Ultimate results of service
The consultant shall adopt the following approaches, as appropriate, to produce the
deliverables:
(a) Undertake a detailed literature review/stock take on the state of financing for disaster risk reduction in Asia and the Pacific since the adoption of the Sendai Framework and develop a methodology for the report;
(b) Consult with experts and officials from developing countries, academia and other stakeholders (development partners, bilateral donors, international financial institutions, UN agencies, civil society organizations, think tanks, and private sector) to understand the context and challenges related to disaster risk reduction financing, and the role the Sendai Framework plays in advancing action;
(c) Develop a report, with # case studies or boxes, on the region’s efforts to finance disaster risk reduction, in line with the Sendai Framework. Provide a set of opportunities for countries, communities, and business to consider ahead of 2030.
Home based
6 months
Background
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 advocates for ‘the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.’ It recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk, but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders. It further recognizes that developing countries face specific disaster risk challenges that need adequate, sustainable, and timely provision of finance.
Implicit in the goal of the Sendai Framework is the need for countries to allocate, facilitate new, and leverage existing resources. Since the adoption of the Sendai Framework, a number of countries have developed national disaster risk reduction strategies, however, financing the implementation of these strategies remains a challenge, particularly for many developing countries and SIDS. Despite these efforts, rising disaster losses indicate that insufficient action is still being taken to reduce risk and that part of the issue is insufficient financing and disproportionate allocation for post-disaster versus prevention and risk mitigation.
Target (f) of the Sendai Framework seeks to substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries, with the other targets all require financial inputs to drive progress. The mid-term review of the Sendai Framework provides an opportune time to document how countries at national and sub-national level, communities, and the private sector in Asia and the Pacific are financing disaster risk reduction. Given the challenges faced in financing disaster risk reduction, identifying good practice, enablers and success factors offers an opportunity for actors to replicate and draw on success. The paper will explore new approaches and opportunities, identify entry points and learning, and provide a qualitative analysis on where the region’s efforts on financing disaster risk reduction stand and can be further accelerated during the second half of Sendai Framework implementation.
As many governments have incomplete knowledge on the extent of expenditure on disaster risk reduction or thus evidence on funding gaps that would help focus attention on the need for increased financing, the report will cover developments in public financial management reforms, budgeting and budget tracking. Efforts to institutionalize budget tagging within performance budgeting and other methods of financial tracking will be explored, as well as the legal, regulatory, and capacity enablers required to support these reforms.
Given the role of the private sector, and private capital, in financing infrastructure, capturing its contribution is critical to understanding the wider state of play. The report will identify upstream efforts and highlight sector-led initiatives, such as ARISE, in mobilizing and deploying finance to support disaster risk reduction.
Since the Paris Agreement of 2015, significant finance has been made available to scale-up efforts to adapt to climate change, including through the Green Climate Fund and climate bonds, among others. Recognizing that adaptation objectives are often not mutually exclusive to those of disaster risk reduction, the paper will provide an analysis on how and the extent to which climate finance is being leveraged to advance disaster risk reduction and the opportunities to promote comprehensive climate and disaster risk reduction financing frameworks through the Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF). The paper will review advance and challenges in utilizing mechanisms such as land value capture, impact investments, crowdsourcing, resilience and green bonds will be capture through analysis of good practices, enablers and review of barriers, enablers and opportunities
B. Duty and Responsibility
In coordination with the MTR team in ROAP and UNDRR Headquarters, the consultant will:
1. The consultant will be responsible for developing a report on disaster risk reduction financing in Asia and the Pacific. The report will be guided by the Sendai Framework, and related international, regional, and, where appropriate, national commitments on disaster risk reduction and financing. The report will focus on developing countries in Asia and the Pacific and will consider both public (central and sub national), development partner, as well as private sector led approaches and initiatives.
2. The report will (i) provide an analysis on the region’s efforts to scale-up disaster risk reduction financing since the adoption of the Sendai Framework, outlining progress, challenges and gaps; (ii) identify financing instruments and frameworks, including those led by the private sector; (iii) identify public financial management reforms and their outlook in the disaster risk management space; (iv) highlight public financial management reforms, including climate and disaster risk reduction coherent budget tagging and tracking; (v) present a series of case studies or boxes highlighting good practice and innovation from countries, communities, and businesses in the region; and (vi) outline opportunities to enhance financing to enable accelerated disaster risk reduction through to 2030. Provide recommendations for policy makers, donors, private sector investors and development partners to promote, support and enable integrated mechanisms for effective and inclusive disaster risk reduction financing. The recommendations could be further disseminated and discussed as part of the Pillar I on Financing disaster risk reduction at the APMCDRR 2022 to promote concrete commitments by government and partners in the region.
Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, finances, environmental economics or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience: • A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis, policy formulation, application of economic principles in development programmes or related area is required.
• Experience in research related climate change and disaster risk reduction financing is required
• Experience of financial markets, preferably in emerging markets and developing economies is desirable.
Language: Fluency in English is required.
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.