Individual contractor to support further development of a regional framework for disaster risk reduction in the Arab States region

Background

In the Arab region, the League of Arab States (LAS) is taking the lead in promoting the integration of disaster risk reduction in key regional policies on climate change, environment and disaster management coordination mechanisms. It also supports and calls for the implementation of HFA at the regional and national levels and promotes the coordination of efforts towards implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

A major achievement and milestone to set up a comprehensive regional framework for disaster risk reduction was the development and adoption of the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020 (ASDRR 2020). The Strategy was developed by the League of Arab States and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction secretariat (UNISDR) in collaboration with specialised ISDR agencies, and adopted on 19 December 2010 by the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE). It was submitted thereafter to the 2nd Arab Summit on Socio-Economic Development held in Egypt in January 2011, where it was welcomed. The final endorsement of the Strategy took place during the 88th meeting of the Economic and Social Council of the League of Arab States in September 2011.

With the adoption of the Arab Strategy disaster risk and related risk reduction has for the first time been recognized as a challenge threatening the development and well-being of this region and its populations. It is a very significant development to further investments to build resilience and reduce current and future losses due to the adverse effects of hydro-meteorological and geological hazards.

To move from strategy to action and consistent with CAMRE’s request, the ASDRR requests the development of a comprehensive Programme of Action “to enhance institutional and coordination mechanisms, and monitoring arrangements to support the implementation of the Strategy at the regional, national and local level.”

The UNISDR Regional Office for Arab States (UNISDR ROAS) in continued cooperation with ISDR partners working in the Arab States has been supporting the League of Arab States in preparing the an implementation matrix as the backbone of ASDRR 2020 Programme of Action.

Purpose

UNISDR - Regional Office for Arab States is seeking an individual contractor to support further development of a regional framework for disaster risk reduction in the Arab States. The incumbent will support UNISDR’s Regional Office for Arab States in its lead to develop the Arab Strategy’s Programme of Action, including its adoption at a Regional Technical Meeting planned to be held in 2012 in the region.

The individual contractor will provide substantial support to prepare related documents and meetings and ensure follow up to the decisions taken.

Tasks

- Provide support to integrate ISDR partner comments in the current version of the Arab Strategy’s Programme of Action
- Undertake background research and compile short/ 2-pager related briefing notes to improve the current version of the Arab Strategy’s Programme of Action. This implies review of global, regional and possibly national DRR targets and indicators in light of their relevance for the Arab region (and in relation to HFA Progress Review results regionally and nationally) and review of national HFA progress reports.
- Undertake background research to review and document as needed the approach/ methodology and technical outputs of other regional processes leading to the adoption of Regional DRR frameworks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Summarise other approaches in an easy-to-use way to inform the similar process in the Arab region. This includes analysis to propose what should be replicated in the Arab region
- Assist in providing appropriate follow up to the partners meeting in particular to amend the Programme of Action and related documents to integrate decisions taken at the meeting. This may imply to carry out additional research.
- Review other Plans of Actions developed regionally by League of Arab States such as the Climate change Plan of Action and the Arab Plan for Sustainable Development to align the DRR Programme of Action with other acceptable/agreed upon models and regional frameworks.
- Assist UNISDR ROAS staff in preparing the Regional Technical Meeting to discuss the Arab Strategy’s Programme of Action scheduled to take place in early 2012.
- If needed/ requested by UNISDR ROAS, participate in the Regional Technical Meeting and provide programmatic and logistical support to the meeting as necessary. This includes meeting documentation.
- Provide appropriate follow up support to continue refining and developing the Arab Strategy’s Programme of Action until March 2012, to include inputs received at the Regional Technical Meeting, incorporate additional comments to consolidate the final draft.
- Provide any further support as requested by UNISDR ROAS to help in setting up a comprehensive regional DRR mechanism including a sound programme for building resilience to disasters in line with the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for Action and other relevant frameworks.

Please refer to the full job description for more details.

Expected deliverables

- Fact sheets prepared to display global and regional general and sectoral disaster risk reduction targets and indicators adopted at Global and Regional Platform meetings and any other relevant sub-regional and national meetings.
- Analysis provided and documented of global and other regional commitments in view of their applicability for the Arab region.
- Mapping the results of HFA progress review nationally and regionally (and any other DRR relevant reviews done by partners or by UNISDR) to the expected outputs from the Programme of Action of the Arab Strategy for DRR to ensure that gaps and challenges identified in the progress review are being addressed in the Programme of Action.
- Concrete inputs provided, including their written incorporation in existing and new working documents, to improve the current version of the Arab Strategy for DRR’s Programme of Action
- Support provided to UNISDR ROAS office to organise and as necessary co-facilitate regional consultations including its working groups and related reporting and follow up
- Inputs and observations by ISDR partners and Member States regularly and timely incorporated in new versions of the Programme of Action, including necessary follow up action with stakeholders
- AOB to be discussed with the consultant
- Above mentioned deliverables will be provided in a timely manner following a schedule to be discussed between the consultant and UNISDR at the beginning of the consultancy. Additional ad hoc requests will be integrated and thus request certain flexibility of the consultant, which is a pre-condition for taking up this assignment.

Qualifications

- Masters or PhD or equivalent experience (of minimum 5 years) in a discipline relevant to development, environmental affairs and/or disaster risk reduction.
- Excellent analytical and writing skills with track record of research experience and ability to produce professional quality products in time.
- Very good knowledge and understanding of the Hyogo Framework for Action and knowledge of regional DRR mechanisms and frameworks and the related reporting requirements.
- Good knowledge of the status of DRR in wide cross-section of countries in the Arab region, preferably with field experience in the implementation of complex multi-disciplinary institutional capacity development programmes for DRR involving national governments, civil society, and international organizations.
- Excellent inter-personal skills and openness and tolerance to cultural diversity
- Fluency in English is required and knowledge of Arabic and/or French and Spanish is an asset.