Result of Service

Implementing a training of trainers program on disaster risk reduction using the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities methodology in the Caribbean. This includes supporting national and local representatives, conducting local implementations in four CARICOM countries, and developing policy recommendations for draft local strategies addressing displacement and multi-hazard early warning systems with a focus on human security.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background Created 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), UNDRR has over 140 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, 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. The Caribbean region is highly susceptible to hydro-meteorological hazards, including hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rainfall, and flooding. This vulnerability is exacerbated by its geographical location, spanning the hurricane belt, and the socio-economic factors of the region, including densely populated coastal areas and reliance on agriculture and tourism. Climate change intensifies these risks by increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and changing precipitation patterns. These factors combine to create a complex disaster risk profile that requires robust and proactive management strategies to protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure. In the 2021 Regional Assessment Report (RAR), UNDRR noted that “maintaining momentum towards advancing in the coherence among the international frameworks and targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement for Climate Change will be the main challenge of this decade”. Added to this challenge, within the Caribbean region, some countries have not fully embraced migration as an adaptation strategy, as revealed from the application of the assessment tool. Interestingly, the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in the region raised concerns about the likely increase in rural-urban migration due to climate change impacts and environmental degradation. This therefore lends strength to intervention by the UNDRR “Making Cities Resilient 2030 Initiative,” which has provided support to governments in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Furthermore, based on the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative’s experience (MCR2030), the existence of local governments involvement in the activities allows for local ownership as they oftentimes have the legislative support and can access resources for fulfilling their mandates. Similarly, local authorities possess the convening power for multi-stakeholder engagement within their jurisdictions. In this perspective, a Joint Programme on “Promoting a Human Security Approach to Disaster Displacement, Environmental Migration, and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Caribbean Region” is being implemented by International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNDRR in the framework of a United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) project. The programme aims to enhance disaster risk management systems and capacities, to support adaptation to the effects of climate-induced displacement and migration, with a people-centred approach. The programme also builds awareness among local, national and regional stakeholders about the human security approach to address issues related to human mobility, climate change, and disasters in the Caribbean Region. The countries slated to benefit are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. In the framework of this Joint Programme, UNDRR is in charge of the following output (1.2): Stronger integration of human mobility and human security in climate and disaster risk reduction and management and multi-hazard early warning plans and strategies complemented by the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities application. The UNDRR Office developed the “Disaster Resilience Scorecard” tool as a proposal to assess resilience governance and review progress and challenges in implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction at the subnational and local levels. To address the complexity of systemic risk, the Scorecard is structured around the 10 Essential for Making Resilient Cities: 1. Organize for disaster resilience; 2. Identify, understand, and use current and future risk scenarios; 3. Strengthen financial capacity for resilience; 4. Pursue resilient urban development and design; 5. Safeguard Natural Buffers to Enhance the Protective Functions Offered by Natural Ecosystems; 6. Strengthen Institutional Capacity for Resilience; 7. Understand and Strengthen Societal Capacity for Resilience; 8. Increase Infrastructure Resilience; 9. Ensure Effective Preparedness and Disaster Response; and 10. Expedite recovery and build back better. All this enables a holistic approach to resilience under a clustered structure of governance, integrated planning and response planning. The implementation of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities complements the human security frameworks by demonstrating its capacity to address human security threats, guided by the principles of the human security approach. The implementation of the tool is founded upon a participatory methodology. In these collaborative sessions, UNDRR engage officials from various departments encompassing urban development, civil protection, security, environment, finance, and planning along with personnel from the mayor’s office. Additionally, representatives from civil organizations, the private sector, and academia are included illustrating principles of people-centered, comprehensive partnership, and supporting empowerment. Implementing through a participatory process facilitates a comprehensive analysis of resilience across various levels of local governance. Thus, this process facilitates structured discussions centered around indicators aimed at comprehending and establishing a baseline for territorial resilience which will support context-specific planning and solutions. As a result, the scorecard application enables the creation of comprehensive action proposals, yielding validated results endorsed by multiple stakeholders. Ultimately, this leads to a self-assessment reflected in a score, the identification of gaps, and opportunities for territorial enhancement upon the activity’s conclusion (Comprehensive). By prioritizing activities, responsibilities, timelines, and budget allocation, the tool serves as a cornerstone for the formulation of Action Plans that are coherent and prevention-oriented. In other words, the implementation of the Scorecard can serve as a vehicle to promote the values of the Human Security Approach, as it identifies the needs, vulnerabilities, capacities, and action prioritization to improve the local resilience. Moreover, of importance, it enables the validation of outcomes within local action plans. Additionally, the Scorecard Tool can be a valuable tool to contribute to Phases 1 and 3 of the Human Security Approach to reach local settlements. As it relates to Phase 1 of the human security implementation programming, Analysis, Mapping and Planning, Countries and Territories implementing the tool under Output 1.2 will have the necessary inputs to develop a coherent, participatory Action Plan with a temporal projection and indicators linked to the fulfilment of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Likewise, the Rapid Assessment required under Phase 3 of human security programme will be demonstrated in the application and results of the tool where the quantitative indicators allows for a final evaluation to gauge progress between both applications. In addressing distinct requirements, UNDRR and its partners have created Addenda. These tools follow the same methodology but target specific resilience aspects. They aim to strengthen the analysis of specific areas of resilience: health, gender equity, inclusion, climate resilience, food security systems or, as in the case of this project proposal, we have pinpointed the addenda associated with Disaster Displacement and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) that are supportive of the dimensions of human security. This tool provides tailored recommendations for the inclusion of displacement considerations in the development of local strategies for disaster risk reduction. As a means of strengthening awareness and building capacity, sessions on averting, minimizing, and addressing displacement due to climate change and disasters will be incorporated into training events. An effective early warning system (EWS) that is people-centered and end-to-end provides interconnected benefits that help people live free from fear, free from want, and to live in dignity. The programme will therefore create avenues to provide policy recommendations for the integration of human security, displacement and MHEWS in local strategies for disaster risk reduction to selected countries (noting budget limitations). A recent report noted that “half of countries globally still do not have early warning systems and regulatory frameworks to link early warnings to emergency plans… coverage is worst for developing countries on the front lines of climate change including Small Island Developing States (SIDS)” (WMO, 2022). In an effort to address this gap in last mile coverage and to ensure no-one is left behind, the Executive Action Plan for the Early Warnings for All initiative was launched at COP27. The push to have early warnings for all is underscored by the fact that “increasing calamities cost lives and hundreds of billions of dollars in loss and damage… three times more people are displaced by climate disasters than war and half of humanity is already in the danger zone” (UN Secretary General, 2022). The Caribbean region has led the way with the world’s first regional launch of the Early Warnings For All Initiative. Duties and Responsibilities Provide support to UNDRR on the implementation of the Joint Programme (IOM-UNDRR) on Promoting a Human Security Approach to Disaster Displacement, Environmental Migration, and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Caribbean Region, where needed, but notably on the: – Development of a training of trainers (ToT) programme aiming to structure the design of local strategies for disasters risk reduction, using the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities methodology, and its Addendums for Displacement and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, with the human security approach considering gender and disability needs. – Support on the Implementation of the ToT to national and local representatives of the 12 beneficiary Countries and Territories on the application of the scorecard. The training of trainers will target representatives from different sectors, including among others: urban development, disaster risk management, social development, environment, security, education, finance and planning, gender and disability inclusion, civil society organizations and academia. – Provide support to at least four local implementations of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities methodology, and its Addendums for Displacement and Multi- Hazard Early Warning Systems, with the human security approach considering gender and disability needs, in selected districts of at least four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries in close collaboration with national and local representatives previously trained. Following the ToT exercise, the UNDRR will work with 4 local communities identified through the collaboration with National Focal points such as the Disaster Offices and Local Government Offices. At this level, a further demonstration can be provided on the HSA and the benefit of putting the individual as the referent point for security and importantly fostering inclusion and empowerment of the affected population at the local level. – Support on the development of policy recommendations to be included in the form of a draft of a local strategy for disaster risk reduction, for the selected districts (at least four). The recommendations will ensure that the local plan will address displacement and MHEWS considering the human security approach, gender and disability needs. The recommendations put forward will also include input from local community representatives.

Qualifications/special skills

Master’s degree in disaster risk reduction, climate change, sustainable development, environmental science, or other related areas is required. A first-level university degree in combination with a minimum of 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. At least four (4) years of experience in disaster risk reduction is required. Experience with international, regional, national stakeholders in areas of disaster risk management, climate change, early warning systems, or identification of vulnerabilities and exposures is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English is required for this consultancy. Knowledge of Spanish or French is desirable.

Additional Information

Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted. *FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY*. UNDRR values diversity among its staff. We welcome applications from qualified women, men, and people with disabilities.

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.