Consultant (Culture - Underwater Heritage)

The Consultant will act as an underwater archaeology expert supporting the implementation of the 2001 Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. Responsibilities include coordinating multilateral cooperation projects, promoting underwater cultural heritage in climate action, and organizing related events and meetings.

Responsibilities

• Act as a scientific focal point, as an underwater archaeology expert, for the 2001 Convention activities, and contribute to its visibility in the academic community
• Contribute to the implementation of activities carried out by the Secretariat of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, focusing on South Asia and East Asia regions
• Coordinate the implementation of a cooperation mechanism project for the protection of underwater cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea
• Organize formal and informal meetings of a potential multilateral cooperation project in the Baltic Sea and lead consultations among interested stakeholders
• Contribute to drafting a global project for the protection of vulnerable underwater cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea
• Participate in identifying fundraising and communication partners and drafting budgets
• Develop the educational component in liaison with the Education Sector and UNESCO Associated Schools Network
• Assess and develop activities related to the International underwater archaeological mission on the Skerki Bank and in the Sicily Channel
• Coordinate efforts to integrate marine and underwater cultural heritage into climate action and resilience strategies
• Foster awareness, synergies among Culture Conventions, interdisciplinary dialogue, and pilot projects
• Assess research and identify institutions, experts, and heritage sites related to underwater and coastal heritage facing climate change threats
• Support drafting documents, strategies, reports and blue papers on underwater cultural heritage and climate change
• Support implementation of the White Paper approach and roadmap for protection of marine and underwater cultural heritage
• Develop and implement projects on climate change impacts on underwater and coastal heritage
• Support organization of workshops, meetings and conferences on underwater cultural heritage and climate change
• Promote marine and underwater cultural heritage in ocean frameworks and policy, including UN Oceans working group and international fora
• Support organization of 18th STAB meeting and 11th MSP meeting in 2027
• Support organization and coordination of events related to the 25th anniversary of the Convention and International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in disciplines in the field of culture
• A minimum of ten (10) years of professional experience acquired in the field of culture of which five (5) in cultural policies at the international level
• Good knowledge of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and UN System
• Good knowledge of UNESCO’s standard-setting instruments and programmes in the field of culture, including of the 2001 Convention
• Good knowledge and proven expertise in coordination of global consultations and multi-stakeholder management
• Good knowledge and proven expertise in underwater archaeology and the protection of underwater cultural heritage
• Good knowledge and proven expertise in coordination of multilateral cooperation projects
• Good knowledge and proven expertise in event coordination and awareness raising material
• Strong ability to collect, synthesize and analyse information from various sources and formulate research documents
• Strong ability to collect and handle geographic information system (GIS) data and heritage inventories
• Ability to interact efficiently with a wide range of partners and stakeholders within and outside the Organization
• Ability to work both independently and in a multicultural and multilingual environment
• Strong IT skills
• Excellent knowledge of both English and French (speaking, reading and writing) and good knowledge of the other language
• Professional experience in the United Nations system (desirable)
• Proven experience in organising global multi-stakeholder consultations (desirable)
• Expert knowledge of UNESCO Culture Programmes (desirable)
• Proven experience in the study, protection, conservation and awareness-raising of underwater cultural heritage (desirable)
• Knowledge of another/other UN official language(s) (Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Russian) (desirable)

Skills

• Cultural Policy Development
• Underwater Archaeology
• Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage
• Multilateral Cooperation
• Global Consultations Coordination
• Stakeholder Management
• Event Coordination
• Awareness Raising Training
• Research and Analysis
• Geographic Information System Data Handling
• Heritage Inventories Management
• UN 2030 Agenda Knowledge
• UNESCO Standard Setting Instruments
• UNESCO Programmes
• IT Skills
• English Language Proficiency
• Language Proficiency in French

Languages

English, French