Peace Forest Initiative programme support Consultancy for PFI development

Result of ServiceUNCCD work programme and targets relevant to the PFI is successfully delivered. Overall, countries will be increasingly willing to advance land-based activities to improve security and stability. Work LocationHome-based. Expected duration7 months between 15 February and 14 September 2026 Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground 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) 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 mandate of the Convention and its 197 Parties is to support “a future that avoids, minimizes, and reverses desertification/land degradation and mitigates the effects of drought in affected areas at all levels – and to achieve a land degradation-neutral world consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Land and forest degradation in fragile and conflict areas is an emerging concern for the global community. Globally, around 1.8 billion people – over 20 per cent of the world’s population – live in fragile, conflict-affected countries. The long-term negative effects on communities are exacerbated by their vulnerability and undermine their resilience to climate-related disasters, such as extreme heat, droughts, sand and dust storms (SDS), and floods. People in conflict areas are considered the most vulnerable and frequently suffer from a lack of basic needs (e.g. food, clean water, fuel) traditionally obtained from the land and forest. Prolonged conflict is a significant root cause of degradation of natural resources and the ecosystem services they provide. Conflict has both direct and indirect impacts on land. It can directly destroy land and forest through physical damage, such as soil erosion and contamination when people are forced to use land and forest resources unsustainably. Scarcity of basic needs tends to drive people to overexploit already depleted natural resources which can lead to irreversible land degradation or desertification. In most conflict areas, there are little or no governance, institutions or policies to help effectively avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. This increases the risk of land and environmental degradation in post-conflict areas, often triggering human displacement. Poor governance, combined with limited access to natural resources (e.g. forest and pasture lands), is frequently seen as a primary driver and amplifying factor in a given conflict situation. There is an urgent need for interventions to protect environmental assets in fragile and conflict affected situations (FCAS). The Peace Forest Initiative (PFI), launched during the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties of the UNCCD in 2019, envisions to address the interlinkages between land, peace and security in FCAS countries. Anchored in the principles of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN, SDG15.3), the PFI has been engaged with more than 35 countries in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, the East Africa/Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Caribbean, and Bosnia & Herzegovina, providing an inclusive participatory platform for the stakeholders to co-design and implement joint actions on land and ecosystem restoration (land, soil, water, forest) coherent with national/regional development priorities. By expanding its partnership and operation including pilot projects, the PFI continues to demonstrate the nexus between land, peace and security, promote land restoration as an essential pillar for stability and peace, mobilize additional resources to support consolidated efforts delivering environmental and peace outcomes, and contribute to building confidence and resilience of communities in FCAS. Duties & Responsibilities: Under the overall supervision of the Managing Director of the Global Mechanism (GM) of the UNCCD and the direct supervision of the responsible Officer, and working collaboratively with all staff and relevant partners, the incumbent will perform the following main duties: - Develop regional PFI activity plans and prepare topic-specific (pre)concept notes of (pilot) projects and programmes identified within the context of defined regional PFI activity plans, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and partners. This includes providing technical and analytical inputs and consulting, supporting the design and planning, organization, facilitation and reporting of regional meetings and consultations. - Support the implementation of PFI pilot projects and documenting impacts including lessons learned and policy recommendations. - Support the preparation and organization (from the conceptualization through the implementation and reporting) of PFI related meetings and events at different fora, including COP 17. - Provide substantial input to the project/programme document development tailored to the identified funding sources. - Any other duties pertaining to this consultancy as may be determined by the supervising officer. Qualifications/special skills- An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in natural resource management, environmental policy, international development, development economics, political science, international relations, global public policy, or related disciplines is required. - A minimum of 5 years working experience related to the natural resource management, environmental policy or related work areas, including in-depth knowledge of sustainable land/water management and restoration policies, programmes, and public policies is required. - Solid knowledge of the UNCCD, related UN and intergovernmental processes is desirable. - Proven experience in research and publishing in the field of relevant disciplines, preferably related to natural resource management and governance, climate security, security and peacebuilding, including non-scientific communications is desirable. - Substantial record of experience in transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary work is desirable. Languages- Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Additional InformationOnly 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 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.