Help-desk Technical Support on national reporting to service Parties at CRIC-23
Duties and Responsibilities
Background: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is convening the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-23) in Panama City, 1-5 December 2025. To facilitate effective national reporting and technical support, a consultant is required to provide on-site helpdesk services to Parties, focusing on PRAIS and related technical queries. Duties and Responsibilities: Under the overall supervision of the Chief of the STI Unit, and direct supervision of the responsible programme officer, the consultant will: - Present and provide technical input on the reporting tools to the pre-meetings of CRIC-23, namely the SIDS Forum workshop and the regional consultations. - Provide on-site helpdesk support to Parties attending CRIC-23, addressing requests related to PRAIS and other technical systems. - Respond promptly and professionally to technical questions from Parties, including troubleshooting and guidance on PRAIS functionalities. - Offer technical assistance on data submission, reporting procedures, and use of spatial, quantitative, and qualitative datasets relevant to UNCCD national reporting. - Liaise with the STI Unit and other relevant UNCCD staff to escalate complex issues and ensure timely resolution. - Document frequently asked questions and recurring issues for post-session analysis and future improvements. - Prepare a brief summary report of support activities and recommendations for enhancing technical assistance at future sessions. - Report directly to responsible or designated supervisor.
Qualifications/special skills

• University degree in environmental science, information technology, geography, data management, or a related field is required. - Experience with PRAIS or similar online reporting/data management platforms is required. - Familiarity with UNCCD national reporting processes and requirements is required. - Familiarity with Office 365 and remote collaboration tools is required. - Experience working with spatial, quantitative, and qualitative datasets is required. - Ability to document and communicate technical information clearly is required. - Commitment to confidentiality and professional conduct is required. - Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot technical issues and communicate solutions clearly to users is desired. - Proven experience providing technical support or helpdesk services, preferably in an international or UN context is desired. -Prior experience supporting events, workshops, or conferences is desired.

Languages
For this consultancy excellent command of English (spoken and written) is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages (French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese) is an asset.
Additional Information
Additional Information: Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.
Deadline : Nov 4, 2025

• Present and provide technical input on the reporting tools to the pre-meetings of CRIC-23
• Provide on-site helpdesk support to Parties attending CRIC-23
• Respond promptly and professionally to technical questions from Parties
• Offer technical assistance on data submission, reporting procedures, and use of datasets
• Liaise with relevant UNCCD staff to escalate complex issues and ensure timely resolution
• Document frequently asked questions and recurring issues for post-session analysis
• Prepare a brief summary report of support activities and recommendations
• Report directly to responsible or designated supervisor

• Experience with PRAIS or similar online reporting/data management platforms
• Familiarity with UNCCD national reporting processes and requirements
• Familiarity with Office 365 and remote collaboration tools
• Experience working with spatial, quantitative, and qualitative datasets
• Ability to document and communicate technical information clearly
• Commitment to confidentiality and professional conduct
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot technical issues and communicate solutions clearly to users
• Proven experience providing technical support or helpdesk services, preferably in an international or UN context

• University degree in environmental science, information technology, geography, data management, or a related field is required
• Experience with PRAIS or similar online reporting/data management platforms is required
• Familiarity with UNCCD national reporting processes and requirements is required
• Familiarity with Office 365 and remote collaboration tools is required
• Experience working with spatial, quantitative, and qualitative datasets is required
• Ability to document and communicate technical information clearly is required
• Commitment to confidentiality and professional conduct is required
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot technical issues and communicate solutions clearly to users is desired