Back Disaster/ Climate Economics/ Disaster Management Specialist

The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) is an international and intergovernmental institution, established on 30 April 2009 on signing by founding Member States of the RIMES Cooperation Agreement. RIMES was registered with the United Nations (UN) under Article 102 of the UN Charter on 1 July 2009. Owned and managed by its Member States, RIMES aims to build capacities in the production, delivery, and application of need-based climate and early warning information and services, for enhanced preparedness for, responses to, and mitigation of natural hazards. In this regard, RIMES facilitates the establishment and maintenance of core regional observing and monitoring networks to ensure data availability for early warning; provides earthquake, tsunami, ocean, climate, and hydro-meteorological services within the frameworks of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and of the World Meteorological Organization; and enhances warning response capacities at national, sub-national, and local levels within national early warning frameworks.

Heads of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs)/ national scientific and technical agencies that generate multi-hazard early warning information constitute the RIMES Council.In South Asia, Heads of NMHSs are collaborating under the framework of the South Asia Hydromet Forum (SAHF), supported by WMO and the World Bank, to contribute to building climate resilience through the development of hydrometeorological services.Also, in the region, the South and South-West Asia subregional office of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) organises the South Asia Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (SASF) as a sub-regional preparatory forum for the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (APFSD), which contributes to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development that reviews and follows up on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level.

The 3rd SASF, held in Dhaka in December 2019, recommended the integration of climate and disaster risks into development planning processes and that the SAHF could substantially contribute to the SASF to operationalize this.In January 2020, the 11th Meeting of the RIMES Council resolved to own the SAHF as part of the RIMES institutional mechanism and support the linking of SAHF with SASF.At the 4th SASF, held virtually from 2-3 December 2020, RIMES committed to support the operationalization of SAHF-SASF linkage by deputing a Climate Economics Specialist to the ESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia, located in New Delhi, India, and contribute jointly to national and regional efforts toward climate-proofed sustainable development.

Objective

The Disaster/ Climate Economics/ Disaster Management Specialist shall support the operationalization of SAHF linkage with SASF, and contribute to the implementation of RIMES Council resolution on an economic rationale for government investment in early warning.

Scope of Work

1.SDG tracking and review. The Disaster/ Climate Economics/ Disaster Management Specialist shall assist RIMES Member and Collaborating States in the South Asian Region in ensuring that climate risks and impacts are considered in progress tracking and review of national sustainable development targets.Work shall include:

Under the joint-supervision and guidance of ESCAP-SSWA and RIMES, s/he will assist in coordinating, formulating, implementing and managing joint programmes and activities on:

• Evaluation of indicators currently used in each country in measuring progress in attaining sustainable development targets
• Working with the country’s identified institutions on amending indicators as needed, considering the effect of climate-related impacts on meeting SDG targets and on identified sustainable development needs, while measuring mitigation, adaptation, and resilience
• Assessment of climate-related impacts on economic growth, as input to tracking and review of SDG targets

2.Rationale for investment in early warning. TheSpecialist shall undertake research to frame a rationale for country investments in early warning, advocate for sustained financial contribution to RIMES to support core service delivery, and mobilize resources for Master Plan implementation.Country-specific documents shall be provided to each country’s finance ministry.The work includes:

• Assessment of macroeconomic, hazard, and impact contexts
• Establishing economic rationale for government investment in early warning
• Assessment of contribution of enhanced early warning services to achieving SDG goals

3.The Disaster/ Climate Economics/ Disaster Management Specialist shall design and/or apply relevant tools for the assessments

Qualifications

Education

• Preferably Master’s Degree in Economics/Environment/ Disaster Management
• Climate knowledge is essential

Experience

• At least 5 years of international experience in disaster management/ economic analysis, 3 years of which is on early warning/ climate risk management

Skills and Abilities

• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent communication and report writing skills in the English language

Personal Qualities

• Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results
• Persistent when faced with challenges
• Takes ownership of all responsibilities of the position

Payment by RIMES of salary and benefits shall be based on acceptance of deliverables by the supervisors (refer to Clause 8 above)

Duty Station: The Disaster/ Climate Economics/ Disaster Management Specialist shall be based at the ESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia, located in New Delhi, India.

Contract Type and Duration : The Disaster/ Climate Economics/ Disaster Management Specialist will be engaged as RIMES full-time staff, with an initial contract for 1 year including a 3-month probationary period. Contract may be extended subject to satisfactory annual performance reviews.