General
Description of assignment title: Regional Climate Programming Specialist
Assignment country: Egypt
Expected start date: 10/13/2025
Sustainable Development Goal: 13. Climate action
Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist
Host entity: UN-HABITAT
Type: Onsite
Duration: 12 months
(with possibility of extension)
Number of assignments: 1
Duty stations: Cairo
Details
Mission and objectives
Since 2007 UN-Habitat has supported the government and people of Egypt to reconstruct and repair houses and community infrastructure facilities in the north and east of the country. UN-Habitat’s technical assistance included design, preparation of the bills of quantities, assistance with securing land tenure rights, obtaining local authority approvals, and an environmentally friendly construction method.
Context
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.
In October 2016, at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III – member states signed the New Urban Agenda. This is an action-oriented document that sets global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development, rethinking the way we build, manage, and live in cities. Through drawing together cooperation with committed partners, relevant stakeholders, and urban actors, including at all levels of government as well as the private sector, UN-Habitat is applying its technical expertise, normative work, and capacity development to implement the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11 – to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1978 to address the issues of urban growth, it is a knowledgeable institution on urban development processes and understands the aspirations of cities and their residents. For forty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. Because of these four decades of extensive experience, from the highest levels of policy to a range of specific technical issues, UN-Habitat has gained a unique and universally acknowledged expertise in all things urban. This has placed UN-Habitat in the best position to provide answers and achievable solutions to the current challenges faced by our cities. UN-Habitat is capitalizing on its experience and position to work with partners to formulate the urban vision of tomorrow. It works to ensure that cities become inclusive and affordable drivers of economic growth and social development.
UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) was established in 2011 in Cairo, Egypt, and provides technical cooperation and capacity building for 18 countries across the Arab region. The Regional Office promotes and implements policies, programs and operational projects in UN-Habitat’s focus areas, at regional, national, and local levels, aimed at achieving sustainable urban development in the countries of the region, and provide technical cooperation services, upon request from governments. UN-Habitat ROAS covers all the operational activities and projects in 18 countries across the Arab Region: currently, with 12 active country programmes.
UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) leads the organization’s work in promoting sustainable urban development and climate action across the Arab region. As cities in the region face increasing challenges from climate change, including extreme heat, water scarcity, and urban flooding, there is growing demand for integrated, climate-responsive urban solutions.
The UN Volunteer will support the expansion and implementation of UN-Habitat’s regional climate change portfolio, with a focus on urban resilience, nature-based solutions (NbS), and sustainable infrastructure. The assignment will involve supporting the development of multi-country project proposals, conducting research and analysis to inform project design, and contributing to coordination across regional and country-level activities.
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Knowledge Management and Reporting Officer and Regional Climate Change Focal Point, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
- Participate in consultations with UN-Habitat country offices across the Arab region to support the development and refinement of multi-country proposals on local climate action;
- Contribute to developing multi-country concept notes and funding proposals aligned with donor priorities, such as identifying climate vulnerabilities, good practices, or innovative solutions applicable to the region;
- Assist in conducting targeted desk research and data collection to support multi-country project formulation related to local climate action;
- Mapping and prioritizing funding opportunities (including from climate funds, bilateral donors, and other development partners);
- Provide support to country offices in their resource mobilization efforts, including the review of project ideas, donor intelligence, and potential matchmaking.
Eligibility criteria
Age: 18 – 80
Required experience
3 years
Donor priorities
.
Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.
Additional eligibility criteria
This assignment is funded by the Government of Korea and therefore specific criteria apply: – Candidates must be Korean nationals.
– Candidates who have already served as UN Volunteer Specialist funded by the Government of Korea are not eligible to apply (former UN University and UN Youth Volunteers are eligible).
– Serving UN Volunteers will not be considered for other UN Volunteer assignments until they reach three (3) months before the End of Contract date of their current UN Volunteer assignment. This provision applies equally to first and subsequent contracts.
– Candidates may apply to a maximum of three assignments and indicate the order of preference in the ‘Additional remarks’ field when filling in the application form.
– Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UN Host Entity at the level of the country of assignment.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 20 August 2025
+++ UN Volunteer entitlement calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator +++
Assignment requirements
Relevant experience
3 years
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required
French, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable
Required education level
Bachelor’s degree in urban or regional planning, architecture, development studies, public policy, environmental studies, geography, or a related field.
Competencies and values
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Client Orientation
- Commitment and Motivation
- Creativity
- Ethics and Values
- Judgement and Decision-making
- Planning and Organizing
- Professionalism
- Technological Awareness
- Working in Teams
Skills and experience
Demonstrated interest or experience in:
- Sustainable urbanization
- Climate action
Skills in:
- Research and data analysis
- Technical writing
Area(s) of expertise
Development programmes, Natural and life sciences, Energy and environment
Driving license
–
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
Cairo is a Security Level 3 (Moderate) and category “A” Duty station. Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is among the largest cities not only in Africa and the Middle East but also globally (the 19th largest city across the world). It is also one of the most densely populated cities worldwide, with a population in excess of 16 million people.
The weather in Cairo is mostly warm or hot with cool nights: a very hot summer, May to October, and a mild winter, November to April. The city is very dry, with an average of about one centimetre of rain a year, but it can have high humidity levels in summer. Cairo occasionally experiences dust storms brought by the sirocco hot winds characteristic of the country’s climate in April. Cairo (and Egypt) has long been a centre of the region’s political and cultural life, with high levels of tourism. Like other similar cities. Cairo offers a good quality of life in terms of access to shopping centres, banks, medical services, cultural events, etc.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy
Scam warning
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More Information
- Job City Egypt
