Consultant, Climate Risk Assessment in Djibouti

Organizational Context

(French translation available here)

Addressing the climate and environmental crises is the first Strategic Priority of IFRC’s Strategy 2030, which stresses the urgency to massively scale-up climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in view of increasing disasters and climate-related impacts on vulnerable people and the need to ‘integrate climate risk management across all of our programmes, operations and advocacy’. In IFRC’s Plan & Budget (P&B) 2021-2025, ‘going to scale on humanitarian action and risk reduction’ is one of the six global flagship initiatives, while outcome 1.1 of the P&B is focused on supporting communities and Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) staff and volunteers to undertake urgent action to adapt to the rising and evolving risks from climate and environmental crises, including the scale up of climate-smart programming. These IFRC commitments are also in line with the Movement Ambitions to Address the Climate Crisis issued in 2020 and the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations adopted in May 2021.

National Societies are embarking on a dedicated Climate Action Journey to enable them to initiate, deepen, and scale-up climate action through increasing their climate-risk knowledge and capacity, strengthening partnerships for action, and accessing climate finance. The initial steps of the Journey are outlined in the Guide to Climate-Smart Programmes and Operations, https://www.ifrc.org/document/guide-climate-smart-programmes-and-operations, which aims at integrating climate risk and information into the design of all its programmes and operations.

With support from Irish Aid, IFRC is implementing the project Catalyzing Climate Action and Early Warning Early Action for Climate-related Hazards in National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (CCA-EWEA) in 2024. A specific activity area of the project is to support Djibouti to advance ‘starter’/’foundational’ activities to scale up people-centered early warning and early action for weather- and climate-related hazards within the context of strengthened national and local disaster risk management systems. It will support a more holistic approach across the EWS pillars, namely disaster risk knowledge, hazard dissemination and communication, and preparedness to respond to warnings. Supporting National Societies to undertake a national climate risk assessment and screening is relevant for pillar 1 on disaster risk knowledge.

Job Purpose

The purpose of the assignment is to facilitate and undertake the National Climate Risk Assessment, with climate screening (time permitting) in the Irish Aid 2.0 target country Djibouti. The consultant will provide direct technical support and/or carry out a field visit to Djibouti to provide technical advice and training, where requested.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The Djibouti Red Cross National Society, IFRC and partners will follow a proposed engagement process to get to the key deliverables together: support the setting up of a climate working group and institutional buy-in (supported by IFRC); a National Climate Risk Assessment (led by consultant); where possible, a Climate-smart Screening and planning (led by consultant); and related trainings on the Climate Action Journey (supported by IFRC).

In close collaboration with the NS Climate working group and the IFRC, the Consultant will support the following activities:

• Based on the workplan developed by the NS Climate Working Group and/or project focal point, with support of the IFRC, outlining the Climate Action Journey process of and activities for supporting and conducting the key deliverables[1], the Consultant will develop an aligned workplan of its own deliverables and timeline.
• Desk research and analysis of climate change historical trends and projections, as well as changing climate risks in the country for the National Climate Risk Assessment (as outlined in pages 68-77 of the Climate Smart Programmes and Operations Guide)
• Authoring the National Climate Risk assessment. Facilitating consultations of the NCRA with the climate working group and partners, where relevant.
• Conduct desk reviews of key NS key documents for the climate screening process, time frame allowing.
• Facilitate consultations with the climate working group (and partners, where relevant), and co-author the screening report, time allowing.
• Drafting of an external facing, brief Climate Profile document (template available)

Deliverables:

• National Climate Risk Assessment
• Climate-smart Screening report, time allowing
• Climate Profile content

N.B. The deliverables, scope and timeline will be discussed with the National Society and may be slightly adjusted.

If the deliverables cannot be finalized before the end of the contract (e.g. due to responsiveness of the NS giving inputs), then advanced drafts are accepted as final deliverables from the Consultant.

Timeframe and days

This assignment is expected to be done by the end of December 2024.  

Methodologies and working modalities

IFRC and the Consultant will propose a standard timeline, which is to be tailored by the NS climate working group, to ensure a realistic plan of work for the assignment.

Any communication with National Societies will copy relevant IFRC colleagues, notably from the IFRC country/cluster delegation and regional office.

Management and collaboration

The assignment will be overseen by the IFRC Coordinator, Climate Change for Africa and the IFRC Country Cluster Delegation for Djibouti.

The Consultant will work closely with the National Society Climate working group and the regional and delegation IFRC team.

[1] National Climate Risk Assessment; Climate-smart Screening; Multi-year Climate Strategy; and related trainings on the Climate Action Journey and locally-led adaptation

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Timeframe and consulting days

This consultancy will last up to 30 days in the period between July and December 2024.

Travel

Travel is required to the National Society in Djibouti. Provided advance approval is given, the IFRC shall cover the costs of economy class transportation and reasonable, safe and appropriate accommodation, in accordance with the IFRC’s Travel Related Expenses Procedures.

Education

Required

• University degree in environmental management, disaster risk management or climate change adaptation (or relevant area) or equivalent experience.

Experience

Required

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in climate change adaptation.
• Experience in course development.
• Experience in report and case study writing.

Preferred

• Experience working with a humanitarian or development organisation on climate.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Fluently spoken and written French.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to work and coordinate with various stakeholders.
• Proactive, self-starter that can work with minimal oversight.

Preferred

• Additional official languages an advantage.

Competencies, Values and Comments

Application Instructions

In the same document as your CV, please include the following:

• A financial proposal. The lump-sum fee which you propose for the consultancy should indicate the breakdown of all costs. This fee should be inclusive of ALL considerations.
• A proposal describing your proposed approach to meet the objectives and specifications described above.

The proposal should be no more than 5 pages.