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CONSULTANT VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT (Three Postions)

 Issued on 24 December 2018

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

Lessons learnt from slum and informal settlement upgrading highlight the importance of undertaking city-wide approaches that integrate improvements to the lives of slum dwellers with other key policies, plans, key service and mobility infrastructure and large scale urban development projects. Research and literature on slum upgrading to date also highlights the positive and also negative impact that laws and regulations can have on how slum dwellers are formally and officially viewed and responded to, if their human rights are valued and respected, if planning and development responses are based on sustainability and equity or exclusion and segregation. The frameworks also impact on institutional responses and structures as well as enforcement and maintenance approaches. It is therefore fundamental to understand the structure and the way in which legal and regulatory frameworks support or not the development of informal settlements upgrading efforts. This is especially so in light of the Sustainable Development Goals mandate to strengthen sustainable urban contexts (Goal 11) and dramatically reduce poverty (Goal 1)- and to specifically upgrade slums (Target 11.1).

UN-Habitat’s Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) is a joint effort of the  African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, the European Commission (EC) and UN-Habitat. To date, the programme has reached out to 35 ACP countries and 160 cities, and has provided the necessary enabling framework for improving the lives of at least 2 million slum dwellers. The PSUP’s approach is grounded on its emphasis on integrating slum dwellers into the broader urban fabric and adopting a positive stance towards slum dwellers and in-situ slum upgrading, using city-wide participatory planning methods.

A key component of UN-Habitat’s Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) is to analyse the policy, legal and regulatory frameworks of countries and urban centres where the programme is being implemented. This process could be improved by a stronger analytical framework that is directed towards supporting key stakeholders to develop a method to understand these frameworks as well as strengthen the way in which recommendations for change can be formulated that are practical and incremental in nature.

The Urban Legislation Unit, within the Urban Legislation, Land and Governance Branch of UN-Habitat, has developed the Slum Upgrading Legal Assessment Tool to provide urban managers and other stakeholders with a framework to understand how and if their legal and regulatory framework supports participatory city-wide slum upgrading.

In a further step, the tool will be tested out on the ground in some selected countries. Local consultants will identify and assess the legal and regulatory frameworks in those countries by looking at all the laws, regulations, decrees applicable in a city, enacted at different levels. The testing stage will focus on law and by-laws in relation to key areas around planning, financing, land and security of tenure, provision of basic services and housing.

This activity will be implemented in liaison with the UN-Habitat Urban Legislation Unit Leader.
The main objective of this consultancy is to support the implementation of the Slum Upgrading Legal Assessment Tool in the cities of Tabriz, Kermanshah, and Sanandaj. This includes drafting a background paper for the city and initiate a consultation process with city stakeholders to come up with a final report on the efficiency of the legal framework affecting the slums formation and directing the slum upgrading processes. All services and deliverables of this assignment have to be coordinated with the Project Coordinator (PC) designated by the UN-Habitat Tehran Office.

RESPONSIBILITES
Under the overall supervision of UN-Habitat chief of Tehran office and specific supervision of the Project Coordinator the consultant is expected to carry out the following tasks

To this end, the consultant is expected to carry out the following tasks:

• Development of a background paper on the legal framework supporting slum upgrading for the selected Iranian city following the indicators of the Tool.
• Production of process maps describing steps, decision points and institutions with responsibilities to implement slum upgrading interventions at city level.
• Conducting interviews with government officers and other stakeholders to understand the concrete implementation of the laws at city level.
• Organize, conduct and record the consultation process at national and city levels including focus group meetings with experts, members of the national and local governments, utilities, universities, NGOs etc that will discuss the indicators of the tool at city level.
• Draft the final report for the Slum Upgrading Legal Assessment Tool in the city summarizing the background analysis and the expert discussions.

DELIVERABLES

• Draft report for the background paper on the legal framework applicable to the selected Iranian city for slum upgrading following the indicators of the Tool.
• Minutes of interviews with government officials and other stakeholders regarding the implementation aspects of the current legal system.
• Record of the experts’ discussions during the focus group meetings.
• Draft reports for the final report for the Slum Upgrading Legal Assessment Tool in the selected Iranian city summarizing the background analysis and the expert discussions.

COMPETENCIES

Professionalism: Knowledge of concepts and approaches relevant to Urban Law, ability to conduct independent research, analysis, identifying issues, formulating options and making conclusions and recommendations. Shows pride in work and achievements; Demonstrates professional competence; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems/challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.  
Communication: Has fluent written and verbal communication skills in Persian and English and ability to articulate ideas in a clear and accurate manner.
Planning and organising: ability to work under pressure, establish priorities and plan, coordinate own work plan, use time efficiently and apply judgement in the context of competing deadlines.
Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity. 

EDUCATION

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or PhD) in architecture, urban design and urban planning and/or law, preferably trained under Iranian jurisdiction and familiar with Iranian laws.

QUALIFICATION

The consultant should have the following competencies and experiences:

• Legal professional, preferably with experience in the field of urban issues including planning laws, human rights law, affordable housing policies, fiscal laws, basic services regulations, etc.
• Knowledge of, and ability to apply, legal principles, concepts and procedures and terminology for review, examination, and processing of a range of legal documents.
• Knowledge of various legal research sources, including electronic, and ability to conduct research and analyse information on a wide range of legal issues.
• Ability to interpret and apply legislative instruments, develop and present results, recommendations, and opinions clearly and concisely.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, proficiency in spoken and written English and Persian is required. Familiarity with the local dialect of the selected city is an advantage.

 OTHER SKILLS

• Excellent analytical and conceptual writing skills
• Good research skills;
• Good drafting and editing skills

REMUNERATION
Payments will be based on deliverables over the consultancy period. There are set remuneration rates. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid as per agreement.

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