Urban Heat Resilience Research and Knowledge Management Support

Host entity: ESCAP

Application deadline: 02/09/2026

Mission and objectives

The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy-oriented research and analysis, normative support and technical assistance and capacity building, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.

Assignment context

Extreme heat is an increasingly important climate and urban development challenge across Asia and the Pacific, affecting public health, livelihoods, infrastructure, energy systems and the liveability of cities. Vulnerable populations, including low-income communities, outdoor workers, older persons, women, children and persons with disabilities, often face disproportionate risks.

ESCAP is implementing several initiatives to strengthen urban heat resilience and support cities in translating evidence into practical action. These initiatives include city-level heat-risk assessments, development of Urban Heat Action Plans, capacity-building and stakeholder engagement, implementation of selected pilot interventions, and regional knowledge exchange.

As part of this work, ESCAP is strengthening an Urban Heat Resilience Community of Practice to facilitate peer learning, share practical experiences and resources, and connect cities and practitioners working on extreme heat across the Asia-Pacific region.
ESCAP is seeking an Online Volunteer to support the consolidation and translation of relevant knowledge and experience into practical resources that can strengthen the Community of Practice and support city-to-city learning.

The objective of the assignment is to support ESCAP in preparing a draft Urban Heat Resilience Knowledge and Community of Practice Resource Package that brings together relevant city experiences, tools, case studies and lessons and makes them more accessible to policymakers, practitioners and city stakeholders.

The assignment will help connect lessons emerging from ESCAP-supported city-level work with wider regional and international experience and strengthen the foundation for continued peer learning and knowledge exchange on urban heat resilience.

Task description

Under the guidance of ESCAP's Sustainable Urban Development Section, the Online Volunteer will conduct desk-based research, organize and synthesize relevant information, and prepare draft knowledge resources on urban heat resilience for ESCAP's review.

The assignment will include:
- Mapping relevant organizations, city networks, initiatives, platforms, tools and knowledge resources working on urban heat resilience in Asia and the Pacific and internationally.
- Identifying and documenting practical city examples related to areas such as heat action planning, early warning and preparedness, cooling centres, occupational heat protection, cool roofs and passive cooling, nature-based solutions, urban greening, heat monitoring and heat-responsive urban planning.
- Synthesizing relevant lessons and experiences emerging from ESCAP-supported urban heat activities, including, where appropriate, documenting the planning and implementation of selected city-level pilot interventions, with particular attention to implementation processes, stakeholder engagement, monitoring, sustainability and opportunities for replication.
- Identifying relevant approaches and resources related to financing and investment for urban heat resilience, where appropriate.
- Organizing findings into practical, practitioner-oriented draft materials that can support city-to-city learning and future Community of Practice activities.
- Supporting the identification of potential topics, speakers, cities, organizations and resources for future knowledge-exchange activities or webinars.
- Developing recommendations for maintaining and further strengthening the Community of Practice and its knowledge resources.

The assignment will focus on desk-based research, knowledge organization and the preparation of draft knowledge resources for ESCAP's review. ESCAP will retain responsibility for the technical review, validation and finalization of any materials developed through the assignment.

Skills and experience

Candidates should demonstrate:
• Background in urban planning, environmental management, climate change, sustainable development, public policy, disaster risk reduction or a related field.
• Knowledge of climate resilience and/or sustainable urban development.
• Strong research, analytical and synthesis skills.
• Ability to translate technical or academic information into concise and accessible materials for policy and practitioner audiences.
• Strong written English.
• Ability to work independently, organize information systematically and deliver agreed outputs within established deadlines.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a remote, multicultural environment.

The following would be considered an advantage:
• Experience related to urban heat, climate adaptation, urban resilience or climate-risk assessment.
• Experience working with municipal or subnational governments.
• Familiarity with Urban Heat Action Plans or related urban resilience planning instruments.
• Experience synthesizing research, project experience or technical information into practical knowledge products, case studies, toolkits or guidance for policymakers and practitioners.
• Experience with knowledge management, Communities of Practice or professional networks.
• Experience with the United Nations, development banks, international organizations or development cooperation programmes.
• Knowledge of climate finance or financing approaches for urban climate resilience.
• Skills in data visualization, GIS, graphic design or presentation development.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.