New York Office:
Zelia Cordeiro, SSpS
Felix Jones, SVD
E-mail: viny@vivatinternational.org

Representative in Geneva:

Edward Flynn, CSSp E-mail: geneva@vivatinternational.org

VIVAT Executive Team Job Description

I. SKILLS and QUALITIES

1. Gives expression to the Charism

• The Representative will carry the goals and objectives of the organization and be able to articulate it to the United Nations.  S/he should be passionate and able to hold the vision in dealing with the both the UN and their own members.

2. Interpersonal Relational Skills

• Person of sensitivity, understanding

• Able to form/work in a team

• High level of program planning and coordination skills.

3. Networking  Skills / Relational Skills

• Able to work collaboratively

• Has had some cross-cultural experience as well as grassroots experience of the Congregation/s work and mission

• Is culturally sensitive

4. Leadership

• The Representative needs to be a “self starter” and also able to meet his/her own personal maintenance needs

• Able to motivate others to engage with the UN agenda

• Possesses perseverance and persistence

• Has both zeal for and patience with the multilateral process

• Able to prioritize and balance several tasks at the same time.

5. Global Vision

• Has a global outlook and vision.

• To effectively link the local and the global.

• An awareness of the complexity of issues the UN addresses.

• Be knowledgeable and sensitive to traditional and contemporary issues affecting societies.

• Within this global framework the Representative needs skills to organize and administer the NGO at the UN. These include responsible fiscal management, effective communication with congregational leaders, with JPIC contact persons and with membership.

6. Language Skills

• Proficiency in more than one language would be valuable. S/he needs to communicate in English, with both written and verbal fluency. S/he will be keenly sensitive to the need for translation into the official languages of his/her group.

• Computer literacy is needed if the Representative is to be effective in the networking and communication tasks that are integral to the presence of and NGO at the United Nations.

II. Responsibilities of UN Representative

• To educate the congregation/s about:
  • Global Reality
  • The UN

• To advocate at the UN:
  • on behalf of congregational members
  • mobilize the members and publics served to create political will and take action at the local level.

• To facilitate participation of members with or on behalf of the UN at different levels –local, regional, international.

• To PARTICIPATE and be the presence and voice of the congregations
  • UN member states
  • Various UN agencies
  • NGO community at the UN
  • Network and collaborate with the Justice and Peace Coordinators, Government representatives

• To facilitate membership to present grassroots issues to the UN

III. Accountability

The Representative is accountable to the Board Directors and to the UN. This accountability involves:

• fiscal responsibility
• preparing written reports to the UN, participating in NGO committee work and making presentations to include the Representative’s communities or regions.
• preparing reports to UN, to Congregational Leaders and to Members
• engaging in regular, interactive communication with members
• being available to members through workshops, presentations etc., to strengthen the links between those working on the ground and the work at the UN.

IV. Selection Process

We envisage a process shaped by the following elements:

• It is very important that someone from the leadership is familiar with the UN and how it works.
• Experience shows the value of offering a period of internship for those who could be interested in representing the congregation at the UN. In this way a pool of potential candidates for representative is created.
• There needs to be a transition time, with a period of overlap when the outgoing and the incoming representatives can work together.
• The UN system takes time to understand. We suggest a 3 years renewable term.