Chief Editor – Saudi Arabia State of Environment Report

Result of Service Development of the State of Environment Report for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Work Location Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Expected duration 9 months

Duties and Responsibilities Organizational Setting, Purpose, and Objective:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The West Asia Office delivers advisory services and capacity building support to countries to achieve environment and sustainable development objectives. This consultancy is established at the West Asia Office within the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between UNEP and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

State of the environment reporting (SOER) represents an instrumental way of developing and communicating environmental information to decision makers. SOER can also provide an early warning of emerging environmental problems (Emerging Issues); and identify knowledge and information deficiencies impeding the understanding and interpretation of environmental conditions and trends. In this context, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (MEWA) recognized the importance of developing a state of environment report which will be an important pillar for setting a baseline for all future environmental policies and strategies in Saudi Arabia.

Building on a long-lasting relationship between UNEP and Saudi Arabia, both partners are collaborating to produce the State of Environment Report using the methodology adopted by UNEP known as the Integrated Environmental Assessment and the Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework.

The report will start with Part A (State of Environment), including seven priority themes: Air Quality, Climate Change, Waste, Biodiversity, Coastal and Marine Environment, Water Resources, and Land Resources. Each theme will be addressed using the DPSIR framework in a separate chapter led by a leading author with contributions from experts who will be nominated by (MEWA). While Part B of the report will be focusing on the Kingdom’s policies, goals, objectives and environmental governance including an assessment of the Kingdom’s policy effectiveness, Part C will be covering the outlooks and pathways to environmental sustainability within the Kingdom.

The objective of the consultancy is to recruit a Chief Editor to lead the overall development of the report, working very closely with national experts and chapters’ lead authors. In addition, to lead the development of the introductory section covering the drivers of environmental change within the Kingdom, Part B (Policies) and Part C (Outlook). Each part is expected to be 30-40 pages. In addition, the Chief Editor will be responsible to streamline and harmonize the writing across the whole report.

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager in UNEP West Asia Office and in coordination with the respective department in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Consultant will carry-out, inter alia, the following duties & responsibilities:

1. Prepare guidance notes to the lead authors and guide/mentor them as necessary. This includes amongst others what data should be collected, what analysis is to be done, what style of writing should be, how many photos, etc. 2. Guide the lead authors in finetuning the manuscripts of Part A (State of Environment). 3. Based on the thematic chapters, draft (i) introductory section covering the drivers of environmental change within the Kingdom; (ii) Policy chapter and (iii) Outlook chapter including, building up scenarios based on contextualized assumptions, modelling, etc that can be incorporated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the pathways of transformation. 4. Actively participate in project meetings and workshops and work closely with the UNEP’s Science Regional Coordinator to provide oversight of the chapters. 5. Read thoroughly the different chapters produced by the lead authors, with the objective of identifying gaps and requirements for the improvement of overall content and style. 6. Revise and edit the report’s full manuscript (including tables, figures, etc) ensuring clarity of text, language, reasoning, and presentation to the highest intenational scientific publication standards. 7. Identify and rectify any possible inconsistency(ies) of the report data and information within all chapters of the report. Consult with the Chapters’ lead authors, as needed. Rectify all inconsistencies regarding data, statements, and logical flow. 8. Submit a final report at the publishing standards.

Qualifications/special skills Master’s (or higher) in Environmental Sciences or equivalent is required. At least 15 years of proven experience in environmental assessment; and familiarity with the Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) methodology and DPSIR framework is required. Previous working experience with recent Global Environment Outlooks (GEO) is an asset. Knowledge of the National context of Saudi Arabia is desirable. Strong research and excellent technical writing skills in Arabic is desirable.

Languages Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

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.