Result of Service

The ultimate result delivered through this consultancy will be an enhanced UNEP Knowledge Repository that effectively supports global environmental advocacy and sustainable development efforts. By ensuring comprehensive, well-documented, and consistently tagged entries, with standardized metadata, duplicate elimination, and up-to-date publications, the repository will be optimized for greater impact. Additionally, revised Standard Operating Procedures, user guidance, and training will strengthen its operations, facilitating efficient access and navigation.

Work Location

Homebased

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

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. The mandate of UNEP is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The Communication Division communicates the core messages of UNEP to all stakeholders and partners, raising environmental awareness and enhancing the organization’s profile worldwide. The UNEP Knowledge Repository is a crucial resource containing publications and documentation that support the organization’s mission in environmental advocacy and sustainable development. To maximize its utility, a clean-up is required to ensure all entries are complete, accurately described and consistently tagged with standardized metadata. This will facilitate access to and dissemination of UNEP publications and scientific knowledge products. A technical assessment conducted in 2024 has produced recommendations for the redevelopment of the repository, currently starting. UNEP is recruiting a consultant to take the lead on the clean-up. The consultant shall report to the Head of Web Platforms and will carry out the following duties: 1. Data cleansing, verification and standardization: – Identify and remove duplicate or outdated entries, ensuring the repository contains only valid and current information. – Contribute to the transfer of documents from obsolete collections to relevant active collections. – Review the descriptive cataloguing and subject analysis of the repository content and make corrections as required. – Correction of erroneous author entries. 2. Database management and cataloguing: – Upload newly published UNEP publications and documents in the knowledge repository, organizing, classifying, and cataloguing them in the appropriate library or category to facilitate access to information. – Provide or integrate complete bibliographic descriptions of items to be added to the collection by identifying bibliographic elements. 3. Metadata management: – Review the knowledge repository subject entries and compile a list of subject terms that do not belong to any of the controlled vocabularies in use (UNBIS, GEMET, and AGROVOC). – Compile a unified list of subject keywords derived from UNBIS, GEMET, and AGROVOC to serve as the authoritative UNEP controlled vocabulary and work with knowledge repository consultants to integrate the list in the database. – Ensure that all records’ metadata are compatible with international cataloguing standards, such as Dublin Core. – Review the knowledge repository author entries and compile those that do not conform to international cataloguing rules. – Review the metadata from the knowledge repository community, identify inconsistencies in mapping with the Dublin Core metadata scheme, and propose strategies for achieving coherence. – Perform a comparative review of the metadata submission forms and assess whether the same fields across communities are mapped to the same Dublin Core elements. – Apply consistent metadata, tagging, and keywords across all repository entries, conducting quality checks to ensure metadata accuracy and relevance. 4. Outreach and administrative support: – Revise Standard Operating Procedures, create user guidance tools, and checklists. – Develop and provide training on SOPs and new use case scenarios and best practices for Knowledge Repository and DSpace. – Propose a naming convention for UNEP files, including publications, documents, and records – Support documentation and reporting on project to redevelop the UNEP Knowledge Repository and revamp the corporate website, improving integration between the two. – Any other support, as required.

Qualifications/special skills

First level university degree in information systems, library science, knowledge management, or a related discipline is required. A minimum of five years of experience in knowledge management, digital archiving or content management is required. Experience with metadata standards, taxonomy development and terminology management is desirable. Solid understanding of metadata standards and taxonomy development. is desirable. Strong attention to detail, organizational skills and capacity for independent and team work is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working knowledge of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.