UNESCO WWAP French and Spanish Editorial Consultant

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UNESCO WWAP French and Spanish Editorial Consultant

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Consultant Contract

Level : Level 2 - Middle

Hiring Unit : Natural Sciences Sector (SC)

Duty Station : Perugia

Work location : Remote

Duration of contract : 11 months

Hiring open to : External candidates

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

OVERVIEW

Background:

Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between UNESCO and the Government of Italy for the implementation of the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), to meet the growing requirements of UN Members States and the international community for a wider range of policy-relevant, timely and reliable information in various fields of water resources development and management, in particular through the production of the United Nations World Water Development Report (UN WWDR), UNESCO WWAP seeks the services of a qualified individual specialist to support the 2027 edition of the UN WWDR, on the theme “Water and Health”, for editorial management, translation oversight, copyediting, and proofreading, in accordance with UNESCO standards and production timelines.

Scope of work and deliverables

Under the overall supervision of the WWAP Coordinator and direct supervision of the responsible officer and in close coordination with the Publication Assistant and WWAP Secretariat, the Individual Specialist shall:

ASSIGNMENTS

A. Support Editorial and Layout Process – French Edition (UN WWDR 2027)

• Assist the preparation of the finalized terms of reference for translation services in coordination with the UNESCO WWAP Secretariat.
• Support the UNESCO WWAP Secretariat in the selection of the professional translation company, providing technical advice on the quality of the translations.
• Transmit the final English text of the UN WWDR 2027 (full report, Executive Summary, and Facts and Figures for translation with clear instructions).
• Serve as the focal point with the translation company throughout the process, handling all terminology and technical queries.
• Liaise with the graphic designer to ensure that the layout adheres to the English template and all corrections after proofreading are incorporated in the final French version, and that this language is finalized on schedule for ISBN application.
• Submit ready-to-print French files to the UNESCO WWAP Secretariat in accordance with the agreed production calendar.

Long Description

B. Copyedit and Proofread the French Edition (UN WWDR 2027 and related material; approx. 120 000 words/approx. 220 pages in layout version)

• Copyedit the translation and all related materials prior to layout, ensuring linguistic accuracy, coherence, and compliance with UNESCO/UN editorial standards; clarify meaning where interpretation may be ambiguous; improve readability and flow; and confirm consistency across tables, figures, references, and acronyms in full alignment with the English version.
• Verify technical and referential consistency, ensuring that all captions, notes, disclaimers, figure texts, and in-text references are accurately translated and formatted; confirm that institutional names, acronyms, and terminology follow official UN usage; and adapt citations and bibliographic entries to French style conventions where applicable.
• Proofread the layout version by reading page proofs against the approved Word manuscript to confirm completeness, accuracy, and fidelity to the source; correct typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors; and ensure uniformity in punctuation, word breaks, spacing, and style throughout the publication.
• Ensure final design and visual quality, reviewing typography and layout to confirm correct use of typographical conventions; eliminate visually distracting elements such as widows and orphans; and verify that all figures, maps, photographs, and tables are visually accurate, properly labeled, and free from design inconsistencies.

C. Translation and Editing of Related UNESCO WWAP Materials (French)

• UNESCO WWAP website and news content;
• Communication materials for the Call for Action campaign and the UN WWDR 2027; and
• Other short text as needed.

Long Description

D. Support the production of the UN WWDR 2027 in the Spanish by:

• Providing continuous editorial and production support to the responsible officer and the Publication Assistant throughout the preparation of the Spanish version;
• Transmitting the final English text of the UNWWDR 2027 (including t