Consultant- Regional Disaster Risk and Preparedness Assessment

Organizational Context

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the UN system's focal point for coordinating disaster reduction efforts and ensuring synergies with regional organizations. It guides, monitors, and reports on the Sendai Framework, advocates for investment in risk reduction, and promotes inclusive approaches. This role supports the ECOWAS Commission in West Africa, enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to strengthen regional disaster risk reduction and preparedness planning in West Africa. The role involves a systematic analysis of existing disaster risk assessments and information tools across ECOWAS Member States and regional institutions. It will identify key gaps and good practices, and develop a consolidated, multi-hazard regional disaster risk overview. This overview will inform risk-informed decision-making, preparedness, and response planning at both regional and national levels, ultimately enhancing the availability, accessibility, and usability of risk information to support improved regional coordination and operational activities.

Responsibilities

The consultant will conduct a comprehensive analysis of existing disaster risk assessments, methodologies, and information tools across ECOWAS Member States and regional institutions, identifying gaps and good practices. This includes assessing data availability, quality, and use in decision-making. The role involves developing a consolidated, multi-hazard regional disaster risk overview by synthesizing multi-hazard risk information, including data on hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and transboundary risks, with dimensions of gender and disability. Outputs will be structured for integration into ECOWAS tools and platforms. The consultant will also organize and facilitate a stakeholder consultation workshop to present findings and gather feedback, incorporating inputs into final outputs to ensure relevance and ownership.

Work Experience

Seven years of relevant professional experience in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, or related fields at the regional or international level is required. Experience in risk assessment, vulnerability analysis, and designing/implementing disaster risk management programs, preferably in multi-country or regional contexts, is desirable. Experience with regional/international DRR frameworks and ECOWAS systems is required. Familiarity with GIS-based risk mapping and spatial analysis tools is desirable.

Skills

Analytical and synthesis skills; ability to manage, interpret, and integrate multi-country quantitative and qualitative data; stakeholder engagement; technical knowledge of multi-hazard risk assessment methodologies, emergency preparedness and response systems, and disaster risk governance frameworks; familiarity with GIS-based risk mapping and spatial analysis tools.

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