United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Posting Title: Urban Analysis Specialist
Department/Office: United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Duty Station: BEIRUT
Posting Period: 28 July 2021 – 12 August 2021
Job Opening Number: 21-United Nations Human Settlements Programme-160481-Consultant
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Result of Service
1. State of the Lebanese Cities Report
Upon completion of the consultancy, the following results are anticipated: a. An evidence-based State of Lebanese Cities report, firmly highlighting good urbanization as an opportunity for sustainable development in Lebanon.
b. Improved understanding of the United Nations Country Team and the GoL on how to identify tangible urban entry points that align to the principles of sustainable human development. The document will provide a basis for progressing evidence-led discussions about the urban agenda in Lebanon. It will constitute a key input into the Lebanon UNCT’s Common Country Analysis (scheduled for Oct-Dec 2021), supporting UN-Habitat’s engagement in that process.
c. Enhanced engagement among urban actors across the United Nations Country Team and the GoL in jointly designing, amending and implementing the principles of good urbanization.
d. Strengthened understanding of the link between the 17 October 2019 civil uprising and the linkages to good urbanization, including linkages with COVID-19 and the 4 August 2020 Beirut Port explosions.
e. Strengthened understanding of how UN-Habitat can substantiate advocacy for an urbanisation agenda in CCAs and UNSDCFs.
Work Location
Home Based
Expected duration: 2 weeks
Duties and Responsibilities
UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system.
Background
State of urbanization in Lebanon
In a country that is close to 90 per cent urban by population, the future of Lebanon will be manifested in its cities. The total number of inhabitants is estimated at 6.8 million, which includes 1.5 million displaced Syrians who are mainly concentrated in urban areas in addition to a sizeable community of Palestinian refugees and refugees from Iraq, Sudan and other countries. Currently, Lebanon hosts the highest proportion of refugees per capita in the world. Lebanon is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world, ranking 15th with a density of 669 persons per km2 of land area.
Despite being predominantly urban, Lebanon has long failed to address the challenges that are associated with its particular experience of rapid urbanization and spatial transformation. Historically, the Lebanese state demonstrated a laissez-faire approach to spatial development. Land regulation and building code designations that do exist are not uniformly enforced, and the state has shied away from reforming the spatial development sector. The absence of a national urban policy and the prevalence of weak governance – coupled with the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis – have further increased socioeconomic inequalities and added strain on the provision of public services.
From a policy perspective, the country still lacks national urban frameworks that guide the land use planning process. At the institutional level, while a special Ministry of Planning existed in the 1960s, the Committee for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) has been responsible since 1977 for the planning and programming of war-related reconstruction/rehabilitation projects in all sectors across Lebanon. The urban planning institutional landscape is fragmented, with a range of local and central actors involved.
At the local governance level, municipalities are unable to fully play their role and to respond to urban challenges due to a number of constraints. These mainly include the following: an over-centralized system, poor financial capacities and over-reliance on centrally transferred revenues, weak human resources, and heavy bureaucracy. Decree 118/77 of the Municipal Law devoted much of the planning-related responsibilities to municipalities. Article 49 allows municipalities, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Urban Planning, to draft their master or detailed plans, designs as well as regulations, and to parcel out projects. However, in most cases, the central authorities restrain the power of local authorities by granting them only a consultative role in the implementation of their urban policies.
The influx of 1.5 million displaced Syrians to Lebanon since 2011 came to add more strain on Lebanon in general, and the country’s urban realm in specific. In the absence of a state encampment policy, displaced Syrians have found shelters through market channels; 19 percent have settled in informal settlements (ISs), 66 per cent in residential buildings, and 15 percent in non-residential buildings – the majority in urban or semi-urban areas. Many displaced Syrians have rented housing units in the most affordable sections of cities, blending with other low-income communities, such as migrant workers and poor Lebanese families. In addition to the 65 per cent of the Lebanese population settled in the main cities of Beirut, Tripoli, Saida and Tyre, it is estimated that these cities also host 90 per cent of Palestine refugees (from Syria and Lebanon) and almost 30 per cent of displaced Syrians.
Despite the primacy of their economic role at the national scale, these and other cities are facing numerous challenges. In general, cities and urban communities in Lebanon embody the typical, globally recognized features of a malfunctioning urban system, which include among others:
Inadequate basic infrastructure and services, including potable water, wastewater, electricity, transportation and solid waste management: In the absence of sound investment programmes accompanying the country’s rapid urban growth, the country suffers from water and power shortages, lack of sewage networks or improper treatment solutions, high levels of congestion and absence of official transport systems, absence of a consistent solid waste management strategy and sustainable waste-related practices. The mismanagement of urban services is contributing to increased air, water and land pollution, affecting people’s health.
Increased urban poverty, inequalities and disparities, which are manifested in the limited access to employment and income opportunities and hence the proliferation of slums, informal settlements and poor urban neighbourhoods, characterized by a swelling informal economy.
Poor access to affordable and adequate housing for low-income communities, especially the refugee population: Among displaced Syrians in residential units, 45 per cent live in inadequate shelter conditions. Among those in non-residential units and in ISs, 74 per cent and 72 per cent live in inadequate shelter conditions, respectively.
Sustainable urban development: Global commitment and national contributions
Over half of the world’s population now lives in cities, with numbers expected to double by 2050. But while urbanization poses serious challenges, cities can also be powerhouses for sustainable development.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a number of targets relevant to the urban realm. A specific goal is allocated for cities and human settlements, SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. Globally, UN-Habitat, the United Nations agency for human settlements, is mandated to lead the implementation of SDG 11. By endorsing this stand-alone goal on cities, known as the “urban SDG”, the international community has recognized urbanization and city growth as transformative forces for development. This first-ever international agreement on urban-specific development acknowledges sustainable urban development as a fundamental precondition for sustainable development. UN-Habitat has been operational in Lebanon since 2006.
Lebanon is committed to advancing the SDGs. A national committee headed by the Prime Minister was established in June 2017 to coordinate the national efforts of implementing the SDGs and integrating them into national programmes and strategies for sustainable development. The parliament has established a parliamentary commission for the implementation of SDGs. A Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the SDGs was submitted by the Government of Lebanon (GoL) at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), the main United Nations platform on sustainable development, in July 2018. The VNR provided an overview of Lebanon’s urban setting, listing the country’s numerous challenges and emphasizing some of its success stories in preserving old cities as historical heritage. The report also shed light on strategic urban plans and strategies dealing with urban transportation and air quality management.
Within the framework of the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), held in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016, world leaders assembled and adopted the New Urban Agenda. Presenting a key paradigm shift in urbanization, the New Urban Agenda does not only set new global standards for sustainable urban development but also represents a road map for developing cities that can serve as engines of prosperity and centres of cultural and social well-being, while protecting the environment. Represented by the CDR, the GoL submitted its Habitat III national report as the country’s contribution to the conference preparations.
For the UN at country level, the most significant framework for advancing the UN Agenda 2030 is the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). Lebanon will design a new UNSDCF in 2022, aiming for its implementation by 2023. Ahead of this process, a UN Common Country Analysis (CCA) will be undertaken in Q4 2021, covering all pillars of UN concern in the country. In order to substantiate advocacy for an urbanization agenda in the CCA and subsequently the UNSDCF, UN-Habitat Lebanon in partnership with ESCWA has drafted a first version of the State of the Lebanese Cities Report. In these months ahead of the CCA process commencement, UN-Habitat intends to run a series of technical and high-level stakeholder consultation and validation exercises based on this first version, and to reflect proceedings in the report to produce a final iteration for dissemination. It is envisaged that the report will not only contribute specialist input into the CCA and UNSDCF, but more widely will inform and help guide the efforts of national entities currently or potentially engaged in sustainable urban development, particularly city municipalities, unions of municipalities and national government elements.
 Within this global urban context and recognition of good urbanization as a critical entry point for sustainable development, and the current state of urbanization in Lebanon, the objective of the State of Lebanese Cities report (hereafter called report) is to provide an updated factual overview of the state of urbanization in Lebanon. It aims to depict major national urban conditions, trends and impacts, and identify hindrances to achieving sustainable urban development.
 The report aims to highlight emerging issues and propose recommendations for concerned stakeholders on the central role that urbanization can play in advancing sustainable development in Lebanon, in the context of the future United nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) currently under development. The report will be developed in line with the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, while also considering all relevant national, regional and other global frameworks.
 The report will also highlight the key urban issues that are in line with the Government of Lebanon’s three-year development priorities across several focus areas, including productive sectors, social policies, environment, infrastructure and utilities, and governance.
 The report will also outline key sustainable urban development principles and actions that may inform the response to the civil unrest in Lebanon since 17 October 2019. Whereas the demands of the protestors do not mention the global agendas, they are more relevant than ever. The United N[ations Country Team undertook “A Mapping of Demands” where SDGs 5, 8, 10 and 16 were specifically highlighted. SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities was identified as the third most relevant goal corresponding to the protestors’ demands.
The overall objective of the assignment
The overall objective of the assignment is to develop the first version of the SOLC Report into a final version, by gaining the feedback of a range of technical and high-level stakeholders across multiple sectors through a series of consultation/validation meetings and written exchanges, the findings from which would then be used to update the report.
The Consultant will work under the supervision of: Head of Country Programme
Duties and responsibilities
The consultant will:
1. Conduct, based on a first draft version of the State of the Lebanese Cities Report, an Expert Group Meeting and a series of municipality and union of municipality consultation meetings to capture feedback, followed by incorporating feedback into the Report accordingly.
2. Conduct, based on the updated version of the Report, a series of peer and Government focal point exchanges to capture feedback, followed by incorporating feedback into the Report accordingly.
3. From a technical perspective, undertake the final editing, visualisation and layouting of the Report.
4. Based on the Report, produce a concise, accessible Policy Brief that highlights key messages relevant to decision-making and advocacy about key challenges hindering sustainable urban development in Lebanon.
5. Based on the Report, produce a PowerPoint presentation on the methodology, gaps and main findings suitable for UN-Habitat Lebanon to use in different events.
Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualifications: Masters degree in field related to urban sustainability, urban analysis, housing, city planning and policy is required.
Experience: At least 8 years of experience undertaking research related to urban sustainable development across several sectors, and an associated publication track record, is required.
At least 5 years of progressive experience in the humanitarian and development field, particularly related to urban analysis, is required.
At least 3 years of direct experience in the humanitarian and/or development coordination system, to an extent that informs due process on partner and stakeholder consultation and validation of SOLC report, is desirable.
Language: English and French are the official languages of the UN, for this assignment fluency in English is require, Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage”.
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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