National Consultant for Tonga

Organizational Context

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is implementing a technical cooperation project to enhance the capacity of transport policymakers in utilizing digital technologies for resilient and inclusive mobility. This project focuses on peri-urban areas in several countries, including Tonga, aiming to improve public transport infrastructure and services.

Job Purpose

The National Consultant for Tonga will support the ESCAP project by coordinating inception meetings, assisting the Regional Consultant with data collection and analysis on local context, resilient rural-urban mobility, and just transition implications. The role involves supporting stakeholder consultations, capacity building workshops, and initiating the co-development of a local resilient and inclusive peri-urban mobility plan using digital technologies. The ultimate goal is to enable vulnerable communities with improved access to services and new employment opportunities, while ensuring a just transition for the workforce, particularly women, in the evolving digital mobility landscape.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the project inception meeting and fact-finding mission in Tonga. Support the Regional Consultant in establishing the Technical Advisory Group. Collect and analyze local data for assessment reports on resilient mobility and digital technology utilization. Assist in analyzing just transition implications and labour force impacts, focusing on women's employment in digital mobility services. Facilitate national stakeholder consultations and capacity-building workshops to address local challenges and enhance stakeholder capacity for peri-urban mobility. Initiate and co-develop a local resilient and inclusive peri-urban mobility plan with local authorities, leveraging digital technologies and building upon existing ESCAP knowledge products and local plans.

Work Experience

Requires at least 5 years of experience in development projects, with a focus on sustainability, transportation, or related fields like energy or climate finance. Demonstrated ability in data collection, technical report development, organizing meetings and workshops, and collaborating with national and local government stakeholders on policy recommendations is necessary.

Skills

Data collection and analysis, technical report writing, stakeholder consultation, capacity building, project coordination, urban planning, digital technologies in transport, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), demand-responsive transport (DRT), policy development, collaborative work in multi-country teams.

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