Project Specialist

Established in 1997 from the enlargement of the existing UN Drugs Programme, the mission of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is to contribute to global peace and security, human rights and development by effectively, efficiently and with accountability, delivering support to Member States to build just, inclusive and resilient societies that leave no one behind. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the UN's lead agency in the fight against illicit drugs, transnational organized crime, terrorism, and corruption. UNODC global work and technical assistance is based around five thematic areas pertinent to relevant international Conventions: strengthening Member States’ capacities to confront threats from transnational organized crime; tackling corruption and its impacts on societies; strengthening crime prevention and building effective criminal justice systems; supporting Member States in implementing a balanced, comprehensive and evidence-based approach to the world drug problem that addresses supply and demand; and countering terrorism. Through its global mandate, UNODC provides technical assistance to Member States to enhance their legal, institutional, and operational capacity to address these challenges. A cornerstone of this work includes combating money laundering, disrupting illicit financial flows, and strengthening asset recovery frameworks. UNODC also plays a key role in supporting cross-border cooperation to detect and dismantle organized crime networks, in line with the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), UN Drugs Conventions and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). The UNODC Regional Office of South-Eastern Europe (ROSEE) started its operations in Istanbul, Türkiye on 1 March 2023. ROSEE covers a region composed by the following countries/jurisdictions: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo (all references to Kosovo are intended under UNSCR1244/1999), Serbia, Türkiye, additional coverage Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Slovenia, through the delivery of technical assistance under the Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe (RPSEE) 2024-2029, provides strategic support and high-level expertise on drugs, crime, corruption, criminal justice, and terrorism, to partner in countries and jurisdictions across South-Eastern Europe. The UNODC Regional Office of South-Eastern Europe (ROSEE) in Istanbul, through the delivery of technical assistance under the Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe (RPSEE), provides strategic support and high-level expertise on drugs, crime, corruption, criminal justice, and terrorism, to partner with countries and jurisdictions across South-Eastern Europe. UNODC in 60 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_UOuWty7DoE&feature=youtu.be

UNODC Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe (ROSEE) strategic presence in Türkiye plays a crucial role as per its location in the Western Balkan Route and as a land, maritime and air crossway and a bridge between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In this line, ROSEE’s role is also to enhance and further develop cooperation and exchange of intelligence between Balkans’ jurisdictions and other regions. The Programme Office in Türkiye (POTUR) - Ankara was established shortly after the move of ROSEE to Istanbul. POTUR Ankara is not only facilitating the planning, organization and delivery of UNODC activities under the Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe 2024-2029, but also is an important bridge between the Turkish National Authorities, the UNODC Regional Office and UNODC Global Programmes. Furthermore, the Regional Representative, together with POTUR Ankara, is the first line of communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, all Ministries, UN Resident Coordination Office, other UN Agencies based in Ankara. Türkiye is a country, located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, that spends tireless efforts and has a long experience to protect the diverse heritage of civilizations that have been a cultural and historical influence nationally and globally. These efforts are wrecked by the escalating threats from transnational organized crime (TOC) and money laundering (ML) targeting its ancient and modern cultural heritage. Looting, smuggling, falsification and illicit trade of cultural artefacts fuel criminal networks, erode cultural identity and deprive future generations of their cultural legacy and identity. Furthermore, criminal organizations’ aggression in the cultural sector is also compromising the tourism sector and ultimately obstructing socio-economic and security development. Similar challenges are experienced by several jurisdictions in South-Eastern Europe, sharing closer historical backgrounds and an abundant cultural heritage. In response to this phenomenon and with the high interest of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, ROSEE proposed a multi-pronged approach to combat multifaced serious organized criminal threats while improving regional jurisdictions’ capacity to “Protect Cultural Heritage and Prevent the Illicit Exploitation of Cultural Artefacts from Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering in South-Eastern Europe, under the overarching UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye will partner with UNODC ROSEE in supporting and assisting regional authorities through training, workshops, operational exercises, and field visits in South-Eastern Europe and other countries as well as to review the current national policies and legislation, risk analysis, profiling and controlling techniques to improve national control and preventive mechanisms. Furthermore, UNODC and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye will support the beneficiaries in Türkiye and South-Eastern Europe in promoting and enhancing international cooperation, especially law enforcement and judicial cooperation, through best practices and capacity on requesting and providing information as well as on the recuperation and return of stolen artefacts. The implementation of the Project was initiated on 1st December 2025.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the ROSEE Regional Representative and the Liaison Officer in POTUR-Ankara, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: A. Implementation of Culture Project (60%) - Support the execution and oversight of project activities to ensure timely and effective implementation. - Collect, compile, analyze, and present data and information related to specific project themes, providing clear and actionable insights. - Serve as the primary administrative liaison for project coordination, facilitating communication and collaboration across internal departments and external stakeholders to initiate requests, secure clearances, and manage administrative processes. - Prepare status reports highlighting delivery gaps, escalate issues to supervisors, and recommend corrective measures to enhance project performance. - Draft professional correspondence on project matters and produce a range of documentation including reports, briefing materials, visual aids, statistical tables, and presentations. - Address complex inquiries and information requests; maintain organized records and files; coordinate logistics for meetings, workshops, and training sessions. - Represent the project in meetings and conferences, support coordination efforts with local authorities, partner organizations, UN agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental entities, donors, and other relevant stakeholders. - Assist in monitoring the performance of implementing partners and promptly report any instances of non-compliance to the supervisor. - Perform other administrative duties related to the project upon request. B. Programme Support to ROSEE (20%) - Support the development or review of reports, briefing notes, country profiles. - Carry out all the official and written correspondences of UNODC ROSEE, other Regional Offices and Global Programmes of UNODC with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye. - Organize meetings and draft minutes of meetings with donors, partners, programme coordinators and heads of offices, etc. - Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) in Türkiye and its implementation/monitoring, and ensure timely follow-up on agreed actions processes - Represent UNODC ROSEE in relevant coordination processes with the government and other UN agencies. - Perform any other duties required by UNODC ROSEE leadership. C. Project Development (20%) - Support the preparation, development and implementation of other potential projects in Türkiye. - Contribute to the ongoing development of the Concept Notes, Project Ideas, Project Fiche, Description of Action (DoA) Document with different Ministries as beneficiaries. - Interact with other UN Agencies in Türkiye for joint programming. - Revise the potential donor portfolio for the activities in Türkiye and SEE jurisdictions. - Perform other administrative duties upon request.