Research Assistant (Urban Development)

Contract

This is a UNV National Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Youth contracts.

The position is in ESCWA’s Cluster 2 on Gender Justice, Population and Inclusive Development. Specifically, the UNV will provide technical and non-technical support to the Urban development portfolio lead.

Under the supervision of the Social Affairs Officer, the UN Volunteer is responsible to perform the following functions: - Support the implementation of the urban development portfolio projects including the projects on “Fostering COVID-19 recovery and SDG implementation through local action in Asia-Pacific, Arab and African countries”, the “Quality of Life Initiative” among others - Compile information on local development including from a wide variety of information sources, prepares inputs on the subjects as required - Keep abreast of urban development advances and Voluntary Local Reviews in the region and identify related knowledge gaps and prepare summaries accordingly - Support the process of designing the executive training of the first Mayors’ Academy in the Arab region aimed at strengthening the capacities of local authorities - Support the development process of the Quality-of-Life Index in urban settings - Assist in drafting the knowledge products of the urban team and undertake related research needed - Assist in the preparation of agenda, info notes, presentations, background substantive material related to urban development meetings - Draft routine correspondences to relevant stakeholders as needed and keep the contacts database of urban experts updated; - Provide support in preparing presentations and visualizing the outputs of the urban portfolio - Translate from English to Arabic and vice versa, as needed - Undertake other tasks as needed.

• Adaptability and flexibility • Planning and organizing • Professionalism • Creativity

development is required for this position. Substantial experience in urban development research, and analysis is required. Proven track record in conducting research activities, data collection, and analysis added to developing presentations on substantive development issues, preferably in the Arab region. Experience in maintaining and managing databases.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in Beirut, Lebanon. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions.

Conditions of Service for national UN Volunteers

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents - except for UN Community Volunteers), as well as final repatriation (if applicable). You can check full entitlements at https://app.unv.org/calculator .

Furthermore, in non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, a Well-Being Differential (WBD) will be provided monthly.