Chief Editor - Kuwait State of Environment Report

Result of Service

Final text of the whole SoE report as a Word document (100-120 pages), including raw data, figures, photo captions, credit information, etc

Work Location

Home - Based

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Organizational Setting, Purpose and Objective:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
State of the environment reporting (SOER) represents an instrumental way of developing and communicating environmental information to decision makers. SOER can also provide an early warning of emerging environmental problems (Emerging Issues); and identify knowledge and information deficiencies impeding the understanding and interpretation of environmental conditions and trends.
In this context, the Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KEPA) recognized the importance of developing a state of environment report which will be an important pillar for setting a baseline for all future environmental policies and strategies in Kuwait.
Building on a long-lasting relationship between UNEP and KEPA, both partners are collaborating to produce the first State of Environment Report using the methodology adopted by UNEP known as the Integrated Environmental Assessment and the Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework.
The report will include Part A (State of Environment) focusing on seven priority themes: Climate Change, Waste and Chemicals, Air, Biodiversity, Coastal and Marine, Water Resources and Land and Soil. Each theme will be addressed using the DPSIR framework in a separate chapter led by a leading author with contributions from national experts who will be nominated by KEPA.
While Part B of the report will be focusing on Kuwait policies, goals, objectives and environmental governance including an assessment of Kuwait’s policy effectiveness, Part C will be covering the outlooks and pathways to environmental sustainability within Kuwait.
The objective of the consultancy is to recruit a Chief Editor to lead the overall development of the report, working very closely with national experts and chapters’ lead authors. In addition, to lead the development of the introductory section covering the drivers of environmental change within Kuwait, Part B (Policies) and Part C (Outlook). Each part is expected to be 30-40 pages. In addition, the Chief Editor will be responsible to streamline and harmonize the writing across the whole report.
The Consultant will report to the Regional Coordinator for Science at UNEP West Asia Office.

2. Duties and Responsibilities:

The Consultant will carry-out, inter alia, the following duties & responsibilities:

• Prepare guidance notes to the lead authors and guide/mentor them as necessary. This includes amongst others what data should be collected, what analysis is to be done, what style of writing should be, how many photos, etc.
• Contribute to the lead authors in finetuning the manuscripts of Part A (State of Environment);
• Based on the thematic chapters, draft (i) introductory section covering the drivers of environmental change within Kuwait; (ii) Policy chapter and (iii) Outlook chapter including, building up scenarios based on contextualized assumptions, modelling, etc that can be incorporated by the State of Kuwait into the pathways of transformation.
• Actively participate in project meetings and workshops and work closely with the UNEP’s Science Regional Coordinator to provide oversight of the chapters;
• Read thoroughly the different chapters produced by the lead authors, with the objective of identifying gaps and requirements for the improvement of overall content and style;
• Revise and edit the report’s full manuscript (including tables, figures, etc) ensuring clarity of text, language, reasoning, and presentation to the highest international scientific publication standards
• Identify and rectify any possible inconsistency(ies) of the report data and information within all chapters of the report. Consult with the Chapters’ lead authors, as needed. Rectify all inconsistencies with regard to data, statements and logical flow.
• Submit a final report at the publishing standards

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualifications: Master’s (or higher) in Environmental Sciences or equivalent is required
Experience: • At least 15 years of proven experience in environmental assessment; and familiarity with the Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) methodology and DPSIR framework is required.
• Previous working experience with recent Global Environment Outlooks (GEO) is an asset.
• Knowledge of the Kuwait context is desirable.
• Strong research and excellent technical writing skills in Arabic are required.
Language: Fluency in written and spoken Arabic is required, proficiency in English is preferred

No Fee

THE 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.