Timor Leste: Disaster Prevention Financing Consultancy

Sep 12, 2015 | UNDP
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The Dili-Ainaro Road Development Corridor project, is aimed at strengthening the resilience of communities living in the Dili-Ainaro Road Development Corridor to climate-induced disasters such as floods and landslides and to reduce the risk of damage to road infrastructure.

The Dili to Ainaro Road comprises a joint investment by the Government of Timor-Leste and the World Bank aiming to upgrade the road infrastructure linking Dili to the district capitals of Aileu and Ainaro. This road infrastructure and the communities living in the Dili-Ainaro Road Development Corridor (DARDC) are at risk to climate-induced natural disasters such as floods and landslides. Damage to road infrastructure is expensive to repair and restricts: i) economic development; ii) market access; iii) access to services such as education and health care; iv) evacuation during natural disasters; and v) provision of disaster relief. Furthermore, the risk of damage to road infrastructure is exacerbated because of ecosystem degradation resulting from existing land-use practices such as: i) timber logging; ii) slash-and-burn agriculture; iii) overharvesting of fuel wood; and iv) burning for hunting and fodder production.

The “Dili-Ainaro Project”, which is financed through the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF) and implemented by the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) with support from UNDP, seeks to address the expected increase in climate-induced natural disasters due to climate change and reduce the potential risks and damages to the Dili-Ainaro road infrastructure and the communities in the DARDC. The project aims to achieve this by strengthening capacities and providing investments for disaster risk management (DRM) measures using ecosystem-based approaches.

Duties & Responsibilities

The consultant will develop a top-up grant system for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction at the local level, which the project will utilize to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating DRM into annual district planning and budgeting processes. The consultant will also develop a menu of interventions of DRR/DRM measures.

Specific tasks include:

• Review relevant documents and assess existing annual grant allocation procedures to local administrations and how the top-up mechanism could be integrated;
• Discuss intended outputs with DARDC project staff, MSS, NDMD, MSA, MoF and LGSP/SSRI project staff and fine-tune the deliverables (in close collaboration with the CTA/PM) based on on-going fiscal decentralization and local planning processes;
• On the basis of the above, prepare an Inception Report comprising a detailed assignment work plan, including activities at local level, in close coordination with stakeholders;
• Conduct all necessary consultations at national, district and local levels and collect all relevant documentation;
• Identify disaster risks and climate change vulnerabilities of relevant districts and sub-districts, on the basis of above consultations, existing assessments and impressions from the field visit, and develop a draft menu of interventions suitable for increasing resilience at community level to climate-induced natural disasters;
• Prepare and submit a draft of the top-up grant mechanism, the grant simulation, and relevant guidelines on the basis of above consultations and documentation collected. Also prepare a draft capacity development plan;
• Integrate comments from key stakeholders in the above documents;
• Present final drafts of the grant mechanism, the grant simulation, relevant guidelines and the menu of interventions in an all-stakeholders workshop to collect final inputs and views from stakeholders;
• Finalise and submit all documents.

Competencies

• Excellent writing and presentation skills;
• Demonstrated analytical skills;
• Proven great communications skills involving various audience and levels;
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in a relevant subject, e.g. development economics and/or financing, sociology, geography, DRR/DRM (financing), decentralization, climate change adaptation.

Experience:

• Minimum 8 years professional experience in development planning related to rural development, development financing, decentralisation, DRM/DRR and climate change adaptation;
• Experience with introduction of new and innovative concepts and practices in government systems;
• Experience with planning processes at different levels of government and within communities, ideally related to DRM/DRR;
• Experience with the preparation of hand-on manuals and easy-to-understand guidelines;
• Experience in consulting with various stakeholders, including government officials and community members.

Language:

• Excellent English writing and presentation skills;
• Knowledge of Portuguese, Tetum and/or Bahasa is advantageous.