Afghanistan: Consultant

Background and Context

UNESCO is the specialized agency of the United Nations with a mandate in education, science, culture, communication and access to information. It is one of the largest players in culture and cultural heritage in Afghanistan and supports the government in its endeavour to preserve the country’s heritage and promote nation-building.

Within this overall framework, UNESCO is currently undertaking a number of different cultural programs, aimed at supporting the relevant Afghan authorities in their efforts to protect and promote Afghanistan culture in all its dimensions.
UNESCO is looking for a committed International Consultant who will provide specialized process support to the activities UNESCO will be carrying out within the Culture Unit with specific regard to tangible and intangible heritage, urban planning in historical cities and other architecture-related tasks.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall authority of the Director of the Kabul Office and overall supervision of the Head of Culture Unit the consultant incumbent will perform the following tasks of the UNESCO /Japanese FIT project in Bamiyan and the UNESCO/Italian FIT project in Bamiyan and EU Silk Roads project:

• Prepare a draft rehabilitation plan for Shahr-e-Gholghola, followed by archaeological survey of the site and excavations made by the UNESCO contractor in 2019;
• Prepare a ToR for:
  a) conservation plan of the historical and architectural remains including mural paintings in western Zone of Shahr-i-Gholghola;
  b) consolidation of the loose terrain at the hill of Shahr-e- Gholghola for long term stabilization of the site and for tourism development ;
  c) establishment for visitors’ Information centre at one of the rehabilitated historical monuments ;
• Prepare a report of Cultural mapping of Bamiyan valley, follwoing a carried-out workshop by the hired UNESCO consultant in 2018 on cultural mapping, handicrafts training and tourism initiatives
• Draft a project proposal concerning the Phase VI of the Japanese Funds-in Trust project of Safeguarding for the Bamiyan World Heritage site. The hired consultant shall be requested, to join the technical meeting in Oman in December 2018, in order to integrate the outcome of the meeting to the project proposal;
• Review scientific manuscripts, as a peer reviewer, of the planned publication of the ‘Future Treatment of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues’;

• In close consultation with the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture and AKTC, help draft an inventory form and system for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Afghanistan. The workshop outcome of the Community-based Intangible Heritage Inventory in Bamiyan in October 2018 should be referred when these are drafted.

  Competencies A successful candidate will be required to demonstrate the following core competencies:

• Accountability

• Communication

• Teamwork

• Commitment

• Results focus

• Planning and organizing

• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement For detailed information please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework

  Required qualifications

• Education
   Master’s Degree or higher in archaeology or closely related fields.

• Work Experience
   At least 5 years of full-time experience in all aspects of archaeological survey & documentation, with at least 2-4 years previous experience at international level, preferably in Afghanistan. Candidates must have experience in identifying archaeological and historic resources, researching and collecting data, organizing and compiling a database for cultural heritage. Familiarity with software used for creating open source database systems.
   Previous experience with UN Agencies and/or UNESCO would be considered as an asset.

• Skills  Integrity, including a commitment to respecting institutional rules and procedures;  Experience working with specialized IT architectural programs, such as AutoCAD, GIS, Photoshop, etc., and other similar technical software;  Ability to liaise with different team members in the field of competence;  Strong ability to manage priorities and flexibility in finding alternative options when necessary;  Problem solving and managing processes with efficiency, accuracy and excellent interpersonal skills;
   Fluency in English and good commend of French is a requirement (both written and oral). Knowledge of Dari would be an asset.

Candidates are requested to send their application, including a CV and cover letter and financial statement (in English) mentioning(KAB/CLT/Con/18/10/05) before midnight (Afghanistan time), on 03 November, 2018 to (k.human-resource@unesco.org)**.**