Individual Consultancy: Capacity Gaps and Needs Assessment

Southern Africa faces increasingly complex and interconnected water security challenges driven by climate variability and change, rapid urbanization, population growth, ecosystem degradation, groundwater depletion, deteriorating water quality, and the increasing frequency and intensity of floods and droughts.

These pressures are placing growing demands on water resources and underscore the need for more integrated, resilient, innovative, and science-based approaches to water resources management. At the same time, regional and national policy frameworks establish ambitious objectives for integrated water resources management (IWRM), climate resilience, water security, and universal access to water and sanitation.

Against this background, UNESCO seeks to undertake a Regional Capacity Gaps and Needs Assessment in the Water Sector in Southern Africa, complemented by an in-depth assessment in one selected pilot country. The assessment will examine capacities across scientific, technical, organizational, institutional, and governance dimensions, with particular attention to the implementation of the IHP-IX Strategic Plan and Operational Implementation Plan.

The findings will provide an evidence base for the development of:

• A Southern Africa Regional Water Sector Capacity Development Framework;
• A prioritized portfolio of regional capacity development interventions;
• A country-specific capacity development action plan for the selected pilot country; and
• A replicable methodology for conducting capacity assessments in other countries across Southern Africa.

If you have taken interest in the conulstancy, please request for the complete TORs from vacancies.harare@unesco.org