Job Opening
Job Opening ID: 225973
Job Network : –
Job Family : HST
Category and Level : Consultants, CON
Duty Station : NAIROBI
Department/Office : United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Date Posted : Jan 19, 2024
Deadline : Jan 30, 2024

Result of Service
The ultimate result of the consultancy services includes: guide activities conducted by the UPIMC Cameroon project team to deliver the technical outputs as required to support Douala IV and III: 1) have a comprehensive spatial understanding of the existing situation in their city and in urban settlements hosting displaced populations to inform decision making, 2) agree on detailed strategic visioning and scenario building for urban development in selected neighborhoods, 3) identify investment opportunities to support linking displaced and hosting communities to infrastructure financing; and 4) have increased capacity to collect and analyze data and information and use it to prioritize interventions.
Work Location
Cameroon
Expected duration
4 months
Duties and Responsibilities
About UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable and resilient towns and cities. It is the focal point agency for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat envisions well-planned, well-governed and efficient cities and towns, with adequate housing, infrastructure and universal access to employment and basic services such as water, energy, and sanitation.

Urban Planning and Infrastructure for Migration Contexts Programme
UN-Habitat is partnering with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to improve access to reliable services and socio-economic opportunities for migrants and refugees in urban settlements. The Urban Planning and Infrastructure in Migration Contexts (UPIMC) programme will focus on activities that develop a common understanding of the issues affecting cities, towns and neighbourhoods, mapping provisions and gaps in public infrastructure services in coordination with humanitarian interventions.

The preparation of urban profiles for the selected vulnerable neighbourhoods will enable the development of shared visions and prioritised interventions that improve living conditions to be identified, agreed upon and potentially funded. The programme will support municipalities hosting displaced populations in Jordan, Egypt and Cameroon. Cities in these three countries have been selected through full consultation with both SECO and UN-Habitat country representatives. In the selected cities, the programme will foster multi-sectoral collaboration between UN-Habitat, national and local governments, humanitarian actors, development banks and local communities including displaced populations. The scope of work will also ensure significant contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by supporting the selected cities and neighbourhoods to become increasingly inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

This Programme will address the critical challenges in supporting displaced populations in urban areas, through integrating them into overall urban development processes, considering the Humanitarian- Development and Peace/Triple Nexus. The Overall Programme aims include:

1. Support municipalities to mainstream migration challenges into spatial urban analytics and urban infrastructure investment planning.
2. Conduct activities that will go beyond a pure planning stage, by supporting the prioritization of infrastructure investments and their linkage to financing.
3. Benefit migrant communities and urban dwellers in general with better quality of life and better access to economic opportunities.

CAMEROON – Douala

Cameroon has been hosting IDPs and refugees for more than a decade, whose numbers have increased in the last five years due to internal (Anglophone crisis, Boko Haram) and external (instability in Central African Republic) conflicts fuelled by religious and political grievances. Cameroon currently hosts 1,787,420 people of concern, including 274,520 Central African Republic refugees, 113,861 Nigerian refugees, 36,357 urban refugees and asylum seekers of various nationalities, 1,001,279 IDPs and 360,838 returnees (former IDPs). In order to support local municipalities in alleviating the pressure that population influxes can create on the provision of basic services and infrastructure and socio- economic conditions, the first phase of the UPIMC project in Cameroon has been launched in Douala.

UN-Habitat’s UPIMC team now seeks to strengthen its capability in the delivery of the programme by engaging an urban planner with experience in contexts where spatial data is limited and urban field wok is required. The contract period is for 4 months to support the project until the end of March 2024.

REPORTING AND COMMUNICATION
The consultant will be hired and work under the overall supervision of Programme Management Officer at the UN-Habitat HQ. The consultant will work closely with the Technical Backstopping Team in UN-Habitat HQ and the UPIMC Cameroon team, and in partnership with the UN- Habitat Cameroon Team in Yaoundé. The entire UPIMC Programme Team also includes a network of Country Project Teams spread across the three countries of the Programme.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Provide technical advice with activities conducted by the UPIMC Cameroon Project team in the preparation of a multi-sectoral spatial profile providing a city/neighborhood-wide overview and multi-scalar assessment of displaced communities.

a) Desk review and socio-economic data collection
b) Planning & Migration policy analysis & Institutional framework assessment
c) Spatial data collection, asset, and infrastructure mapping
d) Mapping of proposed infrastructure investments
e) Cross-sectoral spatial analysis and key trend identification
f) Profile Preparation, including illustrating maps, drafting text and laying out information.
g) Proofread and edit outputs, ensuring UN-Habitat standards are met

2. Development of technical and financial reviews on priority investments that are approved by the relevant ministries/authorities.

a) Consultations with financing institutions.
b) Support on the development of localized criteria to prioritize investments.
c) Preparation of technical and financial reviews of prioritized investments.
d) Support on the development of a framework for assessing the impact of proposed infrastructure.
e) Understanding of requirements, including next steps, for feasibility studies and preparation of projects.

3. Elaboration of inclusive development scenarios and visions for selected areas, prepared and approved in
participatory manner.

a) Detailed problem definition and scenario development for the pilot area in the city context.
b) Stakeholder Engagement and Visioning workshops preparation.
c) Planning workshops to define a strategic vision of the pilot zone linked to the context of the city.

4. Contributions and support to coordination for the preparation and facilitation of training, events, exchanges for
local authorities and other stakeholders.

a) Prepare briefing materials and participate in meetings with key actors in Douala.
b) Support the engagement of local authorities in global forums.
c) Capacity building sessions with local authorities to continue monitoring and guiding implementation of infrastructures.
d) Contribution and support to coordination for the preparation and deployment of data management systems.
e) Knowledge and reporting on lessons learned, as well as assistance with project evaluation and reporting.
Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualification: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Architecture, Urban Development and Planning, Geography, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience: At least 2 years of relevant work experience in the field of urban development and planning (and/or related fields) is required.
• Experience working on issues related to migration and displacement is desirable.
• Working experience with international development agencies is desirable.
• Working knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (and their monitoring/evaluation) and of the New Urban Agenda is desirable.
• Understanding of and experience from managing urban data is desirable.
Languages
Fluency in English and French, written and verbal, is required. Knowledge of any other language of the Programme is an asset