Mission and objectivesSince 2007 UN-Habitat has supported the government and people of Egypt to reconstruct and repair houses and community infrastructure facilities in the north and east of the country. UN-Habitatโs technical assistance included design, preparation of the bills of quantities, assistance with securing land tenure rights, obtaining local authority approvals, and environmentally friendly construction method.
ContextMost countries in the Arab region are highly urbanized and characterised by rapid urbanization, water stress, food insecurity, environmental degradation overlaid by climate change. All these challenges leave their population and economic activities exposed to climate change impacts and extreme weather events. Moreover, cities across the Arab region still face major challenges in achieving sustainable urban development. The Arab region hosts diverse ecosystems, ranging from desert, mountains, fresh water, forests, marine and coastal ecosystems. Some of these ecosystems are already being degraded because they are located next to or within urban areas. Nature-based solutions (NbS) have great potential to address these challenges, given their multitude of co-benefits. However, the exploration and consideration of NbS in the Arab region is needed at an early stage, and regional scientific literature and application of the topic remains limited. Moreover, success stories and case studies that document the different approaches, especially indigenous techniques and methods, are not well documented and scattered across different platforms. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are โactions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage ecosystemsโ (United Nations Environment Programme, 2022). These actions address various societal and environmental challenges such as climate change, food security, water security, and natural disasters while promoting human well-being and biodiversity protection. For example, creating urban parks can help mitigate the heat island effect, while urban wetlands alleviate the negative consequences of flooding, provide spaces for recreational activities, enhance air quality, and enhance the economic value of nearby property (OECD, 2020). Aiming to raise region-wide awareness of region-relevant Nature-based Solutions, UN-Habitat, in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank, has developed a publication that classifies and compiles NbS case studies implemented in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas of the Arab region. The publication was developed to showcase possible solutions to pressing climate change and environmental issues in the region including water scarcity, coastal degradation, land degradation, and urban heat.
Task DescriptionWe are seeking [one] Online Volunteer to support us by copyediting [publication] on [Nature-based Solutions Case Studies in the Arab Region] in [English]. To this end the Online Volunteer is asked to: - Copyedit & proofread the document, which is [~50,000 words/60 pages] long in [English] - Provide text improvement as needed to ensure it is concise, coherent, and effectively communicates its ideas - Ensure consistency/harmony in the writing style of the case studies The selected Online Volunteer will be provided with the document in English language and will receive guidance on the target audience and our communications guidelines as well as other guidance as needed.
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