.png)
Result of Service
In performing the above duties, the consultant shall provide the following results:
- Strengthened capacities of national focal points in NUA reporting, contributing to the project target of 70% of national partners reporting improved capacity and at least 10 countries technically supported in their NUA reporting
- Technical support delivered on national NUA reports prepared by pilot countries, in line with UN-Habitat's global guidelines and the UMF
Work Location
Home-based
Expected duration
12 months, Part-time
Duties and Responsibilities
Organizational background
UN-Habitat is the United Nations Programme working towards a better urban future. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. The adoption of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes the urban goal (SDG 11) to make cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, firmly places urbanization at the forefront of international development policy. UN-Habitat is the lead agency within the UN system for coordinating activities in the field of human settlement development and leading the collaboration with local and regional governments and their networks.
The Adoption of the New Urban Agenda
The New Urban Agenda (NUA) was adopted in 2016 at the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). The NUA, which was in response to the persistent and emerging challenges of urbanization, seeks to chart the course and provide an action-oriented roadmap to guide sustainable urban development globally to the year 2036.
The NUA is anchored on three transformative commitments: sustainable urban development for social inclusion and ending poverty; sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity and opportunities for all; and environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development. The NUA places emphasis on effective implementation at the local level and on the role of local governments. The implementation of the NUA contributes to the achievement and localization of the SDGs by providing an implementing framework for the integrated delivery of many SDGs at the urban level.
To monitor the implementation of the NUA, Member States have committed to a periodic, voluntary and country-led follow-up and review, ensuring coherence at the national, regional and global levels, to track progress, assess impact and ensure the Agenda’s effective and timely implementation in an inclusive manner. The process should consider the contributions of national, subnational and local governments, and be supplemented by contributions from the United Nations system, regional and subregional organizations, major groups and relevant stakeholders. National reports feed into the quadrennial report of the Secretary-General on progress in the implementation of the NUA. The Urban Monitoring Framework, endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2022, provides a harmonized framework for monitoring the NUA and the urban dimension of the SDGs.
Project background
Africa is urbanizing faster than any other region in the world. Its urban population, which stood at 15% in 1960 and nearly 40% in 2010, is expected to reach 60% by 2050. This dynamic represents both a major challenge and a historic opportunity to build inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities. Yet many African countries continue to face institutional, technical and political constraints that limit the effective implementation, monitoring and reporting of their commitments under the New Urban Agenda. Experience has shown that limited connection to national and local reporting processes, such as Voluntary National Reviews and Voluntary Local Reviews, together with insufficient technical tools, has led to low reporting rates and missed opportunities for policy integration.
In this context, the Africa New Urban Agenda Platform (AF-UAP) is an initiative led by the Kingdom of Morocco, through the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy, in partnership with UN-Habitat. Designed as a collaborative, continent-wide digital mechanism, the AF-UAP aims to offer a structured framework for peer learning and cooperation among African countries. It seeks to strengthen institutional and technical capacities on urban issues and to promote the pooling of knowledge and expertise in response to the growing challenges facing African cities. The AF-UAP brings together a regional reporting portal on the NUA, a resource center, a capacity-building hub and a space for peer exchange and sharing of good practices. It will also provide technical support to countries to strengthen their NUA reporting capacities, in alignment with the UMF, the SDG indicator framework and the global Urban Agenda Platform.
During the last NUA reporting cycle, several African countries reported difficulties in understanding the NUA indicators and in identifying data sources to report on them. To deliver this support, the project foresees the recruitment of a New Urban Agenda Reporting Expert, who will work directly with national focal points to deliver training and provide tailored technical assistance on NUA reporting, contributing to more regular, harmonized and policy-relevant NUA reporting across Africa.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will carry out the following tasks and responsibilities:
- Capacity building
Design and deliver training sessions on NUA reporting national focal points, including:- A session on NUA/UMF reporting during the first AF-UAP regional workshop (Rabat, December 2026), combining a presentation of the reporting process with an interactive session in which participants apply it to their national context, using housing as a thematic entry point
- A series of online webinars in 2027 to build a practical understanding of the NUA reporting process, the UMF and the use of UN-Habitat's global guidelines for NUA reporting, with a particular focus on the NUA indicators, their definitions, methodologies and data sources, and practical links to the thematic priorities of the platform
- Training-of-trainers materials enabling the national focal points who have benefited from the support to share the lessons learned within their national institutions on the NUA reporting process, train other colleagues and disseminate NUA and UMF reporting knowledge independently
- Technical assistance
Provide tailored technical assistance to pilot countries in the preparation of their national NUA reports, with the aim of improving their quality, including:- Advice and technical support throughout the preparation of the reports, including on data collection, the interpretation of indicators and the identification of national and local data sources
- Review of draft reports, identifying gaps and areas for improvement
- Specific support to countries that have not yet produced a national NUA report
- The provision of an offline data-gathering template for national teams
- Identifying and sharing good practices
- Identify good practices in NUA reporting emerging from the support provided to countries and contribute to sharing these practices among AF-UAP member countries, notably through the platform
Reporting line
The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the UN-Habitat Morocco Country Office (o.i.c), and in close collaboration with the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Urban Planning, Urban Development, Economics, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Urban Governance, Regional Planning or any other related field is required. A first-level degree with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree.
- A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in urban policy, planning or research, including urban monitoring, indicators and data at the local, national or international level, is required
- Demonstrated experience with NUA reporting, the UMF, SDG 11 monitoring or related urban indicator frameworks is required
- Experience designing and delivering training for government counterparts is highly desirable
- Previous experience working on NUA reports, or on the development of city or national urban reports, is highly desirable
- Experience in sustainable urban development in Africa is desirable
Languages
English & French are the official language for the UN, for this position advanced level in both oral and written English and French are required.
Additional Information
Not available.
No Fee
THE 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.
