Senior Economic Specialist (Home-based)

Tags: climate change Law UNDP English language
  • Added Date: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
  • Deadline Date: Wednesday, 20 August 2025
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Background

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to tackle the injustices of poverty, inequality, and climate change on a global scale. Working with our broad network of experts, host governments and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. UNDP has been working in Afghanistan for more than 50 years on climate change and resilience, gender, governance, health, livelihoods, and rule of law.ย 

Following the power shift in August 2021, the situation for the country remains largely uncertain and fragile, with approximately seventy five percent of the population facing multifaceted vulnerabilities affecting their well-being, human security and long-term development while nearly a third of the population are estimated to be acutely food insecure. Over the recent years, international assistance has played a vital role in averting a socioeconomic collapse by providing lifesaving, resilience-building and livelihoods-sustaining assistance to millions of people, hundreds of critical healthcare and educational centres, and tens of thousands of small and medium enterprises, often owned and managed by women. Nevertheless, the humanitarian challenge in Afghanistan is one of the biggest in the world, and basic human needs and priorities remain extremely high. In 2024, 95 percent of households experienced at least one shock of an economic or natural disaster nature such as floods, droughts and others.ย 

To help tackle the pressing challenges for enduring livelihoods and climate resilience, UNDP is designing fit-for-purpose portfolios of programs to create new livelihoods, income opportunities, basic services and to build resilience against climate-induced natural calamities that continue to haunt millions of households in the country.ย 

Afghanistan remains one of the most gender-unequal countries in the world, with women facing systemic challenges hindering their access to education and employment opportunities in the public sector and restricting their participation in public life. UNDP remains committed to women's empowerment through capacity-building initiatives, livelihoods and self-employment/employment support, enhancing gender-responsive decision-making at community level, and supporting local communities to include women, in line with UNSCR 1325 (Women, Peace, and Security).

The Policy, Innovation and Knowledge Unit (PIKU) is a center of research and policy excellence within UNDP Afghanistan, collaborating with others to undertake quality analysis to support the development of innovative, evidence-based development solutions in the country context. PIKU utilizes cutting edge analytical and modelling tools to navigate and make sense of Afghanistanโ€™s evolving development landscape, and provides rigorous and robust analysis of current conditions and future scenarios.ย 

Our work lies at the heart of policy and programme innovation and development in the Country Office and we work closely across the UN family and with other development partners to link, learn, adapt and innovate, making best use of the combined resources available. Through our work and the knowledge products we produce, we build capacity in Country Office teams to achieve analytical excellence and effective policy and programme development and implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

As part of our work in Afghanistan, UNDP conducts research and analysis to inform and guide the development and delivery of programmes and projects. UNDP also engages in evidence-based policy advocacy to affect change, and to impact positively upon the lives of the most vulnerable in the country. The Senior Economic Specialist will lead aspects of the production of the Country Officeโ€™s flagship annual publication, the Afghanistan Socio-Economic Review (ASER) 2024-2025.[1]ย The Senior Economic Specialist will ensure that the review will be developed to a very high standard, including leading the analysis of key household survey data to produce a multi-dimensional index of household subsistence insecurity. The Senior Economic Specialist will draft key chapters of the report using the data, will provide support and input to other chapters of the ASER, as well as peer reviewing all other sections of the report and presenting the report as appropriate. The Senior Economic Specialist will also support PIKU in peer reviewing and supporting the development of other knowledge products under development, as appropriate. The Senior Economic Specialist will work with Unit staff, experts and counterparts from within UNDP Afghanistan, the wider UNDP organisation, and other UN and development agency partners to deliver on this assignment. Specifically, the scope of work will cover the following key results and functions:

Under the supervision and technical guidance of the UNDP Afghanistan Head of the Policy, Innovation and Knowledge Unit, and in collaboration with relevant Country Office, UNDP regional and HQ colleagues, the Senior Economicย Specialist will undertake the following:ย 

1.Undertake analysis of multi-dimensional household insecurity through household survey data, and other available data sources. This will include doing the following:

  • Review recent (2025) data that PIKU will make available. Clean and organise the data and undertake analysis, together with PIKU team, to update the existing Subsistence Insecurity Index (SII) for 2025.ย 
  • Carry out analysis by variables and through breaking data down by key demographic characteristics, with a particular focus on gendered aspects and including IDPs and Returnees. Carry out sub-national/ regional and provincial, and rural/ urban data analysis and carry out time series comparison with previous years to track trends.
  • Explore other indices, reports and modelling of vulnerability in Afghanistan to supplement the analysis of household survey data.
  • Undertake thematic analyses of household data to generate insights or reference points on topics such as household debt, unemployment, budget, shock impacts and access to essential services to inform UNDP programming on livelihoods, food security and access to basic services.ย ย 
    1. Synthesise analysis and produce key chapters of the ASER report.ย This will require the following:

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