International disaster management institutional specialist

Scope of work

The project coordination and monitoring unit (PCMU) is within the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) as the executing agency for the Flood Damage Emergency Reconstruction Project (FDERP). A small team of individually recruited consultants will be engaged to assist the PCMU with Output 4: Project and Flood Management. This involves monitoring and coordination and oversight of all implementation activities under the Project. The consultants will assist the PCMU with the responsibility of day-to-day operations of the Project including the 3 implementing agencies (IAs) who will implement Output 1: National and Provincial Roads under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT), Output 2: Rural Roads under the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), and Output 3: Irrigation and Flood Control under the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM). In addition, the PCMU will also oversee flood and disaster management work to be undertaken as a part of Output 4 by the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). The consultants will assist PCMU with coordination of the three IAs and ensure that the Project is implemented as planned and within the time schedule. Expertise will be required in project management and implementation, performance monitoring and financial management.

The initial emphasis will be to work closely with the IAs and other stakeholders especially NCDM on the disaster management tasks. The consultants will provide the staff of EA/IAs and NCDM with guidance and on-the-job training and capacity development of disaster management.

Detailed tasks

The Disaster Management Institutional (DMI) Specialist will provide 8 months inputs commencing around June 2012. The DMI will be assigned to work directly with nominated staff in NCDM, under the guidance of the FDERP PCMU, and maintaining close relationships with government project staff of all other concerned agencies (including especially the three IAs).

The specific tasks required are as follows:

• Undertake a review and assessment of the current institutional strengths and weaknesses of the NCDM in relation to its roles and responsibilities, to clearly identify and quantify shortfalls in capacity, taking into account that NCDM is primarily a coordination body rather than an implementation organization.
• With regard to initiatives supporting disaster management in Cambodia, and acknowledging that disaster management must be a multi-agency undertaking, undertake a detailed review of past, ongoing and planned activities and programs, involving NCDM and other line ministries and development partners. This will build a complete picture of efforts to date, and identify the remaining gaps that need to be filled.
• Explore the possibility of utilizing flood emergency simulation exercises with the NDMC to test existing arrangements and, where possible, implement selected flood emergency simulation exercises with NDMC and conduct after-action assessments, with management staff of NCDM, to identify priority institutional development needs.
• Based on the above analysis, and in consultation with management staff of NCDM, develop a long term framework to progressively build NCDM’s institutional capacity (from the central to the local level), as well as an immediate to medium term action plan. This should include identifying and prioritizing the key training needs for current staff.
• Review the current status of the policy and legal framework to support NCDM’s mandate and recommend possible ways that it might be strengthened, including additional assistance required to process the Law on Disaster Management, and highlight its linkages to climate change.
• With regards to community-based interventions to reduce vulnerability of at-risk communities to flood risks, assist NCDM to build a strategic framework for coordinating these activities. This includes defining the activities needed to develop a knowledge base for this work, and undertaking training activities for staff. It is expected that NCDM will take a lead role for coordinating these activities, which at present appear to carried out without the direct involvement of NCDM.
• Based on the above, assist the RGC and ADB to develop and design further assistance packages that may be implemented under separate funding. Subject to the findings of the above analysis and consultations with the respective stakeholders, it is envisaged that proposals will comprise support for institutional strengthening and staff capacity building within NCDM and its provincial and district offices, as well as support for community-based flood risk management (CBFRM) activities to be implemented under service contracts with suitable NGOs or organizations with specific skills in this area and with strong networks to sub-national NGOs to implement the actual capacity development activities.
• Training and simulation exercises: in the course of undertaking the above tasks, ensure that selected counterpart staff of NCDM are closely involved to provide on-the-job training and capacity development. In addition, implement basic staff training that can be done in advance of larger programs under follow-up assistance. Where possible, after-action assessments of simulation exercises will be used to design specific follow-up actions to strengthen processes and individual capabilities. Additional assistance should include data management and reporting, focusing particularly on rapid collection, recording and analysis of data immediately after disasters.
• Assist NCDM establish clear communication and dissemination procedures during emergency events for communication within the NDMC, related organizations, with the media, and with the concerned public.
• Under the guidance of the PCMU, participate in and assist with ADB review missions, and in the preparation, design, and processing of further assistance projects/programs.

Output/reporting requirements:

The DMI Specialist will advise and assist the PCMU and NCDM to assess the current institutional strengths and weaknesses of the NCDM in relation to its roles and responsibilities and assist NCDM to establish clear roles and responsibilities, communication and dissemination procedure during emergency events. The DMI Specialist will work in collaboration with the PCMU to assist with the overall coordination of all three sectors, and will maintain close relationships with government project staff and concerned agencies under direct supervision of the project team leader.

Qualifications and restrictions:

The Disaster Management Institutional (DMI) Specialist will have a strong background in disaster management with demonstrable skills in coordination, consultation, and participatory processes. He/she will have a strong disaster management background with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the disaster management and preferably experience with the disaster management. DMI Specialist should have a post-graduate degree, with proven managerial skills, and at least 10 years experience of the disaster management and related field.