Thematic Section: Climate change and ALE – GRALE 6 – Call for consultants (Hamburg, Germany) contract

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: remote

Classification of duty station: 

Standard Duration of Assignment: 

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Affiliated personnel

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 01-MAR-2026

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

Published every three to four years, UNESCO’s Global Reports on Adult Learning and Education (GRALEs) take stock of adult learning and education (ALE) progress at national, regional and global levels, identify challenges and provide actionable recommendations for policymakers, practitioners and researchers and other relevant ALE stakeholders. The reports are expected to present evidence to inform policies, to advocate for a stronger policy focus and increased funding for ALE, to promote quality provision and inclusive participation, and to share examples of best practice.

The Sixth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 6), to be published in 2027, is structured in two sections: a monitoring section and a thematic section. Focusing on the overarching theme of “ALE in times of rapid change”, the report will explore how adult learning and education can both respond to and shape global transformations. By examining key drivers of change – digitalization, economic shifts, environmental sustainability, and conflict – GRALE 6 aims to showcase how ALE serves as a catalyst for empowerment, adaptability, resilience, and positive social transformation.

The thematic section of GRALE 6 addresses four interconnected global themes[1], one of which is the relationship between climate change and adult learning and education (ALE). Climate change represents an urgent and accelerating global challenge, with rising temperatures, extreme weather events and environmental degradation posing significant risks to livelihoods, ecosystems and social cohesion. These impacts disproportionately affect low-income communities, rural populations, and other marginalized groups.

The relationship between ALE and climate change is twofold. On the one hand, climate change affects ALE provision and participation. Its impacts are felt in the provision of ALE, as extreme weather conditions such as flash floods damage the physical infrastructure of ALE and community learning centres and divert already constrained ALE institutional resources to disaster relief and recovery efforts. ALE participation is also affected, as adults, especially those in vulnerable regions and communities, must prioritize their immediate survival and livelihood needs over educational pursuits, and often are unable to participate in courses and workshops due to physical displacement, heat- or cold-related health issues, psychological anxiety that impacts cognitive capacity for learning, or because they give priority to their children’s learning over their own.

On the other hand, ALE can play a critical role in addressing the causes of climate change and mitigating its impacts. Adult learning equips individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills to move from awareness to action, for example by adopting sustainable agriculture, improving energy efficiency, and reducing waste and consumption. Moreover, ALE can also respond to emerging labour-market needs by designing and offering new courses in green skills. Beyond individual actions, ALE can empower adults to engage in political processes, demand government and private sector accountability, and participate in social movements that drive systemic change.

Assignment and the scope of work

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) is seeking an expert consultant to research and write a thematic chapter that provides an evidence-informed, policy-relevant analysis of the relationship between ALE and climate change. The Consultant may work alone or as part of a team. However, the consultancy fee will be paid to a single individual, who is responsible for arranging appropriate compensation for any co-contributors. The Consultant, and up to two co-contributors, will be explicitly acknowledged in the Report as author(s) of the chapter.

Under the leadership of the UIL Director, Team Leader of the Quality Learning Ecosystems programme, and the GRALE 6 Cluster Lead, the Consultant will:

• develop a comprehensive analysis of the twofold relationship between ALE and climate change based on international datasets, regional policy literature, scholarly literature and diverse case studies, and draft the thematic chapter on ALE and climate change;  
• apply a gender-sensitive lens throughout, specifically analysing inequalities in access, participation, and outcomes; 
• incorporate, where possible, relevant data from the GRALE 6 survey to enrich the narrative; 
• refine the text through multiple rounds of substantive and editorial review in consultation with UIL. 

Analytical scope

The chapter should adopt a system-wide perspective, examining how climate change and associated environmental pressures are reshaping adult learning and education (ALE) and how ALE systems respond at learner, educator, organisational and policy levels. The analysis should consider the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs that emerge as ALE engages with climate-related priorities.

Key areas of analysis may include:

• Conceptual and policy tensions between (a) ALE as a transformative and political response to the climate crisis, and (b) ALE as an instrumental mechanism for behavioural change, civic engagement and collective action at individual and community levels.
• How structural inequalities ­– such as gender, literacy levels, socio-economic status, geographic location, digital access and exposure to climate risk – shape access to learning opportunities and influence who benefits from ALE-supported climate action.

• Different cases and initiatives that demonstrate how ALE supports community and individual resilience, collective climate action, and forecasting learning needs in the context of accelerated socio-economic and ecological changes.

• Consideration of trade-offs between immediate livelihood needs, longer-term sustainability goals and social equity considerations when integrating climate priorities into ALE in specific national and regional contexts.

• Focus on the broader cross-cutting GRALE 6 themes of resilience and empowerment, as well as progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 and 13.

The Consultant is encouraged to draw on their expertise and relevant evidence from research studies, international datasets and policy literature. The above analytical scope should serve as a guiding structure rather than a rigid template, allowing authors to highlight emerging trends, challenges and perspectives not yet fully captured in the existing literature.

Deliverables and timeline

The Consultant will produce a manuscript of 5,000–7,000 words. The content must align with the GRALE 6 outline and the analytical framework agreed upon during the inception phase.

The Consultant’s fee will be paid in instalments linked to the submission and formal approval of the following deliverables:

Because the chapter should be accessible to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, the Consultant must ensure that the arguments are precise, evidence-based, and logically structured, yet written in clear, non-technical language.

Location and coordination

The assignment will be carried out remotely. The Consultant may also visit the UIL offices in Hamburg at their own expense. The Consultant should be available to meet with the UIL team (online) during office hours in Hamburg, Germany. If any face-to-face meeting is planned by UIL, the Consultant will be invited to attend, and UIL will make the travel arrangements and bear associated costs.

Nature of penalty clause in contract

If the documents are not submitted or confirmed by UIL staff according to the deliverables and timeframe stated in this TOR, payments may be withheld. UNESCO reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work output is incomplete or not delivered, or if deadlines are not met.

Additional regulations

UIL’s guidelines on style and referencing should be followed, with especially careful attention paid to grammar, spelling, punctuation, abbreviations, and country names. The final drafts and reports should be submitted at a publishable standard.

The writer(s) should prioritise clarity of expression and a style of writing accessible to a broad readership (policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders in the field of ALE). Abbreviations may be used, but these should be spelled out when used for the first time and be accompanied by a table of abbreviations. Footnotes should be avoided.

Particular attention is drawn to the following:

1. Consistency of style, terminology, editing and presentation;
2. Document structure and hierarchy (headings, sub-headings, numbers);
3. Consistency of bibliography with references in the text; and
4. List of abbreviations
5. Though the Consultant’s authorship will be acknowledged in the Report, their work will remain the intellectual property of UNESCO and may not be shared prior to publication without authorization from UNESCO. UNESCO will be free to adapt and modify, reproduce, or otherwise use the materials produced by the Consultant in any form or language in the future.

Requirements

• PhD in related subject
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in relevant field

Application instructions

Interested candidates should submit one consolidated PDF file which includes the following information (please upload this PDF file in the field of / and instead of the UNESCO employment history form):

• A short CV (max. 3 pages), highlighting relevant publications or comparable analytical writing;
• A one-page note outlining: (i) proposed analytical framing and 2–3 guiding questions; (ii) evidence strategy (types of sources and examples, not a bibliography); (iii) approach across learner, educator, organizational and policy levels; and (iv) how cross-cutting dimensions such as equity and gender will be addressed;
• One writing sample (2–5 pages) demonstrating policy-relevant analytical writing (e.g., excerpt from report, policy brief, or another policy-oriented document);
• A financial proposal stating either a lump-sum fee with a brief breakdown by deliverable, or a daily rate with an estimated number of days.

The proposal should not exceed  8 – 10 pages. Proposals missing any of the above will not be considered.

For any questions, please contact grale@unesco.org

Instead of uploading the employment history form, applicants should upload the combined PDF.

The complete application shall be submitted on or before 23:59 CET, 1 March 2026. Please note that only pre-selected candidates will be contacted.