Request from
UNODC – Statistics And Survey Section
JOB DESCRIPTION
RAS-090-04-P-046-01-V (revised Oct 2008)
General Information
Title: Associate Expert in Geographic Information Systems/Remote Sensing for Illicit Crop
Monitoring
Duration of appointment: 1 year (with possible extension for another year)
Expected start date: as soon as available
Duty Station: UNODC Country Office in Myanmar.
Supervision
Direct supervision by: UNODC Representative in Myanmar
Technical supervision: Chief, UNODC Statistics and Surveys Section
Content and methodology of the supervision: Direct supervision of all administrative and
technical activities and weekly meetings to monitor progress
Duties, responsibilities and output expectations:
The Illicit Crops Monitoring Programme includes a technical team at UNDCP-HQ and 7 national
monitoring projects implemented in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Laos and
Morocco. The Associate Expert will be based in the UNODC Field Office in Yangon (Myanmar),
assisting with illicit crop monitoring activities in Myanmar and Laos, in particular the spatial
analysis of data. S/He will also provide backstopping to the national projects on issues related to
the use of GIS and Remote Sensing.
In particular, the Associate Expert will:
Review and compile spatial data;
Conduct GIS analysis of the data and produce GIS tools to facilitate the analysis and
decision taking process of UNODC;
Assist in the establishment of a GIS database of socio-economic data to guide the
preparation/implementation of sustainable livelihood interventions;
Maintain and develop a map inventory for South-East Asia.
Provide technical backstopping on GIS and RS issues;
Contribute to the strengthening of the methodologies used in the national monitoring
projects;
Review project proposals that include GIS or RS components
Provide inputs for the Remote Sensing and GIS components of the survey reports.
Qualifications and experience
Qualifications: An advanced degree (MSc or MA) in Geography or other field which deals with
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) applied to land use
management, urban and regional development. Fluency in English is essential
UN competencies:
Commitment to Continuous Learning: willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the
field.
Communications: excellent spoken and superior written communication skills, including the
ability to draft text for publication.
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Planning & Organizing: ability to manage conflicting priorities and work under pressure of tight
and competitive deadlines.
Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills , demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national
and cultural backgrounds.
Work experience:
A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience in the application of GIS and RS
techniques gained through work in a research or academic institution, a development
organisation, or other institution with a focus on GIS or RS. Experience with GIS and RS for land
use management, urban and regional development and/or alternative development an asset.
Learning Elements
This is an exceptional opportunity for a young professional, who has focused on developing
information system solutions for planning and development.
After the two year assignment the Associate Expert will be able to write assessment reports,
assess project proposals, and help design, monitor and implement project solutions that will
consolidate Remote Sensing and GIS-based information solutions that will support the
monitoring of illicit crops and alternative development projects.
Background information
Organizational structure
The Associate Expert will be based in the UNODC Country Office in Myanmar, which is part of
the UNODC Division for Operations. The Division for Operations offers knowledge and
expertise to Member States thereby assisting them in fulfilling their treaty obligations with regard
to drugs and crime and creating an enabling environment for sustainable development, peace and
security. The Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme falls within the mandate of the Statistics and
Survey Section, located within Policy Analysis and Research Branch, Division of Policy Analysis
and Public Affairs. The Statistics and Surveys Section works with the Studies and Threat
Analysis Section to implement the UNODC Trends Monitoring and Analysis Programme, a
central component of the UNODC Strategy for 2008-2011 (Pillar 1: Policy and Trend Analysis)
which assists the international community in monitoring illicit drugs and crime issues.
The Statistics And Survey Section is responsible for i) producing and disseminating accurate
drugs and crime statistics at the international level and ii) supporting the countries in their efforts
to produce and disseminate drugs and crime statistics at national level.
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Outline about the programme
The Trends Monitoring and Analysis Programme (Trends MAP) implements UNODC second
strategic priority for the period 2008-2011: “Policy and Trend Analysis”, main strategic objective:
“Enhanced knowledge of thematic and cross-sectoral trends”, result area “Threat and Risk Analysis”.
Trends MAP relies on three main types of interventions: surveys, statistics and studies to cover drugs
and crime topics mandated by Member States. The programme is organized into programme
components. The programme component where the associate expert will be assigned is responsible
for surveys.
The Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme is a follow up of the General Assembly Special Session on
Drugs (UNGASS) held in New York in June 1998, when the Member States decided to intensify data
collection activities regarding illicit crops and asked UNODC to play an active role in this sector.
Based on the outcome of the UNGASS, the main responsibilities assigned to UNODC were:
- To provide technical assistance to governments to establish or improve monitoring mechanisms;
- To act as a catalyst in the establishment of information gathering networks;
- To compile all data and information on illicit crops, conduct assessment and analysis of the situation
and to provide an independent, neutral and objective feedback to governments.
Consequently the Illicit Crops Monitoring Programme was developed for strengthening of
national/regional monitoring mechanisms. The ICMP strategy is to support the requesting
governments to assess the cultivation level and trends in their territory with a transparent, reliable and
robust methodology and provide figures which will be internationally recognized. Priority has been
given to areas where illicit coca and opium poppy cultivation predominantly takes place and where
substantial alternative development and/or eradication programs are being implemented. The
countries are Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Laos and Morocco.
More information on ICMP, and in particular the Opium poppy survey reports for Myanmar and
Laos, can be found on the following website: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/crop_monitoring.html
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