Result of Service

A report that includes a compilation of the rules of procedure and practices related to the participation of civil society organizations in multilateral environmental agreements and United Nations bodies and the assessment on the best way to ensure the CSO participation

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

2 months(part-time) between March and April 2026

Duties and Responsibilities

Background note: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int) Parties to the UNCCD agreed in decision 5/COP16 to request the secretariat to compile rules of procedure and practices related to the participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in multilateral environmental agreements and United Nations bodies for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties (COP) at its seventeenth session that will be held from 17 until 28 August 2006 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The UNCCD secretariat seeks an experienced experts to undertake a consultancy to compile the rules of procedure and practice related to the CSO participation in the Rio Conventions processes and UN bodies to be presented at COP17. Duties & Responsibilities: Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Communications, External Relations and Partnership (CERP) unit and the Deputy Executive Secretary and direct supervision of the External Relations Officer, the expert undertaking the consultancy will have the following duties and responsibilities: - Compiling the rules of procedure and practices related to CSO participation in the Rio Convention processes and UN bodies (UNEA and General Assembly) both in the official sessions as well as in the informal settings (i.e. contact groups, informal meetings, etc.) - Undertake a review to identify the ways the different Rio Conventions and UN bodies (UNEA and General Assembly) facilitate the participation of civil society organizations assessing them according to agreed criteria. - Organize consultations with representatives of the Rio Convention secretariats and civil society representatives as an input to generate a SWOP analysis on the implementation about the practice and/or the rule the procedure. - Organize consultations with Parties to the UNCCD to gather their views on the way the UNCCD is engaging civil society organizations. - Support the secretariat in the development of the official document that will be presented to the Parties at COP17

Qualifications/special skills

- An advance degree in in law, political science, international relations, international economics or other related area is required. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. - A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, law, development management, or related areas is required. - Experience with the multilateral environmental agreements and UN bodies and legal background is required. - Excellent communications skills (written and oral), fluent command of English and ability to craft and deliver messages in an articulate manner.

Languages

- Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.

Additional Information

Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.

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.