Regional Climate Programming Specialist

Since 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-Habitat’s 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.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.

In October 2016, at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III – member states signed the New Urban Agenda. This is an action-oriented document that sets global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development, rethinking the way we build, manage, and live in cities. Through drawing together cooperation with committed partners, relevant stakeholders, and urban actors, including at all levels of government as well as the private sector, UN-Habitat is applying its technical expertise, normative work, and capacity development to implement the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11 – to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1978 to address the issues of urban growth, it is a knowledgeable institution on urban development processes and understands the aspirations of cities and their residents. For forty years, 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. Because of these four decades of extensive experience, from the highest levels of policy to a range of specific technical issues, UN-Habitat has gained a unique and universally acknowledged expertise in all things urban. This has placed UN-Habitat in the best position to provide answers and achievable solutions to the current challenges faced by our cities. UN-Habitat is capitalizing on its experience and position to work with partners to formulate the urban vision of tomorrow. It works to ensure that cities become inclusive and affordable drivers of economic growth and social development.

UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) was established in 2011 in Cairo, Egypt, and provides technical cooperation and capacity building for 18 countries across the Arab region. The Regional Office promotes and implements policies, programs and operational projects in UN-Habitat’s focus areas, at regional, national, and local levels, aimed at achieving sustainable urban development in the countries of the region, and provide technical cooperation services, upon request from governments. UN-Habitat ROAS covers all the operational activities and projects in 18 countries across the Arab Region: currently, with 12 active country programmes.

UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) leads the organization’s work in promoting sustainable urban development and climate action across the Arab region. As cities in the region face increasing challenges from climate change, including extreme heat, water scarcity, and urban flooding, there is growing demand for integrated, climate-responsive urban solutions.

The UN Volunteer will support the expansion and implementation of UN-Habitat’s regional climate change portfolio, with a focus on urban resilience, nature-based solutions (NbS), and sustainable infrastructure. The assignment will involve supporting the development of multi-country project proposals, conducting research and analysis to inform project design, and contributing to coordination across regional and country-level activities.

Under the direct supervision of the Knowledge Management and Reporting Officer and Regional Climate Change Focal Point, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Participate in consultations with UN-Habitat country offices across the Arab region to support the development and refinement of multi-country proposals on local climate action;
• Contribute to developing multi-country concept notes and funding proposals aligned with donor priorities, such as identifying climate vulnerabilities, good practices, or innovative solutions applicable to the region;
• Assist in conducting targeted desk research and data collection to support multi-country project formulation related to local climate action;
• Mapping and prioritizing funding opportunities (including from climate funds, bilateral donors, and other development partners);
• Provide support to country offices in their resource mobilization efforts, including the review of project ideas, donor intelligence, and potential matchmaking.