Strategic Advisor - Housing Sector Assessment (Retainer)

Job Highlight

Within the framework of a project titled “Scaling Up Community-Driven Processes of Mapping of Land Rights and Land Use Planning in the West Bank, including Area C” funded by the European Union. It is implemented and managed by UN-Habitat in close partnership with the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG), Palestinian Local Administration (PLA). This project aims to enhance the resilience of Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly in Area C, by advancing planning and land rights in partnership with national and local stakeholders. It seeks to improve land tenure security through gender-responsive, community-led land settlement; enhance service provision and resilience via inclusive spatial planning; and strengthen the institutional capacities of Palestinian authorities in land governance and service delivery.

UNOPS is supporting UN-Habitat with this selection process. The successful candidate will be a UN-Habitat personnel under UN-Habitat’s full responsibility.

About the Project Office

Through the last five years, UN-Habitat Palestine had implemented and still implementing different projects that targeted urbanization, development, and rehabilitation, with the aim to strengthen urban linkages in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, to enhance the resilience of Palestinian Communities through Spatial-Economic Planning Interventions in Area C, empower women, girls, and families in different Palestinian cities, villages and locations, to enjoy a safe, inclusive, and accessible public spaces, in addition to focusing on rehabilitation and revitalization of historical and archaeological sites in the old city of Jerusalem.

Since its establishment, UN-Habitat focused on the overarching objective: to advance sustainable urbanization as a driver of development and peace, and to improve living conditions for all. The organization implements its mandate through implementation of normative and operational work at global, regional and country levels. The Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People (SHSPPP) (UN-Habitat, Palestine) was established following the adoption of UN-Habitat Governing Council resolution 19/18 by governments in 2003. During the 23rd session of the Governing Council in 2011, a new resolution 23/2 was adopted, providing a clearer and more focused mandate for the SHSPPP, requesting UN-Habitat “to further focus its operations on planning, land and housing issues in view of improving the housing and human settlement conditions of Palestinians”. Further, during the 26th session of the Governing Council in 2017, a resolution was adopted calling UN-Habitat “to continue to focus its work where there is acute humanitarian, and development needs as identified through technical assessments by UN-Habitat”.

Role Purpose

• Develop a comprehensive situational assessment on the housing sector in Palestine, grounded in an extensive literature review and stakeholders’ interviews.
• Analyze the implications of recent war on Gaza and the escalations in the West Bank including East Jerusalem on the housing sector within a broader development context.
• Integrate housing sector priorities into the NUP in a way that supports sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development.
• Provide targeted and actionable recommendations to inform the development of the Housing policy for the State of Palestine.

Functions / Key Results Expected

The Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

3.1 Housing Sector Literature Review and Situational Analysis

• Conduct a comprehensive literature review of existing studies, policies, strategies, and assessments related to the housing sector in Palestine.
• Housing Sector Situation Analysis
  • Analyze the implications of recent developments, including:
  • The situation in Gaza (damage, displacement, and housing loss).
  • Escalations in the West Bank including East Jerusalem and Area C (demolitions, displacement, access restrictions).
  • Identify key gaps, structural challenges, and emerging trends in the housing sector.
  • Analyze gender and social inclusion trends in terms of: differential access to housing for women, female‑headed households, youth, persons with disabilities (PwDs), elderly, and IDPs/refugees.
  • Barriers related to ownership, inheritance, documentation, and tenure security.
  • Exposure to forced eviction, displacement, and secondary occupation.
  • Disparities between rural and urban areas in terms of housing affordability, access to land, availability of services, infrastructure, and connectivity to livelihoods and opportunities.
  • Specific constraints in Area C, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, including protection risks.
  • Analyze environmental and climate dimensions of the housing sector, including:
  • Housing exposure to climate and environmental risks (heat, water scarcity, degradation) across different contexts.
  • Opportunities for green and climate‑responsive housing approaches, including energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and climate‑adaptive design.
  • Mapping of existing practices, initiatives, and gaps related to green housing across different contexts (urban, rural, Area C).
  • Develop a housing sector situational report, including:
  • Housing supply and demand dynamics.
  • Affordability and access to housing, including disparities across different population groups and geographic contexts (urban, rural, Area C).
  • Land availability and tenure challenges, including gendered and social dimensions of ownership, inheritance, and documentation.
  • Institutional and regulatory frameworks, including their responsiveness to inclusion, equity, and environmental sustainability.
  • Role of public, private, and informal sectors, including their responsiveness to inclusion, equity, and environmental sustainability.

Contextual Review of the NUP

• Review the existing NUP (2023 version) in light of the updated housing sector analysis.
• Identify areas where current realities should be reflected in the policy narrative and priorities, ensuring that the NUP maintains its strategic, long‑term positioning.

Stakeholder Consultations

• Conduct interviews with key experts and stakeholders from relevant institutions (including, but not limited to, the Engineering Associations) and representatives of the investors in the sector to identify the gaps and key priorities.
• Conduct structured consultations with relevant national institutions, including but not limited to:
  • Ministry of Planning and Finance
  • Ministry of Public Works and Housing
  • Ministry of Local Government
  • Ministry of Social Development
• Conduct a mapping with other development organizations working in the housing sector, highlighting their contributions and remaining gaps.

The consultations will aim at

• Validating findings from the housing sector assessment.
• Identifying policy priorities and institutional constraints.
• Identifying existing initiatives and needs.
• Strengthening alignment between housing sector needs and national strategies.

3.4 Update of the National Urban Policy

• Based on findings, the Consultant shall:
  • Update relevant sections of the NUP, including context analysis, and policy priorities related to housing and urban development.
• Ensure:
  • Integration of current challenges into the policy framework.
  • Preservation of the long‑term vision and strategic orientation of the NUP.
• Propose:
  • Adjustments to relevant policy pillars where necessary.
  • Cross‑cutting considerations (gender, youth, inclusion, climate resilience).
  • Quick‑win interventions to support the housing sector.
  • High‑level recommendations for implementation (without duplicating existing recovery frameworks).

Deliverables

• Inception Report (within 3 working days)
• Methodology (including literature review approach)
• Work plan
• Stakeholder engagement plan
• Stakeholder Consultation Summary Report
• Housing Sector Situational Assessment Report
• Comprehensive literature review
• Analysis of current conditions and emerging crises
• Key challenges and opportunities
• Updated NUP Document
• Revised context analysis
• Updated policy directions related to housing and other relevant sectors incorporating feedback from UN-Habitat
• Executive summary (in both languages; English and Arabic) highlighting key updates
• Presentation of the updated NUP Document in a meeting and include the feedback in the final Document

Support Duration of Assignment & Level of Effort

The duration of the consultancy assignment will be Three months maximum.

Education Requirements

• Advanced university degree in urban planning, public policy, housing, urban development, economics, architecture, or related field.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in urban policy, national development planning, or post-conflict recovery frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience in housing sector analysis and policy development.
• Strong knowledge of the Palestinian governance and planning framework is highly desirable.
• Proven experience in conducting literature reviews, policy analysis and multi‑stakeholder consultation processes.

Equal Opportunity Employer . We welcome applications in compliance with the principles of equality and non‑discrimination.