Result of Service

The ultimate result of this assignment is to provide technical support in relation to Climate Resilient Cities: Promoting adaptation and circular and inclusive urban development in Mozambique and other Urban Lab projects and activities.

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

4 months

Duties and Responsibilities

About UN-Habitat UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable and resilient towns and cities. It is the focal point agency for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat envisions well-planned, well-governed and efficient cities and towns, with adequate housing, infrastructure and universal access to employment and basic services such as water, energy, and sanitation. The Urban Practices Branch (UPB) is the tools and methodology production center of the UN- Habitat that develops normative guidance and cutting-edge tools through communities of urban practices and is the operational level responsible to undertake technical cooperation projects, such as the construction of water and sanitation facilities, shelter and other work. The Planning, Finance & Economy Section (PFES) is responsible to support urban and territorial planning at all scales including through the development of planning policy, norms and guidelines, urban design and public space design, urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance), and local economic development. UN-Habitat Urban Planning Lab The Urban Planning and Design Lab (Urban Lab) is an initiative from UN-Habitat to promptly respond to the requests of national and local governments to support sustainable urban development. The Urban Lab is the integrative facility of the Agency where innovative processes and partnerships are translated into tangible and transformative solutions to complex urban challenges. Throughout, the Urban Lab acts as a neutral broker, managing knowledge in complex stakeholder settings to resolve multi-sectoral, multi-scalar and multi-stakeholder challenges. The Lab brings together a multidisciplinary team of urban planners, environmental, data-science, mobility, legal and financial experts, providing a holistic and proactive approach to sustainable urbanization. Hence, the Lab captures the necessary thematic disciplines, experts, actors and stakeholders. In this context, the Urban Lab applies an integrated approach to systemic and strategic planning to deliver transformative change for sustainable urbanization and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda. The Urban Lab falls under the Planning, Finance and Economy Section, which is part of the Urban Practices Branch and Global Solutions Division Climate Resilient Cities: Promoting adaptation and circular and inclusive urban development in Mozambique Mozambique’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change is increasing with prolonged drought in the south and more than eight cyclones, tropical storms and flooding episodes between 2019 and 2022. The country ranks 7th in the world for exposure to natural disasters, according to the last World Risk Index report1. These extreme climate events heavily affect urban areas with significant loss of lives, population displacement and heavy damage to critical urban infrastructure and services, causing increasing socioeconomic vulnerability. Mozambique is also undergoing a fast and unplanned urbanization process due to high rates of natural population growth and intense internal migrations to urban areas. Although the share of the urban population is still relatively low (37.6% in 20212), this has grown at a rate of around 4.3% since 2008, one of the highest on the African continent, especially in unplanned peri urban areas and small towns. The northern region of Mozambique faces the biggest urbanization trends, due to high population growth — especially in Nampula City, the third largest city in the country with over 800,000 inhabitants, 51% of whom are women (census 2017) — more than 80 percent live in high-density informal settlements in vulnerable living conditions, with limited access to basic services and high poverty rates. The objective of the project (CRC) is to improve urban management and resilience and increase access to services and livelihoods of vulnerable urban populations impacted by climate change in Nampula City, thus creating the systems for an integrated and circular approach to climate resilient cities, that will be presented, discussed and mainstreamed from the local up to the national level and included in the implementation of the Urbanization Policy and Implementation Strategy. The project is set up under 3 outcomes: Outcome 1: Institutional and technical capacities of the Nampula Local Government to mainstream Integrated resilient, inclusive and circular economy into the Local Government development planning cycle is strengthened. Outcome 2: The physical and socioeconomic climate adaptation and resilience of the target settlements in Nampula City have increased through the integration of Nature-based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction and Citizen-based urban management approaches. Outcome 3: The Policy Dialogues and institutional capacities on inclusive, circular and resilient cities have created a conducive environment for the integration of NbS for urban adaptation, circular economy and resilience to climate change to the Country’s priorities towards a sustainable development Urban Lab will implement project activities as follows: 1. Desktop review of existing planning documents at municipal level 2. Plan Assessment Tool (PAT) 3. Methodology and criteria for target neighbourhood selection 4. Online and in-person training sessions and capacity building 5. Provide review, technical guidance, and feedback on reports related with the participatory approaches adapting the Vulnerability and Risk assessment VRA methodology reports at neighborhood level Reporting and Communication The consultant will be hired and work under the overall supervision of the Head of the Urban Lab and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager of the mentioned Projects. The urban planner will work collaboratively with the UN-Habitat’s Urban Lab core team at UN-Habitat’s Headquarters (in Nairobi), as well as with Habitat’s regional and country offices where relevant. Duties and Responsibilities The Consultant will represent UN-Habitat and interacts with all the stakeholders of the Projects, therefore he/she will be appointed on the basis of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. As a UN representative, he/she is expected to exhibit and adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct. Under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Planning, Finance and Economy Section, the Urban Lab manager, in coordination with the UN-Habitat Regional Offices and in close collaboration with UN- Habitat thematic Sections, the incumbent of the post will have to fulfill the following duties and responsibilities: – Provide technical expertise in urban planning and spatial analysis for the Urban Lab; – Support and contribute to the development of methodologies and guidelines on evidence-based spatial analysis to be tested and implemented in the Urban Lab projects; – Advise and work with the Urban Lab team to collect, compile, analyse and interpret data to guide and inform the CRC project; – Develop critical analysis of existing planning documents and instruments with GIS support in Mozambique; – Provide technical assistance in the preparation and implementation of Climate Resilient Urban Development Strategies – Advise and work with the Urban Lab team on planning and designing effective, resilient, sustainable and fit-for-propose solutions; – Draft progress reports regarding the implementation of the projects, including documentation, knowledge management, advocacy and outreach; – Develop content and deliver capacity reinforcement training at national and local scales.

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualification; Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Geography, Urban Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, or a related field. 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 is required. Work Experience • At least 2 years of relevant work experience in the field of urban development and planning and design (and/or related fields) with direct proven experience of drawing and preparing plan graphical material using computer assisted design tools, with special attention to data management and processing with GIS software is required; • Direct proven experience of urban planning projects/processes, in combination with e.g. urban resilience, mobility, project finance, and/or data systems is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this advertised position fluency in English 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.