Consultant to Develop Loss and Damage Databases with Emphasis on Wildfires in Guatemala and Colombia
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. It guides, monitors, and reports on the Sendai Framework implementation, supporting global awareness and action. UNDRR works with member states and diverse partners to reduce disaster risk, focusing on understanding and managing risks.
Job Purpose
This consultancy aims to strengthen national capacities in Colombia and Guatemala for systematically recording, monitoring, and analyzing wildfires and their impacts, damages, and losses using the DELTA Resilience platform. The role will support the identification, consolidation, and harmonization of existing information sources and institutional flows across various hazards and sectors. It will identify methodological and institutional opportunities to enhance national disaster impact and loss information, contributing to improved disaster risk reduction strategies and integrated fire management within the Latin America and Caribbean region. The consultant will work home-based under UNDRR supervision, coordinating with national disaster risk management entities.
Responsibilities
Develop a standardized proposal for cataloging and classifying wildfire events. Create a methodology for recording non-economic losses related to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Consolidate a historical database of wildfire events, impacts, damages, and losses for specific protected areas in Colombia and Guatemala, ensuring compatibility with DELTA Resilience. Conduct a comparative analysis of existing methodologies for estimating economic damages to natural capital and losses of ecosystem services in both countries, identifying data needs, strengths, limitations, and harmonization opportunities. Build upon and complement existing national disaster information management systems, identifying pathways for harmonization and interoperability with DELTA Resilience. Systematically collect, validate, and consolidate information on hazardous events and their impacts, emphasizing wildfires, and document information gaps and methodological challenges.
Work Experience
A minimum of five years of experience in assessing, collecting, and analyzing disaster impacts, damages, and losses, or environmental impacts. Experience in assessing impacts and losses affecting biodiversity, ecosystem services, or natural capital is required. Experience in database management and information systematization from multiple sources is also required. Experience with wildfire risk and national disaster impact information systems is desirable.
Skills
Database management, Information systematization and analysis, Disaster impact assessment, Loss and damage assessment (economic and non-economic), Wildfire risk assessment, Interoperability and harmonization of data systems, Comparative analysis of methodologies, Project management, Communication, Collaboration with government institutions.