Result of Service
The IC will contribute to the implementation of activities to strengthen the enabling environment in terms of policy support to achieve the SDGs and accelerate progress towards the SDGs. The IC will focus on policy support in line with country requests. This includes accelerating progress in key policy areas for the Office such as waste management, water and sanitation, and climate action in developing countries.
The IC will focus on building capacity in alignment with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Through policy research, data analysis, and capacity-building initiatives, the contractor will support developing countries in addressing these critical issues.
The contractor will contribute to coordinating these policy support activities, including joint missions for workshops, supporting key meetings, and the development of research products, ensuring the overall success of UNOSD’s mission in assisting Member States.
Work Location
The Individual contractor shall work remotely.
Expected duration
9 months
Duties and Responsibilities
The UN Sustainable Development Office (UNOSD) of UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG), based in the Republic of Korea, is dedicated to supporting UN Member States accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNOSD has over ten years of proven policy support cases and capacity development impact with member states. Since it was established in 2011, UNOSD has organized over 150 capacity building and policy research activities working with over 4,000 policymakers across the globe.
The Office provides, among other things, policy advisory services, and is uniquely placed within the UN system to draw on the extensive work and global network of development experts, practitioners, and partners, provided by the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Since 2020, UNOSD’s Work Plan includes a component for supporting developing countries to build institutional arrangements, set priorities and monitor progress of their SDG implementation.
The component prioritizes countries in special situations, such as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs). In parallel, the UN has advanced in its reform process to strengthen UN Resident Coordinator System and develop UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks. In response, UNOSD began to expand policy advisory to developing countries to strengthen its national impact on accelerating the SDGs.
Given this, the office defined thematic areas on which to extend policy support to Member States to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda and on adapting to and mitigating climate change. These categories broadly focus on
i) SDG localization and planning, ii) water, iii) waste and resource circularity, iv) the energy transition, and
v) Greenhouse gas monitoring and v) related areas such as the water-energy nexus. The following defines the Office’s objective in engaging with countries for policy support.
UNOSD policy support objective: To offer needs-based, tailor-made, results-oriented and time-bound policy advisory services to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS countries, to accelerate tangible and substantial outcomes on the following environmental SDGs: SDG 6, Clean water and sanitation; SDG 7, Affordable and clean energy; SDG 11, Sustainable cities and communities; SDG 12, Responsible consumption and production; SDG 13, Climate action; and SDG 15, Life on land.
In this context, UNOSD seeks an Individual Contractor (IC) to strengthen its continued policy advisory with expertise in sustainable development policy and technical cooperation. The IC is responsible for providing technical expertise supporting the design, delivery and evaluation of need-based policy advisory among target member states, follow up on policy development, programme coordination and data analysis in the above-mentioned areas and relevant topics with the objectives of achieving SDGs in Member States.
S/he also maintains effective working relationships with national, regional and global partners. Type of policy support Policy support may fall into one or more of the following types of policy support.
1. Strategy development: Support countries with the development of effective strategies in the achievement of the priority SDGs.
2. Capacity development: The provision of knowledge and training in order to support decision making and to create enabling conditions in the implementation of strategies or policies.
3. Partnership development: UNOSD will act as an intermediary for potential technical and infrastructure related activities, and/or assist creation of development cooperation projects with partner international organizations or entities that can follow through on implementation. The goal of this Terms of Reference is to therefore provide substantive advisory services to developing countries who have requested support to help them accelerate their implementation of the SDGs, especially SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 and
15. UNOSD will aim to assist in enhancing institutional capacities, monitoring progress on the implementation of the SDGs, identifying and prioritizing needs, and developing appropriate policies, strategies, measures and actions. Based on the needs assessment completed in 2021 and policy support strategy and criteria, UNOSD will interact with the target countries and develop and implement policy advisory projects with a results-oriented and time-bound focus.
All activities undertaken as part of this Terms of Reference will adhere to the principles of coherence, relevance, and synergy with the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) priorities and previous initiatives. The work will be aligned with the overarching objectives of DESA Sub-Programme 3 and will complement DSDG’s ongoing efforts to support Member States. Moreover, these activities will be consistent with the strategic framework of the UN DESA repository, ensuring that they build upon and contribute to the broader efforts of UN DESA in advancing the 2030 Agenda.
The ToR corresponds to UNOSD 2026 Work Plan (Output 3.1.1 Policy Advisory and capacity development) where the objective is to provide policy recommendations and to enhance the institutional capacity of target governments to support the achievement of SDG 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 or
15. The Individual Contractor will be responsible for the following duties and outputs that will focus on
1) Preparation of documents and reports: The IC will draft various documents, reports, and provide inputs on statements and PowerPoint presentations for capacity-building workshops and expert group meetings.
2) Participation in key meetings: The IC will attend international, regional, and national meetings as requested, offering programmatic and substantive inputs on sustainable development issues in the form of presentations and discussion papers.
3) Supporting the development of joint initiatives: The IC will support the organization of joint field missions, trainings, and projects, coordinating with the Head of Office, the Sustainable Development Officer, and other relevant staff.
4) Supporting drafting of evidence-based and demand-driven Overseas Development Assistance proposals with Member States: The IC will support the drafting and research for ODA proposals according to Member State requests.
5) Producing data-driven summary reports: The IC will contribute to integrating inputs from policy advisory support into a data-driven, evidence-based summary report and periodically share stories of impact for broader dissemination.
6) IC will undertake additional tasks assigned to her/him by the Head of the Office in relation to the office’s manifest role and responsibilities. The Individual Contractor will work under the overall guidance of UNOSD Head of Office and the direct supervision of the Sustainable Development Officer or the Head of Office (according to the activity).
Qualifications/special skills
An advanced university (Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in sustainable development, economics, public policy, public administration, environmental protection, natural resources management, social sciences or related fields is required. A first-level degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Over seven years of international experience in the field of sustainable development at the international and /or national level is required.
Experience in research and analysis, monitoring and reporting, technical assistance, capacity building or policy advisory services related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at international level is required. Experience in research and analysis, monitoring and reporting, technical assistance, capacity building or policy advisory services related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at international level is required.
Experience in conducting policy advisory and policy scoping missions to least developed countries and other countries in special situations is required. Experience in supporting intergovernmental bodies in the area of sustainable development, resource efficiency and circular economy (especially regarding waste and water) is desirable. Experience in working in the UN system is an advantage.
Languages
Fluency in English in both oral and written is required.
Additional Information
Professionalism: Proven ability to work autonomously, be results-oriented and meet pressing deadlines. Communication: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage in complex field missions and develop presentations with senior staff of the UN and partner organizations and individuals. The Individual Contractor will work under the overall guidance of UNOSD Head of Office and the direct supervision of the Sustainable Development Officer or the Head of Office (according to the activity).