Result of Service

The ultimate result of service for this consultancy is as follows:
i. Technical discussion and training provided to all relevant sector and local level organization on damage and loss data collection, impact analysis
ii. Climate and disaster related data systems are to be institutionalized by development standards, guidance, detailing roles, responsibilities and proposing a standard operating procedure to guide all data-related processes.
iii. Provide technical advice to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Statistical Offices and other government partners regarding global and regional relevant guidance and standards on comprehensive risk assessment, damage and loss data management, SDGs and Sendai Framework Monitor and progress reporting, disaster-related statistics, etc.

The consultant will work in Male, Maldives under the guidance of and close coordination with UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and UNDP and will report to the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP).

Work Location

Male, Maldives

Expected duration

15 Aug- 31 Oct 2023

Duties and Responsibilities

Established in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG/ASG). UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with UN Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community.

Maldives context
In addition to obstacles common to other small island developing states (SIDS), Maldives’ major development challenges centre on the issues of inclusiveness, resilience to climate and disaster risks, and environmental sustainability. The social and economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in a tourism-dependent economy could derail years of national efforts to achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

The Maldives’ weather variability, hazard risks and vulnerabilities associated with development pathways have pushed the Maldives to be concerned about climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in all aspects of its development. Accordingly, there is a high degree of awareness of the need for an integrated approach to implementing the 2030 Agenda and many steps have already been taken. In February 2020, UNDRR in collaboration with the 2030 climate and DRR coherence initiative partners, especially United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organized a scoping mission to Maldives to assess needs and entry points to support more integrated approaches to climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR).

The mission highlighted opportunities to enhance coherence on DRR and CCA strategic planning and implementation through coordination strengthening, technical advice for climate and disaster resilient infrastructure planning, technical assistance on risk and damage and loss information management and capacity development. Data challenges have been continuously highlighted by government institutions and development partners. The lack of baseline data, the inaccessibility and remoteness of some of the islands and atolls, and insufficient capacity to collect, produce, sustain, share and apply quality climate and disaster-related data are proving to be obstacles to better understanding the Maldives risk and disaster profile as well as tracking its progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sendai Framework and climate change adaptation related commitments and strategies.

In regards to disaster damage and loss information, investments have been made in enhancing the capacities to collect data on the effects of disasters events with a DesInventar-based disaster loss data system established at NDMA in the past. However, challenges remain in sustaining information systems, enhancing quality of the data collected, assessing disruptions to services and livelihoods, and estimating economic losses from disasters and climate change processes. These gaps impact on the government’s ability to understand how different events and processes are impacting livelihoods, well-being and opportunities of different groups, social services access, infrastructure systems and economic sectors.

In regards to the future climate and disaster risk information, despite past and current investments by government, and partners in detailed urban risk analysis and climate risk profiling, several stakeholders report challenges in assessing multi-hazard vulnerabilities on a dynamic manner, assessing the risk from events with compounding and cascading impacts, and especially ensuring that disaster risk information, climate change projections, socio-economic vulnerability information and related datasets are being utilized to drive planning decisions, including land-use, sector and development planning.

Understanding risk is the first priority for action stated in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). Recognizing many countries lack the means to assess and manage escalating risks in a holistic and integrated manner: they lack a risk assessment approach that allows them to understand the systemic nature of risk. As the United Nations focal point agency for disaster risk reduction, UNDRR has designed the Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) as a long-term initiative aiming to improve risk information for more resilient development and humanitarian decision making across sectors and scales by enhancing access to data, including hazard, vulnerability and exposure data relating to complex climate futures; deploying innovation to enable specialized analytics, strengthening capacities to apply information in decision making and scaling up investments in risk reduction.

UNDRR and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in consultations with key members from Technical Expert Group on Comprehensive Risk Management (TEG-CRM) of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) have developed technical guidance on comprehensive risk assessment and planning in the context of climate change. Available guidance and upcoming training packages are aimed at providing orientation on how risks in the context of climate change can be comprehensively and systemically addressed through in risk assessments as well as decision-making and planning by integrating perspectives and approaches from DRR and Climate Change Adaptation CCA while simultaneously linking to other goals and targets (such as the SDGs). Technical assistance to apply this guidance will be provided to Maldives government and partners to enhance risk assessment process and information uptake in planning.

Through this consultancy, UNDRR in partnership with UNDP intends to strengthen national capacities to collect, manage and apply climate and disaster risk information, both damage and loss as well as future risk information comprehending all dimensions of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacities.

The consultant will support the government in applying climate and disaster loss and damage information for monitoring their progress in reducing disaster risk and losses, and reporting on their progress towards international commitments on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk reduction through the Sendai Framework Monitor.

The consultant will support in assessing more closely capacities and governance systems for climate and disaster risk assessment, analysis and application for decision-making with the view on identifying opportunities to further strengthen the risk data ecosystem and identifying needs to risk-inform planning and decision-making.

The consultant will based in Male, Maldives and will report to the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Qualifications/special skills

– Advanced university degree in risk analysis and management, statistics, information management, epidemiology, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
– Minimum 3 years’ relevant experience in data and information management, data analysis and statistics, research, public health, epidemiology, adaptation and/or resilience is required.
– Experience in climate and disaster risk assessment, post-disaster damage and loss, impact assessment is desirable.
– Substantive experience in developing data collection templates and tools, guiding data analysis, designing training materials and guidance for data management is desirable.
– Experience with the international monitoring framework such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework Monitor and other international relevant reporting and monitoring mechanisms is desirable.
– The applicants should be based in Male, Maldives.

Languages

Fluency of English and Maldivian is required.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.