Climate and Disaster-Resilient Development Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Established in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the UN system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the UN and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. 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.

The UNV will be supporting the UNDRR Work area on the new Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative mainly in Lao PDR and occasionally, if required in Cambodia.

The CREWS initiative is a mechanism that funds Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for risk informed early warning services, implemented by 3 partners (UNDRR, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and World Bank (WB)), based on clear operational procedures. CREWS success is measured in the reduction of lives and livelihoods lost to extreme climate events (SDGs and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction) and contributes to the action agenda of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Approved in July 2021, the CREWS Cambodia and Lao PDR project aims to strengthen capacities at national and regional level to provide Hydromet, early warning and response services to ensure that vulnerable populations in Cambodia and Lao PDR are reached through effective and inclusive risk-informed early warning services. Enhanced access to effective early action - early warning services is expected to contribute to enhance climate change adaptive capacities and strengthen climate and disaster resilience.

The project titled “Reinforcing the capacities of meteorological and hydrological services and enhancing the early warning systems in Cambodia and Lao PDR” is implemented jointly by the WMO, WB, and UNDRR. The project has been designed around the four elements of an EWS and based on a consultative process with EWS stakeholders including, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), National Disaster Management Organizations (NDMOs), UN Country Teams, sub-national governments, civil society organizations, private sector entities, and other relevant sector departments, stakeholders, actors/experts. Project actions have been categorized into five broad outcomes (composed of a set of country-driven activities), namely: (i) strengthening governance mechanism and creating an enabling environment, (ii) enhancing capacity of NMHSs to provide forecasts and warnings, (iii) strengthening information and communication technology of the national services, (iv) enhanced preparedness and response capability and (v) improved integration of gender and disability inclusiveness across the EWS value chain.

The UN Country Team in Lao PDR has recently completed the development of the Lao PDR-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022-2026), which sets the scope for the UN’s development work over the coming 5 years. This includes a dedicated results group on Environment, Climate Change, and Resilience to support integrated and coordinated UN engagement in these national priority areas.

Under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer (ROAP) and in close collaboration with the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Lao PDR as the host entity, the UN Volunteer will have two main roles: (1) support project design, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of UNDRR in Lao PDR and (2) support UNDRR’s leadership role in the Resilience joint output of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022-2025) and provide technical coordination and assistance to the UN Development System on climate-resilient development.

The UN Volunteer will be based in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Lao PDR, which will provide office infrastructure.

Tasks include:

1. Support project design, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of UNDRR mainly in Lao PDR and occasionally, if required, in Cambodia.

• Support activity design, planning and implementation for the Cambodia – Lao PDR CREWS (Climate risk and early warning systems) funded project “Reinforcing the capacities of meteorological and hydrological services and enhancing the early warning systems in Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR)”;
• Support project monitoring and evaluation, by ensuring engagement of project partners and stakeholders, keeping abreast project focal points from government side on activity plans, progress and any challenges in implementation;
• Support project governance bodies (steering committee, technical committee) by consolidating and systematizing information from assessments findings, stakeholder consultations and consultancy/technical advisory documents;
• Ensure daily follow up of country implementing partners’ activities (including grants, agreements and contracts), collect and organize information for project monitoring, implementation progress report and donor reporting;
• Ensure liaison with UNCT result group and project implementing partners for designing activities which build into existing initiatives, strengthen country systems and ensure strengthening capacities of national partners, counterparts and beneficiaries;
• Support project external communication by sharing materials (audio-visual and narratives), compiling and collating information, identifying good practices, highlighting promising approaches, featuring progress and documenting results and impact;
• Make presentations on assigned topics/activities related to CREWS project or others UNDRR initiatives where requested;
• Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, monitor and analyse programme/project development and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed and propose corrective actions; liaise with relevant parties; identify and track follow-up actions;
• Prepares and participates as needed in field missions in Lao PDR including the provision of quality background documents and reports, and drafting mission summaries;
• Assists in the planning, content contextualization or development and delivery of workshops on implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR where requested;
• Support coordination and/or delivery of any other activity in Lao PDR in support to government and/or stakeholders, or any other, as required.

2. Support UNDRR’s leadership role in the Resilience joint output of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022-2025) and provide technical coordination and assistance to the UN Development System on climate-resilient development.

• Provide, as required, substantive and technical support to the UNDS on DRR and building resilience to disasters in Lao PDR, including technical support on disaster damage and loss accounting, and Sendai Framework monitoring and evaluation;
• Provide advice to the Resident Coordinator on DRR related issues including talking points, speeches, briefs etc. as required and in consultation with ROAP;
• Support ROAP in leading Output 4.3 on Resilience, and participating to the Programme Oversight Group, Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning Group, UN Communications Group, and other coordination mechanisms as relevant in the context of the UNSDCF 2022-2026 implementation, notably leading the technical development of annual workplans and coordinate programmatic activities under the Resilience Output;
• In close collaboration with other UN technical officers working on environment and climate change, support ROAP to lead UNDRR’s contribution to outcome-level annual workplans and other outcome-level coordinated projects and activities under the Environment, Climate Change and Resilience outcome group of the UNSDCF;
• Participate to outcome and output-level meetings as relevant to support the mainstreaming of resilience and DRR principles, the Sendai Framework, and other knowledge products from UNDRR, in the rest of the UNDS’s activities in Lao PDR;
• Support follow-up on the vulnerability assessments for LDC graduation for Lao PDR;
• Provide support for any program review, capacity diagnosis and/or update of the country common analysis, as required;
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor/s.

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Building Trust ☒ Client Orientation ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Creativity ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Integrity ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Self-Management ☒ Technological Awareness ☒ Working in Teams

climate change policy, DRR or risk management, or more broadly, sustainable development at the national and/or international level. Experience in providing technical support to policy formulation is an asset.

• Experience in conducting meetings, planning and delivering training, organizing workshops and facilitating multi-partners’ dialogue is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization; • Excellent oral and written skills, notably drafting, editing, and reporting skills; • Experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning and result-based project planning and management.is an asset. Familiarity with tools and approaches for data collection, information management and communications for development useful; • Excellent interpersonal skills and culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc.); • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision and against tight deadlines; • Familiarity with GIS mapping and spatial databases would be an advantage.

Living conditions in Vientiane are comfortable, but residents must make concessions due to the tropical climate and under-developed infrastructure, including health facilities.

Vientiane is a relatively safe place to live in, with violent crime incidents rare. However, single females should exert vigilance if moving alone during the dark and it is best advised to move in groups.

The biggest hazards relate to traffic accidents. Hence utmost care should be exerted when in traffic, especially when riding a motorbike.

Houses or apartments are usually of good standards. All basic commodities can be bought in Vientiane and its immediate vicinity.