Project Support Officer

Result of Service

Ultimate result of service Under the guidance and supervision of the Team’s Coordinator and the Chief of the Urban Practices Branch, the consultant will contribute to the following objectives: (i) technical support to project development and implementation; (ii) data collection and analysis, and (iii) VLR methodology and tools development.

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Background The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements.

Based in Nairobi (Kenya), it is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

UN-Habitat is the lead agency within the UN system for coordinating activities in the field of human settlement development and the UN leading the collaboration with local and regional governments and their networks. During the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2015, 193 Member States, convened at the Global Summit on Sustainable Development to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs are universal and relevant to all Member States, from both the global north and global south. As demonstrated in the past years of implementation, it is widely acknowledged that the local level and local action are critical for the overall success of the 2030 Agenda – the SDGs need to be localized. In addition, during the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, the Brazil-promoted Resolution on Localizing the SDGs received wide consensus and was co-sponsored by twelve other countries.

Through the resolution, Member States further mandated UN-Habitat to strengthen the capacities of local and national governments on SDG data, reporting and integrated planning as well as on multilevel governance approaches for SDG localization. UN-Habitat is the UN focal point for work with local and regional governments and the custodian of the New Urban Agenda and has been at the forefront of SDG Localization since the very endorsement of the 2030 Agenda.

Building on its operational capacities and technical leadership, the Agency developed the most integrated approach to localizing the SDGs in the UN system, working on three levels: 1) supporting cities through the SDG Cities Global Initiative; 2) supporting national governments to develop SDG Localization Frameworks; 3) and coordinating the SDG Cities Global Community and political engagement within the main UN and intergovernmental fora. UN-Habitat’s global footprint on SDG localization exceeds 20 countries, working through the UN system and in cooperation with the main UN and international partners. Most recently, UN-Habitat has been mandated to lead the two key UN mechanisms on SDG Localization and local governments: the Local2030 Coalition and the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments. Within UN-Habitat Head Quarters in Nairobi, under the Urban Practices Branch, the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team coordinates UN-Habitat’s work on SDG Localization and the corporate engagement with Local and Regional Governments. Duties and Responsibilities The consultant’s main responsibility will be to support the activities of UN-Habitat’s SDG Localization and Local Governments team, specifically in terms of (i) project management support; (ii) technical support to project development and implementation, and (iii) event, training and capacity building.

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Provide Project Management Support: Provide project management support to the partner cities and countries, including but not limited to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
• Provide Technical Support: Review and provide expert advice on data, Voluntary Local Review, stakeholder reports, and other planning documents to local partners, UN-Habitat regional and country offices, and other relevant partners.
• Prepare Project Report: Deliver project implementation narrative reports and financial reports based on the frequency in the agreement.
• Prepare Project Proposal: Offer technical support in developing and reviewing project proposals related to SDG localization from the Team or Regional and Country Offices.
• Provide Event Management Support: Support on event management that involves the participation of the region, this includes the event at all levels, including local, national, regional and global events.
• Provide Trainings/Workshops: Deliver technical expertise and training sessions to local officials, UN-Habitat offices, Regional and Country Offices, and other relevant partners. Reporting Line This post is located the Urban Practices Branch of UN-Habitat and specifically within its SDG localization and local governments team. The incumbent will work part-time and be supervised by the Team’s Coordinator, and under the overall guidance of the Chief of the Urban Practices Branch. The expert will work in proximity to the other members of the team as well as other units, sections and offices across the Agency.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree in Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Human Geography, Architecture, Statistics, or other related fields is required.
• A minimum of two (2) years of relevant working experience on issues related to sustainable development, urban planning, local development and project management is required. Working experience on the Agenda 2030 and the local implementation of the SDGs will be highly valued.

Languages

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required for this specific consultancy. Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/246140?language=en