Programme Assistant

Result of Service
He/she will provide technical advice and support the execution of activities related to the implementation of the abovementioned project. The Programme Assistant will work in close collaboration with the operational, technical and communications teams of UN-Habitat in Rio de Janeiro and local project teams, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Work Location
Rio de Janeiro

Expected duration
One month upon the signature of the contract, with the possibility of renewal.

**Responsibilities**:
Background

The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat's Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean - ROLAC - is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In Brazil, UN-Habitat works with the three tiers of government in order to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative and socially fairer urban economic, social and environmental policies and transform cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It also works with civil society and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development.

Within this context, UN-Habitat and Brazil government - represented by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE) - signed the trilateral South-South Cooperation umbrella Project "Mainstreaming Sustainable Urbanization Trough South-South Cooperation” to share urban knowledge and experiences with the Global South in several areas such as housing and informal settlements, urban basic services, public spaces, post-COVID-19 response and SDGs localization.

This Project seeks to support subnational and national governments from the global south to take ownership of and implementing the urban SDG’s, adapting Brazilian proven experiences, frameworks and tools, especially those that were built with the support of UN-Habitat after 25 years of presence in the country.

This initiative objective is to enhance capacities of local and national governments to formulate, implement and monitor policies, strategies and tools for responding to their urban challenges. It will rely on the engagement of Brazilian institutions, at national and subnational level, who have first-hand experience in tackling urban challenges. The initiative will rely as well as on the capacity of UN- Habitat to play a broker and a convener role in leveraging Brazilian institutions to support partner countries with new knowledge, better policies and tools to reinforce their urban development processes. It also aims to formulate and potentially implement concrete actions for sustainable urban development.

This Umbrella will also foster the importance of taking into account the local context in order to adapt the methods and tools that will be offered, as well as benefiting from mutual understanding and exchange. And will be guided by principles as the demand-driven approach and solidarity and non-interference in partners’ domestic affairs, leading to practices of non-conditionality.

In order to support the implementation of the above-mentioned initiative, we are looking for a Programme Assistant.

Report to UN-Habitat Manager

The Programme Assistant reports to the National Officer for Brazil, who will evaluate him/her.

**Responsibilities**:
Under the overall supervision of the National Officer for Brazil, the Programme Assistant will work in the following areas:
a) Support technical, administrative and management activities to ensure that projects meet the objectives in terms of deadlines, budget and quality.
b) Conduct research on urban issues as well as UN-Habitat methodologies to support the programme development team in the negotiation of new projects.
c) Support the systematization and exchange of successful practices and experiences with other offices in the region and with headquarters divisions.
d) Attend to meetings and conferences promoted by UN-Habitat partners.
e) Provide inputs for the identification and mitigation of project risks.
f) Conduct technical activities to ensure that projects meet deadlines and quality objectives;
g) Inputs for the identification and mitigation of projects’ risks, including relevant challenges or omissions and other situations that may affect the development and implementation of projects;
h) Prepare reports to partners, internal reports, etc. at various stages of the projects.
i) Document expert group meetings, tra