Country Briefs – Fiji, FSM, Kiribati, Palau and RMI

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

With the support of the Government of Japan, the United Nations Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub (UNDP BRH) implemented the first phase of “Partnerships for Strengthening School Preparedness for Tsunamis in the Asia Pacific Region (Tsunami Project)” from June 2017 to November 2018 to mitigate the impact of tsunamis by strengthening school preparedness in 18 disaster prone countries in Asia and the Pacific. The second phase, built on the impact and lessons learnt from the first phase, was launched in December 2018 (for another 18 months), engaging five new countries. The project has since put greater emphasis on scaling-up the scope of work and institutionalising the preparedness and awareness programme to ensure sustainability of the project results. While the primary objective of the project is significantly linked to advocating for the World Tsunami Awareness Day, the project is also contributing to the achievement of the Sendai Framework’s seven targets as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project was extended until 28 February 2021 due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to disaster preparedness and response. Globally, the pandemic forced more than 190 countries to announce the temporary closure of schools, affecting over 1.57 billion children and young people from attending school in person (i.e. more than 91 per cent of students worldwide)1 in April 2020. According to UNICEF2, 875 million students still remain affected as of September 2020. With a significant number of students continuing to learn from home or alternate locations, there is a growing need to strengthen community preparedness as well. In order to continue supporting countries in strengthening their preparedness and awareness in the current conditions, it is necessary to update the existing preparedness plans in schools and communities so that they become more resilient to tsunamis, pandemic and other hazards. The project will aim to achieve three outputs in the third phase engaging 16 tsunami prone countries in Asia and the Pacific over the next 18 months:

1. School and community preparedness plans reviewed and updated to include multi-hazard preparedness (i.e. tsunami, pandemic and other hazards);
2. Preparedness programme modules developed as part of efforts to institutionalise multi-hazard preparedness at local or national levels; and
3. Public awareness of multi-hazards promoted and World Tsunami Awareness Day marked through events, digital campaigns and awareness raising initiatives.

The UNDP Pacific Office will be looking after five programme countries within its purview. These include Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, and the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI).

As part of Output (i), Activity 1.1, the Tsunami Project Phase III will endevour to develop a country brief for each project country to design context-specific measures. For the purposes of this assignment, the five country briefs will be treated as a single consultancy.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives.

The primary objective of the country brief is to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector with a focus on tsunami prone areas with the view to integrate pandemic preparedness into tsunami preparedness plans and measures. Depending on the location, opportunities for multi-hazard preparedness planning are encouraged and the scope of work will include/but not limited to:

1. IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE EDUCATION SECTOR

• Overall impact of intermittent school closures in the country on continuation of learning – disaggregated by age, gender, location etc.
• Government measures/ policies etc. on continuation of learning over the next 12-18 months

1. IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SELECTED TSUNAMI PRONE SCHOOLS

• Details of selected tsunami prone schools – location, hazard profile, school data etc.
• Current situation in the selected tsunami prone schools
• Alternative learning locations if any
• Impact on other social and human development issues

1. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCING PANDEMIC AND TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS

• Analysis of Government measures/ policies on integrating pandemic preparedness with disaster/ tsunami preparedness
• Proposed measures for selected tsunami prone schools and neighbouring communities

Evaluation criteria and key questions.

Methodology.

Noting that the eventual candidate selected will be responsible for completing the five country briefs, the objective of this paragraph is simply to define some of the fundamental tenets that needs to be adhered to in good faith:

1. E-consultation: Given the advent of COVID-19 and travel restrictions affecting mobility, e-consultation will have to be undertaken across the Pacific for the five (5) participating countries. The consultant should be able to consult with stakeholders concerned and provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful.
2. Desk Research: The Consultant should review all relevant sources of information including relevant country documents and those that will be shared by country focal points.
3. Participatory Approach: The Consultant is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach1 ensuring close engagement with the Project Team, government counterparts, relevant UNDP Offices and other key stakeholders.

Final Report: The final versions of the five (5) country briefs will be condensed into a single report in order of alphabetical

Competencies

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for varied cultural contexts.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Displays gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Computer literacy (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is a prerequisite.
• Additional skills and knowledge of prototyping tools and technology will be useful.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications:

Minimum Post Graduate Diploma - in Environmental or Climate Science, International Relations, Development Studies, Project Management or related disciplines.

Experience:

• Minimum experience of 5-10 years in Climate Early Warning, climate change Adaptation, DRM, Data Analysis and/or Information Management.
• Minimum experience of 5-10 years in development statistics and linkages to SDGs and relevant of statistics in national decision-making.
• Substantial, relevant and practical working experience with the design and implementation of international development projects and/or programs. Working experience with multi- country/regional projects and projects supported by UNDP would be an asset.
• Substantial, relevant and practical working experience undertaking external reviews/evaluations of international development projects and/or programs.
• Substantial, relevant and practical working experience in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• Working experience in Pacific Island Countries would be an asset.