• TYPE OF CONTRACT:         UNOPS /Local Individual Contract Agreement (LICA) 8

            DUTY STATION:                    Manila, Philippines 

            DURATION:                           16 February – 30 June 2025, extendable depending on funding availability and performance

            PROJECT REFERENCE:      SHIELD and TRANSCEND

                            United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

A. ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING

UN-HABITAT

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN–Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements development. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable communities, towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The main documents outlining the mandate of the organization are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and the Resolution 56/206 and the New Urban Agenda 2016. It contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development within the context and the challenges of a rapidly urbanising world.

By working at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders and partners, UN–Habitat contributes to linking policy development and capacity–building activities with a view to promoting cohesive and mutually reinforcing social, economic and environmental policies in national policies and programmes in human settlements which conform with international practices and covenants.

UN–Habitat is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with regional offices for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Fukuoka, Japan, for Latin America and the Caribbean in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (ROLAC), and regional office for Africa and the Arab States in Nairobi, Kenya (ROAAS). The regional office for Eastern Europe and Transition Countries is also based in Nairobi, Kenya.

In the Philippines Country Office (CO), key programs and projects include national urban policy support, capacity development to manage urban development and settlements, climate change, post-disaster shelter and livelihood recovery, urban planning, urban poverty reduction and slum upgrading. Support to climate change programs and projects started as early as 2008 under the MDGF Project of the UN. Since then, the climate change program has evolved and grown into a strategic and regular component of the Philippines Country Office programme.

B. PROJECT BACKGROUND   

The Asia Pacific region is home to more than half of the global population and since 2019, more than half of the population in the region have been living in urban areas. Currently, 2.3 billion or 54% of the region’s total population live in cities and towns. This is expected to increase to 2.8 billion by 2030, and 3.5 billion by 2050. Notably, cities in Asia and the Pacific are now already generating 80 per cent of gross domestic product in most countries. 

In the face of this urban growth and development trends, cities in the region are faced with risks and vulnerabilities due to climate change. As noted in the Future of Asian & Pacific Cities Report (UN-Habitat, 2019), climate change impacts are projected to significantly worsen in the region. “Heatwave frequency has increased and will likely continue into the 21^st century. Sea level rise, chronic droughts, and violent storm surges disproportionately have impacts on places where the most vulnerable have settled, such as on riverside plains, hillsides and suburban marshes.” Climate change is projected to “increase the frequency and magnitude of regional hazards, including tropical cyclones, high-intensity storms, droughts and floods, making Asian and Pacific cities, especially those on coasts, highly exposed.” Within the urban context, the poor, elderly, women, youth are particularly vulnerable to climate change.  

As countries and cities in the region are increasingly investing in measures towards improving their resilience, models to fully maximize the adaptation benefits of sustainable urban plans and designs must be developed to ensure that the region remains competitive and productive in a rapidly urbanizing world. Government institutions across Asia and the Pacific require strengthened adaptive capacities, especially on knowledge and policies, to aid in managing urban growth as pressures and opportunities due to climate change are experienced across levels of governance. These issues are reflected in the Philippines. 

The Philippines has been identified as one of the countries which is extremely vulnerable to climate change and other types of disasters, thus making resilience a serious development concern in the country.  According to the 2022 World Risk Index Report, the Philippines ranked first in risks among 193 countries and, with a population of over 110 million, remains to be the most densely populated and urbanized of all global disaster hotspots. An archipelagic country located in the Ring of Fire and typhoon belt, the Philippines faces risks from multiple hazards – typhoons, floods, landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as well as slow onset hazards such as droughts. The country is also highly vulnerable to climate risks, with climate change exacerbating the impacts of weather-related events with associated severe wind, storm surge, coastal flooding, and sea level rise. The 2021 German Climate Risk Index places the Philippines as the fourth most affected by long-term climate risks. At least 60 per cent of the country’s total land area is exposed to multiple hazards and about 75 per cent of the population is vulnerable to their impacts. Eight of the top ten cities most at risk from natural hazards are in the Philippines, including Metro Manila.

C. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

1. Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) is a six-year Australian Government funded program that aims to support the government of the Philippines in building institutional and community resilience to climate change and other types of hazards. 

The goal of the SHIELD Program is to make all people in target communities safer and more resilient to the impacts of natural hazard events and climate change. This will be realized by achieving three inter dependent outcomes/components:

• Component 1: Government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders in targeted local government units (LGUs) are collaborating to unlock funding and implementing informed and inclusive resilience actions
• Component 2: Relevant national government agencies (NGAs) are prioritizing action on local climate and disaster resilience
• Component 3: Philippine scientific agencies are producing tailored and accessible information for local resilience action

In partnership with the government of the Philippines, the SHIELD program will be implemented through a consortium approach led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Other consortium members are the UN-Habitat, National Resilience Council, Philippine Business for Social Progress and the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society. Project Components 1 and 2 are where UN-Habitat leads some activities that require expertise and full-time coordination to deliver the needed training and capacity development outputs of the project.

2. Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (TRANSCEND) is a six-year project funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The project will be implemented through a consortium led by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) as the main political partner. Through a whole-of-government approach, the project aims to pilot a transition process towards a climate-resilient, low-carbon, and biodiversity-friendly society through adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity solutions in three landscapes in the Philippines. 

TRANSCEND aims to support the Philippine Government in achieving the NDC and post-2020 Biodiversity Framework targets. It intends to work with the Philippines on the four IKI funding areas, namely mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change impacts, conserving natural carbon sinks, and conserving biodiversity. The project will also address integrating gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches as means to accommodate context-specific gender relations. The following outputs have been formulated for the project: 

• Output 1 – Communities and LGUs in three landscapes agree on and implement improved natural resource management standards and planning practices in a ridge-to-reef approach, conserving key biodiversity, restoring ecosystems and natural carbon sinks
• Output 2 – Community organisations, local, subnational, and national governments in three landscapes have improved policies on and knowledge of EbA; they are practicing EbA for resilient built environments and communities with mitigation co-benefits.
• Output 3 – Climate Smart Industries and Services (CSIS) road map is developed; c) low-carbon transport policies and projects are introduced in three cities (1.5-2 mio tCO2 annually after implementation)
• Output 4 – Decision support systems are improved and applied at all levels of government to measure reductions in risk, vulnerabilities, GHG emissions and biodiversity loss to target climate finance, report on NDC as well as the CBD convention
• Output 5 – The project will incorporate the IKI interface function for the Philippines. Within this function the project will facilitate cooperation among all IKI implementers in the country, e.g. through national IKI interface workshops as well as knowledge management and exchange.

TRANSCEND will be implemented by a consortium of different organizations: Conservation International Philippines (CIPFI), RARE, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Clean Air Asia (CAA), International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT), Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), Climate Analytics (CA), University of the Philippines – Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP-CWG), and Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as the joint project coordinator. UN-Habitat will lead Output 2 of the project.

D. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Guided by the overall training and capacity development approach and tools of UN-Habitat, and considering the capacity building-related requirements of the  projects, the Capacity Building and Training Officer shall perform the following roles and responsibilities:

Country Office:

• Develop and lead UN-Habitat Philippines’ training and capacity development framework to suit the country requirements in the context of urban development and risk resilience. This shall consider UN-Habitat’s organizational strategies and capacity development approaches and tools including review of issues and trends, new technologies, and conduct of research-based activities to support the framework development.
• Standardize, coordinate, and provide technical support in the implementation of training and capacity development programs and activities.
• Implement, monitor, and evaluate the training and capacity development interventions of projects and other initiatives.
• Contribute to the development and preparation of annual workplans, performance monitoring systems and tools, and program/project progress reports.
• Adopt as fit-for-purpose the latest methodologies, innovations, and best practices in delivering training and capacity development programs and activities.
• To supervise the training and capacity development assistant
• Undertake other related activities in support of the project work plan as may be discussed and agreed with the UN-Habitat Country Program Manager.
• Prepare and submit quarterly training and capacity development reports.

Project level support:

• Conduct focused capacity development and training needs assessments of specified target audiences.
• Recommend training designs and suggest relevant modalities, e.g., virtual, face-to-face seminars, interactive workshops, etc., considering the UN-Habitat Philippines’ training and capacity development framework and project resources.
• Coordinate pre-training activities: consolidate relevant modules, tools and guides that will be used for the training and learning workshops; prepare training and workshop designs and mechanics, facilitation guides; identify and coordinate with the resource persons and participants; conduct pre-training/workshop evaluation;  lead the preparation of training materials and needed supplies.
• Implement training or learning event activities: oversee the overall conduct and administration of the training/workshop; coordinate with partner institutions and concerned team members; facilitate training/workshop evaluation.
• Ensure post-training activities: facilitate activity report documentation and communication with the participants; conduct post-activity debriefing.
• Regularly update the training and capacity development work program based on the progress and objectives of the project to ensure that adequate capacity is built with particular attention to the capacity development indicators monitored by the project. 

E. DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT, DUTY STATION, AND TRAVEL

Contract up to 30 June 2025, extendable depending on funding availability and performance.

The duty station is in Manila, Philippines. Official travels outside of Manila will be covered and arranged by UN-Habitat-Philippines.

F. REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS 

The Training and Capacity Development Associate Officer will report directly to the Project Coordinators/Managers. 

G. Remuneration: 

The salary will be determined according to the qualifications, skills, and relevant experience of the selected candidate.  

H. CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

Core Values

• Integrity – Demonstrates the values of the United Nations in daily activities and behaviours. Acts without consideration of personal gain. Resists undue political pressure in decision-making. Does not abuse power or authority. Stands by decisions that are in the Organization’s interest, even if they are unpopular. Takes prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour.
• Professionalism – Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. 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 or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations.
• Respect for Diversity – Works effectively with people from all backgrounds. Treats all people with dignity and respect. Treats men and women equally. Shows respect for and understanding of diverse points of view and demonstrates this understanding in daily work and decision-making. Examines own biases and behaviors to avoid stereotypical responses. Does not discriminate against any individual or group.

Professional Competencies

• Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.  
• Communication:  Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style, and format to match the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Client Orientation:  Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to the client.
• Teamwork:  Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with a final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows a willingness to learn new technology.

I. QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIAL SKILLS OR KNOWLEDGE

HOW TO APPLY

Submission of Applications 

The application should include: 

1. Cover memo (maximum 1 page) including expectations regarding remunerations. 

2. A completed UN Personal History Form (P-11) – Please download the form (MS-Word) from UN- Habitat ROAP web site: https://unhabitat.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UNHABITAT-Personal_History_P11-updated-20210716.doc

3. Updated CV

All applications should be addressed to and sent electronically via e-mail to UN-Habitat’s Country Programme Manager, Christopher E. Rollo at cris.rollo@un.org copying Hazel Acabado at hazel.acabado@un.org.

Please indicate in your e-mail subject:  Training and Capacity Development Associate Officer

The deadline for Applications is on or before 19 February 2025.

Please note that applications received after the closing date stated above will not be given consideration. Only short-listed candidates whose applications meet the above criteria will be contacted. The salary will be determined according to the qualifications, skills and relevant experience of the selected candidate. Details and conditions of the contract will be communicated at the interview. 

In line with UN-Habitat policy on gender equity, applications from female candidates are particularly encouraged. 

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. 

By applying to this post, you agree to UN-Habitat’s due diligence in securing the highest standards of efficiency, competency and integrity from all its staff members. Candidates will not be considered for employment with United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the candidates have been involved in the commission of these acts. 

UN-Habitat has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UN-Habitat also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 

UN-Habitat does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.