Arthur E. Shears's Blog

This year I applied to Catalyste+ and became an Advisor. I reviewed the various opportunities that matched my skill set and was chosen for two assignments in Dominica in the Caribbean. One was in-country for two weeks and the other virtual which lasted on and off over three months. They were both enjoyable and productive. In fact, during my assignments the Dominica TVET Council was able to draft their Five Year Strategic Plan 2026-2031.

Catalyste+ is having an information session in late October. This is your chance to learn about their work and how you might fit in.

To register for the English language session, use this link:

Meeting Registration – Zoom

For the French language session, check here:

Meeting Registration – Zoom

Enjoy the information session.

It’s been awhile since I wrote about WUSC on this BLOG but a reference in the latest newsletter from the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) announcing new vacancies had me visiting their site again. Here’s what the ACIC said in their newsletter:

Your expertise can make an impact. By volunteering internationally, you can help create a better world for all young people. WUSC has provided over 10,000 Canadians with high quality, rewarding, and safe international and e-volunteer opportunities. Whether you are an early-career, mid-career or a retired professional, you can give your time and share your skills and experience in support of development programs that improve education, economic, and empowerment opportunities for young people around the world.

WUSC, much like CUSO International which I worked for in my early career, still sends Canadians abroad for development work (and to learn a lot in the process). WUSC also offers e-learning volunteer opportunities, a good option for those with families or other commitments who need to stay close to home. What is new and very encouraging for interested persons in low to middle-income countries is the opportunity to apply for a South-South volunteer assignment. There is also the chance to apply as a WUSC national volunteer in your own country. For example, I see on the current list of openings a position available in Iraq.

SOUTH-SOUTH Volunteer

The image below shows an example of an assignment description, this one for a job in Ghana lasting seven months. Check out the eligibility requirements shown. The full job description has many more details .

Conditions of Service for Canadian International Volunteers

The snapshot below lists the conditions of service for a Canadian WUSC International Volunteer. For those who might want to check out conditions for South-South or National volunteers, you can visit WUSC and explore further.

WUSC website

You can learn about WUSC and its volunteer opportunities here.

WUSC (World University Service of Canada) – Education Changes the World

Recommended Reading

Also, you might find my book to be of interest. It is a memoir about my international work as a volunteer, advisor or consultant in sixteen different countries. Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between is available from AMAZON or … preferably from me at….

Overseas Adventures – North Star Skills for Development

Good luck in your volunteer assignment search.

A friend at the Canadian Association of Independent Development Professionals (CAIDC) shared the following. Have a look and kindly share.

Director (Chief Financial Officer)(D1) IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ∙ Vienna ∙ Senior Executive level ∙ Closing September 22 Assistant Analyst, Portfolio EBRD – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development∙ London ∙ Junior level ∙ Closing September 23 Advisor, Strategic Planning GICHD – Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining ∙ Geneva ∙ Senior level ∙ Closing September 26 Chief Strategy Officer IRRI – International Rice Research Institute ∙ Los Baños ∙ Senior Executive level ∙ Open until filled [FO] (Senior) Environmental/ Social Development Specialist – Occupational Health and Safety AIIB – Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ∙ Beijing ∙ Mid level ∙ Open until filled

Good luck if you do apply.

Good Monday morning to all. It’s an especially good morning here in Nova Scotia, Canada after we had substantial rain over the last 24 hours. The Maritimes have had a long dry spell and needed relief. Prayers answered!

This UNFPA D-2 job in New York popped up on my LinkedIn account this morning with a request to share. You can find details here.

Spread the word and apply here before 18 September 2025 (9:29AM CEST): https://unf.pa/DirDER

hashtag#UNJobs

I am not that familiar with UNFPA so I found this paragraph in the job posting illuminating.

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025) underscores the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. 

During my time as Team Leader on the EU-funded Skills and Technical Education Program co-managed by UNESCO, we did substantial work in the area of preventing gender based violence. You can find out more from the project website where reports, research and media resources are available.

RESOURCES – STEP

I describe my time in Malawi in the penultimate chapter of my book – Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between. It’s available at the web address below or from Amazon.

Overseas Adventures – North Star Skills for Development

Good luck.

I share information about working abroad in this BLOG, and have in past posts mentioned a variety of agencies that look for consultants or volunteers ranging from Peace Corps, and British Council to CUSO International and Catalyste+. In scrolling through LinkedIn this morning, I came across the following story by Anthony Stokes who invited readers to repost. That is what I am doing.

Hard to find a job in development?

One of these 9 links could change your life:

Social media is not a bad starting point for international development job opportunities at a difficult time. There are also many websites with job boards, communities and advice.

1️⃣ https://www.impactpool.org

“We gather top talent to solve global challenges”

Global development, humanitarian aid, peace and security

2️⃣ devex.com/jobs/search

Online community of global development professionals
6,000+ jobs on “the world’s largest development job board”

3️⃣ https://reliefweb.int/jobs

“Humanitarian information on global crises & disasters”

With over 2,000 humanitarian jobs

4️⃣ https://lnkd.in/eXeuFXHV

Jobs, scholarships and grants “to empower often marginalised communities, particularly in the Global South”

Plus opinion, articles, videos

5️⃣ Opportunitiesforyouth.org

“Informational online portal created for ambitious young adults across the world”

Jobs, conferences, scholarships, grants

6️⃣ Devnetjobs.org

International development jobs and consulting opportunities

Plus paid membership access to “member-only jobs”

7️⃣ wianetwork.com/jobs

“The global headquarters for ambitious women in international affairs”

Membership platform, community, job listings

8️⃣ idealist.org

Opportunities spanning nonprofits, social-impact businesses, corporate social responsibility initiatives

9️⃣ https://bit.ly/4jVi9eD

A “crowd-sourced” list of websites, consulting firms and coaches

And, now let me share a reminder about my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between”.

Overseas Adventures – North Star Skills for Development

The link above to take you to the page to order my book from me directly.

Or you can order it from Amazon by using this link.

Amazon.com : Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between

GOOD LUCK in YOUR JOB SEARCH and GOOD READING.

A former ILO colleague of mine shared the below opportunity. If interested, check it out but be quick, the deadline for application is midnight Ukraine time, September 2, 2025.

https://jobs.ilo.org/job/Project-Manager-P4/13218-en_GB

Excellent skills in English is a requirement; knowledge of Ukrainian an advantage. The project focuses on labour issues.

I had the pleasure of working on projects with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the past, once as Chief Technical Advisor on the TVET Reform project in Bangladesh (7 years), and as a short-term consultant in employment policy in Afghanistan (before the Taliban takeover).

You can find my experiences with the ILO, amongst others, described in my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between” available from this website or from AMAZON.

Good luck, if you apply.

For those looking for international development assignments as a consultant, you could try the British Council. I registered with them some years ago but never followed up any leads because I had enough work elsewhere. It seems they are decommissioning their current consultant database and replacing it with a new system. See their letter to me below.

If consulting is of interest, you could check their “Our work in international development” link below as well as read the Council’s policies on the link that follows. Or you could write directly to their email: consultantsenquiries@britishcouncil.org

Good luck.

(And don’t forget to check out my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between” available from my website or from AMAZON.)

Dear Arthur,

I hope that you are well. I am writing to give you an update on British Council consultants database CMIS that you are still registered to.

We have identified an application that will replace CMIS. We are working towards preparing the new application and de-commission CMIS. Read on to find out more. 

Upgrading CMIS – In April we informed you that we were exploring an alternative platform to replace CMIS which will offer more efficient ways for you to keep your professional information up-to-date and enable us to match opportunities with consultants on our database more closely. We have now identified an application that we feel would meet most of the criteria we seek. This means that we will not re-activate CMIS while we now work to prepare the new application and de-commission CMIS. You will no longer be able to access your CMIS profile but be assured that all your data has been saved.

We’re currently finalising the timescale for the new consultants’ database and will invite you to transfer to the new platform when it is ready.In the meantime, to keep informed of the opportunities please visit our International Development website by clicking on the blue tab below, then click on the ‘Development Consultants’ tab at the top to find links to other useful information, for example ‘Opportunities and Insight’ web page.If you no longer wish to be registered on CMIS, please email our mailbox below and we will remove you from CMIS and delete your CV. It would be useful if you were to let us know your reason for this decision. 

Yours sincerely,
Consultants Enquiries
British Council | 1 Redman Place | London | E20 1JQ

Our work in international development

Consultants contracting with the British Council are required to familiarise themselves with and adhere to British Council policies for consultants including the standards, behaviours and principles.

Click the tab below for details.

British Council Policies

You have received this communication because you are part of our database of consultants. If you wish to be removed from this database, please email us.consultantsenquiries@britishcouncil.org

I am reposting this message from Christine Hoffman at the ILO.

Please circulate among your networks! We look for digital innovators from Africa.

Are you a digital entrepreneur using technology to expand access to work, training, and better opportunities? hashtag#HacktheDivide is your chance to take your ideas further—starting with a two-day hackathon in Nairobi, and continuing with incubation support in Italy.
Applications are open to young digital innovators (aged 18-35) from 25 African countries to co-create inclusive tech solutions that address real challenges such as youth employment, digital inclusion, and labour mobility.
You’ll spend two days in Nairobi collaborating in teams, supported by expert mentorship, and interacting directly with global institutions and policy leaders shaping Africa’s digital future.
Travel, accommodation, and meals will be covered for all selected participants.

hashtag#skillsforall Jonas Bausch Stefano Merante Barbara Glover Nqobile Zwane Baye Sambou Nicholas Omondi Ouma
https://lnkd.in/etQnnnMj

#HackTheDivide

itcilo.org

In my career, I have previously worked for various UN specialized agencies including the ILO, FAO, UNESCO, ITU and UNESCO but never for UNOPS. But I have worked previously in Afghanistan which is where a current UN assignment is becoming available. See here:

If you would like to apply, check the actual job posting at:

https://jobs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=30575

The application period is shown as August 10 – August 27, 2025.

If I were you, I would first read the information on “How to send a good application” first. You can also learn about other job opportunities at UNOPS on the their site.

If you would like to read about my time in Afghanistan in 2007, you will find a chapter in my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points in-Between”.

Good luck in your application. The people there need assistance.

The following opportunity was shared with me by Dr. Julia Dicum, Director of Education at UNRWA.

UNRWA has a TVET programme that serves about 8,000 Palestine Refugee Youth and a similarly structured even smaller education sciences faculty programme (pre-service teacher training only) that serves about 2,000 Palestine refugee youth (mostly females).  We are looking for a 6-month TVET/skills-based higher education consultant to advise us on sustainability models for the future management/governance of TVET and educational sciences (pre-service education training). 

The JO TVET Consultant / P4 #262571 is online now. For easy reference, please follow the link below:

https://inspira.un.org/psc/UNCAREERS/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/UN_CUSTOMIZATIONS.UN_JOB_DETAIL.GBL?Page=UN_JOB_DETAIL&Action=A&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=262571&PostingSeq=1

Note that UNRWA has programs in Gaza, the Occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

This assignment is a transformational opportunity for the right person. Unfortunately, I am not available. I did work with UNRWA in TVET in the 2005-2007 period. My experience is described in a chapter of my book Overseas Adventures….