Result of ServiceThe “Study to strengthen peace and resilience through the development of key economic corridors in West Africa” will contribute to make more informed decisions to improve the contribution of the African Development Bank 's operations to resilience and peace in key economic corridors in West Africa Work LocationHome Based Expected duration4 MONTHS Duties and ResponsibilitiesORGANISATIONAL SETTING The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. 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. The Regional Office for Africa supports African countries developing human settlements projects to address fast urbanization of the continent and achieve sustainable development by focusing on challenges faced by cities in Africa. Currently, the portfolio of UN-Habitat is expanding in West Africa and more specifically in the Sahel. For almost a decade, the Sahel region has been suffering from different conflicts which originated from indigenous populations claiming independence (Mali, spread into Burkina Faso and Niger) or caused by Boko Haram (North-East Nigeria, Northern Cameroon, Western Chad). This crisis is complex: Islamic groups carry out terror attacks in the region that exacerbate existing tensions between ethnic groups competing over access to natural resources – themselves scarcening due to the impacts of climate change – or over precious metals and minerals. As a result, approximately 14 million internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, or returnees have been displaced, with no possibility to return, through the rather porous boundaries of the Sahel. Through the project on ‘Inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable human settlements in the Sahel: a regional approach to build community resilience across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus’, the Spatial Development Strategy for the Sahel (SDSS) was developed to reduce existing vulnerabilities, reinforce on-going development efforts and contribute to peace and stability in eight countries across the Sahel (Mauritania, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Northern Cameroon). The analysis and resulting recommendations are built upon UN-Habitat’s Spatial Development Framework (SDF) methodology, to support strategic decision-making on WHERE, WHY and HOW to intervene with the aim to promote cooperation across the humanitarian, development and peace building actors for strategic and solution-oriented investments. The SDSS provided special evidence on the critical need to reconnect the Sahel. For centuries, trans-Saharan mobility has been at the core of the socio-economic, political and cultural fabric of the Sahelian society and the main coping mechanisms to resilience. Today, economic corridors are still essential for the fluidity of economic exchanges likely to contribute to GDP growth. According to the African Development Bank's 2023 regional outlook, economic growth in the West African region should be driven by domestic demand, notably household consumption and investment, with supply stimulated by agriculture. Downside risks to the economic outlook could arise from a deterioration in the security environment, particularly in the central Sahel and Nigeria. An unfavourable security situation could have a negative impact on agricultural production and hamper trade in the region. Intra-regional trade helps to improve incomes in cross-border rural areas, develop the private sector and provide a regional approach to security issues, which are common goods between states along the corridors. Thus, political borders should not be economic borders, and regional spatial and economic planning should take precedence. This is why highlighting the economic benefits of developing transboundary areas and above all understanding their contribution to peace, is now more than ever necessary. Therefore, UN Habitat’s in partnership with the government of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria is currently developing the Strategic Spatial Action Plans (SSAP) for two transboundary areas, the Liptako-Gourma area and the Kano-Agadez, to provide a clear roadmap for selecting and prioritizing investments that best meet the region’s development priorities and financing needs. Moreover, the “Study to strengthen peace and resilience through the development of key economic corridors in West Africa” will contribute to make more informed decisions to improve the contribution of the African Development Bank 's operations to resilience and peace in key economic corridors in West Africa. The identification of key economic development corridors will be primarily based on the work carried out under the SDSS and the SSAPs as well as the Bank's sectoral departments concerned with infrastructure and regional integration, and the chambers of commerce of UEMOA countries. Particular attention will be paid to reducing fragility and strengthening the resilience of women and young people (women and men), as well as promoting the private sector to create the conditions for inclusive growth along the corridors. Activities and Responsibilities Under the overall supervision of the Senior Human Settlement Officer for West Africa (SHSO) and the Technical Team Leader, the consultant will be responsible for providing substantive input in the economic and financial analysis as recommendations as well as contributing to the development of economic component of normative tools. He/she will carry out the following duties and responsibilities: - Determine and analyse economic and social dynamics around priority economic development corridors in West Africa, by identifying flows of goods, services and people, and study the dynamics of production and consumption along the corridor as well as the general ecosystem of domestic trade and countries' foreign trade policies, including cross-border associations for trade facilitation and the promotion of peace and security - Review the African Development Bank's operations in key economic corridors, to identify the degree of fragility sensitivity of these operations to current threats such as conflict or political instability and formulate recommendations to improve their contribution to resilience and peace. - Provide technical inputs in the development of the Strategic Spatial Action Plans, to understand the financial landscape and investment opportunities - Provide technical inputs in the development of the Spatial Development Framework guidelines, within the scope of the Spatial Investment Planning method Qualifications/special skillsMaster's or PhD in statistics or international economics or related fields is required. At least 7 years of experience in the collection, processing and analysis of statistics and trade policies is required. Experience in competitiveness analysis, knowledge of econometrics and international trade is required. LanguagesProficiency in oral and written English and French is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.