Consultant for Recovery Readiness

The ultimate result of service will be the satisfactory delivery of 10 good practices on recovery readiness and Build Back Better, development of an online platform to showcase the good practices, support provided to meetings and events, and research paper on collecting evidence from countries and regions on a selected topic within recovery readiness.

Home-based

15 Oct-14 Jan 2027

1. Background 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 disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR has around 140 staff located in its HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, and 5 regional offices and other field presences. Specifically, UNDRR coordinates international efforts in disaster risk reduction, and guides, monitors and reports on the progress of the implementation of the international strategy for disaster reduction, now the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015-2030; campaigns to create global awareness of disaster risk reduction benefits and empower people to reduce their vulnerability to hazards; advocates for greater investments in disaster risk reduction to protect people's lives and assets, and for increased and informed participation of men and women of all stakeholder groups in reducing disaster risk; and informs and connects people by providing practical services and tools such as PreventionWeb, publications on good practices, and by leading the preparation of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction and the organisation of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. The International Recovery Platform (IRP) is a global partnership working to strengthen the capacities of countries and communities to build back better in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Its Secretariat is coordinated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). It is a joint initiative of United Nations organizations, international financial institutions, national and local governments, and non-governmental organizations engaged in disaster recovery. It seeks to transform disasters into opportunities for sustainable development. IRP supports progress against Priority 4 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SF), Enhancing Disaster Preparedness for Effective Response and to "Build Back Better (BBB)" in Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction. As we enter into the second half of SF implementation, the balance of progress and persistent challenges has been mapped by the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework (MTR SF). While many countries have made notable strides in implementation, the MTR SF found the Sendai Framework (SF) is not on a path to meet its expected outcomes or goals by 2030. Progress with SF Priority 4 has similarly demonstrated important innovation and achievements, but the MTR SF found "build back better principles have not been applied systematically" and identified major barriers to progress include insufficient national capacities, engagement of diverse stakeholders and lack of financing. Ensuring that countries build back better from disasters with greater resilience and improved recovery outcomes will play a critical role in putting the SF and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track. In the face of increasing and more complex disaster risks, the MTR SF recognized the urgent need to enhance preparedness for recovery as a critical component of disaster risk reduction and recovery efforts and to improve recovery outcomes. Despite the clear benefits of recovery readiness in reducing recovery timelines and mitigating the adverse impacts of disasters on communities, it remains underutilized and poorly understood globally. The IRP aims to support countries and communities with knowledge and capacity to assess and improve their recovery readiness. 2. Duties and Responsibilities UNDRR seeks to engage a consultant to support activities of Recovery Readiness Unit (RRU) to contribute to the progress with Priority 4 of the Sendai Framework on DRR. Under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer, Intergovernmental Processes, Interagency Cooperation and Partnerships Branch, UNDRR, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Produce various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
• Support the refinement of the recovery readiness capacity development package/menu, including detailed content for individual offerings across the Governance, Finance, Capacity, and Data and Knowledge domains.
• Draft technical and programmatic content for capacity development packages for recovery readiness, including concept notes, training modules and curricula, implementation guidance.
• Conduct research and analysis to inform package design, including desk reviews, comparative analysis of relevant methodologies and tools used by other agencies, and identification of good practice.
• Support the piloting and testing of capacity development packages at country and regional level, including adapting training material to country context, liaison with focal points and participants, delivering the training, and synthesis of feedback for package refinement.
• Support the organization of consultations, workshops, and technical sessions related to capacity development package rollout, including agenda development, background documents, and outcome documentation.
• Contribute to knowledge products linking recovery readiness capacity development with related thematic areas, such as climate adaptation planning and financing mechanisms.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of any other UN Languages is desirable.

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

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.