Principles for Resilient Infrastructure Handbook Consultant

The consultant, in coordination with other relevant expert(s) and national counterparts, will :

a. Produce the final set of Principles for Infrastructure Resilience.
b. Produce a handbook for pre-defined stakeholders which will allow them to implement the principles and monitor its inclusion through set of actions and KPIs.

Home based

7 months.

Note: Travel is not applicable

Background:
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 disaster risk and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations.

This consultancy supports the implementation of UNDRR’s engagement in the infrastructure resilience sector through assisting in the development of policy guidance materials and knowledge products of relevance to the objectives of UNDRR. Since its establishment UNDRR has advocated for and supported a wide variety of stakeholders to understand the importance of resilient infrastructure, particularly critical infrastructure, and supported efforts to increase investments in resilient infrastructure globally. With the adoption of the Sendai Framework in 2015, UNDRR increased emphasis on the topic, as one of the seven global targets measures reductions in damage to critical infrastructure through building resilience. UNDRR further scaled-up focus on the topic following the Global Platform (GP) 2017 Declaration. This momentum was further strengthened with the launch of Coalition for Disaster Risk Reduction at the SG’s Climate Summit in 2019. UNDRR is a founding member of Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure (CDRI) and currently supports its efforts throughout.

Duties and Responsibilities:

UNDRR has recognized that there is currently a gap in the understanding of what “resilient infrastructure” means and entails in terms of policy, planning, and practical measures which public and private sectors can refer to when developing infrastructure projects. As a first step towards raising awareness and setting a common basic understanding of what “resilient infrastructure” constitutes, UNDRR has developed a draft set of ‘Resilient Infrastructure Principles’ and point to some of the related specific activities that can ensure the meaningful inclusion of resilience in infrastructure projects and investments.

The next steps are to validate the global applicability of the principles, to publish a final version and develop a handbook which will detail stakeholder groups, governance mechanisms and the actions to take to deliver net resilience gain, underpinned by an holistic set of key performance indicators. The handbook will provide the means to adopt, measure, and track the across the globe in both emerging and developed nations.

The expert will be responsible to finalize the proposed set of principles and develop a handbook for pre-defined stakeholders which will allow them to implement the principles and monitor its inclusion through set of actions and KPIs.

The consultant will carry out the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Intergovernmental processes, Interagency cooperation and Partnerships.

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 100 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.

In the upcoming years, the strong commitment and involvement of political leadership in every country and partnerships at all levels are required to achieve the outcome set by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: “The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries”. As highlighted by the Sendai Framework and other international agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement, a resilient future for all is only possible with an all-of-society engagement for comprehensive and coordinated action.

Building resilience and promoting disaster risk reduction is a collective responsibility and challenge which calls for coordinated actions. UNDRR works closely at all levels with a wide variety of partners and stakeholders towards a global and comprehensive effort in support of country-level actions.

The goal of engaging with partners and stakeholders is to build and enable systematic engagement and action between governments and stakeholders to reduce existing risks and prevent the creation of new risks for resilient socio-economic development at the global, national and local level.

UNDRR’s work is guided by a Partnership and Engagement Strategy and directly supports paragraph 35 of the Sendai Framework: "While States have the overall responsibility for reducing disaster risk, it is a shared responsibility between Governments and relevant stakeholders. In particular, non-state stakeholders play an important role as enablers in providing support to states, in accordance with national policies, laws and regulations, in the implementation of the present framework at local, national, regional and global levels. Their commitment, goodwill, knowledge, experience and resources will be required."

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.