused on four interrelated components laid the ground for reforms such as: strengthened sector coordination and policy-making; implementation of case decongestion and automation; improvement of administrative and financial management; and sustainability of reforms through enhanced accountability.
Building from the success of GoJUST I, EU in partnership with UNOPS and British Council agreed to support another five-year (2020-2025) Justice Sector Reform Programme: Governance in Justice II (GoJUST II). This successor project aims to strengthen the Rule of Law through a two-pronged approach by combining improved administration of justice and enhanced promotion and protection of human rights. The GoJUST II will build on the experiences and lessons learnt from the work done in the previous GoJUST I and previous EU-Philippines Justice Support Programme in the sector.
UNOPS is one of the implementing partners of GOJUST II under Indirect Management and will be responsible for the provision of logistical and administrative support, which may include the organization of training, workshops, seminars and study tours; procurement of goods and services; small works; grants management and communication and visibility.
Role Specific
Working closely with the Senior Project Manager and the Technical Assistance Teams, the Communications Officer will be responsible for the development and implementation of the Communication and Visibility Plan of the Action. Taking into consideration EU Requirements for Communications and Visibility, the Communications Officer will also facilitate both the development and dissemination of internal/external communication relating to the project’s activities, events and engagements in order to facilitate greater exposure of the project as well as to support the enhancement of community engagement knowledge as a means of bolstering public opinion and trust.