Strategic Advisor – Housing Sector Assessment (Retainer)

Within the framework of a project titled “Scaling Up Community-Driven Processes of Mapping of Land Rights and Land Use Planning in the West Bank, including Area C” funded by the European Union. It is implemented and managed by UN-Habitat in close partnership with the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG), Palestinian Local Administration (PLA). This project aims to enhance the resilience of Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly in Area C, by advancing planning and land rights in partnership with national and local stakeholders. It seeks to improve land tenure security through gender-responsive, community-led land settlement; enhance service provision and resilience via inclusive spatial planning; and strengthen the institutional capacities of Palestinian authorities in land governance and service delivery. UNOPS is supporting UN-Habitat with this selection process. The successful candidate will be a UN-Habitat personnel under UN-Habitat's full responsibility.

The housing sector in Palestine is a central component of the urban system, with strong linkages to land use, infrastructure, service delivery, and socio-economic stability. The sector has long faced structural challenges, including limited land availability, housing affordability constraints, and institutional and regulatory fragmentation, all of which have affected its ability to respond to growing demand and evolving development needs. 

According to SDG 11 indicator 11.1.1, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported that 19.5 per cent of the urban population in Palestine was living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing, reflecting pre-existing structural challenges in access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing. Since then, and even though there is no available data yet, the situation has significantly deteriorated due to the accelerated geopolitical context and recent developments on the ground intensifying pressure on an already fragile housing sector, widening the gap between housing needs and available solutions.

Since late 2023, the housing sector in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has undergone significant and unprecedented changes. In the Gaza Strip, large-scale destruction of housing stock, widespread displacement, and disruptions to infrastructure and basic services have drastically altered housing conditions and needs. The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) reports that approximately 81 per cent of all structures in the Gaza Strip have sustained various levels of damage resulting in a significant loss of housing stock, and placing additional pressure on already limited shelter options, while exacerbating displacement and housing insecurity. At least an estimated 1.7 million people are sheltering in approximately 1,600 displacement sites. As of 11 January 2026, a total of 283,566 shelters/tents were identified across the Gaza Strip from space imagery. Estimations show that at least 30 per cent of those shelters were potentially affected by or directly exposed to flooding and additional 14 per cent of those shelters are located close to the shoreline in areas highly exposed to sea surge risk and strong winds.

At the same time, violence and coercive policies and practices in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remain high, causing casualties, damage, and further displacement and raising serious protection concerns. In East Jerusalem, housing conditions are increasingly precarious, marked by a growing pattern of forced evictions and displacement of Palestinian households, particularly in areas such as Silwan. These trends, driven by legal and settlement-related pressures, are contributing to heightened housing insecurity and instability.

On 20 August 2025, the Israeli government approved the construction of over 3,400 housing units for settlers as part of the E1 settlement expansion plan. The plan entails the construction of thousands of settlement housing and commercial units, creating a continuous built-up area between Ma’ale Adumim settlement and Jerusalem which would effectively contribute to separating the northern and central West Bank from the south, would further threaten the territorial contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and heighten the risk of forced displacement of about 18 Palestinian Bedouin communities.

In the West Bank, including its northern areas, increased demolitions, displacement, and access restrictions have further constrained housing supply and exacerbated housing insecurity. Since 2023, more than 5,600 people have been displaced across the West Bank within this context, including from 38 communities that have been completely depopulated. Displacement linked to settler violence and access restrictions continues to sharply increase. Since the beginning of the year and as of 30 March 2026, more than 1,700 Palestinians displaced of whom over two-thirds were in the Jordan Valley, surpassing the total number of people displaced witnessed in the past three years. 

In this context, UN-Habitat seeks to undertake a comprehensive housing sector situational assessment, primarily based on an in-depth literature review and stakeholders’ interviews, to provide an updated and evidence-based understanding of the sector. As part of this process, the National Urban Policy (NUP), endorsed in July 2023 as a long-term strategic framework for sustainable urban development, will be selectively reviewed and updated to ensure that housing-related policy directions reflect current realities while maintaining its overarching vision.

• Develop a comprehensive situational assessment on the housing sector in Palestine, grounded in an extensive literature review and stakeholders’ interviews. 

• Analyze the implications of recent war on Gaza and the escalations in the West Bank including East Jerusalem on the housing sector within a broader development context. 

• Integrate housing sector priorities into the NUP in a way that supports sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development. 

• Provide targeted and actionable recommendations to inform the development of the Housing policy for the State of Palestine.

The Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

3.1 Housing Sector Literature Review and Situational Analysis

• Conduct a comprehensive literature review of existing studies policies, strategies, and assessments related to the housing sector in Palestine.

Housing Sector Situation Analysis 

Analyze the implications of recent developments, including:

• The situation in Gaza (damage, displacement, and housing loss).

• Escalations in the West Bank including East Jerusalem and Area C (demolitions, displacement, access restrictions).

• Identify key gaps, structural challenges, and emerging trends in the housing sector. 

Analyze gender and social inclusion trends in terms of: 

• Differential access to housing for women, female-headed households, youth, persons with disabilities (PwDs), elderly, and IDPs/refugees 

• Barriers related to ownership, inheritance, documentation, and tenure security 

• Exposure to forced eviction, displacement, and secondary occupation 

• Disparities between rural and urban areas in terms of housing affordability, access to land, availability of services, infrastructure, and connectivity to livelihoods and opportunities 

• Specific constraints in Area C, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, including protection risks

Analyze environmental and climate dimensions of the housing sector, including:

• Housing exposure to climate and environmental risks (e.g. heat, water scarcity, environmental degradation) across different contexts (urban, rural and Area C)

• Opportunities for green and climate-responsive housing approaches, including energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and climate-adaptive design

• Mapping of existing practices, initiatives, and gaps related to green housing across different contexts (urban, rural, and Area C)

Develop a housing sector situational report, including:

• Housing supply and demand dynamics

• Affordability and access to housing, including disparities across different population groups and geographic contexts (urban, rural, and Area C)

• Land availability and tenure challenges, including gendered and social dimensions of ownership, inheritance, and documentation

• Institutional and regulatory frameworks, including their responsiveness to inclusion, equity, and environmental sustainability

• Role of public, private, and informal sectors

• including their responsiveness to inclusion, equity, and environmental sustainability

Contextual Review of the NUP

Review the existing NUP (2023 version) in light of the updated housing sector analysis. 

Identify areas where current realities should be reflected in the policy narrative and priorities, ensuring that the NUP maintains its strategic, long-term positioning.

Stakeholder Consultations

Conduct interviews with key experts and stakeholders from relevant institutions (including, but not limited to, the Engineering Associations) and representatives the investors in the sector to identify the gaps and key priorities

Conduct structured consultations with relevant national institutions, (including but not limited to):

• Ministry of Planning and Finance

• Ministry of Public Works and Housing

• Ministry of Local Government

• Ministry of Social Development

3.4.3 Conduct a mapping with other development organizations working in the housing sector, highlighting their contributions and remaining gaps. 

The consultations will aim at:

• Validating findings from the housing sector assessment 

• Identifying policy priorities and institutional constraints 

• Identifying existing initiatives and needs

• Strengthening alignment between housing sector needs and national strategies

3.4 Update of the National Urban Policy

Based on findings, the Consultant shall:

• Update relevant sections of the NUP, including: 

• Context analysis 

• Policy priorities related to housing and urban development 

Ensure: 

• Integration of current challenges into the policy framework 

• Preservation of the long-term vision and strategic orientation of the NUP 

Propose: 

• Adjustments to relevant policy pillars where necessary 

• Cross-cutting considerations (gender, youth, inclusion, climate resilience) 

• Quick-win interventions to support the housing sector 

• High-level recommendations for implementation (without duplicating existing recovery frameworks

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of UN-Habitat Palestine and is expected to deliver the following reports (In English):

• Inception Report (within 3 working days)

• Methodology (Including literature review approach)

• Work plan

• Stakeholder engagement plan

• Stakeholder Consultation Summary Report

• Housing Sector Situational Assessment Report

• Comprehensive literature review 

• Analysis of current conditions and emerging crises 

• Key challenges and opportunities

• Updated NUP Document

• Revised context analysis

• Updated policy directions related to housing and other relevant sectors incorporating feedback from UN-Habitat

• Executive summary (In both languages; English and Arabic) highlighting key updates

• Presentation of the updated NUP Document in a meeting and include the feedback in the final Document

Support Duration of Assignment & Level of Effort:

The duration of the consultancy assignment will be (Three months maximum).