Job Title: Technical Consultant (Disaster Risk Reduction and Education)
Parent Sector: Education Sector (ED)
Duty Station: Home-based with a possibility of mission(s) to Paris
Job Family: Education
Type of contract: Non-Staff Consultant
Duration of contract: From February to November 2022
Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time): 31 January 2022
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST:
Echoing the core commitment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ‘leave no one behind’, Sustainable Development Goal 4 calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Realizing this goal means taking immediate and concerted action to eliminate all forms of exclusion and marginalization, to address disparities and inequalities in access, participation, and learning outcomes, and to build education systems that are resilient and responsive to contemporary challenges.
UNESCO’s commitment to the achievement of the SDG 4 implies focusing on those at the most significant risk of being left behind, among which are the communities affected by natural disasters, of which many live in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Over the past twenty years, more than 4 billion people have globally been affected by disaster events, of which at least 26% are children under the age of 15 (World Bank, 2021). It is estimated that 58% of deaths from natural-hazard-related disasters occur in the top 30 most fragile states (ODI, 2018).
Climate change, environmental degradation, urban pressure, insufficient understanding of risk drivers, and lack of preparedness and mitigation measures are increasingly transforming natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heavy rains, or tsunamis, into disastrous events. These may lead to displacement, severe disruption of essential services, loss of life and investments, and maybe drivers of social tensions and conflict.
Disasters are a major concern for the education sector, considering their ever-increasing intensity and frequency and the severity of their impacts on the access to continuous quality and safe education for vulnerable communities. Between 2000 and 2019, at least 60 major disasters disrupted education for more than 11 million children. In this timeframe, nearly 35,000 children lost their lives in schools in 16 events. Well over 30,000 schools have been destroyed in these disasters, while close to 50,000 suffered significant damage (GADRRRES, 2021).
As the lead UN Agency for the SDG 4, UNESCO is strongly committed to building the resilience of Education Systems worldwide, thus limiting the effects of disasters on the physical, emotional and social well-being of the most vulnerable learners and educators.
Working closely with governments, civil society, research institutions, other UN agencies, and international organizations, UNESCO has been a catalyst for international, inter-disciplinary cooperation in many aspects of disaster risk reduction and emergency response. More specifically in the education sector, UNESCO is acting across the board in efforts of advocacy, research, risk-sensitive education policy and planning, technical support for risk assessment and mitigation, coordination, as well as capacity building for more effective prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery at the global, regional and national level.
Considering the contemporary challenges that education systems face, the multiplicity of crises that affect them, and their extension over time, risk reduction and risk management within the education system has been recognized as a priority by the EME section at global, regional, and national levels. This is also aligned with the institutional commitments reported in UNESCO’s new Medium-Term Strategy (2022-2030) and its Programme and Budget (2022-2025).
SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Under the authority of the Assistant Director-General for Education, the direction of the Director of the Division for Education 2030 and direct supervision of the Chief of the section of Migration, Displacement, Emergencies and Education (ED/E30/EME), within the framework of UNESCO’s statutory documents, 41C/4 and 41C/4 and global strategic framework on migration, displacement, emergencies and education, the incumbent will serve as Technical Consultant for DRR and Education and support UNESCO’s engagement in DRR at global, regional, and national levels. Concretely, the Technical Consultant will undertake the following tasks and deliver corresponding outputs:
Tasks:
Undertake a comprehensive mapping of UNESCO activities related to DRR and education, focusing on preparedness and response to natural hazards and pandemics, and extracting lessons learned from them.
Support the identification of strategic directions of UNESCO in DRR and education, based on the analysis of the current education sector response and existing gaps and including but not limited to how UNESCO can contribute to and benefit from Anticipatory Action in contexts affected by emergencies, protracted crises, and disasters.
Elaborate several policy papers on SDG4, DRR, Anticipatory Action, and other related topics
Support the provision of on-demand technical support through context-relevant advice to Field Offices and training (including but not limited to PDNA) and develop a matrix of potential actions on crises response for ED based on the strategic directions identified.
Support participation in relevant global/regional/national coordination and collaboration mechanisms as requested by the direct supervisor
Outputs:
Mapping document
A ten-page document on UNESCO’s strategic directions
Policy papers on SDG4, DRR, Anticipatory Action, and related topics
Training programme on PDNA, Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF), and others relevant to UNESCO.
COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)
Accountability (C)
Communication (C)
Innovation (C)
Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
Planning and organizing (C)
Results focus (C)
Teamwork (C)
For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Academic qualifications
· Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in education, social sciences, natural sciences, or a related field.
Professional experience and skills
· Minimum of 7 years of international relevant professional experiences, including operational experience in the field
· Familiarity/working directly with UN/multilateral organizations and professional networks related to DRR
· Proven track record of successful development and delivery of training programme related to DRR and education
· Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English.
· Excellent knowledge of computer systems and office-related software.
· Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including interacting with various actors and working effectively and respectfully in a multicultural environment.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO, especially French
How to apply:
SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that all candidates must submit their proposal by email to the following email address: K.Drame@unesco.org under subject 'Application - Technical Consultant (DRR and Education)' and provide complete and accurate information.
The application should comprise:
(a) A Technical Proposal consisting of
an up to date curriculum vitae, and
an approach and methodology for the assignment, a work plan, and comments on the Terms of Reference if any (in brief).
(b) The amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars or in euros only. Please show any travel costs separately
Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English.
UNESCO places great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation the best value for money.
UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.
UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups, and persons with disabilities, as well as nationals from non-and under-represented Member States, are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.