Policy and Advocacy for Communication and Information

The UNESCO Office in Pakistan is seeking to hire a national consultant to support an inclusive and holistic advocacy efforts to address these challenges. The consultant     will support in expanding efforts to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration aligning with international human rights standards by integrating UNESCO’s ongoing     programs.  This advocacy plan primarily focuses on promoting more transparency, ethical use of digital technologies, and the strengthening of media and information literacy     (MIL) among stakeholders to anchor within UNESCO’s digital transformation agenda. 

The consultant will support in establishing baseline information and advise the communication and information sector in expanding areas to address critical themes     such as the safety of journalists, particularly women journalists, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital platforms and media and information     literacy and engaging judiciary and civil servants on freedom of expression and rule of law.  These efforts will aim to foster an enabling environment for freedom of     expression, combat online disinformation and hate speech, and protect cultural diversity in the digital sphere.

Education:

• A master’s degree in public policy, management sciences and social sciences or any related field.

Professional Experience:

It is desirable that the national consultant has:

• Five years of experience in conducting comprehensive stakeholder mapping and analysis, including government departments, duty bearers, academia, civil society organizations, and media groups, to identify synergies and enhance collaborative efforts
• Proven ability to assess current and planned governmental initiatives, as well as analyse legislation, policies, and regulatory frameworks, particularly those addressing disinformation, harmful online content, and digital freedom of expression
• Expertise in reviewing and documenting fact-checking initiatives by civil society, media organizations, international bodies, and government agencies, with an emphasis on evaluating their impact and sustainability
• Analytical skills in assessing repositories of national safety mechanisms for journalists to identify gaps, propose actionable improvements, and ensure alignment with international standards.
• Experience of engagement with technology companies and startups to explore innovative AI-driven solutions for combating disinformation and harmful content online.
• Experience of working with UN agencies is desirable

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent communication, analytical, report-writing skills and database packages.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Good knowledge and understanding of government functioning.
• Ability to take initiative and establish priorities, with capacity to work efficiently under pressure
• Comfortable with working in a multicultural workplace, ability to work in a team to achieve shared objectives.
• Strong understanding of Pakistan socio-economic landscape with a focus on freedom of expression, access to information and media development.

Language Skills:

• Fluency in English and Urdu is required, with proficiency in any other local languages spoken in the area being an added advantage.

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/Islamabad-ICC-Policy-and-Advocacy-for-Communication-and-Information/810874902/