Duties and Responsibilities
BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. UN-Habitat is the United Nations Human Settlements Program, which is responsible for promoting socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities in order to provide adequate housing for all. The program is currently headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and is supported by the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean - ROLAC, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Mesoamerica office based in Mexico City. The program is guided by the principles defined in the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Habitat Agenda, the Quito Declaration on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements for All, the New Urban Agenda, and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/206. Through its work, UN-Habitat seeks to mitigate the negative effects of rapid and unsustainable urbanization processes, ensuring the benefits of sustainable urbanization and contributing to the reduction of urban poverty and the improvement of the population's quality of life. UN-Habitat is implementing the project "Accelerating urban resilience and pro-poor climate action in landlocked developing countries and small island developing States in the Caribbean and Africa" funded by the 17th Tranche of the United Nations Development Account for the period 2025-2028. Belize has been selected as one of two pilot countries for this project due to its high vulnerability to climate change and the urgent need to strengthen technical capacities in resilient urban planning. The project will work with Belizean cities and aims to: 1. Strengthen technical and decision-making capacity of local governments, urban professionals and partners in urban resilience and climate adaptation. 2. Improve capacity of local governments, urban professionals and partners to integrate climate resilience practices and policy frameworks into their urban planning, policies and programmes. The project aligns directly with national priorities established in the #planBelize Medium-Term Development Strategy (MTDS) 2022-2026. Duties and Responsibilities General activities: • The consultant will work under the supervision of the Program Implementation Coordinator to achieve the consultancy objectives. • The consultant will work under supervision and coordinate activities with the Mesoamerica office. Involvement of Headquarters, and relevant project stakeholders and technical partners, will be required ensuring effective communication, alignment, and collaboration throughout the implementation of activities. • The consultant will be responsible for generating, formulating, and executing the necessary technical inputs, within the framework of their responsibilities, for the development of their activities and deliverables. • The consultant will be responsible for preparing inputs for reports and progress reports, as needed and requested for the proper verification of their activities. • The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses or training indicated by the Program Implementation Coordinator. It is mandatory to complete the UNDSS BSAFE safety course and the UN Women "I Know Gender: Introduction to Gender Equality" course for UN staff during the first month of employment. • The consultant will be responsible for their own safety and must therefore familiarize themselves with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them in accordance with the UN Security Management System Accountability Framework. • The consultant will be responsible for maintaining an organized and accessible information file in accordance with the Hub's systems. • The consultant will be responsible for ensuring that all activities comply with the United Nations principles of integrity. • The consultant will be responsible for ensuring the optimal and timely delivery of the services entrusted to them in these Terms of Reference. • The materials generated by the consultant will be for the exclusive use of UN-Habitat and therefore may not be published or used for any other purpose. Specific activities: Stakeholder mapping, assessment and analysis: • Identify and map all relevant stakeholders including government departments, local governments, universities, and professional associations across the selected cities following the given methodology. • Conduct job task analysis and profiling of roles and responsibilities in government departments related to housing, urban resilience, and climate adaptation. • Co-design and implement Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) surveys to assess skills and knowledge gaps. • Analyze assessment data to identify priority capacity-building areas and existing capacity gaps. • Gather and integrate national-level data relevant to urban resilience capacity needs. • Compile findings into structured reports with recommendations. Workshop and event facilitation • Coordinate logistics for all project workshops including: Hybrid Expert Group Meetings (EGMs), competency framework workshops, capacity-building training workshops, curricula validation workshops, Training of Trainers workshops, and steering committee meetings. • Arrange all logistical aspects: venues, IT setup, participant invitations, travel coordination, refreshments, and materials. • Prepare briefing materials and background documents for participants. • Facilitate stakeholder participation, collect feedback, and document proceedings. • Systematize information collected from workshops and consultations. Technical content development and adaptation • Provide Belizean context, local insights, and case studies to inform the development of: competency framework, competency question bank, capacity development strategy, curricula, e-learning courses, and Training of Trainers materials. • Review and provide feedback on draft materials from Belizean perspective to ensure alignment with national priorities (#planBelize MTDS, UNSDCF). • Support adaptation of global frameworks and tools to national and local contexts. • Draft sections of technical documents and strategy materials with support from technical experts. • Assist in writing and reviewing technical publications. Capacity building and training coordination • Coordinate with universities, professional associations, and government institutions for co-design and delivery of training programs. • Adapt training modules and learning materials to Belizean context and priorities. • Identify and recruit appropriate participants from government, local governments, and professional sectors. • Facilitate partnerships between municipal governments and academic institutions. • Support delivery logistics for in-person, hybrid, and virtual training activities. • Monitor participant engagement and facilitate digital platforms for virtual delivery. • Identify opportunities for institutionalizing training within local education systems. Monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance • Coordinate the generation and integration of project content, ensuring coherence, quality, and alignment with UN principles. • Ensure project outputs align with national priorities and frameworks. • Distribute and collect participant feedback surveys • Compile feedback, analyze effectiveness, and prepare evaluation reports with recommendations. • Support quality assurance of learning materials and assessment tools. • Identify areas of opportunity and ensure technical and methodological coherence. Documentation and knowledge management • Maintain organized project files and documentation system. • Document stakeholder inputs, meeting minutes, decisions, and lessons learned. • Compile Belizean case studies and examples for global knowledge sharing. • Prepare implementation reports and consolidate feedback from all project activities. • Draft guidelines for scaling and sustaining capacity-building programs. • Support project communications and visibility activities. • Coordinate review and approval processes with counterparts. The result of the consultancy consists of the following products; which must include: Product 1 - Stakeholder Mapping Report Month 1 Product 2 - Capacity Needs Assessment and Competency-based Training Program Co-design Month 2
Qualifications/special skills
An advanced Bachelors degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in fields related to territorial and urban planning, urbanism, geography, urban design, territorial studies, and/or related areas. If you have published bibliographic material on the aforementioned topics, please indicate this in your application; it will be considered an asset. Additional training in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, or capacity building will be considered an advantage. The position requires a minimum of six (6) years of progressive professional experience in urban development, urban planning, climate change adaptation, or related fields, with demonstrated expertise in working with government institutions, particularly at the local level. Proven ability in stakeholder engagement and coordination of multi-stakeholder processes is essential, alongside experience in capacity building, training coordination, or educational program development. Familiarity with international organizations, especially UN agencies, is highly desirable, and knowledge of Belize’s urban development context and institutional landscape is considered a strong asset.
