Vacancy Announcement Details

Result of Service

The main purpose of this evaluation is to provide an assessment of the project performance and extent to which the Project’s objectives and expected accomplishments were achieved. The evaluation is conducted at the request of UN-Habitat and is part of UN-Habitat’s effort to perform systematic and timely evaluations of its projects and to ensure that UN-Habitat evaluations provide full representation of its mandate and activities.

Work Location

Home Based with anticipated field visits

Expected duration

2 Months

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 urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. Pursuant to its mandate, UN-Habitat aims to achieve impact at two levels. At the operational level, it undertakes technical cooperation projects at global, regional and country levels.  At the normative level, it seeks to influence governments and non-governmental actors in formulating, adopting, implementing and enforcing policies, norms and standards conducive to sustainable human settlements and sustainable urbanization. 

Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1978 to address the issues of urban growth, UN-Habitat 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 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 a universally acknowledged expertise in urbanization issues. 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’s history and development is rooted in three landmark Conferences on Human Settlements. The first, Habitat I, held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976, established the United Nations Centre on Human Settlements (UNCHS).  The second conference, Habitat II, took place in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996, where Member States adopted the Istanbul Declaration and the Habitat Agenda and gave the agency the mandate of providing adequate shelter for all and advancing sustainable urban development.  In October 2016, at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III – member states unanimously adopted the New Urban Agenda, which 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, 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. 

Urbanization is a key driver of development. Hence, sustainable planning and governance of urbanization is crucial to accommodate the rapid population growth, empower cities to optimize the value of urbanization and ensure even development, inclusion and equality. Rapid urbanization presents a unique opportunity to lift millions out of poverty when managed sustainably. However, inadequately planned and managed urbanization, coupled with rapid population growth, has adversely affected quality of life in cities and territories, leading to lack of adequate housing, and increasing inequality. These conditions contribute to disruptions (e.g., congestion, pollution, displacement) that over time negatively affects the overall city prosperity, efficiency, productivity and competitiveness.

This Terms of Reference concerns the independent mid-term review of Hayenna – Integrated Urban Development Project in Egypt.  The project is funded by State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of the Swiss Federal Government, with a total budget of USD 8.1M, and is implemented in two governorates: Qena and Damietta.  The project started in 2019 and was planned to end in July 2023. However, a no-cost extension was approved and the project will be ending in December 2024. 

Hayenna – meaning “Our Neighbourhood” – project aims at supporting the Egyptians’ efforts in sustainably accommodating and planning for the expected increase in population and urban rates through offering a context driven process for managing the urban expansion processes in existing cities and supporting the densification of the informal inner-city areas.

The expected outcome of the project is more transparent land management as well as a better planned and financially sustainable basic infrastructure services that offer an attractive and inclusive alternative to informal settlements and facilitate local economic facilities in two governorates: Qena in Upper Egypt and Damietta in Nile Delta Region.

The project has three components:

(a) Transparent urban planning and design management
(b) Improved public finance management and land -based financing
(c) Support to improve legislation and regulation
The project employs an integrated urban development approach to plan the process of urbanization in a way which optimizes and capitalizes the value of urbanization for all, through participatory and inclusive comprehensive planning. The integrated urban development approach transcends the sole focus on physical planning to consider other aspects related to economic, institutional as well as human capacities. 

Hayenna project pilots the Participatory and Inclusive Land Readjustment (PILaR) approach, which is a modern methodological framework for land readjustment to developing countries contexts. The PILaR is a mechanism through which land units that have different owners and claimants are combined into a single area through a participatory and inclusive process for unified planning, re-parcelling and development. The development includes serviced urban land delivery made possible by the provision of infrastructure, public space and other urban amenities at a reasonable standard. PILaR relies on negotiated processes that allow local authorities, citizens and groups to articulate their interests, exercise their formally and socially legitimate rights, meet their obligations, and mediate their differences. The PILaR places an emphasis on participation of different stakeholders to ensure inclusive outcome aiming at efficient land management and optimal use of land, improved infrastructure and public space, enhanced local economic development, developed institutional capacity for community engagement and better land value sharing options to help finance infrastructure.

The project follows the UN-Habitat’s three-pronged approach that combines urban planning and design, public finance management (PFM) and local economic development (LED) in an integrated framework for urban management. The project takes place in two governorates, Qena and Damietta. Two pilot sites were selected in Qena, al-Humydat and al-Ma’ana, and one site in Damietta, al Shoura.

The UN Habitat and its partners believe that a comprehensive vision for the role of the local governorate authorities is crucial for the sustainability of land reform and to guarantee the distribution of benefits among the citizens. The financial flexibility of local authorities is indispensable for better service provision and for enabling them to better perform their functions. It is anticipated that the lessons learned and best practices from the project will be disseminated to policy makers and national level stakeholders. In addition, recommendations are expected to be made based upon evidence from the project interventions and consultations with different stakeholders will assist in land reform

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Chief, Evaluation Unit, UN-Habitat, the Evaluation Consultant will: 

(i) Assess the design, implementation, and progress of the project in achieving its planned outcomes. This will entail analysis of actual versus planned results as specified in the results framework (logframe of the project).

(ii) Assess appropriateness of implementation working modalities, use of project and organizational human and financial resources, and how they are contributing to achieving the planned results of the project.

(iii) Identify opportunities and challenges faced by the project since its inception until date, that can be used to steer the project or restructure it if needed, to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness of its implementation.

(iv) Assess how social inclusion issues of gender equality, youth, human rights as well as social and environmental safeguards are being integrated in the project; and assess the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the project.

(v) Taking into account intended users of the evaluation, identify lessons learned and provide strategic, programmatic and process recommendations for improving the project for the remaining period.

Full details available on Inspira. Application deadline 23rd March.