Risk Governance Specialist

Result of Service Contribution to the development and strengthening of National Platforms in the region, enhancing risk governance and accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the Europe and Central Asia region in line with one of its 4 global priorities.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration 3 months

Duties and Responsibilities Background information 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. 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. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction stresses the need for better governance of risk, in which the State has the primary role in reducing disaster risk. Building resilience to disasters also brings together the responsibilities of many sectors, stakeholders, and levels of governance. By ensuring effective coordination of disaster risk reduction at national level, National Platforms play an instrumental role in ensuring an all-of-government and all-of-society approach to reducing risk and building resilience. These efforts are intimately tied to the coordination efforts at local level (ex. Local platforms), as well as supranational level (ex. European Forum for DRR). Through the drive and coordination of National Sendai Focal Points, the platforms have a crucial role in coordinating strategies, policies, actions, reporting etc. to ensure a more coherent implementation of risk reduction priorities, critical to the implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework. Across the Europe and Central Asia region, a number of national coordination mechanisms is in place, with different structures, legal status, budgets, scope and levels of activity. Nevertheless, all aim to ensure multi-stakeholder engagement in building resilience at national level, by implementing DRR measures and mainstreaming risk reduction dimensions across relevant sectorial policies, programs and instruments. At an EU level, the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, running from July to December 2023, has put emphasis on risk governance and DRR coordination mechanisms in the context of the work of its Civil Protection Working Party. This builds on the recognition, at EU level, of a need to enhance coherence, integration and multistakeholder engagement when building resilience and strengthening disaster prevention and risk reduction. In 2020, UNDRR released a regional overview of National Platforms in the Europe and Central Asia region, gathering information on 37 National Platforms and related coordination mechanisms. Mission and objectives: UNDRR aims to support Member Countries in strengthening risk governance at all levels, in view of accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework. At a national level, and in line with Target E of the Sendai Framework, UNDRR supports national authorities and Sendai Focal Points in strengthening multistakeholder governance through National Platforms for DRR. The objective of this activity is to provide support to the development and strengthening of National Platforms in the region, by providing an analysis of the risk governance context in the region, revising the 2020 UNDRR Regional Overview of National Platforms, and providing a set of recommendations to further enhance DRR coordination at various levels. Main responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer for Country Support, with the administrative and technical support of the UNDRR Focal Points for country engagement, the incumbent will revise, update and further develop the Regional Overview of National Platforms (2020), including: - A desktop review and consultation of Sendai Focal Points and relevant stakeholders to collect the latest information on national coordination mechanisms across the region. - A revision and update of the Overview of National Platforms, contributing further analysis and drawing a set of recommendations for strengthened risk governance, factoring in cross-cutting dimensions relevant to the regional (EFDRR Roadmap) and global contexts. - A stand-alone analysis of coordination mechanisms in the context of the EU and Participating States in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, and presentation of results to the Council of the EU Civil Protection Working Party.

Qualifications/special skills Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, public administration, political sciences, humanities, social sciences, or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with at least two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of five years of working experience is required, with experience in the field of disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, civil protection, sustainable development. Desirable experience in public administration, EU affairs, research, and academia.

Languages Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

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.