Consultant (Analysis of local government self assessments)

Vacancy ISDR/C/30/2012

United Nations Core Values:

Integrity ● Professionalism ● Respect for diversity

Background

Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR has around 100 staff located in its HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, and 5 regional offices and other field presences. Specifically, UNISDR coordinates international efforts in disaster risk reduction, and guides, monitors and reports on the progress of the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action; campaigns to create global awareness of disaster risk reduction benefits and empower people to reduce their vulnerability to hazards; advocates for greater investments in disaster risk reduction to protect people's lives and assets, and for increased and informed participation of men and women in reducing disaster risk; and informs and connects people by providing practical services and tools such as Prevention Web, publications on good practices, and by leading the preparation of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction and the organisation of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Making Cities Resilient: 'My City is getting ready!' campaign, launched in May 2010, addresses issues of local governance and urban risk.

The objectives of the Campaign are to support sustainable urbanization by promoting resilience activities, increasing local level understanding of disaster risk, and encouraging commitments by local and national governments to make disaster risk reduction and climate change a policy priority and bring the global Hyogo Framework for Action closer to local needs.

The Campaign is guided by three central themes: Know more, Invest wiser, and Build safer. These have formed the basis for the development and deployment of practical tools and resources to help support and empower local governments to build their resilience to disasters and are based on the five priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Context:

To assist local governments in assessing their progress in disaster risk reduction efforts, UNISDR and its partners developed an online tool named, Local HFA: Local Government Self-Assessment Tool2. It is the newest in a series of tools for measuring the progress of nations and communities towards meeting the objectives of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), which is the world’s only universally-accepted guide for reducing disaster risk.

This Self Assessment Tool is an important element of UNISDR’s work with Local and National governments.

Using the Local Government Self-Assessment Tool helps to set baselines, identify gaps, plan actions and have comparable data across local governments, within the country and globally, to measure advancements over time. By using this universal tool, through a multi-stakeholder approach, cities and local governments can argue for priority setting and budget allocations within its administration and with the national government.

The online tool is hosted on the website www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/hfa-monitoring . At the end of each assessment, local governments will have enough information to map and understand existing gaps and challenges in disaster risk reduction in their locality and set a baseline and develop a status report on their progress in fulfilling the Ten Essentials for making cities disaster resilient. Local Governments would also benefit from interactions with their national government in cases where the national government has undergone a similar review using the National HFA Monitor.

Tasks:

Since the launch of the First Cycle of Local HFA in 2012 many Local Governments have conducted their Self Assessments. UNISDR now envisages the need of analyzing these assessments in preparation for the 2013 Global Platformto highlight the progress made and the gaps that need to be addressed. In lieu of the above, the consultant under the supervision of Chief of Advocacy and Outreach Section and Programme Officer of UNISDR Campaign team will be responsible for the following tasks:

I. Assist in inputting the offline self assessments to the online tool.
II. Conduct in-depth analysis of the self assessment reports submitted by the Local Governments.
III. Identify messages and best practices from the Self Assessment reports which could be highlighted at the 2013 Global Platform and in other UNISDR publications.

Outputs:

The consultant will submit the following deliverables:

I. Analytical report on the First Cycle of Local Government Self Assessments.
II. Annex report on best practices of Local Governments in the implementations of Ten Essentials.
III. Develop a data visualization tool for easy access and understanding of the analysis.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to disaster risk reduction or related fields. Proven analytical skills in carrying out literature reviews and data analyses.

Education: Advanced degree in Statistics, disaster risk management and reduction, economics, natural resource management, environmental studies or other related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work experience: A minimum of seven years relevant work experience in Research and Analysis, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, development planning. Previous experience of data analysis, research would be an added advantage. Familiarity with global policy frameworks and agreements related to development.

Languages: Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Other desirable skills: Excellent computer skills (word-processing, spread sheets for chart and data analysis).