Result of Service

Systems and capacities in Kiribati are enhanced to systematically track disaster losses and damages in critical infrastructure sectors and strengthened evidence-based decision-making in Kiribati, through enhancing understanding of usability and application of disaster losses and damages data to risk inform sector planning and financing in critical infrastructure sectors.

Work Location

Kiribati

Expected duration

10 Nov 26-31 Jul 27

Duties and Responsibilities

Created 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 has over 160 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. 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 catalyses 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. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) straddles both development and humanitarian action. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction includes multiple direct linkages to humanitarian action, including links to preparedness, early warning, recovery and 'build back better'. UNDRR provides policy and normative expertise and plays a convening role to scale up risk reduction in humanitarian action, addressing root causes of humanitarian crises and reducing humanitarian needs. This includes engagement in strategic partnerships on displacement, risk financing and social protection, as well as overarching advocacy and knowledge management to strengthen humanitarian-development collaboration. Through its guiding role in Sendai Framework implementation, UNDRR also contributes to enhanced Risk and Vulnerability Information for better humanitarian planning and response. Through the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience, UNDRR plays a leadership role in integrating DRR across the UN system and contributes to providing a bridge between development and humanitarian communities. Through the UN Plan of Action, the UN System commits to strengthen its joint ability 'to effectively support national and local communities in early warning, preparedness, response and recovery' (Result 2.2). The UN Plan of Action on DRR for Resilience (United Nations, 2016) promotes disaster risk reduction as an "integrating element within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". Such integration provides a "practical and tangible bridge" between development and humanitarian communities and serves as a "rallying point" between key stakeholders that share the aim of reducing climate and disaster risk at global to local levels. UNDRR is undertaking a project with CDRI’s support entitled “Enhancing availability, quality, and use of risk information for critical infrastructure to reduce disaster risk, increase resilience and strengthen early warning systems in Kiribati, Maldives and Timor-Leste”. This two-year project over 2025-27 aims to enhance the availability, accessibility, quality, and use of disaster risk information for critical infrastructure to reduce disaster risk, reduce downtime and increase resilience in Kiribati, Maldives and Timor-Leste. It consists of two objectives: 1. Enhanced systems and capacities in Kiribati, Maldives and Timor-Leste to systematically track disaster losses and damages in critical infrastructure sectors. The project focuses on the following sectors:

Kiribati: Water, health, education, agriculture/fisheries, transport, power, information and communication technology;
Maldives: Transport, power, telecommunications, water infrastructure;
Timor-Leste: Health, transport, early warning infrastructure. 2. Strengthened evidence-based decision-making in Kiribati, Maldives and Timor-Leste through enhancing understanding of usability and application of disaster losses and damages data to risk inform sector planning and financing in critical infrastructure sectors. In this connection, UNDRR is seeking a home-based consultant to serve as the National Project Coordinator for Kiribati to undertake the following roles and responsibilities under the overall supervision of Programme Management Office, UNDRR Subregional Office for the Pacific and in close coordination with the National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) of Kiribati.
Coordinate with the NDRMO to consult the Loss and Damage Technical Working Group (L&D TWG) and relevant sectoral ministries and partners on tracking disaster loss and damage in critical infrastructure sectors. Based on these consultations, support the NDRMO in clarifying institutional roles and responsibilities and developing recommendations to establish or strengthen an inclusive and coordinated data governance mechanism (Output 2).
Review, validate and complement existing assessments of disaster loss and damage data systems in Kiribati, with a focus on the rollout of the DELTA Resilience (Disaster and Hazardous Events, Losses and Damages Tracking and Analysis) database. Building on the existing work undertaken by the SPC Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific (BSRP) Technical Assistance (TA) for the development of the Centralized Database, and in close coordination with the relevant BSRP TA, NDRMO, UNDRR and other national counterparts, the consultant will review, validate and complement existing mapping and assessment work related to disaster loss and damage data systems in Kiribati. This work should avoid duplication of ongoing or completed assessments and should focus on identifying remaining gaps, practical requirements and opportunities for alignment with databases and tools such as the DELTA Resilience, Sendai Framework Monitor reporting, and Kiribati’s broader disaster information management ecosystem. The consultant will apply, as relevant, UNDRR’s Data Ecosystem Maturity Assessment (DEMA) toolkit and other appropriate data assessment tools, with technical guidance from UNDRR. This will include: a) Reviewing existing disaster loss and damage data collection forms, tools, documentation and relevant mapping, including those already developed through the BSRP Centralized Database work. b) Validating the current level of data disaggregation, including sectoral, geographic, sex, age, disability and other relevant demographic disaggregation, and identifying remaining gaps for DELTA Resilience and SFM reporting. c) Reviewing existing valuation methodologies used to estimate disaster loss and damage, including methodologies already identified through the BSRP TA, and identifying areas where further guidance, harmonization or strengthening may be needed. d) Mapping and validating existing protocols, institutional arrangements and mechanisms for disaster loss and damage data collection, management, quality assurance and sharing, ensuring alignment with the Centralized Database initiative. e) Supporting the application of DEMA and data assessment tools to identify practical capacity gaps, interoperability needs, data governance issues and priority actions for strengthening Kiribati’s disaster loss and damage data ecosystem. Findings on existing data, methodologies, protocols and system readiness will be consolidated in the validation, gap analysis and DELTA-readiness report (Output 1). Building on these findings, the capacity and needs assessment (Output 3) will identify the specific skills, staffing, operational and training needs required to maintain and use the system, together with priority recommendations for capacity development.
Support the rollout and operationalization of the DELTA Resilience system in Kiribati, in coordination with NDRMO, Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and UNDRR, including facilitating alignment and potential integration with the Kiribati Disaster Information Management Platform. (Output 4)
Provide technical inputs to a study on the application of disaster loss and damage data in Kiribati, with particular attention to its use for risk financing, and risk-informed planning and policy development. Document these inputs in a brief technical note to be submitted as part of Output 4.
Provide technical and logistical support to workshops and stakeholder consultations organized under the project, during the consultancy period. (Outputs 2 and 4)
Prepare monthly progress reports summarizing activities undertaken, progress against Outputs 1-4, issues requiring follow-up and planned next steps. Prepare supporting technical notes and inputs to these outputs as required by UNDRR and NDRMO.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree in disaster risk reduction, climate change, development studies, public policy, environmental science, social sciences, data management, or other relevant fields of study is required. A first-level university degree in combination with a minimum of two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Minimum 3 years of experience in DRR, climate change, information management, data systems, or a related area is required. Experience in implementing projects in coordination with government institutions is required. Experience in conducting research or assessments on DRR related issues is desirable. Experience in supporting the rollout, use, maintenance, or institutionalization of IT-based data systems or software platforms is desirable. Experience in working with disaster related data, risk information, or loss and damage data is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Kiribati (Gilbertese) is desirable.

Additional Information

Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted.

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.

National Coordinator for Tracking of Disaster Losses and Damages in Critical Infrastructure sectors