Consultant

Duties and Responsibilities

Background The Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) was launched to address the growing challenges of water and food security in the Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative led by FAO-RNE is a comprehensive program designed to enhance the sustainable management of water resources while promoting food security in one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. The initiative s work supports national governments, institutions, and stakeholders by providing scientific research, policy guidance, and technical assistance. General objective Climate variability and extreme weather events pose major risks to water availability, food production and rural livelihoods. The consultant will contribute to the coordination and implementation of activities related to: (a) groundwater governance in the Arab region and a targeted basin in Morocco; and (b) climate change policy planning and adaption in a selected watershed in Tunisia. The consultant will also be responsible for organizing and conducting expert groups and stakeholder consultations, regular reporting, and facilitating knowledge exchange and dissemination. Duties and responsibilities Under the supervision of the Senior Sustainable Development Officer for Water and the overall supervision of the Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster Lead, the consultant will: 1- Support activities related to enhancing groundwater governance Support the preparation of a Groundwater Governance (1) Assessment Methodology by the regional expert Conducting institutional assessments and analyzing policy gaps and regulatory frameworks in the Arab region to support the preparation of a Groundwater Governance Assessment Methodology Establish a regional Groundwater Governance Expert Group that brings together regional policymakers and experts to advise on Groundwater Governance Assessment Methodology and Regional Guidelines on Groundwater Governance Coordinate the establishment of a national Groundwater Governance Study Team that brings together policymakers and technical experts to oversee the application of methodology for the assessment of groundwater governance in Morocco, Facilitate and guide the testing and piloting by the national study team at a selected basin in Morocco Support organization of an Inception Meeting for Moroccan stakeholders Support a comprehensive assessment of groundwater governance regimes in Morocco, evaluating governance structures and their effectiveness Facilitate national stakeholder consultations, documenting discussions and recommendations, and ensuring inclusive participation in discussions Support the development of a practical guidelines for strengthened groundwater governance in the Arab region, synthesizing best practices, policy recommendations, and institutional reforms Organize regional workshop to validate governance guidelines, exchange knowledge and ensure regional alignment with proposed methodology and guidelines 2- Support activities related to improving climate change policy planning and adaptation strategies Support the institutional mapping and organizational analysis for the targeted watershed in Tunisia, identifying key institutions involved in land and water management Organize and facilitate stakeholder consultations with national and local partners in the basin, documenting discussions and recommendations, and ensure inclusive participation in discussions. Coordinate the preparation of the assessment of impacts of climate change on water sector and agricultural productivity by drafting sections, reviewing regional climate projections, analyzing hydrological data and socio-economic indicators, and conducting participatory consultations to inform response measures, building upon the national climate change vulnerability assessment prepared for Tunisia by ESCWA 3- Support overall project activities Prepare diverse technical and information materials, such as PowerPoint presentations and summaries of lessons learned for a variety of stakeholders Prepare media content and coordinating dissemination efforts to support social media outreach, ensuring wider visibility for consultations, reports, and key milestones Prepare progress reports and related documentation, summarizing activities, key achievements, and lessons learned to support internal reporting to project partners

Qualifications/special skills

Master s degree or equivalent in water resources management, natural resources management, agriculture or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 7 years of experience in the areas of water resources management, including at least 3 years of experience working on climate change and agriculture issues is required. Experience organizing consultations and working with local stakeholder groups is desirable. Demonstrated experience conducting field research is desirable. Demonstrated proficiency in the use of geographic information system tools is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required; knowledge of French is desirable. Note: Fluency equals a rating of fluent in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and Knowledge of equals a rating of confident in two of the four areas.