Insurance and Financial Inclusion Specialist

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WFP - World Food Programme

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 1 Oct 2021 at 23:59 UTC

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

A degree in an area related to Economics and/or Finance is mandatory

Experience:

⦁ A minimum work experience of 6 years in the climate insurance or microinsurance or disaster risk financing sector. ⦁ Specific knowledge of agricultural and climate micro and macro-insurance in developing countries ⦁ Experience of microfinance and in particular in savings systems and operational knowledge of linkages between microfinance and microinsurance in developing countries.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to present information and ideas and to communicate effectively. • Ability to conduct meetings, listen to others and engage in dialogue. • Experience in working in developing countries, with a special focus on Africa. • Demonstrated data collection and analytical writing skills. • Experience in establishing contacts and liaising with partner organisations. • Ability to take initiative and work independantly while in a team.

Knowledge of WFP Procedures is a plus.

Languages:

Fluent in English and any other UN language is a plus.

BACKGROUND AND PUPOSE OF THIS ASSIGNMENT

For a decade, WFP has been utilizing risk transfer tools for smallholder resilience and early humanirarian assistance. More recently, it has become a priority to integrate these tools as part of a broader package of risk financing instruments. Work has developed around two major areas: micro insurance as part of an integrated risk management approach embodied by the global R4 Rural Resilience Initiative concept; and macro/sovereign insurance, mainly in support of the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) through the ARC-Replica initiative.

WFP and Oxfam America launched the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) in 2011 to empower farmers and food insecure rural households with a set of integrated risk management tools, including Risk Transfer (e.g. drought insurance), Risk Reduction (e.g. physical, human and social assets for improved resource management), prudent Risk Taking (e.g. credit for productive investments) and Risk Retention (e.g. savings). R4 aims to develop long-term resilience to the growing challenges of food insecurity and climate change as well by integrating with WFP core programs and national social protection systems. R4 is present in Ethiopia, Senegal, Malawi, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Nicaragua and has initiated expansion to new countries including Haiti and Honduras (currently the following are at different levels of design/fundraising/implementation). In 2020, R4 contributed to insuring close to 180,000 households (900,000 beneficiaries). Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, R$ managed a significant scale up as well as an expansion to new regions and introduced new types of products. In addition, WFP is providing technical assistance to governments and local insurers in developing, improving and scaling up their insurance programmes.

On the macro insurance side, WFP is implementing ARC Replica Plus in Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, the Gambia and Zimbabwe. More than 1.2 M people were protected during the past season under this mechanism. WFP is expanding itsmacro insurance portfolio to Mozambique and Madagascar in 2021 and its also using our experience from Africa to support macro insurance initaitives in the Caribbean. In the area of sovereign insurance, WFP supports Governments in index customization, choice of risk transfer parameters and the design of more rapid and effective mechanisms to deliver public action. In addition, WFP contributes to designing and implementing more robust disaster risk financing systems. This requires action in terms of capacity building of National stakeholders and WFP country offices staff.

As part of the strategy at micro and macro levels, WFP is also developing the risk retention pillar at micro level and contingency finance at macro level, which has the main objective of helping people or government's to absorb the risks that occur more frequently, with lower severity, and develop some investment capacity in the case of people supported through micro insurance.

WFP is usually working with partners and service providers, but a greater integration of these 2 tools within broader strategies is required to improve the performance of the programmes and set up a more coherent financial protection system.

WFP is targeting around 220,000 people insured during the 2021/22 season in microinsurance (+ at least 600 000 through technical assistance programmes) and 2 M people through macro insurance.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Develop knowledge materials, including guidelines for the use of different financial products to protect against climate risks at micro and macro levels. Document processes and results from ongoing insurance activities in specific countries. Develop guidance materials for WFP COs and Regional Bureaus on the integration of insurance products with other risk financing tools, Forecast-based finance, and the use of mobile phones and technology.

2. WFP is currently updating its strategy at micro and macro level to take a financial protection approach. The consultant will contribute to the design of this strategy by providing analysis and ideas.

3. Provide technical support to country offices (COs) and Regional Bureaux (RBx) for the development and implementation of all microinsurance activities, and their integration into WFP’s activities. The Insurance & Financial Inclusion specialist will have to position insurance and financial inclusion (savings & credit in particular) as a risk financing tool for WFP, as indicated in the new strategic plan, and ensure it is well included in CSPs (Country Strategy Plan) where relevant.

4. Support the development of R4 in new countries. This could include: providing technical input to proposals and programming activities, conducting feasibility studies or inception assessments, building partnerships, providing technical support in pilot preparation and implementation. These tasks will be progressively transferred to the regional bureaus.

5. As country offices and regional bureaus are hiring insurance & financial inclusion advisors, the insurance & financial inclusion specialist will provide direct technical support and coordination to regional advisors, and will give on-demand support to CO focal points, advising on the application of best practices. The Insurance & Financial Inclusion Specialist will closely work with Programme Officers from the team to provide a more structured and comprehensive support.

6. In countries implementing a climate risk management strategy, and in particuar microinsurance and savings activities, the Insurance & Financial Inclusion Specialist will: provide technical, operationnal and strategic support to country offices R4 teams, as well as regional bureaux, particularly in relation to partnerships, insurance procedures and best practices, development and provision of training and training materials, supporting the consolidation in existing areas and expansion into new areas. As some countries are about to scale up, a specific focus will be placed on building the conditions to scale up, helping managing the growth, but also transitionning participants to more commercial services and build stronger ownership by local stakeholders (particularly regarding product design and management).

7. The Insurance & Financial Inclusion Specialist will use his specialist technical knowledge of existing insurance programmes in the R4 expansion areas, to support the design by service providers of appropriate index insurance products to be adopted in R4. She/ He will also specifically: support the development of a national capacity for index insurance design if needed; help with testing, and scaling up, alternative insurance distribution channels; support insurance companies to put in place a standardized and comprehensive process to deal with basis risk, and support the capacity building process regarding index design.

8. Conduct gross margin analysis in the development and implementation of new insurance projects to set the sum insured best fit for target participants. Develop a standardized approach for setting up the sum insured based on the premium rate, economic analysis and asset creation work in order to better guide countries. Support discussions with insurance sector partners and validate product pricing, where necessary.

9. A specific focus will be put into introducing or connecting insurance (at micro & macro levels) to help scaling up shock responsive social protection systems.

10. In Ethiopia, Zambia, Mauritania and Senegal, the consultant will provide specific support on pastoral and livestock insurance pilots, based on expressed needs by country offices and available resources

11. Support the development, improvement and integration of the financial inclusion activities. In particular, update the guidance and training on saving & loans groups, to articulate it better with insurance, to make sure risks are better managed and participants improve their investment capacity in inputs. This will be instrumental to strengthen the graduation and sustainability strategy, but also improve resilience to climate shocks.

12. Support the connection of participants to digital financing solutions (mobile money platforms in particular) to improve access to formal and simplified services.

13. As regular financial institutions have limited appetite for most vulnerable communities, provide creative solutions to improve access to financial services

14. Provide support to the implementation of ARC Replica Plus and other potential meso and macro schemes regarding technicalities of insurance. Specifically, the Insurance & Financial Inclusion Specialist will focus on providing technical support to the CO staffs and Government officials regarding interaction & negotiation with the insurance provider, index customization, as well as analysis of risk transfer parameters. She/ He will provide training to country teams for both WFP and local stakeholders on these matters and, if requested, to technical working group members. She / He will also contribute to the broader discussion on the role of ARC and Replica, and disaster risk financing into the climate risk management strategy of WFP and in country. This will include the identification and design of additional financial instruments that complement the macro insurance policies taken by WFP and governments.

15. Participate in, and contribute to, global events, and liaise with national and international working groups, networks, multilateral frameworks and institutions related to micro insurance in consultation with the PRO-C management. A specific focus will be made on the Microinsurance Network (MIN), the InsuResilience Global Platform and the IDF.

16. Support the M&E work and in particular the monitoring of KPIs either by WFP or by local partners (insurance companies)

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

1. At least 8 countries, and all regional bureaux have received technical support either through direct implementation or technical assistance, as previously defined with each CO and RB are receiving 2. for the 2021/22 season, at least 220,000 households are being insured in the best possible conditions with microinsurance solutions 3. for the 2021/22 season, most participants to R4 are enrolled in savings activities. at least 4 countries are implementing an integrated strategy with savings & insurance 4. for the 2021/22 season, at least 6 countries are implementing Replica solutions (mostly in Africa). A technical note is developed to support the policy subscription decision by WFP for each region/country. WFP is subscribing at least 6 insurance policies. 5. for the 2022/23 season, a sub-insurance risk layer is designed and tested in at least one country as part of ARC Replica Plus. 5. Contribute to the design of the disaster risk financing strategy and to the financial protection strategy for WFP 6. The scale up, graduation, integration, sustainability plans for 2021/22 season and beyond are prepared and approved by at least 3 countries. 7. The handover plans to insurance companies are being approved in at least 3 countries 8. Conduct at least 2 new feasibility studies.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

1st October, 2021

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: wfp.org