Urban Research, Analysis and Policy Expert Consultant

Result of ServiceUltimate result of service Upon completion of the consultancy: • The research and policy workstream of the HQ SDG Localization and Local Governments Team will be enhanced, including through the production of high-quality knowledge products, effective coordination support in different platforms, and increased visibility at various events. • The methodologies, data collection/analysis tools, and technical/project implementation processes used by the UAPU will be enhanced. Moreover, the research and normative work of UN-Habitat Lebanon Country Programme will be improved to help achieve greater visibility and more opportunities for community/partner uptake, resource mobilization, and partnership development. The consultancy shall also strengthen UN-Habitat Lebanon’s research and normative work/positioning in relevant United Nations coordination groups. Work LocationHome Based Expected duration12 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesDuties and Responsibilities Background The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the lead agency within the United Nations system for coordinating activities related to urbanization and human settlement development. A key component to deliver this mandate is UN-Habitat’s research and normative work, which revolves around the collection of data, as well as the production and dissemination of analytical/knowledge products and policy analysis work to better inform planning and programming by UN-Habitat and its partners at the national and local levels. This involves the generation of cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence on urban issues (spanning demographic, social, economic and built environment, as well as cross-cutting issues, such as climate change, human rights, migration, gender, urban crisis response and recovery, etc.) often within an area-based framework and including a spatial dimension. It also involves fostering the uptake of such evidence for sustainable urban planning and development – through the dissemination of information products/publications in different ways, through high-level events and technical workshops/conferences/presentations, through the development of capacity-building materials/toolkits and the organization of training programmes, etc. Finally, it also includes analytical and advocacy work to promote urban policies at the national and local levels. Such work is particularly important in highly urbanized contexts characterized by lack of city-level data, challenges in the institutional and legal frameworks surrounding urban policies, and multiple crises affecting urban areas. Beyond humanitarian and crisis settings, such research and policy analysis/development work is also important to support sustainable urban development efforts, within the broader scope of UN-Habitat’s status as the United Nations focal point for work with local and regional governments and the custodian of the New Urban Agenda and as a frontrunner of SDG localization since the very endorsement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. During the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in 2023, the Brazil-promoted Resolution on Localizing the SDGs received wide consensus and was co-sponsored by 12 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. Building on its operational capacities and technical leadership, the agency has developed the most integrated approach to localizing the SDGs in the United Nations 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 United Nations and intergovernmental fora. Most recently, UN-Habitat has also been mandated to lead the two key United Nations mechanisms on SDG localization and local governments: the Local2030 Coalition and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments. More specifically, research and policy analysis/development work is needed as part of such global and national processes supporting and advocating for SDG localization, including but not limited to: • The development of SDG localization national frameworks. • The work of the Local2030 Coalition’s Working Group 1 on Localizing the Six SDG Transitions (which UN-Habitat co-leads together with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [UN-DESA], the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO], and the International Labour Organization [ILO]). • The collaborative work with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including (but not limited to) within the framework of the Group of 20 (G20) Platform on SDG Localisation and Intermediary Cities (PLIC) that UN-Habitat and OECD support. To advance such research, analysis and policy workstreams at the global and country levels, significant efforts are also required to identify opportunities for partnership, resource mobilization, and stakeholder engagement with other United Nations agencies, government and non-government partners, multilateral and bilateral donors, academic and research organizations, civil society organizations, and technical advisors and experts. UN-Habitat is intending to recruit an “Urban Research, Analysis and Policy Expert” who will support the HQ SDG Localization and Local Governments Team (under the Urban Practices Branch) as well as the Lebanon Country Programme, including but not limited to the latter’s Urban Analysis and Policy Unit (UAPU), with the above-mentioned research, analysis and policy workstreams, both through technical and coordination expertise. Duties and responsibilities The consultant’s main responsibility will be to support urban research, analysis and policy work, through the (i) development, technical review, and dissemination support of knowledge products; (2) coordination of different relevant activities/working groups; (3) technical support/advice for the implementation of relevant projects; and (4) support of relevant resource mobilization and partnership development efforts. For HQ, the consultant will provide technical expertise for the implementation of the research and policy development workstream of the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team. Specifically, he/she will be responsible for the following tasks: • Conduct or support in literature reviews and other background research, as well as more substantial collection and analysis of various types of gathered data/information if needed, to inform the development of methodological documents, policy briefs and other research publications and technical documents. • Work closely with other members of the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team, as well as other involved technical consultants and/or external partners to develop and/or review draft outlines and/or initial drafts of (parts of) methodological documents, policy briefs and other research publications and technical documents. • Assist in or lead the review and editing of methodological documents, tools, policy briefs and other research pieces and technical documents linked to SDG localization, local governance and multilevel governance for the SDGs developed by UN-Habitat or its partners. • Engage with internal and external stakeholders to gather and/or consolidate inputs during the review of different draft methodological documents, policy briefs and other research publications and technical documents. • Assist in preparing presentations and communications and advocacy materials – as well as in the planning and preparations for any meetings, workshops or events, including support to the development of background material, concept notes, talking points, etc. – to promote the dissemination of different publications or other aspects of the research and policy development workstream. • Provide technical expertise to review project proposals developed by the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team or other UN-Habitat colleagues, especially those linked to research and policy. • Identify and establish opportunities for collaboration with other UN-Habitat teams working on SDG localization, local governments and multilevel governance as well as with UN-Habitat regional and country offices, especially with regard to research and policy. • Assist in other ad-hoc tasks as necessary, contributing to the successful implementation of the research and policy development, as well as other relevant workstreams of the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team in general. In general, some of the documents or publications that the consultant is expected to support in terms of one or more of the above-mentioned tasks are linked to SDG localization, multilevel governance, and international processes, such as G7 and G20. For Lebanon, the consultant will provide technical guidance and support to the urban research, analysis and policy work of the Country Programme, ensuring its alignment with the Lebanon Habitat Country Programme Document and other regional and country level response and development frameworks, while also ensuring synergies among the UAPU’s focus areas and with other Lebanon Country Programme units. Specifically, working closely with the UAPU team – as well as other UN-Habitat Lebanon units, and UN-Habitat regional and headquarter branches/colleagues as relevant – the consultant will be responsible for carrying out the following functions and tasks: Technical support to the UAPU and its projects: • Conduct monthly meetings and consultations with the UAPU team to ensure effective, sound and timely implementation of projects under the UAPU’s responsibility. • Conduct regular technical reviews of the methodology and data collection/analysis tools related to different assessments that are conducted by the UAPU or that the UAPU participates in. • Review the UAPU strategy and workplan and advise on required changes, including proposing future strategic development opportunities on the scope and responsibilities of the UAPU to inform the Country Programme and respond to current urban trends and needs. Knowledge management, resource mobilization, and partnership development: • Conduct regular or when needed quality assurance reviews related to the development of high-quality knowledge products revolving around various urban development issues, by drafting, editing, copyediting and/or reviewing them in whole or in part. • Contribute to resource mobilization efforts and stakeholder engagement, including within the United Nations family, donor agencies, governmental and non-governmental institutions, academia, etc. with a focus on research and policy work. This involves supporting with the drafting and/or review of project concept notes/proposals to support in resource mobilization, participating in meetings with potential partners and donors, etc. • Support and advise the Country Programme on the involvement and the position of UN-Habitat in different United Nations frameworks and working groups (the United Nations Programme Management Team, the 3RF Urban Policy Working Group, the Assessment and Analysis Working Group, the Data and Statistics Working Group, etc.). Reporting line The consultant will work remotely as follows: • For all HQ work: The consultant will work under the supervision of the Human Settlements Officer coordinating the work of the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team in the Urban Practices Branch of UN-Habitat HQ, and under direct supervision of the Director of the Global Solutions Division (which includes the Urban Practices Branch). The consultant will work in proximity to the other members of the team as well as other units, sections and offices across the agency, while also collaborating closely with representatives of partner organizations and local/regional governments, as needed. • For all Lebanon work: The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Head of the UN-Habitat Lebanon Country Programme, and under the general supervision of the Head of the Country Programme (Officer in Charge). The consultant will work closely with heads of other units and colleagues across the country programme, while also collaborating closely with representatives from other United Nations agencies, other partner organizations, government entities, donors, etc. Qualifications/special skillsA minimum of a master’s degree in social sciences (including but not limited to Sociology, Anthropology, Politics, Economics, Development Studies, Urban Studies) or equivalent is required. • Minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience on issues related to sustainable development, urban analysis, urban policy, project management, and/or data and statistics – within humanitarian and development fields – is required. • A minimum of one (1) year of relevant research/normative work experience on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the local implementation of the SDGs is required. • Knowledge of/familiarity with the context in Lebanon related to various aspects of urban crises/response/recovery, urban development and/or related matters is required. • Knowledge of/experience in United Nations coordination frameworks/working groups (including but not limited to Lebanon) is required. • Knowledge of mapping and urban data collection and analysis methodologies is an asset. • Understanding of urban information management and data visualization is an asset. • Previous experience implementing projects related to public spaces, migration, environmental issues, and urban sustainable development across several sectors is an asset. • Background in interpretation of spatialized data including mapped sources is an advantage. LanguagesFluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language, such as Arabic and/or French, is an advantage. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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.