Consultant

Vacancy number: ISDR/C/35/2009

Background

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) is a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder platform to enable societies to increase their resilience to natural, technological and environmental disasters and to reduce associated environmental, human, economic and social losses. A range of United Nations organizations and international partners participate in cooperation with Governments and civil society organizations.

The implementation of the ISDR is supported by a secretariat lead by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. The secretariat main functions are policy coordination, advocacy and information management, at the international and regional levels, to ensure synergy between disaster reduction strategies and those in the socio-economic and humanitarian fields.

In January 2005, the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR, 18-22 January 2005, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan) adopted the Hyogo Declaration and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters adopted at the WCDR.

The Hyogo Framework is the essential guide for implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction in the coming years and it constitutes an unprecedented conceptual shift that takes account of the complexity of action in disaster risk reduction and the large variety of actors whose inputs are required in the pursuit of this objective. It provides the basic concepts and prescribes and expected outcome; details three strategic goals for disaster risk reduction and a set of five priority areas for action; and assigns tasks to stakeholders at different operational levels to reach the expected outcome.

Priority one of the Hyogo Framework for Action emphasizes the need to “ensure that disaster risk reduction (DRR) is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation”. It further recommends establishing “DRR institutional mechanisms (national platforms) with designated responsibilities” as well as “legislation to support DRR” and to make “DRR part of development policies and planning, sector wise and multi-sector”.

Since the mid 90’s, African countries began to develop multi-stakeholder national coordination mechanisms for disaster management and response, the first being Ethiopia (1995) and Mozambique (1999). Since the establishment of the UNISDR regional Office for Africa in 2002, 23 African countries have established multi-stakeholder national coordination mechanisms, which focus on disaster risk reduction rather than on disaster response and relief. These are often referred to as national platforms for disaster risk reduction

The government of Cape Verde has requested UNISDR to provide support in the development of an action plan for their National Platform for DRR. This will take into account, the geographical nature of the country, which is divided into different islands. This plan aims at providing strategic direction to the national counterparts in their efforts, in preparation for an annual meeting in early 2010 when the plan will be discussed and endorsed.


Duties and responsabilities

Under the supervision of the Coordinator of the UNISDR Regional Office for Africa, the Programme Officer in charge of the project within the UNISDR and UNDP offices, and in close collaboration with the National Service of the Civil Protection, Ministry of Defence in Cape Verde, the consultant will:
1. Carry out a brief overview of the national context and the general environment for DRR in Cape Verde (hazards, disasters, institutional set-up of the National Platform for DRR, stakeholders, main current initiatives).
2. Update the analysis of the National Platform progress in implementing the Hyogo for Action and, if necessary, make recommendations to improve its functioning. These recommendations should be integrated into the final action plan.
3. Carry out an analysis and inventory of existing national legislations, plans and programmes, as well as any programmatic and assistance documents of United Nations Agencies and other agencies that should serve as a basis for the action plan for disaster risk reduction.
4. Ensure that the action plan for the National Platform for DRR aims at reaching the overall objective of the Hyogo Framework for Action and the ECOWAS Programme for Action on DRR. The set of activities planned should foster multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral partnership in line with the recommendations made at the launch of the National Platform in 2007.
5. Propose a budget and identify the status of investments as well as opportunities for mobilizing resources.

Timeframe of the consultation:
-List existing national legislations, sectoral plans and programmes in favor of DRR (within 1 week after the starting date).
-Provide an outline of the action plan (within two weeks after staring date).
-Draft action plan submitted to National Platform focal points on at the annual meeting (within three weeks after starting date).
-Final action plan – before completion of consultancy

Competencies

Professionalism:
-Ability to respond to changing requirements and assignments given. Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks.

Planning and organizing:
-Effective organizational skills and ability to establish priorities and to plan, co-ordinate and monitor own work plan.

Communication:
-Good communication speaks and writes clearly and effectively.
-Demonstrates openness in sharing information with others and keeping people informed.

Education/experience/language

Education:
Advanced university degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in development studies, social sciences, environmental sciences or other related field.

Work experience:
-Minimum 8 years work experience working with disaster risk reduction or related fields.
-Experience in Africa and in particular in the Cape Verde context required.

Languages:
-Fluency in spoken and written Portuguese, French and English is required.
-Working knowledge of Spanish is an added advantage.