Water Policy Advisor - Climate Change and Adaptation

Job Description

The consultant is expected to work in close coordination with the co-coordinators of the UN-Water Expert Group (EG) on Water and Climate Change namely UNECE, UNESCO and WMO. The consultant will support the activities within the UN-Water Expert Group (EG) on Water and Climate Change, with a focus on adaptation. Frequent official travel is required to attend international conferences and forums, facilitating essential coordination and high-level liaison with government authorities, Parties of the Rio Conventions, and UN-Water Expert Group experts.

UN-Water is the United Nations (UN) inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related issues, including sanitation. The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) established UN-Water in 2003 in response to the need for strengthened coordination of United Nations’ work on water and sanitation related issues. UN-Water currently includes more than 30 Members (UN entities) and more than 40 Partners (non-UN system actors).

UN-Water promotes coherence in, and coordination of, water-related UN system actions aimed at the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant policy frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development and the New Urban Agenda. In so doing, UN-Water

complements and adds value to existing UN initiatives by facilitating synergies and joint efforts among the implementing agencies and by fostering greater co-operation and information-sharing within its constituency. UN-Water supports Member States through its three main lines of work: 1. Informing policy processes and addressing emerging issues; 2. Supporting monitoring and reporting on water and sanitation; and 3. Building knowledge and inspiring people to take action.

The objective of this assignment is to support the implementation of the PCA-3 Work Programme coordinated by the Expert Group (EG) on Water and Climate Change, with a focus on advancing the adaptation-water agenda, including the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), contributing to the Baku Adaptation Roadmap (BAR), and supporting related Rio Convention outputs. The work may also include PCA-4 activities.

Under the overall supervision of the UN-Water Chief Technical Adviser, the consultant will work to support and achieve the following:Outputs and ActivitiesOutput 1 – Support Existing Mandates of the Rio ConventionsActivity 1 – Support implementation of existing mandates

• Support the expert group on climate change and water if and when needed, including attending of events, preparing of speaking points, liaising with UNFCCC and Parties where needed etc. 

• Support organization of events of the expert group 

• Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) coordination

• Prepare Concept Note for potential UN-Water coordination of the NWP.

• Convene an internal coordination call with UN-Water focal points

• Support any needed follow up steps incl. communication with UNFCCC, attending relevant events such as NWP meeting etc.

• Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)

• Support PCA 3, PCA-4 in further work on the GGA, indicators and in relations with UNFCCC and Parties on this, if and when needed, 

• Engage in high-level Baku Adaptation Roadmap (BAR) discussions and evaluate overlap with NWP.

• Represent PCA 3 and PCA 4 and the expert group on climate change and water at Water Pavilion and at other relevant UNFCCC meetings such as Adaptation committee, SBs etc.

• Prepare submissions on behalf of the expert group, as needed

Deliverables:

• NWP Concept Note

• Contributions to GGA indicators, BAR, and adaptation roadmap discussions

Output 2 – Support the inclusion of water and sanitation considerations in the Rio Convention work programmes and negotiated documentsActivity 1 – Propose common messaging by UN-Water Members and Partners at Rio Convention COPs

• Prepare joint UN-Water messaging on Adaptation.

• Support interactions with Parties and other secretariat, upon request

Deliverables:

• Agreed common messaging note

Output 3 – Provision of coordinated UN system support to Rio Convention Parties with technical, scientific and policy expertiseActivity 1 – Prepare an analysis on how countries have included water into their NDCs and NAPs

• Identify best-practice country cases for inclusion in the analysis.

• Provide contribution to Draft UN-Water NDC 3.0 Report 

• Prepare a summary slide decks for outreach purposes.

• Support provision of actual support to countries, with focus on NAPS and NDCs, when needed/ requested

• Support interrelation with NDC Partnership and climate promise

Deliverables:

• NAP water integration analysis

• Contribution to Draft NDC 3.0 Report

• Draft Slide Decks

Output 4 – Enable and support Member States to make best use of the United Nations 2026 Water Conference, Rio Convention COPs, HLPF, 2030 Agenda and other major eventsActivity 1 – Briefings to Rio Conventions working group chairs

• Prepare and deliver targeted briefings for working group chairs and other actors of the Rio conventions, if and where needed

Deliverables:

• Briefing materials 

About the Organization

United Nations Office for Project Services