National consultant – climate and disaster-related data enhancement

Result of Service WORK ASSIGNMENT and OUTPUTs The consultant scope of work encompasses: i. Assess and compile all information on the climate risk and disaster profile on the country to inform the development of the national DRR strategy and Disaster management plan. ii. Support to input the disaster damage and loss assessment data of previous 5 years into the database and analysing past data, including the support for publication of a disaster loss white paper describing trends and analysis of past events iii. Conduct training, technical discussions and provide assistance to all relevant sector and local level organization on damage and loss data collection, management, impact analysis and applications, including in anticipatory action. iv. Assess capacities, needs, gaps and opportunities to improve multi-hazard comprehensive risk analysis of climate and disaster damage and loss data collection and analysis (including hazard monitoring and forecasting capacities for climate (hydro meteorological extremes events, environmental hazards as well as climate slow onset processes), and non-climate related (such as geo/hazards), biological/infectious diseases, etc.,) v. Advice governments in ways to institutionalize climate and disaster-related data systems by development standards, guidance, detailing roles, responsibilities and proposing SOPs to guide all data-related processes. vi. Advice NDMA, National bureau of Statistics and other government partners in global and regional relevant guidance and standards on comprehensive risk assessment, damage and loss data management, SDG and SFM monitoring and progress reporting, disaster-related statistics, etc.

Work Location Male, Maldives

Expected duration The consultancy is planned for 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities CONTEXT

Established 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/ASG). 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. Maldives context In addition to obstacles common to other small island developing states (SIDS), Maldives’ major development challenges centre on the issues of inclusiveness, resilience to climate and disaster risks, and environmental sustainability. The social and economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in a tourism-dependent economy could derail years of national efforts to achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The Maldives’ weather variability, hazard risks and vulnerabilities associated with development pathways have pushed the Maldives to be concerned about climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in all aspects of its development. Accordingly, there is a high degree of awareness of the need for an integrated approach to implementing the 2030 Agenda and many steps have already been taken. In February 2020, UNDRR in collaboration with the 2030 climate and DRR coherence initiative partners, especially UNDP and UNEP organized a scoping mission to Maldives to assess needs and entry points to support more integrated approaches to climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR). The mission highlighted opportunities to enhance coherence on DRR and CCA strategic planning and implementation through coordination strengthening, technical advice for climate and disaster resilient infrastructure planning, technical assistance on risk and damage and loss information management and capacity development. Data challenges have been continuously highlighted by government institutions and development partners. The lack of baseline data, the inaccessibility and remoteness of some of the islands and atolls, and insufficient capacity to collect, produce, sustain, share and apply quality climate and disaster-related data are proving to be obstacles to better understanding the Maldives risk and disaster profile as well as tracking its progress in implementing the SDGs, Sendai and climate change adaptation related commitments and strategies. In regards to disaster damage and loss information, investments have been made in enhancing the capacities to collect data on the effects of disasters events with a DesInventar-based disaster loss data system established at NDMA in the past. However, challenges remain in sustaining information systems, enhancing quality of the data collected, assessing disruptions to services and livelihoods, and estimating economic losses from disasters and climate change processes. These gaps impact on the government’s ability to understand how different events and processes are impacting livelihoods, well-being and opportunities of different groups, social services access, infrastructure systems and economic sectors. In regards to the future climate and disaster risk information, despite past and current investments by government, and partners in detailed urban risk analysis and climate risk profiling, several stakeholders report challenges in assessing multi-hazard vulnerabilities on a dynamic manner, assessing the risk from events with compounding and cascading impacts, and especially ensuring that disaster risk information, climate change projections, socio-economic vulnerability information and related datasets are being utilized to drive planning decisions, including land-use, sector and development planning.

Understanding risk is the first priority for action stated in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). Recognizing many countries lack the means to assess and manage escalating risks in a holistic and integrated manner: they lack a risk assessment approach that allows them to understand the systemic nature of risk. As the United Nations focal point agency for disaster risk reduction, UNDRR has designed the Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) as a long-term initiative aiming to improve risk information for more resilient development and humanitarian decision making across sectors and scales by enhancing access to data, including hazard, vulnerability and exposure data relating to complex climate futures; deploying innovation to enable specialized analytics, strengthening capacities to apply information in decision making and scaling up investments in risk reduction. UNDRR and GIZ in consultations with key members from Technical Expert Group on Comprehensive Risk Management (TEG-CRM) of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) have developed technical guidance on comprehensive risk assessment and planning in the context of climate change. Available guidance and upcoming training packages are aimed at providing orientation on how risks in the context of climate change can be comprehensively and systemically addressed through in risk assessments as well as decision-making and planning by integrating perspectives and approaches from Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) while simultaneously linking to other goals and targets (such as the SDGs). Technical assistance to apply this guidance will be provided to Maldives government and partners to enhance risk assessment process and information uptake in planning. Through this consultancy, UNDRR in partnership with UNDP intends to strengthen national capacities to collect, manage and apply climate and disaster risk information, both damage and loss as well as future risk information comprehending all dimensions of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacities. The consultant will support the government in applying climate and disaster risk information, and disaster damage and losses information for monitoring their progress in reducing disaster risk and losses, and reporting on their progress towards international commitments on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk reduction through the Sendai Framework Monitor. The consultant will support in assessing more closely capacities and governance systems for climate and disaster risk , as well as damage and loss assessment, risk knowledge analysis and application for decision-making with the view on identifying opportunities to further strengthen the risk data ecosystem and identifying needs to risk-inform planning and decision-making.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: - Minimum of post-graduate degree in risk analysis and management, statistics, information management or a related field is required. Experience with public health, climate and disaster risk assessment, specialized statistics, post-disaster damage and loss, impact assessment is an advantage. A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree Experience: - Minimum 3 years’ relevant experience in data and information management, data analysis and statistics, research, public health, adaptation and/or resilience is required. Experience in data management, analysis, information governance is desirable - Substantive experience in developing data collection templates and tools, guiding data analysis, designing training materials and guidance for data management is desirable. - Knowledge of international monitoring framework such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework Monitoring and other international relevant reporting and monitoring mechanisms is desirable. Language: - Fluency in English is required. Maldivian fluency is desirable.

Additional Information In concrete the consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

i. Report on the maturity assessment of damage and loss data and risk assessment and analysis, and data application for decision-making. ii. Report on damage and loss data readiness for Sendai Framework Monitoring iii. Guidelines, tools and SOPs for disaggregated damage and loss data collection, loss estimation and data management for climate and disaster multi-functional loss database. iv. Proposal of stakeholder and government entities coordination mechanisms for damage and loss data collection for Sendai Framework monitoring v. Proposal for a M&E framework, including relevant indicators and sources of verification for the national DRR strategy and implementation plan. vi. Training workshops organized on multiple aspects of risk and disaster data collection, management, analysis and application as proposed by NDMA vii. Report identifying, assessing other opportunities and proposing pathways to build partnership to support Maldives government to improve sector-specific risk, damage and loss data and specialized applications and analytics.

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.