Call for individual consultants - UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: remote

Classification of duty station: 

Standard Duration of Assignment: 

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 07-JAN-2026

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Background and Context

The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC)

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) is located in Hamburg, Germany, and is one of UNESCO’s eight education Institutes. UIL supports Member States in the field of lifelong learning with a focus on learning ecosystems, skills for life and work, and inclusive learning. It pays special attention to UNESCO’s Global Priorities Africa and Gender Equality. Within UNESCO’s broad educational mandate, the mission of the Institute is to promote the recognition of and create the conditions for the exercise of the right to education and learning. The Institute undertakes research, capacity-building, networking and publication on lifelong learning. UIL responds to the concerns of all UNESCO Member States, giving priority to least developed countries.

In a context of rapid urban growth and increasing challenges related to social inclusion, sustainability, and economic development, UIL established the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) to support local governments in harnessing lifelong learning as a strategic tool for inclusive and sustainable urban development. The GNLC, coordinated by UIL, is an international, policy-oriented network that provides inspiration, know-how, and examples of best practice. Its mission is to support and accelerate the practice of lifelong learning in cities worldwide by promoting policy dialogue and peer learning among member cities, forging links and fostering partnerships, building capacities for lifelong learning, and developing tools to encourage and recognize progress in building learning cities. The GNLC opened for membership in 2015. Since then, the network has grown to more than 400 member cities across all five UNESCO regions.

Milestones of the 2025 GNLC workplan

The year 2026 marks a critical phase for advancing the strategic priorities of the GNLC. The network will focus on strengthening its core functions, including membership coordination, capacity-building, peer learning, and knowledge sharing among member cities, in line with the GNLC Medium-Term Strategy 2025–2030.

Key activities will include membership coordination, monitoring and evaluation, preparations for the Seventh International Conference in Learning Cities, organising a series of thematic webinars, implementing and enhancing the GNLC Online Community of Practice (CoP), and strengthening the new GNLC Academy. In parallel, efforts will continue to support regional and thematic clusters to foster collaboration, visibility, and policy development aligned with local and global lifelong learning goals.

Throughout 2026, the GNLC Coordination Team, will work to ensure the effective implementation of these activities by improving communication and outreach strategies, organising knowledge-sharing events, consolidating data from member cities, and developing tools and content that reflect the diversity and innovation within the network. These efforts will contribute to a more coherent, accessible, and impactful network.

Purpose of the consultancy 

The GNLC seeks to strengthen its impact by improving the quality, visibility, and coherence of its core activities. To this end, UIL is seeking a medium-level consultant to support the GNLC Coordination Team in 1) contributing to the development and implementation of core activities of the network, including membership coordination, monitoring and evaluation, the 2026 Webinar Series, the GNLC Communities of Practice and the GNLC Academy, and 2) supporting the coordination of ongoing strategies and activities related to the thematic and regional clusters, ensuring the effective implementation of all planned processes during the assignment period.

Long Description

Main duties and responsibilities

Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL, and under the direct supervision of the team leader of the Skills Throughout Life Programme and GNLC Coordinator, the individual consultant will undertake the following main responsibilities:

A. Membership Coordination

A.1. Organize an official online welcome event for newly admitted GNLC members

A.2. Design and share a welcome package for new GNLC members.

A.3. Organize introductory online meetings with new GNLC members, by country

A.4. Design a process for engagement and communication of GNLC city events, including its monitoring

A.5. Review the membership application process and develop a timeline for the 2027 application cycle

A.6. Develop a ‘How to become a Learning City’ guide

A.7.Coordinate the process of defining guidelines for the establishment and development of subnetworks within the GNLC.

A.8. Facilitate the creation of a Lusophone network of learning cities.

B. Organize the GNLC 2026 Webinar Series

Organize and deliver six webinars throughout 2026, overseeing all aspects from planning and speaker coordination to technical execution, interpretation, and follow-up communication.

B.1.Organize the first webinar in February 2026

B.2. Organize the second webinar in April 2026

B.3. Organize the third webinar in June 2026

B.4. Organize the fourth webinar in August 2026

B.5. Organize the fifth webinar in October 2026

B.6. Organize the sixth webinar in December 2026

C. Implement the GNLC Communities of Practice

C.1. Coordinate the enhancement of the functionality and user experience of the GNLC CoP platform through technical improvements and the continuous update of user manuals and support materials based on feedback and developments.

C.2. Facilitate active engagement and peer exchange by delivering onboarding sessions for city representatives and managing communication strategies and user interaction within the platform.

D. Coordinate monitoring and evaluation on learning city development

D.1. Contribute to the development of a key performance indicators framework to measure progress on learning city development, including the piloting of the framework in selected cities.

D.2. Design the new progress report cycle for GNLC members, including a timeline.

D.3. Update the progress report questionnaire in line with the new indicators framework

D.4. Design a data collection process for implementing the indicators framework

D.5. Collect, validate, and standardize data from various sources, and identify exemplary practices to be showcased on the GNLC website and in newsletters.

D.6. Design an online dashboard to present data on learning city development within the GNLC

D.7 Design, set up and launch an online survey to collect progress reports, including communication with all cities involved.

D.8 Collect progress reports from all learning cities involved in the process and systematically organize the data for analysis.

D.9 Coordinate the development of an analysis document based on the progress reports.

E. Contribute to the development of the GNLC Academy

E.1. Support the design of the GNLC Academy as a capacity-building platform, including regional hubs and networks

E.2. Support the development of a detailed roadmap for its phased implementation, aligned with member needs and UIL priorities.

E.3. Support the expansion of online learning courses within the GNLC Academy

F. Contribute to the preparations of the Seventh International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC7)

F.1. Develop a roadmap and timeline for the planning of ICLC 7.

F.2. Review the host city application process and prepare application documents, launch the call for applications for host city

F.3. Organize the selection process, including communication with all key stakeholders

F.4. Update the Learning City Award process and start preparations for launching the call for applications

Deliverables and timeline

The consultant must submit editable versions of all deliverables in English within the contract period. The specified dates for the deliverables indicated below are subject to revision.

List of deliverables

• Deliverables to be submitted by 31 January 2026
  • A.1. Online welcome event for newly admitted GNLC members organized.
  • A.2. Welcome package for new GNLC members developed.
  • A.3. Introductory online meetings with new GNLC members organized.
• Deliverables to be submitted by 28 February 2026
  • B.1.GNLC webinar in February 2026 organized.
  • D.1. Key performance indicators framework developed and piloted.
  • E.1 Design of the GNLC Academy as a capacity-building platform, including regional hubs and networks, supported.
  • F.1 Roadmap and timeline for the planning of ICLC 7 developed.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 31 March 2026
  • A.4.Process for engagement and communication of GNLC city events, including its monitoring, developed.
  • A.7.Guidelines for the establishment and development of subnetworks within the GNLC.
  • C.1. Enhanced functionality and user experience of the GNLC CoP platform coordinated, and materials updated.
  • E.2. Detailed roadmap for the GNLC Academy phased implementation supported.

Long Description

• Deliverables to be submitted by 30 April 2026
  • B.2.GNLC webinar in April 2026 organized.
  • C.2.GNLC CoP onboarding sessions delivered.
  • F.2. ICLC 7 host city application process and documents reviewed, and the call for applications launched.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 31 May 2026
  • A.5. Membership application process reviewed and timeline for the 2027 application cycle developed.
  • D.2. Progress report cycle for GNLC members, including a timeline, designed.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 30 June 2026
• • B.3. GNLC webinar in June 2026 organized.
  • D.3. Progress report questionnaire updated.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 31 July 2026

• • D.4. Data collection process for implementing the indicators framework designed.
  • D.5. Learning cities exemplary practices collected.
  • F.3. ICLC 7 host city selection process organized.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 31 August 2026

• B.4. GNLC webinar in August 2026 organized.
• D.6. Online dashboard to present data on learning city development designed.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 30 September 2026

• A.6. ‘How to become a Learning City’ guide developed.
• D.7. Online survey to collect progress reports designed and launched.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 31 October 2026

• B.5. GNLC webinar in October 2026 organized.
• F.4. Learning City Award process updated and call for applications prepared.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 30 November 2026

• E.3. Online learning courses within the GNLC Academy supported.
• D.8. Progress reports collected and data for analysis organized.
• A.8. Establishment of lusophone network of learning cities supported.

• Deliverables to be submitted by 15 December 2026

• B.6. GNLC webinar in December 2026 organized.
• D.9. Progress reports analysis document developed.

Long Description

UIL will provide feedback to each deliverable submitted and hold regular meetings to ensure the progress and quality of the consultant’s work.

The contractor should ensure that all visibility materials are produced in line with UNESCO’s branding guidelines. Please refer to the UNESCO Style Manual for citation style, terminology and spelling, abbreviations, references, etc.

In line with UNESCO’s overall gender mainstreaming strategy, the contractor is expected to integrate a gender perspective in all activities and apply gender analysis and mainstreaming concepts whenever feasible.

The documents produced will be the property of UIL.

Logistic arrangements and travels : The consultant will work remotely.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Master’s degree in political sciences, international relations, education, social sciences, development studies or any other related fields.

Work experience

• At least 4 years of relevant work experience in project coordination or management, ideally within the field of education, lifelong learning, or international cooperation.
• Previous experience in planning and implementing multi-stakeholder activities, including event organisation, data coordination, and communications.
• Experience supporting or managing international projects, particularly in collaboration with local governments, city networks, or public institutions.
• Proven experience in collaborating on international projects in the field of education.
• Familiarity with lifelong learning, urban development, or education systems across different regions, especially in UNESCO Member States.
• Prior experience in the UNESCO system would be an advantage.

Skills

• Excellent drafting and communication skills.
• Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to collect, structure, and summarize data to inform decision-making.
• Excellent computer skills for MS Office package processing, presentation, online collaboration and data visualization, as well as knowledge of Power BI.
• Excellent independent working skills.

Language

• Fluency in English, French and Spanish (both written and spoken).
• Proficiency in Portuguese will be considered an asset.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

-

APPLICATION PROCESS

Procedure

Interested candidates will need to submit one consolidated PDF document which includes the following information:

• A short description, one page only, explaining the approach proposed for completing this project.
• A financial proposal, one page only, for delivering the activities described in the call;
• A short CV, focusing on previous relevant working experience, consultancy assignments and deliverables and relevant expertise to this project.

The full proposal should not exceed 5 pages. Proposals missing any of the above will not be considered.

The complete application shall be submitted on or before 23:59 CET, 7 January 2026. Please note that only pre-selected candidates will be contacted.

Selection process

A shortlist of the three most suitable applicants will be drawn up, and the selected candidates will be contacted by the Head of the Skills Throughout Life Team. The successful candidate will be selected and offered a contract based on the application review.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Footer