Senior Consultant on Regional Cooperation Recovery

Client of United Nation careers

Background The Arab region continues to face protracted conflicts, economic fragility, and institutional fragmentation that undermine recovery, reconstruction, and sustainable development. These challenges are compounded by persistently low levels of Arab regional integration, despite shared economic complementarities and long-standing cooperation frameworks. Analytical evidence shows that intra-Arab trade and economic cooperation remain among the lowest globally, constrained by structural barriers such as regulatory fragmentation, non-tariff barriers, limited cross-border infrastructure connectivity, and weak implementation of regional agreements. These constraints significantly raise transaction costs, weaken competitiveness, and limit the region s collective capacity to support recovery and reconstruction in conflict-affected Arab States. In an increasingly fragmented global environment, functional, sector-based cooperation among Arab States offers a pragmatic and politically feasible pathway to generate tangible economic and institutional benefits. Enhanced functional relations can support recovery and reconstruction by facilitating access to regional markets and supply chains, mobilizing technical expertise and labor, reducing reconstruction costs, and strengthening institutional resilience. Against this backdrop, ESCWA seeks to engage a Senior Consultant to undertake an analytical study and facilitate a regional workshop on strengthening functional relations among Arab States in support of recovery and reconstruction in conflict-affected contexts. Methodology The consultancy will be implemented using a phased, mixed-methods approach that combines analytical rigor, quantitative assessment, and participatory engagement. The methodology will ensure policy relevance, technical credibility, and alignment with ESCWA mandates, while remaining sensitive to political economy and conflict dynamics in the Arab region. Phase 1 Desk Review and Analytical Framing: Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant ESCWA analytical work, regional integration literature, recovery and reconstruction frameworks, and selected international experiences relevant to functional regional cooperation. This will include a revision of existing Arab regional cooperation mechanisms, agreements, and institutional arrangements to assess their relevance, effectiveness, and applicability to recovery and reconstruction contexts. Furthermore, develop an analytical framework that conceptualizes functional relations as sector-based, results-oriented cooperation mechanisms that complement national priorities and advance mutual regional benefits. Phase 2 Mapping and Diagnostic Analysis: This will include the mapping of existing and potential regional assets, capacities, and platforms (institutional, economic, technical, financial, and human capital) that can be leveraged to support national recovery and reconstruction efforts. In addition, identify key structural, regulatory, institutional, and political economy and other barriers to deeper functional cooperation among Arab States. Also, assess opportunities where functional cooperation can reduce transaction costs, improve efficiency, and enhance resilience, particularly in conflict-affected contexts. Phase 3 Quantitative Assessment and Economic Simulations: Design and apply economic simulation and scenario analysis to estimate the potential economic benefits of selected functional cooperation pathways. Simulations may include, as data availability permits: Reductions in trade and logistics costs and their impact on output, employment, and prices; Gains from improved infrastructure connectivity, services integration, or labor mobility; Impacts on investment flows, productivity, and regional value chain participation. Use transparent assumptions and sensitivity analysis to illustrate orders of magnitude of potential gains, rather than precise forecasts, ensuring results are policy-relevant and credible. Where appropriate, draw on existing ESCWA or international models, benchmarks, and datasets to support simulations. Phase 4 Stakeholder Consultations: Conduct structured consultations with selected national authorities, Arab regional organizations, development partners, private sector representatives, and civil society actors. Validate assumptions used in the simulations and gather feedback on feasibility, sequencing, and distributional implications. Ensure consultations are conducted in a conflict-sensitive and non-attributable manner. Phase 5 Identification and Prioritization of Cooperation Pathways: Identify a set of feasible functional cooperation pathways aligned with recovery and reconstruction needs and regional comparative advantages. Apply a transparent prioritization framework based on agreed criteria, including: Potential economic and development impact (informed by simulations); Feasibility and political acceptability; Time-to-results; Win win benefits for participating Arab States. Develop a sequenced implementation roadmap outlining priority actions, indicative timelines, responsible actors, and enabling conditions. Phase 6 Validation and Regional Dialogue: Design and facilitate a regional workshop to validate analytical findings, including simulation results, refine priorities, and build consensus around the proposed cooperation pathways and roadmap. Use participatory facilitation techniques to encourage constructive dialogue, shared ownership, and practical decision-making. Phase 7 Finalization and Knowledge Products: Incorporate feedback from ESCWA and workshop participants into the final analytical study, simulation results, and implementation roadmap. Produce clear, policy-oriented outputs that support follow-up action, programming, and advocacy by ESCWA and its partners. Throughout all phases, the consultant will remain in consultations with the concerned ESCWA team, as well as apply political economy analysis, conflict sensitivity, and do-no-harm principles, ensuring that proposed cooperation mechanisms support national ownership, regional solidarity, and mutually beneficial outcomes for all Arab States. Duties and responsibilities Under the overall guidance of the Cluster Leader on Governance and Prevention at ESCWA, the