National consultant for co-facilitation of a multistakeholder workshop and development of a roadmap for an integrated early warning system in Ethiopia

Organization: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

Location: Home-Based / Addis Ababa

 Deadline: 30 Sep 2022

Job Description

Background

The Disaster Risk Management Strategic Program and Investment Framework (DRM-SPIF) emphasizes that effective preparedness in the country can be achieved, among others, through a strengthened early warning system (EWS). The DRM policy clearly states that the DRM system of the country in general, and the EWS in particular, have to be multi-hazard, multi-sectoral, decentralized, and community-centered. Furthermore, the policy envisages the EWS to be functionally linked to the woreda disaster risk profile and other relevant information sources, including central statistics (CSA) data, to enable communities and government machinery at all levels to initiate timely, effective, and adequate early actions/mitigation measures.

Since the famine of 1974, the country has put in place one of the oldest early warning systems in Africa, and much has been done in improving the system. Accordingly, the government in collaboration with its humanitarian and development partners has launched various programs and initiatives to improve the EWS. Some of those initiatives included the improvement of the regular early warning monitoring tool and its associated guidelines, the establishment of national incident management (NIMS), and various early warning and early action (EWEA) pilot projects.

To address the pitfalls, the National Early Warning Technical Committee (NEW-TC) involving the government and non-government partners has discussed how to achieve the vision to modernize and digitalize the existing EWS and make it serve its purposes. As a step forward, the NEW-TC agreed to organize a multi-stakeholder workshop to review the existing EWS operation in Ethiopia, and development of a roadmap for its improvement. The skeleton of the roadmap with clear strategies, key actions for improvement in the enabling environment, and milestones is expected to discuss in the workshop and show the pathway for the improvement processes.

The workshop will bring together about 50 diverse groups of participants involved in EWS design, implementation, and use. The participants are expected to be representing national, regional, and local government sectors, community from sample locations, UN agencies, NGOs, key donors, and relevant research and academic organizations.

The workshop will use a mix of interactive presentations and discussions with appropriate methodology and tools. Diverse facilitation methods should be designed to encourage information, experience, and knowledge sharing among participants, and provoke constructive dialogue to achieve a common goal of developing a roadmap for improved EWS in Ethiopia.

Purpose and Objectives:

The purposes of the assignment are to:

1. Create a common understanding among key actors on the existing EWSs, achievements, gaps, and challenges, draw lessons, and set the way forwards for improvement.
2. Develop and build consensus on a framework of a roadmap to modernize and digitalize the existing early warning and ensure its effectiveness as a structured, harmonized, multi-hazard, multi-sectoral, and community-centered EWS in Ethiopia.

The objectives of the assignment are:

1. In collaboration with international consultant, to support the NEW-TC in the design and conceptualization of the workshop sessions, methodology, and tools for the discussion and facilitate the end-to-end EWS performance review and improvement.
2. To consolidate and prepare the workshop report and provide technical resources and inputs for the roadmap in Ethiopia context.

This consultant position is open for Ethiopian Nationals only. The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Expected Outputs:

• Refined workshop plan with clear objectives, agenda, expected outcomes, and methodology, and tools developed for group discussions.
• PowerPoint presentation developed and presented at the workshop on the existing early warning system for real-time data collection, multi-hazard modeling & forecasting, early warning message development and dissemination, decision support, and response to the warning by key stakeholders in Ethiopia.
• Co-facilitated a multi-stakeholder workshop using the appropriate facilitation techniques for high-level stakeholder discussion.
• PowerPoint presentation jointly prepared with the international consultant and presented at the reflection meetings after the workshop with NEW-TC and EDRMC and consolidated additional comments and feedback for the roadmap development.
• Workshop report prepared with follow-up actions and recommendations.
• Technical contribution to the roadmap development for improved multi-hazard, multi-sectoral and automated EWS in Ethiopia.

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Before the workshop

1. Jointly review relevant documents on existing EWSs in Ethiopia and build an understanding of what works well, and the weakness, and identify areas for future improvements.
2. Support the NEW-TC in the design and preparation of the workshop, setting the appropriate flow of agenda, tools, and methods of facilitation and alignment with expected outcomes.
3. Support the development of group discussion guides, discussion questions, and leading teams of co-facilitators assigned from the technical committee.

During the workshop

1. Co-facilitate the workshop and specific sessions to achieve the workshop objectives.
2. Employ an appropriate mix of tools and approaches to facilitation and ensure effective participation of all participants that came from very diverse backgrounds and interests and create a smooth learning environment for all.
3. Present key findings from the quick assessment of existing EWSs in Ethiopia.
4. Organize and inject relevant experiences, best practices, successful approaches and methods, and enforcement mechanisms of EWS implemented in Ethiopia into the discussions and support the participants to integrate into the roadmap development.
5. Draw key learning, achievements, best practices, gaps, and challenges through various presentations as well as plenary discussions.
6. Support the participants to identify improvement actions for the priority issues and agree on the framework of the roadmap.

After the Workshop

1. Co-facilitate the reflection meeting with the NEW-TC and EDRMC, and joint analysis of the key findings, outcomes, gaps, and unaddressed issues, and refine the roadmap framework.
2. Develop the workshop report with key actions and recommendations.

Working Principles:

In performing the duties and responsibilities above, the consultant will be supervised by the Program Lead, Mainstreaming and Recovery based at ADPC Head Office and work in close coordination with the ADPC Country Program Manager based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The consultant will work closely with EDRMC, NEW-TC and an international consultant for this assignment.

Qualifications:

The consultants should have the following qualification and experience:

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in Disaster Risk Management, Policy Development, Strategic Planning, or other related fields with extensive experience in humanitarian preparedness, and planning, is required. Experience in the horn of Africa region is preferable.
• At least 15 years of proven experience in disaster risk management, developing and mapping capacity-building programs including conducting the programmatic assessment, strategic and operational reviews, and evaluations.
• Practical experience in emergency response management, particularly EWS, emergency operations center (EOC), incident command system, emergency preparedness, and response planning, and application of specific technical information in these fields.
• Well-conversant with state-of-the-art knowledge of EWSs, current global development, and best practices including impact-based forecasting.
• Experience both at strategic and operational levels in the field of early warning.
• High-level experience in design and facilitation of the multi-stakeholder workshop with diverse backgrounds and interest groups.
• Proven experience in policy review and program strategy roadmap development that involves the coordination of government and non-government actors.
• Previous experience in working with national governments, humanitarian NGOs, or international organizations in similar programs.
• Excellent command of English and Amharic both written and spoken, and ability to prepare high-quality reports.
• High level of interpersonal skills and leading team to achieve collective quality results.

Duty Station:

This is a home-based assignment. The travel outside Addis Ababa is required for the workshop facilitation.

Duration:

October 2022 until November 2022.