National Expert on Water and Climate Resilience in the Arab Region

Result of ServiceDeliverable 1 - Institutional mapping and organizational analysis - 31 December 2025 - Collect relevant data for socioeconomic vulnerability assessment - Prepare presentation characterizing the selected watershed in French or Arabic Deliverable 2 - Organize stakeholder consultations in French/Arabic to inform on the preparation of the vulnerability assessment - 31 January 2025 - Documents and summary in English or French of discussions of stakeholder consultations - Support the preparation of materials for social media outreach to promote the consultations and disseminate the report. Deliverable 3 - Support the vulnerability assessment including on the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity using regional climate modeling projections such as RICCAR. - 28 February 2026 - Prepare a report in English or French on the agricultural data collected from farmers, providing a brief on major agricultural activities in the area and summarize the relevant data gathered. Deliverable 4 - Support consultations in French/Arabic on findings of climate change vulnerability assessment - 30 April 2026 - Prepare a meeting report in English or French on the participatory consultations organized in the watershed, capturing the outcomes to inform the identification of possible response options. - Support the preparation of materials for social media outreach to promote the consultations and disseminate the report. Deliverable 5 - Support review and finalization of the climate change vulnerability assessment - 31 May 2026 Deliverable 6 - Preparation of the climate resilience package in English or French for selected watershed - 31 July 2026 Deliverable 7 - Organize consultations in French/Arabic in the watershed on proposed resilience package components - 30 September 2026 - Documents and summary of discussions in English or French of the consultation in the watershed on proposed package components - Finalization of resilience packages component in English or French - Support the preparation of materials for social media outreach to promote the consultations and disseminate the report. Work LocationRemotely Expected duration10 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground The Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) was launched to address the growing challenges of water and food security in the Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative led by FAO-RNE is a comprehensive program designed to enhance the sustainable management of water resources while promoting food security in one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. The initiative’s work supports national governments, institutions, and stakeholders by providing scientific research, policy guidance, and technical assistance. The initiative is structured around three core outcomes: -Outcome 1: Strengthening the governance structures in countries across the region to achieve sustainable agricultural water use and enhanced food security. -Outcome 2: Enhancing the resilience in food systems and water services to effectively address the impacts of climate change. Outcome 3: Facilitating knowledge sharing and experience dissemination to inform decision making processes Duties and responsibilities Under the supervision of the Senior Sustainable Development Officer for Water and the overall supervision of the Climate change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster Lead, the consultant will: 1- Conduct institutional mapping and organizational analysis for selected watershed: - Identify key institutions, communities and governance structures related to land and water management in the Medjerda watershed in Tunisia. - Prepare an institutional mapping report in English or French to guide stakeholder engagement. - Assist in water, agriculture and related socioeconomic data collection to support project assessments including, climate data, hydrological data, land use information, and socioeconomic indicators relevant to the watershed. - Prepare an overview presentation in French or Arabic of the basin major characteristics, stakeholders, water uses and relevant socioeconomic characteristics 2- Facilitate and organize Stakeholder Consultations: - Coordinate and conduct consultations in Arabic/French with national and local partners, communities, and institutions. - Document key insights from participatory stakeholder workshops. 3- Support assessment of the Preparation of Climate Change Impact Assessments on agriculture productivity: - Review regional climate model projections and hydrological analyses. - Support the assessment for the climate change impacts on agricultural productivity and community livelihoods. - Conduct participatory consultations in Arabic/French on preliminary findings to inform response measures. - Summarize findings and draft preliminary policy recommendations in English or French. 4- Prepare Knowledge and Dissemination Materials - Develop PowerPoint presentations for stakeholder engagement in French/Arabic. - Attend WSI related national meetings on behalf of ESCWA after coordination. - Support the preparation of materials for social media outreach to promote the consultations and disseminate the report. 5- Prepare a Climate Resilience Package for selected watershed - Provide key insights from the assessments and consultations to support the development of a climate resilience package. - Draft and support the finalization of a watershed climate resilience package in English or French that takes into consideration climate change and the associated assessment findings, including budgeting of resilience measures and identification of potential funding sources. - Propose ten preliminary resilience interventions targeting water-dependent activities and sectors. - Organize stakeholder consultations in French/Arabic within the watershed on the proposed package components - Finalize five of the preliminary interventions in English or French, providing full details including costing. - Prepare a synthesis report and a practitioners’ summary. Qualifications/special skillsA Master’s degree or equivalent in water resources management, natural resources management, agriculture or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 7 years of experience in the areas of water resources management, including at least 1 year of experience working on agriculture and climate change issues is required. Experience organizing consultations and working with local stakeholder groups is desirable. Demonstrated experience working or conducting research in Tunisia is desirable. Strong writing and communication skills required. Knowledge of MS Word and PowerPoint required. Knowledge of geographic information system tools desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in Arabic and French is required. Knowledge of English is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand). 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.