Photographer

Result of Service

Produce photographs of the event and the activities of the Executive Secretary.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

01 August to 15 September 2026

Duties and Responsibilities

Background note: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int) The UNCCD wishes to hire a photographer to help gather high quality rushes and b-roll material for use in mainstream and social media campaigns for the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) which will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 17 to 28 August 2026. The photographer will travel as part of an UNCCD delegation to designated areas in Mongolia to shoot, edit, package and produce excellent materials that tell the story of land restoration and drought resilience, cover the activities of the Executive Secretary, as well as showcases the work of secretariat. Duties & Responsibilities: Under direct supervision of Chief of Communications, External Relations and Partnerships and direct supervision of the Public Communications Assistant, the contractor will carry out the following tasks: - Gather high-quality images about land restoration and drought resilience, including UNCCD staff, experts and high-level personalities in the field or at designated locations and at key events; - Draft short stories or descriptions (300 words minimum) of the images taken or quotes from the subjects, and tag the images with the correct full names and titles/roles of the subjects taken; - Produce and deliver required high quality, high-resolution products within tight timelines; - Consult, in advance, of the trip about the venues, subjects and images that must be taken and carry out required plans and clearances on the ground for the assignment before the start of the mission; - Participate in and contribute to the team’s plans and work before, during and after the mission; - Produce ready-to-publish images for use on various media platforms, including, but not limited to books, policy and scientific, newspapers, banners, billboards, electronic broadcast and social media; - Observe the highest ethical standards of journalism and photography, ensure the dignity of subjects, including children, is protected and subjects agree to the use of their images for publication on such media; - Understand and apply UNCCD branding guidelines for the assignment; - Submit a report the work carried out, including a log of the number of days and hours worked and other practical details; - Deliver final materials, on a hard drive or as mutually agreed.

Qualifications/special skills

- A first-level university degree in photography or a related field is required. - A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in photography and visual storytelling. - Experience publishing for international audiences is an advantage.

Languages

- Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.

Additional Information

Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.

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.