Climate Resilience Project Consultant

Result of Service

The consultant will be responsible for keeping the HUB Coordinator informed and having to obtain validation of his/her activities in the full project cycle

Work Location

Cartagena (Home-based), Colombia

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cit-ies. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters with-in the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. A brief description of the ROLAC region Undoubtedly, the climate emergency is a defining challenge of our time. The IPCC has warned that without drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, global warming will not be kept within the target of 1.5°C above current levels. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the COP27 Sharm-El-Sheikh Plan of Implementation have highlighted the role of cities and local communities as central to responding to the climate crisis. It is within cities, which ac-count for almost 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, where we must take action to meet the global goal of carbon neutrality by the end of the century. Considering the above, the United Nations Urban Settlements Programme has designed the Program "Accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement by building climate resilience in vulnerable urban areas", which aims to strengthen the climate resilience of vulnerable urban communities by improving the policy environment and strengthening capacities at the community level and the plan-ning and policy processes at the municipal and national levels that directly support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, as well as accelerate action in support of urban poor communities and infor-mal settlements by improving the policy environment (including NDCs, NDC implementation plans, NAPs and other national and local policies and strategies on climate change, as well as the develop-ment of bankable projects in support of the most vulnerable urban communities) The Phase III of the Project, which is funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Co-operation-AECID is linked to the Resilient Settlements for Vulnerable People in Urban Contexts (RISE UP) program, one of UN-Habitat's five global flagship programs. The RISE UP flagship supports the UN Habitat Strategic Plan by mobilizing large-scale investments in resilience where needed, for the benefit of the most vulnerable people in cities. By focusing on the resilience of urban systems, RISE UP pro-vides national and local governments and communities with resources and knowledge, as well as en-hances institutional capacities, and supports the improvement of the policy environment needed to accelerate climate resilient actions that enable vulnerable communities to transition to resilient fu-tures, green and just urban futures. To this end, the UN-Habitat Andean Countries Hub, requires a Focal Point in the city of Cartagena, Co-lombia. This person would be the local support of the initiative, would serve as a liaison with the stra-tegic partners of the project, and would be the implementer of the actions and products expected by UN-Habitat in support of the technical team of the project. The consultant will be responsible for keeping the HUB Coordinator informed and having to obtain validation of his/her activities in the full project cycle RESPONSIBILITIES a.) Information and validation: • The consultant will be responsible for keeping the HUB Coordinator informed and having to obtain validation of his/her activities in the full project cycle. b.) Development: • Lead the implementation of the project "Accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agree-ment by Building for Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor " in Cartagena with the aim of achieving its objectives and results, ensuring the articulation and coherence of inter-agency ac-tivities. • Serve as the local liaison of the initiative in the city. This represents the official relationship with identified local stakeholders, mapping of local actors, roadmap, etc. This person will work under the supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Senior Advisor, the Program Specialist and the Coordinator of HUB Andean Countries. • Produce technical inputs necessary for the implementation of the initiative in the expected re-sults and taking into account the framework of the responsibilities established. • Coordinate the project's work plan in the territory, monitor its implementation and ensure compliance with the expected results, as well as alert any related developments. • Support, together with the Project Coordination and local governments, the identification of poor urban communities highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. • Support the technical team of the project in the information-collecting process of local and community level data and information on urban, socio-economic, climate and biodiversity is-sues, as well as urbanization and spatial expansion trends, climate change projections and bi-odiversity loss. • Support the process of conducting a multi-layered climate vulnerability and risk based on the SP3 Vulnerability Atlas. • Support logistically and technically the implementation of local workshops. • Support the processes of socialization and presentation of the results of the multilevel vulner-ability and risk assessment to poor urban communities and at the national level. • Support project coordination in the development, coordination and confirmation of mission agendas of the technical team and its accompaniment, as appropriate. • Prepare technical reports and other inputs required for Project Coordination, national and/or local authorities, participating United Nations agencies and the United Nations Coordination Office as required. • Lead the convening of the specific bodies of the governance structure of the project at the city level, attend the steering, technical and management committees, as well as the working meet-ings that are determined for the proper follow-up, reporting and presentation of the initiative. He/She should also express in a timely manner to the relevant authorities any deviations, vari-ations, unforeseen events and/or difficulties of the project in the territory. • Support the systematization of good project practices and ensure proper knowledge manage-ment. • Support the corresponding administrative processes related to the fulfilment of the project's activities in the territory, ensuring compliance with UN-Habitat's procurement policy. • Support the project's communications strategy, through the production of content to make the implementation of the project's activities visible. • Identify other international cooperation and/or fundraising activities complementary to the Project aimed at other international cooperation agencies, the public sector, the private sector, and other partners identified during implementation. c.) Approval: • The consultant will be responsible for supporting compliance with project approval process-es, as well as monitoring the development and implementation of programs and projects. • Support the Hub Coordinator in the development of inputs for conceptual notes, project documents, implementation plans and budgets, and in general all the documentation nec-essary for internal approval of projects, following the provisions of the various manuals of procedures, internal regulations, and regular channels established by the Agency. d.) Implementation: • When it is necessary to provide accompaniment to the UN-Habitat Coordinator and/or team in the establishment of communication with counterparties. • Provide inputs for the development of technical and economic proposals related to the for-mulation of new projects, as well as the implementation of existing ones, specifically with the drafting of conceptual notes, project documents, implementation plans, budgets, terms of reference, memorandums of understanding, agreements and other cooperation mecha-nisms defined by the UN-Habitat Coordinator. • Participate, upon request, in interagency groups of the United Nations System, project meet-ings, official missions and/or events related to the projects in which you participate. • Provide inputs for the systematization and exchange of successful practices and experiences with other HUBs in the region, with headquarters branches, counterparties and with whom to designate the UN-Habitat Andean Countries HUB Coordinator. • Support other activities requested and by mutual agreement with the Project Coordinator and the UN-Habitat HUB Coordinator for Andean countries, within the framework of this consultancy and without prejudice to the achievement of their responsibilities. e.) Knowledge Management: • The consultant must know the processes, procedures, and standards of the organization, to ensure an adequate quality of the activities described above according to the standards of the organization. • Propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementation of the Agency's projects. • The consultant must know the file system of the projects and ensure their proper maintenance, accessibility for all officials and the proper updating. • Design methodologies for the systematization of good practices and knowledge, related to the implementation of the projects and cooperation activities of the UN-Habitat Colombia Office. • Support the formulation of substantive documents linked to the thematic lines of action of UN-Habitat Colombia. • Prepare reports and other documents related to meetings, missions and activities developed by the NATIONAL UN-Habitat Office. • The consultant will carry out research activities to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and best practices on the sustainable urban development issues set out in the Agency's mandate. • Collect information on the urban status in the Andean Countries that serves as an input both for the identification of new project opportunities and for the implementation of the subscribed projects. • Support monitoring of UN-Habitat's implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDP) Target 11 dealing with sustainable cities and communities. • Identify strategic allies for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in Andean countries. • Manage knowledge networks for the dissemination of the methodologies and documents generated by the agency and for the construction with strategic allies of new knowledge on topics related to sustainable urban development. f.) Others: • Other activities requested and by mutual agreement with the HUB Coordinator of The Andean Countries of UN-Habitat, within the framework of this consultancy and without prejudice to the achievement of its responsibilities. • The consultant will participate in work and follow-up meetings, both with other consultants, as well as with the Coordinator and team of the Andean Countries HUB of UN-Habitat and with the staff of the projects. • The consultant shall be responsible for ensuring that all activities comply with the principles of United Nations integrity.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Urban Planning, Sustainable Develop-ment, Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change, Economic Development and/or Urban Manage-ment is required. A first degree in areas related to Architecture, Engineering, Urban Development, Social Sciences, Government and International Relations, Economics and/or related is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience handling technological tools, commercial packages e.g., Microsoft Windows, Office and database processing programs is required. Managing ERP and GIS systems is required. A Minimum four (4) years of work experience in projects related to human settlements, urban plan-ning, territorial planning, urban development management, climate resilience solutions, Climate Risk Management, social inclusion and/or related is required. Experience withing the United Nations Sys-tem and/or climate change projects implemented in Cartagena is desirable. Experience handling technological tools, commercial packages e.g., Microsoft Windows, Office and database processing programs is required. Managing ERP and GIS systems is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another UN Official Language is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.