Consultancy – Senior Researcher 

At the heart of IPSS’ research, education and professional training programs is the quest to define and operationalize African-centred solutions in peace and security.  African-centred solutions (AfSol) may be defined as solutions conceived, designed and implemented based on the realities which shape conflict situations on the continent.  To be sure, this definition of AfSol reflects the dominant definition of AfSol within Africa, while various non-African stakeholders define AfSol from a much narrower perspective mostly driven by self-interest.   Regardless of how AfSol is defined, however, and beyond the political rhetoric, the practical application and implementation of African-centred solutions has been elusive for practitioners and policy makers. There is some clarity in defining AfSol, for example, when it comes to utilizing traditional and customary practices of conflict resolution in various parts of Africa.  The Gacaca (Rwanda), Gurti (Council of Elders in Somalia), Ubuntu concept (South Africa), Council of Higher and Lower Chiefs (Ghana), Mato-Oput (Northern Uganda) have all been utilized formally and informally for conflict resolution in the respective countries.  But beyond these and a handful of other areas of peace and security, AfSol has been difficult to conceptualize and put in practice.

Using IPSS’ two research programs in Somalia and South Sudan as case studies, IPSS would like to contribute to defining AfSol through various reviews and analysis of the process, principles and methods of peace building, conflict resolution, security and stabilization efforts. As a research and policy think-tank with a strong partnership with the African Union, IPSS’ interest is to provide the AU and its Member States with concrete guidelines and roadmap to help them identify policy frameworks in peace and security with AfSol as the center piece.  This is critical today more than ever, particularly in light of the transformation of the OAU in early 2000s, which had been handicapped by a policy of “noninterference” to the African Union of today with a more pro-active and responsive mandate.

Objective:

To define African-centred solutions (AfSol) particularly in the context of peace and security interventions in Africa and provide practical guidelines to be utilized by policymakers using as a case study two IPSS programs in South Sudan and Somalia.

Duration:

September 1st, 2013 – November 30th, 2013

Please send an updated CV/resume and an application letter to application-research@ipss-addis.org

DEADLINE: August 30, 2013

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Project Assistance “New Media & Security Sector Governance” (100%) – Middle East and North Africa Division

To support its work in North Africa, DCAF is seeking a highly qualified person for the following position: Project Assistant “New Media and Security Sector Governance” (100%)

Starting date: September 2013 or as soon as possible
Duty Station: Tunis (Tunisia) or Tripoli (Libya), as agreed
Duration: 12 months, with possibility of extension

Responsibilities: The Project Assistant will assist with developing DCAF’s new online resource on security sector reform and governance. Tasks include:

• Developing a bilingual electronic platform on security sector governance
• Liaising with web companies and other external service providers to ensure timely delivery of high quality
• Performing daily targeted press reviews in Arabic and English
• Writing, editing and uploading content daily in Arabic and English
• Ensuring the website’s functioning, and recommending and implementing strategies for increasing its audience using social media
• Analysing and processing current events related to the security sector

Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional training in political or social sciences, law, development studies or international relations/affairs, or in web/journalism
• Applicants with legal background/experience are strongly encouraged to apply
• At least 3 years professional experience in at least one of the fields mentioned above
• Excellent understanding of website design and management
• Excellent knowledge of the media in North Africa
• Excellent command of Arabic and English, both written and spoken
• Good knowledge of new media such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter
• Previous knowledge of security sector reform and governance is an asset
• Attention to detail, good communication skills and the ability to work to deadlines
• In possession of a valid work permit for the preferred workstation (Tunis or Tripoli)

Candidates who fulfil the aforementioned criteria are invited to send their CV as well as a motivation letter via email to: opmena@dcaf.ch.

DEADLINE: August 31, 2013

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Applied Conflict Transformation Course – ACTION Support Centre

The ACTION Support Centre is conducting a course on Applied Conflict Transformation from 28th   of October – 1st of November 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

ACTION for Conflict Transformation is a global network of individuals and organisations working for sustainable peace. In Africa the ACTION Support Centre, through its Skills and Strategies for Change Programme, aims to create spaces that seek to facilitate training and learning environments for individuals, organisations and communities throughout the African continent.  It seeks to be a resource for African wisdom and expertise able to respond effectively to the deep-rooted social conflicts across the continent. It connects people working for peace and development, human rights and social transformation in Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone countries throughout Africa.

Specifically the course aims to:

• Use a conflict transformation approach  to facilitate  learning processes with individuals , organisations and communities across the African continent
• Introduce tools and skills for analysing conflicts that can assist in identifying intervention strategies to reduce and prevent violence
• Use a conflict transformation  approach to provide an interconnected dynamic systems lens that informs how we see ourselves in relation to the world around us and how we see the world itself
• Provide long-term processes that connect the past to the future by emphasising the approach that we use in the present in analysing conflicts
• Use a conflict transformation  approach  to analyse what, why and how  conflicts occur
• Design spaces that deliberately cultivate a peoples culture of humanity reflective of the values, attitudes and relationships inspired by our shared vision of the future
• Expose participants  to academic lectures, bringing in specialist resource people and  historical tours that facilitate debate, discussions and a deeper analysis on issues that affect human beings including land, natural resources, poverty and inequality as drivers of conflict
• Nurture a critical self-reflective sense of individual growth connected to a transformative agenda focused on empowered relationships between people and the empowering institutions that collectively enable a culture of people-to-people solidarity
• To share ideas that one cannot inspire others by trying to be inspiring, inspiring others comes from being your very own inspiring self. Conflict transformation starts with the self
• Develop a vision for Africa that reflects African values and capacities for peace.

DEADLINE: September 19, 2013

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Fellowships: Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa

The Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa program provides fellowships to nurture the intellectual development and increase retention of early-career faculty in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The program assists fellows to develop research opportunities and skills, obtain doctoral degrees, and participate in robust research communities. Toward this end, the project features a thematic focus in order to renew basic research agendas addressing peace, security, and development topics as well as strengthen interdisciplinary social science research capacity on these issues. Funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York, this project offers a replicable model at scale and complements foundation initiatives to develop and strengthen the next generation of African scholars.

The program features three distinct competitive fellowship opportunities for early-career social science faculty who hold positions in accredited colleges and universities in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda:

• Doctoral dissertation proposal fellowship: Supporting short-term research costs of up to US$3,000 to develop a doctoral dissertation proposal.
• Doctoral dissertation research fellowship: Supporting 9-12 months of dissertation research costs of up to US$15,000 on a topic related to peace, security, and development.
• Doctoral dissertation completion fellowship: Supporting a one-year leave from teaching responsibilities with a stipend of up to US$15,000 to permit the completion of a dissertation that advances research on peace, security, and development topics.
  

DEADLINE: December 1, 2013