Senior Transboundary Water Cooperation Expert

Result of ServiceA consolidated technical report documenting the context of transboundary water cooperation in the Mashreq Initiative Countries with a specific focus on the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin Work LocationRemotely Expected duration16 weeks Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: The objective of this assignment is to prepare a comprehensive technical report on context of transboundary water cooperation between Mashreq Initiative Countries (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic and Türkiye) with a specific focus on the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin. The report will serve as a background paper to inform future studies on transboundary water cooperation in these countries. Duties and Responsibilities: i. Policy and legal review: Carry out an analysis of the enabling environment at the national level, including: (i) an inventory of all national policies, laws and regulations relevant to transboundary waters and institutional arrangements for transboundary waters at the national level and mechanisms for dispute resolution; (ii) a review and gap analysis the existing policies, laws, and regulations related to transboundary water cooperation among countries within the Region; (iii) an assessment of the effectiveness of policy and legal frameworks and institutional arrangements in promoting cooperation and resolving disputes and opportunities for improving these. ii. Contextual Analysis: Carry out an analysis of the context of transboundary water cooperation in the Region based on: (i) interviews with relevant stakeholders identifying challenges and oppurtunities; (i) identification of significant events, agreements, and conflicts that have shaped the cooperation efforts; (ii) assessment of the impact of political, social, and environmental factors on water management and cooperation; (iii) assessment of the current state of transboundary water cooperation in the region and insights on future prospects; and (iv) identification of emerging issues, such as climate change impacts, population growth, and competing water demands that could affect the context for cooperation in the region and specifically in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin. iii. Best practices, lessons learned and recommendations: (i) identify best practices and lessons learned from transboundary water cooperation initiatives in similar regions globally through case studies; (ii) identify best practices and lessons learned from transboundary water cooperation in the initiatives specifically in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin and (iii) provide recommendations for enhancing cooperation and building trust, including the cost of implementing such recommendations, potential sources of financing, and options for addressing common challenges and mitigating common risks. Qualifications/special skillsA Master’s degree in water resources management, geoscience, civil engineering or a related field is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 10 years of professional work experience in the area of transboundary water management and cooperation is required. Previous experience in transboundary cooperation facilitating transboundary cooperation projects, plans, strategies or policies is required. Previous work experience in the Arab region is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas. 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.