International Consultant - Urban Resilience Strategy and Action Programme

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Result of ServiceOutputs: 1. Activity 1: Initial Outline – Review ESCAP’s urban resilience portfolio (CECP, CARA, KECF, Urban Act, SCIL/DA18); develop an annotated outline and proposed methodology for the Urban Resilience Framework, including structure, focus areas, and key data sources. Deliverables: a. Annotated Outline and Work Plan for the Urban Resilience Framework (max 5 pages, with structure, scope, and preliminary mapping of linkages across ESCAP initiatives) (by 23 December 2025) 2. Activity 2: Analysis and Framing – Conduct a desk review and synthesis of ESCAP’s urban resilience work, identify cross-cutting synergies across land subsidence, heat, and air quality, and analyse regional urban resilience trends and gaps. Deliverables: b. Analysis and Synergy Mapping Report summarizing risks, opportunities, and institutional linkages (max 10 pages) (by 15 January 2026) 3. Activity 3: Conceptual Framework – Develop ESCAP’s regional definition and principles of urban resilience, integrating environmental, social, digital, and economic systems; map enabling policy levers, data needs, and institutional arrangements. Deliverables: c. Urban Resilience Concept Note and Framework (with draft indicators and theory of change) (max 10 pages) (by 15 February 2026) 4. Activity 4: Strategy Architecture – Draft the vision, objectives, and four pillars: (1) Risk-aware urban systems (land, water, heat); (2) Healthy and circular cities; (3) Inclusive governance and community resilience; (4) Urban finance, innovation, and digital systems. Deliverables: d. Draft Urban Resilience Strategy (by 15 March 2026) e. Final Urban Resilience Strategy (max 15 pages) (by 15 April 2026) 5. Activity 5: Action Programme 2026–2030 – Design pilot concepts, regional toolkits, and a capacity-building roadmap; propose mechanisms for city-to-city cooperation, subregional platforms, and results monitoring. Deliverables: f. Urban Resilience Action Programme (2026–2030) (max 10 pages) (by 15 May 2026) - - ) 15 August 2026 6. Activity 6: Donor and Partnership Landscape Analysis – Map key donors and initiatives (CECP, KECF, CARA, ADB, GCF, BMZ, MOEJ/MLIT, Netherlands, DFAT, EU, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rockefeller Foundation etc.); identify 6–9 funding entry points and pilot-ready concept ideas. Deliverables: g. Donor Mapping & Concept Pitch Portfolio (with indicative budgets) (max 10 pages) (by 15 June 2026) - - > by 15 September 2026 7. Activity 7: Validation and Final Report – Facilitate a hybrid consultation workshop (Bangkok or regional); integrate feedback from EDD divisions, subregional offices, and partners; finalize all deliverables. Deliverables: h. Final Report and Workshop Summary (max 10 pages) (by 15 June 2026) - - > by 15 October 2026 8. Activity 8: Policy recommendations and technical advice – Provide expert advice to support implementation of urban resilience projects; develop policy recommendations for local action plans. Deliverables: i. Draft urban resilience policy recommendations for four cities (throughout contract) How are the outputs to be delivered?

  • All outputs are to be delivered to the project manager by email in MS word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint to produce technical documents.
  • Consultations with stakeholders and workshops would be delivered in a form appropriate under the local circumstances.
  • Possible modalities include in-person interviews and focused group discussions, in-person or virtual workshops, virtual consultation with a selected multi-stakeholder group, or phone interviews, one-on-one interviews, and discussions with representatives of various departments, etc.

Work LocationHome based

Expected duration19 Dec 25-30 Oct 26

Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground & Purpose: The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), through the Environment and Development Division (EDD) and its Sustainable Urban Development Section (SUDS), is transitioning its Cities for a Sustainable Future portfolio from a focus on SDG localization toward a comprehensive Urban Resilience Framework. This new framework strengthens regional efforts to move beyond the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, addressing the interlinked planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, together with the growing complexities of urbanization. It emphasizes the need to align long-term development planning with crisis preparedness and risk management, ensuring that cities are equipped to respond to immediate shocks and urban challenges, while advancing sustainable, inclusive, and low-carbon growth over the coming decades. Across Asia and the Pacific, cities stand at the frontline of the region’s transformation. Home to more than 2.2 billion urban residents, they account for over half of the world’s urban population and nearly 80 per cent of regional GDP. Yet cities are increasingly exposed to intensifying and interconnected risks. Extreme heat, land subsidence, flooding, air pollution, and water stress are converging with rapid urbanization, demographic change, ageing populations, and digital transformation to reshape the region’s urban landscape. Climate change further amplifies these pressures, driving coastal inundation, heat extremes, and resource scarcity, while migration and population growth are concentrating vulnerability in cities least equipped to manage it. These dynamics highlight the urgency of re-envisioning cities as adaptive systems capable of anticipating risks and sustaining wellbeing amid social, environmental, economic and technological changes. At the same time, digital transformation is redefining how cities plan, govern, and deliver essential services. Advances in data analytics, geospatial systems, and artificial intelligence are enabling cities to forecast hazards, optimize energy and water use, and monitor environmental and social conditions in real time. Digital innovation, when deployed inclusively and ethically, can strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve transparency, and empower communities to participate in shaping their urban futures. Integrating these technologies into urban systems is essential for building climate-resilient, equitable, and sustainable cities across the region. Cities play a critical role in addressing the triple planetary crises and advancing sustainable development. They contribute to and are increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Urban areas are major sources of emissions, resource consumption, and waste, yet they are also powerful drivers of innovation and change. They account for around 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy, while at the same time generating ideas, investments, and partnerships that can catalyse a just and green transition. By rethinking how land, water, energy, mobility, and waste systems are managed, cities can drastically reduce emissions, enhance biodiversity, and improve environmental health while creating decent jobs and advancing inclusion. Urban resilience is therefore both an environmental imperative and a strategic pathway toward just, green, and prosperous societies across Asia and the Pacific. The 2025 ESCAP themes study - Urban Transformation in Asia and the Pacific: From Growth to Resilience and the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Synergy Report emphasize that the region has entered a decisive decade of transition. The coming years will determine whether Asia and the Pacific can guide its urbanization toward resilience, inclusion, and low-carbon prosperity, or risk locking in vulnerability, inequality, and ecological decline. Urban systems have become the crossroads where the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss intersect with demographic change, digital transformation, and economic transition but they also present the greatest opportunity for integrated, cross-sectoral synergistic solutions with global impact. ESCAP’s analysis identifies five enabling transformations essential for building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures: 1. Integrated urban planning and multilevel governance connecting land use, housing, mobility, energy, water, and waste management to unlock co-benefits and reduce inequality; 2. Finance and data innovation to close the estimated USD 800 billion annual urban infrastructure financing gap and scale resilient, low-carbon systems; 3. Inclusive and adaptive institutions empowering local governments and communities through participation, decentralization, and access to digital tools; 4. People-centred and digital innovation harnessing smart technologies, local knowledge, and citizen engagement to improve services, resilience, and transparency; and 5. Regional and city-to-city cooperation to harmonize standards, exchange knowledge, and leverage economies of scale for resilience investment and urban transitions. These transformations reflect a shift from project-based interventions to systems-based, synergistic development approaches, where progress in one domain reinforces outcomes across others. ESCAP’s portfolio already demonstrates this synergy in practice, integrating environmental, spatial, social, and digital dimensions of resilience through complementary regional initiatives:

  • Confronting the Silent Crisis of Asia-Pacific’s Sinking Cities (2025–2026, Bangladesh and the Islamic Republic of Iran) advances integrated land-subsidence management, groundwater governance, and coastal resilience through diagnostic assessments, pilot local development planning, and a regional community of practice linking cities, academia, and development partners. (China-ESCAP Cooperation Programme)
  • Extreme Heat Resilience Initiative – India and the Philippines connect heat, health, and urban-planning systems to reduce vulnerability, strengthen adaptive capacity, and inform anticipatory policy. (UK-Climate Adaptation for a Resilient Asia)
  • Air Quality and Circular Cities Programme integrates pollution control, circular economy, and clean-technology approaches to promote sustainable production and consumption in cities. (Korea-ESCAP Cooperation Fund)
  • Urban Act: Local Climate Action Programme (Thailand, Indonesia, India, Philippines, and China) supports cities in localizing climate action, applying nature-based solutions, and strengthening community resilience (currently undergoing mid-term evaluation and preparing its final-year tranche of implementation). (GIZ)
  • Smart City Innovation Lab (SCIL) and National Smart City Strategies (Cambodia and Lao PDR), alongside DA12: Interregional Cooperation for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda and DA18: Empowering Gender-Responsive Digital Urban Transformation (2026–2029, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Bangladesh), accelerate digital and data-driven governance to support resilient, sustainable urban development and climate action.
  • Waste Management and Circular Economy, including regional methane emissions reduction project to build awareness and capacity of member States and local authorities that focuses on municipal solid waste landfills and wastewaters aims to mitigate the negative impacts on climate, air quality and health of urban population. (Environment Defense Fund) Together, these initiatives exemplify synergistic urban resilience that links climate adaptation, environmental health, inclusive governance, and digital transformation under one coherent regional vision. They also demonstrate ESCAP’s comparative advantage in generating regional public goods, including shared data systems, policy frameworks, and capacity-building platforms that benefit multiple countries and strengthen regional cooperation on urban resilience. These regional public goods translate global frameworks, such as the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework and the New Urban Agenda, into regionally relevant tools and action plans, building coherence, scalability, and collective impact across Asia and the Pacific. These efforts are further reinforced by regional efforts such as the Asia-Pacific Mayors Academy and the SDG Localization Platform, which strengthen city leadership, peer learning, and multilevel governance alignment, while engaging partners through the Asia-Pacific Local and Regional Governments Platform (APLP Cities) to advance the local implementation of global commitments. Building on these foundations, the consultant will conceptualize and prepare an integrated Urban Resilience Strategy and Action Programme (2026–2030) to guide ESCAP’s work beyond 2030 and align it with the Pact for the Future and Our Common Agenda. The Strategy will articulate a regional vision, define core thematic pillars, and outline actionable pathways connecting climate adaptation, environmental health, digital innovation, and inclusive urban governance. It will also identify resource-mobilization opportunities and further position ESCAP as the UN’s regional platform for synergistic urban resilience, supporting member States in advancing their national and local commitments under the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the New Urban Agenda. Objective: Under the supervision of the designated project manager and the Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section (SUDS), Environment and Development Division (EDD), the consultant will: 1. Support capacity building across ESCAP’s urban resilience portfolio – Provide expert advice, technical assistance, undertake research and draft policy recommendations to support implementation of urban resilience projects (e.g. extreme heat, urban land subsidence, local climate action) 2. Develop ESCAP’s Regional Urban Resilience Framework — articulating how environmental, spatial, social, economic, and digital systems interact to strengthen cities’ capacity to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to shocks and stresses, including extreme heat, air pollution, water scarcity/stress. Identify urban management, circular economy, and nature-based solutions — into a coherent operational model for resilient, low-carbon, and inclusive urban systems. 3. Design a 3–5-year Urban Resilience Strategy and Action Programme (2026–2030) — outlining a regional vision, guiding principles, thematic pillars, pilot concepts, capacity-development roadmap, and financing pathways. 4. Prepare a Donor and Partnership Landscape Analysis — mapping strategic partners (multilateral, bilateral, philanthropic, and private sector) and identifying entry points for resource mobilization, joint programming, and co-financing. 5. Align ESCAP’s future urban portfolio with the Pact for the Future, Our Common Agenda, and relevant regional cooperation frameworks (e.g., ASEAN, ADB, UN-Habitat, GCF) to position ESCAP as the regional hub for anticipatory urban resilience. 6. Embed digital innovation and inclusive governance approaches across all outputs to ensure the framework reflects emerging technologies, participatory planning, and gender-responsive, data-driven decision-making. Expected Outcomes 1. A unified conceptual and strategic framework for urban resilience in Asia and the Pacific. 2. Defined thematic priorities, indicators, and implementation architecture for 2026–2030. 3. A comprehensive Donor and Partnership Landscape Analysis and concept-pitch portfolio ready for engagement with development partners. 4. Strengthened alignment of ESCAP’s urban portfolio with multilateral agendas — Pact for the Future, SDGs, Paris Agreement, and New Urban Agenda. 5. Enhanced visibility of ESCAP as the regional convener and knowledge hub on urban resilience. Objective: Under the supervision of the designated project manager and the Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section (SUDS), Environment and Development Division (EDD), the consultant will: 1. Support capacity building across ESCAP’s urban resilience portfolio – Provide expert advice, technical assistance, undertake research and draft policy recommendations to support implementation of urban resilience projects (e.g. extreme heat, urban land subsidence, local climate action) 2. Develop ESCAP’s Regional Urban Resilience Framework — articulating how environmental, spatial, social, economic, and digital systems interact to strengthen cities’ capacity to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to shocks and stresses, including extreme heat, air pollution, water scarcity/stress. Identify urban management, circular economy, and nature-based solutions — into a coherent operational model for resilient, low-carbon, and inclusive urban systems. 3. Design a 3–5-year Urban Resilience Strategy and Action Programme (2026–2030) — outlining a regional vision, guiding principles, thematic pillars, pilot concepts, capacity-development roadmap, and financing pathways. 4. Prepare a Donor and Partnership Landscape Analysis — mapping strategic partners (multilateral, bilateral, philanthropic, and private sector) and identifying entry points for resource mobilization, joint programming, and co-financing. 5. Align ESCAP’s future urban portfolio with the Pact for the Future, Our Common Agenda, and relevant regional cooperation frameworks (e.g., ASEAN, ADB, UN-Habitat, GCF) to position ESCAP as the regional hub for anticipatory urban resilience. 6. Embed digital innovation and inclusive governance approaches across all outputs to ensure the framework reflects emerging technologies, participatory planning, and gender-responsive, data-driven decision-making. Expected Outcomes 1. A unified conceptual and strategic framework for urban resilience in Asia and the Pacific. 2. Defined thematic priorities, indicators, and implementation architecture for 2026–2030. 3. A comprehensive Donor and Partnership Landscape Analysis and concept-pitch portfolio ready for engagement with development partners. 4. Strengthened alignment of ESCAP’s urban portfolio with multilateral agendas — Pact for the Future, SDGs, Paris Agreement, and New Urban Agenda. 5. Enhanced visibility of ESCAP as the regional convener and knowledge hub on urban resilience.

Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced degree (Master’s or Doctorate) in urban planning, geography, sustainable development, environmental sciences, public policy, engineering, social sciences, or a related discipline relevant to integrated urban resilience and climate-environment systems.

  • Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in urban resilience, sustainable urban development, environmental management, climate adaptation, water resource management, or related fields.
  • Demonstrated experience conducting analytical reviews, portfolio assessments, or strategic synthesis across multiple programmes, preferably within the UN or development cooperation context.
  • Proven track record in developing conceptual or analytical frameworks, including theories of change, indicator sets, methodology papers, or integrated resilience models.
  • Experience preparing strategies, action plans, policy briefs, donor analyses, or programmatic roadmaps for governments, regional bodies, or development partners.
  • Demonstrated ability to work with national and subnational governments, including on environmental assessment, disaster risk reduction, land/water/heat-related risks, or strategic urban development.
  • Experience designing or contributing to diagnostic tools, monitoring frameworks, geospatial or data-driven assessments, or other methodologies supporting evidence-based planning.
  • Experience planning, facilitating, or delivering multi-stakeholder consultations, validation workshops, city-to-city exchanges, or capacity-building sessions, both in-person and virtual.
  • Comprehensive understanding of urban and regional development challenges in Asia and the Pacific, including: o Emerging climate-related urban risks (extreme heat, land subsidence, air pollution, water scarcity, flooding, coastal vulnerability) and their implications for environmental, social, digital, and economic systems. o Integrated urban systems - linkages across land, water, energy, mobility, health, housing, and the environment, relevant to developing an Urban Resilience Framework, Strategy, and Action Programme. o Knowledge of circular economy approaches, healthy cities frameworks, nature-based solutions, and sustainability mainstreaming into urban governance and infrastructure.
  • Ability to translate scientific, environmental, socioeconomic, and programmatic information into clear, actionable technical documents, including concept notes, strategy chapters, indicators, and donor pitches.
  • Strong skills in preparing high-quality written outputs (Word, PPT, Excel), including strategy documents, programmatic frameworks, and consultation materials.
  • Demonstrated capacity to facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement with governments, development partners, research institutions, regional organizations, donor agencies, and local authorities.
  • Familiarity with urban finance, innovation ecosystems, and digital tools that support climate-resilient urban planning and local action.
  • Ability to conduct or interpret risk assessments, synergy mapping, policy analyses, and institutional/gap assessments to support regional strategy development.

LanguagesFluent in English, in both writing and speaking.

Additional InformationNot available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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