Result of Service

Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Human Settlements in the Sahel

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. The Regional Office for Africa supports African countries developing human settlements projects to address fast urbanization of the continent and achieve sustainable development by focusing on challenges faced by cities in Africa. The current portfolio of UN-Habitat is expanding in West Africa and more specifically in the Sahel. For almost a decade, the Sahel region has been suffering from different conflicts which originated from indigenous populations claiming independence (Mali, spread into Burkina Faso and Niger) or caused by Boko Haram (North-East Nigeria, Northern Cameroon, Western Chad). This crisis is complex: Islamic groups carry out terror attacks in the region that exacerbate existing tensions between ethnic groups competing over access to natural resources – themselves scarcening due to the impacts of climate change – or over precious metals and minerals. As a result, approximately 14 million internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, or returnees have been displaced, with no possibility to return, through the rather porous boundaries of the Sahel. Conflict and displacement put even more pressure on the unprecedented urban growth witnessed in the region. This resulted in the progressive accumulation of risk in cities and towns, mainly due to weak urban governance capacity to manage rapid expansion. Much of the population expansion has taken place outside or in the absence of official planning frameworks, and large numbers of people satisfy their housing needs in informal settlements, often located in high-risk areas, exposed to a range of hazards. Urban risks are exacerbated by the increasing severity and unpredictability of climate change effects. UN-Habitat has therefore developed an extensive portfolio of work on Urban Resilience, Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction, including normative, policy-level and practical infrastructure interventions at the regional, national and city levels. Under the first phase of the UNDP Sahel Resilience Project, the City Resilience Action Planning Tool (CityRAP) has been implemented in 7 cities of the Sahel. This operates under a methodology whose main objective is to enable local governments of secondary cities to understand risks, prioritise critical issues and plan practical actions to build urban resilience progressively. So far, it has been implemented about 45 times across almost 20 countries. Support is needed to finalise the revision of the Resilience Frameworks for Action (RFAs) of 4 out of 7 cities in the Sahel, validate and disseminate the RFAs through multiple platforms, including social media and website, translate them and finalise the compilation of best practices. Additionally, the ‘Harnessing urbanization for a more resilient, inclusive and green recovery in French-speaking least developed countries’ project aims to strengthen urban resilience and capacity-building in French-speaking least developed countries (LDCs), focusing on Senegal, Burkina Faso, and other African French-speaking LDCs. The project aims to provide urban professionals, local authorities, and government officials with essential tools and training to address urban challenges such as rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and increased vulnerability to climate change. Through a blended learning approach, combining digital and in-person formats, the project promotes implementing sustainable urban planning practices and disaster risk reduction strategies. This initiative supports the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and fosters resilient, inclusive urban development across Francophone LDCs. Support is needed in compiling, developing and defining the content for the capacity building activities of the project and starting its dissemination. At a regional level, UN-Habitat has entered with UNDP and the African Union Commission (AUC) the Africa Urban Resilience Programme (AURP). and launched the Aqinile Partnership. This aims at enhancing urban resilience across the African continent by addressing the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, climate change, and socio-economic vulnerabilities in cities, particularly in small and medium-sized urban centres. The portfolio includes strategic investments in resilient infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable urban planning. The Aqinile partnership fosters regional collaboration to promote scalable, innovative urban resilience solutions across Africa. Support is needed in stakeholder coordination with the AUC and UNDP, in financing efforts, including drafting concept notes, project documents, and reports, as well as project implementation. In sum, support is needed within UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Africa (ROAF) to ensure the successful implementation of critical projects, including the capacity-building DA15 Francophone project, the Aqinile portfolio development and the finalization and dissemination of the seven CityRAP processes for the Sahel Urban Resilience Project. These efforts require technical and logistical support to ensure that the tools and methodologies developed are effectively deployed and integrated into local, national, and regional efforts. The consultant will provide essential coordination and facilitation, working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that the outcomes are aligned with the broader UN-Habitat mandate of promoting sustainable urbanization and resilience in the Sahel region. This will also involve supporting strategic decision-making and engaging with multiple actors to promote local capacity for sustainable urban development. Activities and Responsibilities Under the direct supervision Senior Human Settlement Officer for West Africa (SHSO) and the Programme Associate for West Africa, the consultant will carry out the following duties and responsibilities: – Assist the Senior Human Settlement Officer (SHSO) in finalizing the activities of the first phase of the of the Sahel Resilience Project, specifically the finalization and dissemination of the City Resilience Frameworks for Action (City RFAs); – Assist the SHSO in implementing the activities of the project ‘Harnessing urbanization for a more resilient, inclusive and green recovery in French-speaking least developed countries’, specifically linked to the CityRAP capacity building component; – Assist the SHSO in the implementation and development of the Africa Urban Resilience Program (AURP) and its Aqinile Partnership; – Provide guidance on the integration of projects under the scope of UN-Habitat’s programmes in West Africa in the Integrated, Planning, Management, and Reporting (IPMR) platform, including planning and monitoring; – Provide inputs and contributions to concept notes and project documents, and guidance for the internal project validation procedure.

Qualifications/special skills

Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, environmental studies, sustainable development, social sciences, international relations, international law is required. • At least 2 years of experience working in social or urban development, resource mobilization, project management, international relations, social sciences or related field is required. • Experience working on urban resilience is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the official working languages of the United Nations. Fluency in oral and written English language is required.

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.