Strategic Communications Consultant

Result of Service

Strengthened strategic positioning and visibility of the leadership of G20 Global Land Initiative through coherent, high-quality and influential communications, media engagement and executive messaging that enhance global awareness of G20 Global Land Initiative Coordination Office mandates, particularly on land degradation, land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable development.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

240 days between July 2026 to June 2027

Duties and Responsibilities

Background note: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int) The G20 (or Group of Twenty) is the annual international forum for the governments of 19 industrialized countries, the European Union and the African Union. The G20 Leaders' Declaration, issued in November 2020, launched a "Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats" (G20 Global Land Initiative or G20 GLI). Building on existing initiatives and on a voluntary basis, the G20 countries share the ambition to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the amount of degraded land by 2040. The G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office, with oversight from UNCCD, was established to focus on capacity building, engaging the private sector and civil society and showcasing success. After four years of implementation, the G20 Global Land Initiative Coordination Office is currently stepping up its activities to increase the reach of its activities as well as raise more resources for scaling up. Within this context, an effective communications strategy is critical. The strategic communications consultant for the Initiative will support this effort. Duties & Responsibilities: Under the direct supervision of the Director the G20 Global Land Initiative Coordination Office (ICO), and in close coordination with the Executive Office and the Communications Unit, the consultant will provide strategic communications, media advisory and executive positioning support to strengthen the visibility, influence and public engagement of the Global Land Initiative Coordination Office. The consultant will perform the following duties: Strategic Communications Planning - Based on a review and assessment of past communications activities and data available, and taking into account the changing communications context globally, develop and support implementation of ICO's communication strategy and plan aligned with UNCCD priorities, COP processes, G20 priorities and major political moments. - Provide strategic communications advisory support to the G20 Global Land Initiative (GLI) Initiative Coordination Office leadership team on institutional positioning, public messaging and media engagement. - Develop strategic narratives and messaging frameworks related G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office mandates. - Help to identify strategic communications opportunities to strengthen the visibility and positioning of G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office globally. - Support positioning of G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office and the leadership in high-level international political and policy discussions. G20 Global Land Initiative Strategic Positioning: - Support development of the terms of reference for a communication and public relations campaign to promote G20 GLI G20 Initiative Coordination Office globally - Support strategic communications, positioning and awareness campaigns of the ICO - Support the management of media suppliers and PR agencies - Conduct strategic assessment and advisory support related to: - G20 GLI institutional positioning - alignment with related initiatives and sub-brands - Provide guidance on alignment across G20 GLI and UNCCD campaigns and CoP processes. Messaging and Content Development: - Draft, edit and coordinate high-level communications materials for G20 GLI's G20 Initiative Coordination Office leadership, including: - speeches - talking points - opinion pieces - media statements - interview briefs - social media content - captions - and messaging documents. Arabic X Account for the G20 ICO: - Develop and implement social media content plans for the G20 ICO in Arabic aligned with the English social media platforms - Ensure all communications products reflect G20/UNCCD priorities, key institutional messages and the tone of the leadership public engagements. Media Relations and Outreach Support: - Support in strategic engagement with top-tier Arabic and international media outlets - Help to identify high-value media and visibility opportunities for the leadership of G20 GLI G20 Initiative Coordination Office - Support preparation for media interviews, public engagements and strategic communications moments - Contribute to strengthening G20 GLI G20 Initiative Coordination Office visibility across regional and international media platforms Event Communications and High-Level Engagement Support: - Provide strategic communications support related to major G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office events and high-level engagements: - Support remote and on-site communications coverage, as feasible Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting - Monitor communications performance, media visibility and audience engagement across relevant platforms - Provide strategic recommendations and insights to optimize communications impact and outreach - Identify emerging communications risks and opportunities related to G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office positioning and strategic priorities - Prepare periodic strategic communications and analytics reports.

Qualifications/special skills

- Bachelour degree in public relations, journalism, communications or political/social sciences is required. - Experience in developing strategic communication plan for large organisations is required - Experience in working with top-tier Arabic broadcast, print and online media is required. - Experience creating quality content for media, including excellent writing and editing skills in Arabic is required. - Knowledge of environmental, policy, and outreach issues and activities relevant to the work of UNCCD is an advantage - Familiarity with G20/UNCCD issues and work is an advantage. - Experience working in a multicultural and multinational environment is desirable. - Experience working in countries affected by desertification, land degradation and drought is desirable. - Knowledge of the UN issues related to sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources is desirable.

Languages

- Excellent writing and editing skills in both Arabic and English is required.

Additional Information

Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.

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.