Consultant (Extreme Heat Risk Governance)

Result of Service

The Government of Senegal received support in applying the Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit to identify governance gaps, strengthen inter-agency coordination, assess heat-risk governance maturity, and develop a prioritized roadmap and financing strategy for advancing extreme heat risk reduction and resilience measures at national and sub-national levels.

Work Location

Dakar, Senegal

Expected duration

13 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Established 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 efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 160 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework, and catalyzes action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk, working with UN Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community.

Extreme heat has emerged as a defining challenge of the 21st century. It is now more frequent, intense and prolonged, driving rising mortality, productivity losses, infrastructure disruption, ecosystem decline and deepening inequalities. Recognizing the scale of the challenge, the UN Secretary-General has named extreme heat a "top-tier climate risk", calling for urgent and coordinated action to strengthen prevention, preparedness, resilience and governance.

In response to the UN Secretary-General's Call to Action on Extreme Heat, UNDRR, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) coordinated the development of the Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit, with experts from national and subnational governments, international financial institutions, UN and other international organizations, and additional partners.

Launched at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, to help decision-makers measure, understand, strengthen and sustain heat-risk governance and investment across sectors and scales, this consultancy supports the implementation of a programme of pilot projects to apply and test the Framework and Toolkit in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

With support from the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Senegal will test the Framework and Toolkit through coordinated technical assistance provided by UNDRR. The project aims to identify governance gaps, priority actions, institutional responsibilities and financing opportunities to protect vulnerable populations, systems and domains.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will be based in Dakar, Senegal.

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Management Officer, UNDRR Regional Office for Africa, and the Global Lead, Extreme Heat Risk Reduction at UNDRR Headquarters. The consultant will work closely with the Government of Senegal and technical experts from UNDRR Headquarters, WMO and GHHIN, as well as relevant partners in the country.

The consultant will undertake or oversee the following:

1. Government Engagement and CoordinationMaintain regular engagement with the Government of Senegal to identify champion entities, agree on the project approach and expected results, and support the establishment and functioning of cross-sectoral inter-agency relationships in support of integrated extreme heat risk governance, including stakeholder onboarding, relationship management and follow-up.
2. Stakeholder Mapping and EngagementMap relevant government institutions, partners, donors and investors, together with the knowledge partner providing technical assistance to the project, as well as in-country knowledge partners and technical experts. Support documentation of roles, mandates and coordination linkages for extreme heat risk governance and investments. Develop and implement a stakeholder and partner engagement strategy.
3. Socialization of the Framework and ToolkitSupport sensitization and outreach activities on the Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit with key stakeholders in Dakar and at sub-national level, as relevant.
4. Assessment and Data CollectionSupport key informant interviews, surveys and questionnaires to collect in-country information, including climate-services use in decision-making and heat-governance maturity assessments, in coordination with UNDRR, WMO and GHHIN technical experts.
5. Support Multi-Stakeholder Workshops and Tabletop SimulationsSupport the Government of Senegal in planning, designing, preparing and delivering multi-stakeholder workshops together with UNDRR, WMO and GHHIN staff and technical experts, including scenario-based tabletop simulation exercises and consolidation of workshop outputs.
6. Input to the Phase 2 Roadmap and Financing StrategySupport internalization and processing of the outcomes of the first inter-agency coordination meeting among Senegalese government institutions to consolidate and validate priority actions and indicative financing strategies for subsequent phases identified by the Government of Senegal and key stakeholders through workshops and meetings, in coordination with UNDRR, WMO, GHHIN and government counterparts.

Qualifications/special skills

Bachelor's degree in disaster risk reduction, public administration and/or governance, political affairs, emergency management, engineering, public policy, urban planning, social science, or a related field is required. Minimum 5 years of experience in public administration and/or governance, political affairs, disaster risk reduction, risk management, engineering, urban planning or a related field in Senegal is required. Work experience with national and sub-national stakeholders in Senegal is required. Experience drafting strategic planning documents, reports and conducting stakeholder consultations is required. Experience supporting inter-agency and cross-sectoral coordination processes is desirable. Experience and familiarity with extreme heat risk prevention, mitigation and management measures is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English and French is required for this consultancy. Knowledge of an additional United Nations official language is desirable.

Additional Information

Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted.

No Fee

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.