Location : Multiple
Application Deadline : 20-Sep-13
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required : Arabic English French Russian Spanish Chinese Portuguese
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Oct-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :Consultancies up to 1 year
Expected Duration of Assignment : Consultancies up to 1 year
Background
UNDP is the global lead agency for Early Recovery and hosts the Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER) in BCPR's Geneva Liaison Office, Switzerland.
Early recovery is a key component of humanitarian crisis response. Early recovery addresses recovery needs during the humanitarian phase, using humanitarian mechanisms in accordance with development principles. It is an integrated, inclusive, and coordinated approach to gradually turn the dividends of humanitarian action into sustainable crisis recovery, resilience building and development opportunities. Emergency relief addresses peoples' survival and basic well-being. Early recovery restores people's capacities and supports communities' first steps to recover from the crisis. The CWGER advocates for humanitarian actors to integrate approaches into their humanitarian work, where possible, that will mitigate the impact of a future crisis on a community.
Early recovery projects are an important element of supporting communities' first steps to recovery and include a range of different actions, including, but not limited to livelihoods support, cash interventions, asset creation/provision, public service provision, support to local authorities etc. From a coordination point of view, many of these ‘projects' fit in an already existing cluster in an crisis-affected country. There is recognition that mainstreaming early recovery into the overall humanitarian response is an appropriate approach to restoring the capacities of those affected by a crisis at the earliest time possible, so that communities, local authorities, businesses, market systems etc. can function again and their ability to cope with future risks is not eroded. In this sense, the humanitarian response, by integrating the early recovery approach across the system, can lend itself well to the longer term recovery process.
The early recovery approach presents important opportunities to promote gender equality. However, these opportunities are often lost because gender issues tend to be given low priority during the emergency and are also often not prioritized when recovery begins. Failure to include gender perspectives early in decision-making processes can have long-lasting impacts on women, men, boys, and girls— particularly in the context of governance structures, policies and practices, which can reinforce existing socio-economic disparities between men and women.
Early Recovery Advisors (ERAs) typically work in support of the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Humanitarian Country Team.
ERAs are expected to possess the relevant skills for the role, which are outlined in this TOR. However, the CWGER (supported by BCPR) support ERAs, including assisting in developing their expertise in early recovery, and developing their skills.
Early Recovery Advisors should have the necessary skills to carry out the tasks outlined in this general Terms of Reference. In addition, the CWGER Secretariat will help ‘prepare the ground' for ERAs prior to deployment. This involves providing training support, and providing remote or in-country support (from CWGER Secretariat staff) when ERAs are on deployment. In addition, the CWGER with the support of its members, and UNDP/BCPR as a global cluster Lead have a responsibility to ensure that the relevant individuals and structures (HC/RC, UNDP CD and CO, HCT) in countries where ERAs are deployed are familiar with the role and functions of an ERA, and create a conducive environment for early recovery. Much of this work would be done in jointly developing a country-specific Terms of Reference for each assignment.
Duties and Responsibilities
Profile: Early Recovery Advisor
- Humanitarian Response: knowledge of humanitarian response systems, coordination mechanisms, and humanitarian policies;
- Leadership: experience in engaging with senior level staff on strategic issues related to humanitarian response;
- Negotiation and Advocacy: ability to use strong analysis skills and information to establish a strong advocacy platform supporting the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Humanitarian Country Team;
- Transition Planning: understanding challenges and experience of countries transitioning from humanitarian assistance to recovery and development.
SUPPORTING THE HC/RC, PROMOTING ER AND INTEGRATING ER ACROSS CLUSTERS
- Assist the HC/RC in his/her lead role in coordinating the inter-agency early recovery work across clusters;
- Advise the HC/RC and liaise with all cluster coordinators to ensure that the humanitarian response incorporates an early recovery and resilience building approach, including in needs assessments, in humanitarian strategies generally and plans (the CHAP in the CAP/Flash Appeal), and in cluster response plans;
- With the support of the inter-cluster coordination mechanism, work across clusters to establish monitoring mechanisms that illustrate how well early recovery is integrated into the implementation of the clusters' response, and account for how effective the clusters' are in sustaining the gains of the emergency interventions (a. Feed into established humanitarian monitoring mechanisms so that progress on early recovery can be reported in a timely, transparent and consolidated manner; b) Ensure early recovery issues can be raised within established monitoring mechanisms to identify early recovery gaps and propose alternatives;
- Advocate for the inclusion of national and local actors to the extent possible in the humanitarian response (co-leading clusters, partnerships) to ensure local capacity is utilised effectively (participatory planning) and provides the platform for sustainable humanitarian results;
- Support the HC/RC and clusters to ensure accountability to the affected people is stressed as a principle within humanitarian response plans, cluster response plans, and project submissions (to the CAP/OPS or similar response plan);
- Provide practical support to humanitarian actors; identifying opportunities and constraints and lending support to take opportunities: a) Lend technical support to NGOs and agencies in project development to strengthen the elements of early recovery in project work (and the response in general). b) Lend technical support to inter-cluster (and other) assessments to ensure early recovery issues are included in the development of assessment frameworks (MIRA and other lighter assessments);
- Maintain a high profile for early recovery on the humanitarian agenda: a) maintain continuous engagement with the HC/RC; b) advocate for the early recovery approach at the inter-cluster / inter-agency coordination meetings at capital level (and provincial if relevant) and provide the necessary secretariat support; c) maintain continuous engagement with cluster coordinators; d) maintain continuous engagement with UNDP Country Director to maintain the early recovery profile at the HCT;
- Advocate to donors on the importance of early recovery to maximise the potential for mobilising resources to support integrated projects that respond to immediate needs and illustrate how the project contributes to longer term recovery and community resilience;
- Liaise with national coordination bodies, in particular with the national disaster management agencies;
- Liaise with the global Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER) to inform CWGER global policy discussions with good practices and lessons learned from in-country (and to seek support if required).
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
- Engage in the inter-cluster information management coordination process led by OCHA and (often) supported by cluster-specific information management focal points, to ensure visibility of early recovery as a mechanism across clusters, but within the humanitarian response, in information products;
- Develop information and communications products individually (and/or with Information Management Officers) to showcase early recovery as a process and as a learning and advocacy tool e.g. early recovery best practice. Ensure that humanitarian actors are aware of the most up-to-date CWGER policy guidelines and technical standards; a) provide advice to, and develop approaches for, humanitarian actors to understand clearly and apply early recovery guidelines and standards.
GENDER MAINSTREAMIN AND GENDER EQUALITY
- Engage with GenCap Advisors and agency Gender Advisors to ensure women/girls and men/boys will benefit equally from early recovery projects, and that the projects will contribute to increasing gender equality;
- Advocate for humanitarian projects to analyse and take into consideration the specific needs, priorities and capacities of both the female and male population of all ages in an early recovery approach;
- Advocate for all projects submitted to Flash Appeals and Consolidated Appeals within an early recovery approach to be designed to strengthen gender equality programming and gender mainstreaming through the use of the Gender Marker, i.e. commit to achieving gender marker 2a or 2b.
LINKING HUMANITARIAN PROCESSES TO THE LONGER TERM AGENDA
- Assist the HC/RC advocacy efforts aiming at ensuring that households and communities assisted during the crisis are at least as able to cope with another crisis afterwards as they were before;
- Assist the HC/RC functions by linking early recovery to the broader recovery agenda e.g. identification of strategic entry points for building sustainable institutions and systems (and advising on transitioning coordination mechanisms from a cluster led system to a nationally led system);
- Work closely with national counterparts, the World Bank, donors and other stakeholders to ensure that humanitarian activities support and / or link into recovery and sustainable development strategies, including but not limited to the PRSP or the UNDAF;
- Advocate for an early involvement/deployment of development actors to facilitate a smoother transition from relief to development;
- Provide guidance and support to the RC on issues related to the transition process from a crisis or post-crisis situation to longer-term support structures and actors;
- Provide input and guidance to the design of HCT/UN strategic plans as appropriate.
Competencies
Core competencies
Ethics & Values:- Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity;
- Demonstrates and promotes the highest standard of integrity, impartiality, fairness and incorruptibility in all matters affecting his/her work and status.
Organizational Awareness:
- Understands the humanitarian and development architecture of the UN system falling under the IASC and UNDG.
Developing & Empowering People/Coaching and Mentoring:
- Self-development, initiative-taking;
- Takes appropriate risk in developing new or adapting existing methods and approaches to more effectively perform tasks or to solve problems in new and unique ways.
Working in Teams:
- Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
- Works collaboratively with colleagues in the UN system-wide humanitarian response to pursue common goals (including leveraging development actors through UNDP's lead role in the UNCT where necessary).
Communicating Information and Ideas:
- Facilitating and encouraging open communication in a team environment, communicating effectively;
- Delivers verbal/written information in a timely, clear, organized and easily understood manner.
Self-Management & Emotional Intelligence:
- Maintains a positive outlook.
Conflict Management/Negotiating & Resolving Disagreements:
- Maintains positive relations with other staff in all agencies;
- Remains calm, composed and patient.
Knowledge Sharing & Continuous Learning:
- Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others;
- Demonstrates commitment to ongoing professional development and keeps abreast of new developments in his/her professional field.
Appropriate and Transparent Decision-making:
- Informed and transparent decision making; Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions.
Functional competencies
- Excellent knowledge of humanitarian and/or transition and development issues;
- Good knowledge of and technologies used in humanitarian response and development work is an advantage;
- Excellent oral and written skills to develop knowledge products and advocacy products;
- Interest in humanitarian issues and world affairs;
- Excellent negotiation and advocacy skills;
- Excellent communication skills (verbal, and written).
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree relevant to the thematic area.
Experience:
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs and /or the development arena, including several years of relevant field experience, especially in crisis or post-crisis settings;
- Solid knowledge relevant to early recovery as a thematic area, and the inter-agency environment;
- Solid experience of strategy development;
- UN experience is an asset;
- Experience with training and facilitation is an asset;
- Understanding information management, advocacy, negotiation, and having the ‘soft-skills' that influence processes and decision-making would be highly desirable.
Languages:
- Fluency in spoken and written English is a must, knowledge of another UN language a plus. Candidates with excellent French and Arabic or other language skills (fluent written and spoken) are encouraged to apply.
Application procedures:
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:
- A clear identification of the thematic area;
- If applicable, it is possible to select a secondary thematic area(s);
- A current completed P11 form in English (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc). P11 form should, among other things, include names and contacts of at least three references and clearly indicate names of former and current supervisors (if applicable); in case of freelance consultants – list of partner institutions and contact details of projects supervisors. A file (in .doc, .docx or .pdf format) containing the P11 form should be signed and scanned and uploaded into the system upon completion of the online application;
- An up-to-date CV;
- Links to/examples of work, analytical reports, publications, online presence (e.g. blogs) in the subject matter that resulted from the consultant's work (please provide links in the respective blank field below, or titles to your work in P11 form/CV);
- Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.
Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
0 comments:
Post a Comment