007 Call for Proposals: Strengthening disaster risk resilience (Malawi and SADC)

2020 Call for Proposals (Grants out)

UNDRR is the United Nations’ focal point for the coordination of disaster risk reduction, working with countries and a broad range of partners and stakeholders to support the implementation, monitoring and review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in coherence with the 2030 Agenda and other instruments, for the multihazard management of disaster risk in development and the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses.

UNDRR issues grants, in line with UN Financial Regulations and Rules, to apolitical and not profit-making organisations to facilitate, implement, or carry out activities related to UNDRR’s and the partner’s mandates and work programmes.

To this end, UNDRR invites not profit-making organisations to submit grant proposals that focus on the project described below.

Project title:  Strengthening disaster risk resilience through enhanced coordination mechanisms (Malawi and SADC)

A. Rationale:

Malawi is highly vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events given its location along the great African Rift Valley, rapid population growth, unsustainable urbanization, climate variability and change, and environmental degradation (Government of Malawi, 2019). The most common weather-related shocks affecting Malawi include floods, drought, stormy rains and hailstorms. Over the past five decades, Malawi has experienced more than 19 major floods and seven droughts, with these events increasing in frequency, magnitude and scope over the years. In early March 2019, heavy rains developed from a Tropical Depression 11 that formed offshore central Mozambique (Government of Malawi, 2019). Heavy rains hit Malawi, causing severe flooding in the Southern and, to a lesser extent, Central Region of the country (Government of Malawi, 2019). These disaster events have had a significant impact on people’s lives, livelihoods and socioeconomic infrastructure in the affected areas, pushing a large number of people into poverty and food insecurity (Government of Malawi, 2019)

With financial support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations  (ECHO), UNDRR will work with the Government of Malawi and the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)  to enhance coordination mechanisms for policy making, impact-based early warning systems triggering early actions and informing transboundary risk management by contributing to the update and development of common tools and standard operating procedures (SOP) for data and information analysis.

The project builds on the achievements of the ACP-EU Programme “Building resilience to natural hazards of Sub-Saharan African Countries and communities” and on the “peer learning exchange on policy coherence among disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation” held in Lilongwe in 2019.

 

B. Purpose:

The project aims to work with Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA), the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS), Department of water resources (DWR) and other stakeholders involved in early warning for floods in order to establish data sharing platform supporting the update, development, activation of standard operating procedures based on the four components of early warning systems, namely risk knowledge, monitoring and forecasting, communication and dissemination and disaster response.

The project targets the decision making and technical level of the key institutions responsible of issuance warnings floods. The development of SOPs will build on lessons learned from previous experiences (e.g. Idai cyclone), existing baseline assessments, a revision of existing procedures, institutional arrangements and legal frameworks facilitating EWS and transboundary risk management. In addition, the project aims at enhancing linkages and coordination among SADC and the national level.

Anticipated high-level outcomes of the project include:

• Revision of institutional and legal frameworks: Support institutions to revise legal frameworks, procedures and key stakeholders for enhanced coordination for early warning, including transboundary risk management
• Update and development of SOP:  update and develop SOPs for early warning in the case of floods based on the four components of EWS, namely risk knowledge, monitoring and forecasting, communication and dissemination and disaster response.
• Enhance availability of disaster related data and its visualization through an open source data sharing platform
• Facilitate the use of a data sharing platform to update, improve and develop SOP for flood EWS
• Upscaling and sharing of lessons learnt from neighboring countries, including linkages with SADC for EWS and transboundary risk management
• Knowledge and learning: Focused capacity development engagements with reflective learning spaces for improved knowledge and understanding of early warning, use of different sources of data and interinstitutional coordination
• Advocacy and dissemination: Showcasing the outcomes and learnings from the project between stakeholders at national level in Malawi, sub regional and neighboring countries

 

The Project contributes directly to Result 2.2: Strengthened capacity of counterparts, UN Country Teams and partners for leadership in disaster risk reduction and Result 2.3: Regional and national coordination mechanisms are mobilized to accelerate Sendai Framework implementation of UNDRR’s work programme 2020-2021. It also contributes to the achievement of Target G of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

 

C. Outcome:

Expected Outcome:

1. Technical advice shared on methodologies to conduct gap analysis for EWS and transboundary risk management in order to formulate recommendations and build a roadmap
2. Web-based data sharing platform available to support decision making for EWS for floods in coordination with sub-regional level (SADC) – the web-based platform should already be used in one or more governmental authority for decision making purposes who have legal mandate to issue early warning
3. Data needed for EWS identified and is visualized through a web-based data sharing platform to support decision making
4. Capacities of national and local authorities working in EWS enhanced to use a web-based data sharing platform for decision making in the development and application of SOP
5. Recommendations convened with national authorities to improve existing warning bulletins
6. Enhanced capacities to use risk profiles into decision making with focus on EWS and transboundary risk management
7. Experience of stakeholders on the update, development and application of SOP shared at the national dialogue peer-to-peer exchange with participating governmental stakeholders, UN system, NGOs, Academia and neighboring countries
8. National government is provided with guidance to further develop, update and apply SOP for floods EWS, exchange disaster related data and use an open source platform to support decision making
9. Process and lessons learned captured.

 

D: Output:

Indicators of achievement

• A web-based data sharing platform is installed, access is granted to key users convened with the national stakeholders and is being used to support development/update of SOP for EWS in case of floods in Malawi in linkages with SADC. The web-based data sharing platform should be operationally used in one or more governmental authority for decision making purposes who have legal mandate to issue early warning.
• National government actively participated in and contributed to update and development of SOP and dialogues and peer to peer exchanges, including neighboring countries.
• Lessons learnt and good practices captured during national and sub regional stakeholder engagements and associated meetings and events.
• Guidelines (how-to guidance) for the use of a web-based data sharing platform in the update and development of SOPs and transboundary risk management.
• Recommendations for the use and improvement of risk profiles for informing DRR policy making, impact based EWS and transboundary risk management

E. Suggested activities:

Activities and Expected deliverables

#	Activity	Expected Outcome	Expected Deliverable
1	Support the development of a gap analysis for the update and development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for early warning (floods) in Malawi, including linkages with SADC	Technical advice provided on the methodologies to conduct and EWS baseline and gap analysis	Operational recommendations for the update and development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for early warning (floods) Road map for the update and development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for early warning (floods) Inception report on installation and use of a web-based data sharing platform to support SOPs activation (floods)
2	Install a web-based data sharing platform to be used for operationalization of EWS SOP for floods operationally used in one or more governmental authority for decision making purposes who have legal mandate to issue early warning	Web-based data sharing platform available to support decision making for EWS for floods and linked to existing data repositories (e.g. MASDAP)	A web- based platform that is an integrated IT real-time system for hydro-meteorological forecasting and monitoring, designed to systematically organize multiple datasets and risk information form a broad range of providers. It should serve as a single access point for operators and the link between data producers and disaster operations. The platform shall be able to integrate real-time system for hydro-meteorological risk forecasting, monitoring and prevention based on the rapid availability of real-time geospatial data among multiple relevant institutional stakeholders. The platform shall be able to organize data from: 1) observations: real-time or near-real time information detected by remote sensors or weather stations of authoritative sources. 2) Forecast models: weather and climate models as well has hydrological models provided by international organizations and national weather services (for NWP models) and hydro-meteorological institutes (for hydrological/hydraulic) models; 3) geospatial information on hazard, exposure and vulnerability, such as  exposure data (population, structures, infrastructure, etc.), and hazard layer (flood-prone areas for a given return period) that are collected by the local National Spatial Data Infrastructure (when exists) and shared through the platform with other stakeholders so as to allow users to design specific risk scenarios. The web-GIS platform should be open-source and ready to be extended to other hazards such as droughts, forest fires, landslide, etc.
3	Facilitate a workshop with national stakeholders to identify the data that should be integrated in the platform	Data needed for floods EWS identified, including their format and the stakeholders contributing to their availability	List of the data needed for foods EWS to be integrated in the web-based data sharing platform
4	Ensure that key data needed for EWS SOP for floods available in Malawi is visualized in the web-based data sharing platform	Data needed for EWS visualized through the data sharing platform and national stakeholders are contributing to the availability of the data in the platform	Data available in the platform and visible by all key stakeholders Roles of key stakeholders in data sharing and use of the data are identified
5	Ensure granting access for key stakeholders for the use of the open data sharing platform	Use of the platform for data sharing ensure based on the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in the development and application of SOP EWS	Users granted in the platform
6	Train government representatives on the use of open data for EWS SOP in Malawi, including its use for transboundary risk management and linkages with sub-regional level (SADC)	Enhanced capacities of national and local authorities working in EWS to use open data for decision making for the development, update and application of SOPs	Summary report on the training and its outcome, including detailed workplan
7	Provide equipment in key institutions to facilitate the use of the platform at the national level	Enhanced capacities to visualize the data and share information among key institutions	3 laptops delivered to 3 key institutions on the SOP EWS chain in order to facilitate visualization of data by key stakeholders
8	Facilitate a workshop to revise existing warning bulletins at the national level and provide recommendations for the improvement of the bulletins	Recommendations convened with local authorities to improve existing warning bulletins	Facilitate workshop for the revision of existing bulletins Recommendations for the information flow and data needed to warning bulletin Recommendations for the content of the bulletins
9	Provide technical recommendations to SADC on the linkages of EWS and transboundary risk management at sub regional and national level	Enhanced linkages among the EWS at the national and sub-regional level	Report with recommendations to SADC on the linkages of EWS at sub regional and national level
10	Facilitate peer learning exchange with neighboring countries (e.g. Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique) on transboundary risk management, EWS and use of risk information for decision making	Experiences and practices exchanged, and lessons learned capitalized	Report of peer learning exchange on transboundary risk management and EWS
11	Formulate recommendations for further use and improvement of risk profiles for informing DRR policy making, impact based EWS and transboundary risk management	Enhanced capacities to use the risk profiles into decision making with focus on EWS and transboundary risk management	Report with recommendations for further use and improvement of risk profiles for informing DRR policy making, impact based EWSs and Transboundary risk management
13	Develop a how-to guidance on the use of web-based data for EWS for floods in Malawi	Guidance provided to enhance initiatives related to EWS and transboundary risk management	Guidance note on the use of web-based data for EWS for floods in Malawi
14	Provide recommendations and way forward for the sharing and use of data for EWS and transboundary risk management	Priorities for the improvement of EWS identified and convened with national authorities in Malawi and SADC	Roadmap for improvement of EWS in Malawi and SADC
15	Develop final report	Process and lessons learned captured	Final report that includes: Activities and results conducted as part of this project including measures taken to ensure of multi-stakeholder’s engagement (SADC, national and subnational government, UN system, NGO) Summary of roadmap for improvement of EWS in Malawi and SADC Challenges and gaps encountered during the update/development of SOP and the use of web-based platform Recommendations of the use of risk profiles for decision making with focus on EWS and transboundary risk management

F: Resources:

Please list personnel/staff required to undertake the activities, the level required, and the number of days budgeted for individual roles.

G: Elements specific to the project that the potential grantee should be aware of:

The grantee should have a proved track record in working with national governments in the African Region in disaster risk reduction, early warning systems and interinstitutional coordination. Experience in supporting local government with Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities and development of local DRR strategies is an advantage.  It should demonstrate the ability to work well with the national government, sub regional institutions such as SADC, with guidance from UNDRR Regional Office for Africa. 

National government of the target country and SADC should be engaged in all activities conducted and lessons learned should be capitalized. This includes, but not limited to, the national government departments in charge of disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and local governments. The engagement should be extended to SADC and neighbouring countries particularly for the component on transboundary risk management. All coordination with counterparts should be discussed with UNDRR Regional Office for Africa. 

All workshop/consultation/training reports must include a summary outcome of the events, list of participants including names, affiliation, gender, email address, country of representation, and shall be accompanied by photos.  Detailed guideline will be provided by UNDRR Regional Office for Africa. 

Please indicate a plan for implementation taking into consideration challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

H: Budget and administrative-related aspects:

The duration of the proposed project cannot exceed 11 months, with expected completion by mid-2021. The maximum amount requested from UNDRR for the implementation of this project cannot exceed 135 000 USD. The project proposal must not exceed 10 pages (attachments such as scanned copies of entity’s registration, CVs of staff etc. do not count). 

For this purpose, please fill in duly all the sections of the application form, include the required documents (scanned copy of NGO/IGO’s registration certificate, CVs of staff etc.) and budget excel sheets, and send the complete application package (application form, budget excel sheets, entity registration certificate, CVs of staff, etc.) to the following email address: [email protected]

cc:  [email protected]

Reference:  007 Call for Proposals:  Strengthening disaster risk resilience through enhanced coordination mechanisms (Malawi and SADC)

Deadline for applications: 23 August 2020 midnight New York, USA EST (Eastern Standard Time). Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.

Projects’ activities can include, amongst others, the following:

• seminars, workshops, trainings;
• capacity building activities;
• institutional strengthening activities and
• advocacy

The following types of activity will not be covered:

• capital expenditure, e.g. land, buildings, equipment and vehicles;
• individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
• supporting political parties; and
• sub-contracting

Due to the number of applications, only short-listed applicants will be notified.

Please note that the grant payment schedule will be determined with the selected grantee when finalizing the agreement.  UNDRR standard practice is:  not to exceed 40% of the requested amount upon signature of the grant agreement; remaining payments made based on a schedule of payments linked to production of project milestones and the final payment, 20%, will be paid after the end of the project, once final documents have been received, verified and approved by UNDRR.

Refund of grants: UNDRR may request organizations to refund, either in part or in whole any amounts paid in respect of a grant when:

• the project was not implemented in full or in part;
• the grant was spent for ineligible expenditures other than those mentioned in the budget proposal submitted to, and approved by UNDRR;
• no narrative, financial or audit report was submitted within the deadline established by the grant agreement;
• a narrative report and/or a financial report submitted was determined to be unsatisfactory;
• a negative evaluation of the project by UNDRR;
• any other valid reason provided by the UNDRR.