Country: Kenya
Closing date: 17 Aug 2015
CONSULTANCY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Issued on: 03 August 2015
ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:UN-Habitat
DUTY STATION:Nairobi, Kenya
FUNCTIONAL TITLE:Consultant; Documenting Experiences and Lessons on Valuation of Unregistered Lands
DURATION:3 months (1 September 2015 – 30 November 2015)
CLOSING DATE:**17 August 2015**
BACKGROUND
The Land and Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Unit, located within the Urban Legislation, Land and Governance (ULLG) Branch of UN-Habitat, has the mandate to develop, test and disseminate pro-poor and gender responsive approaches in regard to land, innovative residential tenures, affordable land management/administration systems, and land related regulatory/legal frameworks and tools. The Unit hence focuses on research and tool development also to supply technical advice to Member States and backstop the Regional offices and other sections of UN-Habitat. GLTN considers a land tool as a practical way to solve a problem in land administration and management. It is a way to put principles, policies and legislation into effect. Land tools provide a resource for enabling action. While there has been extensive global discussion around land policies that work for the poor, there has been insufficient attention paid to the development of methods for developing and implementing these pro-poor land policies. Consequently what are required are land tools that are affordable and accessible for all sections of the population in countries around the world. This is essential for creating societies with sustainable, equal access and use of land. The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), the Secretariat of which is located at UN-Habitat (see www.gltn.net), supports incremental expansion of land tool development, implementation and capacity development.
It is estimated that about seventy percent (70%) of land ownership units in developing countries are not formally registered and the initiatives for land registration are slow and not able to have positive impact for the poor. This adversely affects owners of unregistered lands and communities in customary lands, who in most cases are the disadvantaged groups and they cannot access valuation services. There is an upward trend where investors are turning their attention to unregistered community lands for land resources and agricultural investments. These communities lack bases for calculating compensation or rentals comparable the loss of their land use or access to land resources. The key objective of the project is to support the valuation of unregistered lands and properties through valuation tool that can benefit the vulnerable groups.
The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Partners subscribe to adherence to the core values of GLTN and support scale-able land tool development, capacity development and knowledge sharing. GLTN Partners such as the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have actively supported initiatives on the development of a tool for Valuation of Unregistered Lands and Properties. Activities under this initiative include UN-Habitat/GLTN, in partnership with RICS, commissioned a scoping study – to assess if further investigations are necessary - on Valuation of Unregistered Lands (2013). The study recommended that a wide range of tenure types that form ‘the continuum of rights’ need to be accommodated in the valuation process, and no approach has been agreed. Sessions on Valuation of Unregistered Lands in key conferences such as the XXV FIG Congress in Kuala Lumpur (June 2014); the World Bank Land and Poverty Conference (March 2015); and the FIG Working Week in Sofia (May 2015) reaffirmed the need for further work on valuation of unregistered lands in conformity to continuum concept. UN-Habitat/GLTN commissioned another study in 2014 in partnership with FIG and RICS to elaborate issues raised in the scoping study. The resultant report was reviewed at an Expert Group Meeting held in Bangkok in October 2014. There is an emerging consensus on the need for globally distributed studies that capture the experiences on valuation of unregistered lands, which can be used as the basis for generic approach.
RESPONSIBILITES
The specific objective of this consultancy is to document Regional experiences and key lessons on valuation of unregistered lands and properties. This means the consultant should have taken part in a project involving valuation of unregistered lands to the extent that they are able to explain in details the processes, the challenges and the final outcome. In situations where more projects are available a strategic selection of projects that will support the author’s arguments can be considered. The report should also compare the adopted approaches to conventional professional guidelines and how the approaches respond to ethical and legal considerations. The assumption is that prevalence of unregistered lands and properties is high in developing countries – Sub-Sahara Africa, Asia and Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean – therefore the initial focus of the experiences will be in these Regions, with possibility of going beyond if necessary.
Under the overall supervision of the Unit Leader of Land and GLTN Unit under the Urban Legislation, Land and Governance Branch of UN-Habitat, in collaboration with GLTN Secretariat, the consultant will perform the following tasks:
- Develop and submit an inception report detailing the valuation of unregistered lands project, the role of the author and key contribution in that assignment, and list of key approaches that may be relevant for tool development.
- Submit detailed documentation of valuation of unregistered lands experience/s, important lessons for taking forward including where applicable addressing cultural, professional, ethical or legal issues/dilemma, and key outcomes. The main report length should not exceed 30 pages with other details included as annexes where necessary.
- Submit a synopsis of realistic approaches that should be considered in developing the tool for valuation of unregistered lands based on the experiences.
- Make presentations and lead discussion on items 2 and 3 during an Expert Group Meeting that will be organised by FIG.
COMPETENCIES
Professionalism: Knowledge of concepts and approaches relevant to land valuation, land markets and aspects of land registration challenges. Highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative problem-solving ability; Familiarity with, and experience in, using various analysis and research methodologies and sources.
Planning and organizing: Ability to work within set deadlines and in line with the requested outputs; Capacity to establish priorities and plan, coordinate own work plan, use time efficiently and apply judgment in the context of competing needs.
Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to articulate complex ideas in a simple and clear manner;
Creativity: Is not bound by current thinking or conventional approaches, takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; Offers new and different options to solve problems and meet the GLTN Partners’ needs.
EDUCATION
Advanced University degree (masters or similar) in a field deemed relevant to the subject areas covered by these Terms of Reference such as Land Management, Land Economy, Land Valuation.
WORK EXPERIENCE
- A minimum 10 years’ experience working in the field of Land Economy and Valuation
- Participation and experience in a valuation of unregistered lands initiative – preferably in a role providing substantive contribution to task accomplishment.
- Previous working experience with international development especially developing world environment.
- Demonstrated clear comprehension of various unregistered land situations
- Demonstrated clear comprehension of various valuation approaches related to valuation requirements and environment
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other UN languages is an added advantage.
OTHERS
- Willingness to travel on mission to present findings in the EGM.
- Ability to work under pressure and in multi-cultural environment.
REMUNERATION:
Payments will be based on deliverables over the consultancy period. There are set remuneration rates for consultancies. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid in installments upon completion and acceptance of the outputs.
How to apply:
Applications should include:
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
• CV in the PHP format, accessible through the INSPIRA website (inspira.un.org) Please note, if using INSPIRA for the first time, you need to register in order to activate your account, which will allow you to log in and create a personal History Profile.
• The PHP should be attached to the application as a PDF file.
• Summary CV (maximum 2 pages), indicating the following information:
- Educational Background (incl. dates)
- Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)
- Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)
- Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments
- Expectations regarding remuneration
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
Please also be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the
UN-HABITAT e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster
through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org
All applications should be submitted to:
Ms. Josephine Ruria
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Email: josephine.ruria@unhabitat.org
Deadline for applications: 17 August 2015
UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org