Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organisation established by and comprised of its 192-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

Addressing the climate crisis is an institutional priority, identified both in IFRC’s Plan and Budget 2021-2025, as well as its Strategy 2030. It is also is part of IFRC’s targets to implement the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations, specifically to support 250 million people in addressing rising climate risks and make all our programmes and operations climate-smart by 2025.

This target includes two key dimensions of work:

• Ensuring all programmes and operations are climate-smart, or use climate information across timescales (both short-term weather and seasonal forecasts; and long-term climate projections) in designing and/or adjusting activities
• Implementing and scaling-up locally-led climate change adaptation actions which are specifically designed from the beginning to focus on and address climate risks now and in the future

To deliver on these commitments, IFRC developed a Global Climate Resilience Programme, which includes four programmatic pillars:

• Scale up climate-smart DRR, early action and preparedness
• Reduce health impact of climate change
• Address climate displacement
• Enable climate-resilient livelihoods and ecosystem services

Job Purpose

In July 2022, IFRC signed a grant agreement with USAID to provide support for the programme entitled ‘’Scaling Up Locally-Led Adaptation and Transforming Humanitarian Responses to Climate Change’’ which is being implemented in 3 countries in the African continent and 3 in the Asia Pacific region.

The overall aim of this project is to support communities to reduce climate-related risks and adapt to climate change, including in some of the least supported and most vulnerable and marginalized communities. The programme will focus on scaling up locally-led, integrated and multi-sectoral approaches which can help build sustained climate resilience at the community level. It will introduce a new, holistic approach to ensure transformational change across target National Societies’ institutional set-up, programmes and operations, ensuring they become truly ‘climate-smart’ and scale up proven, evidence-based climate change adaptation efforts.

• Objective 1: Support National Societies to increase their ambition and capacity to address changing climate risks and help communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change
• Objective 2: Enable the implementation of locally-led action in vulnerable communities to reduce risks from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events
• Objective 3: Leverage this grant for increased access to finance for National Societies’ climate plans and ambitions

This consultancy is part of a broader initiative launched through this programme, which will develop thematic Climate Action Frameworks for the following areas:

• Early Warning and Anticipatory Action
• Health (incl. WASH)
• Displacement
• Climate-resilient livelihoods and ecosystems (incl. one on food security and livelihoods; one on nature-based solutions)

In addition, an overall operational framework that ties the 4 pillars strategically together will be developed.

The IFRC Membership implements food security and livelihood (FSL) related interventions in emergency operations as well as recovery and longer-term programmes. A theory of change for FSL programming is currently under development and promotes more coherent, integrated, and innovative approaches for the IFRC Membership. It places FSL as key to outcomes related to climate, community resilience, household risk management, and access to services and how these contribute to overall wellbeing.

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a thematic Climate Action Framework for Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) that defines the climate-related niche, strategic priorities, objectives, and broad intervention areas for the IFRC Secretariat and National Societies. It will be aligned to the global FSL priorities and strategic approach currently being developed by IFRC and to the comparative advantage and added value of the network in FSL actions. A proposed outline is provided in Annex 1.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

1. Secondary data review of key documents on the topic from the IFRC network and of key external literature on climate change adaptation, food security and livelihoods.
2. Interviews with internal and external key informants.
3. First draft outline of the thematic Climate Action Operational Framework on food security and livelihoods.
4. Revised draft of the thematic Climate Action Operational Framework of 5-7 pages.

Management

The consultant(s) will report to the Senior Officer – Food Security, Resilient Livelihoods, and Social Protection with oversight from the Lead, Climate and Resilience. The consultant will closely collaborate with the Climate Change Adaptation project manager. Work will be done remotely.

Proposed Approach and Deliverables

The consultancy assignment will require the review of secondary data and interviews with key resource persons within and outside the IFRC network. Deliverables will include a workplan and a first and a final revised draft of the thematic operational framework (5-7 pages).

Timeframe and Budget

Approximately 15 days in the period between May 2023 and July 2023. The total budget allocated to this consultancy assignment is CHF 7,500.

Position Requirements

Education

Required

• University degree in food security and livelihoods, agriculture, climate change adaptation or any other field relevant to the assignment.

Experience

Required

• Minimum of 10 years’ programmatic, operational, and strategic experience in climate change in the context of food security and livelihoods, with a strong focus on agricultural livelihoods.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, planning, and managing climate-focused food security and livelihood programmes or projects.
• Good experience in developing practical guidance, frameworks, or other operational documents.

Preferred

• Strong experience with Red Cross Red Crescent-National Societies.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Fluently spoken and written English.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to work and coordinate with various stakeholders.
• Proactive, self-starter that can work with minimal oversight.

Preferred

• Fluently spoken and written English French and Spanish.

Competencies, and Values

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.