Non-State Actors Engagement Support

The objective of this consultancy is to support the work with the civil society organizations, youth, indigenous peoples, and non-state actors related to the flagship initiatives of the UNCCD secretariat.

Bonn Office.

06 months, between November 2026 and April 2027.

Background note: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int) The UNCCD secretariat seeks an experienced and highly motivated non-state actors consultant to support strategic activities related to strategy for non-state actors (youth, indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society organisations) and preparation and organization of key events, notably the Desertification and Drought Day, and the 25th session of the Committee for the Review for the Implementation of the Convention. Duties & Responsibilities: Under the overall supervision of the External Relations Officer, the consultant will undertake the following tasks: - Organization the regular meetings of the UNCCD civil society panel; - Preparation of the strategy for the engagement of the non-State actors for the Desertification and Drought Day and the forthcoming meeting of the 25th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC25); - Preparation of a review on the engagement of civil society, youth and indigenous peoples in the multilateral environment agreements; - Any other responsibilities as delegated by the designated requesting officer.

- First-level university degree (or equivalent) in International Relations, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Social Sciences, Sciences or a related field is required. - A minimum of 2 years of work experience in the field of international relations, public relations or a related field. - Experience in engaging with non-state actors is required. - Strong writing, analytical and research skills (qualitative and quantitative) is desirable.

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.

Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.