ThaiNGO

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) seeks to appoint a:

Title:                     Consultant for studying the two decades of DIPECHO contributions to

                             Disaster Risk Reduction in Southeast Asia

Location:              Bangkok, Thailand

Reports to:           Project Manager, Building Urban Resilience in SEA

Working period:   December 2016 to September 2017, maximum of 38 working days

Background of the project

Set up in 1996, DG ECHO started DIPECHO (Disaster Preparedness ECHO) to improve the capacities of communities at risk to better prepare for and protect themselves against natural hazards. At first DIPECHO focused on three regions: Central America, Southeast Asia (including Bangladesh) and the Caribbean. In 1998, programme was expanded to include two further regions exposed to natural hazards, South Asia and the Andean Community. A diagnostic study was carried out by DG ECHO in each of these regions to identify risks, evaluate the socio-economic vulnerability of people, and the risk to property to decide what local, national and regional response capacity and external support was already in place. Since then, DG ECHO has invested €325 million in its global efforts in disaster risk reduction.

Southeast Asia is among the most disaster prone regions in the world, in scale, recurrence and severity. Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam countries rank among the top ten globally worst-hit by disasters. The range of hazards causing these is wide, and includes floods, flash floods, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and tidal surges, landslides, droughts, forest fires and volcanic eruptions. Besides, many small to medium-sized events, some of the Southeast Asian countries face high exposure levels. Other Southeast Asian countries which rank high on the scale of disaster impact, but with more limited capacities to prepare and respond are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Timor Leste. In these countries, since 2005, some DRR efforts have also been made, with some noticeable progress.

Governments of Southeast Asian countries have recognised the importance of addressing disaster risks coherently. The ten Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have adopted a legally binding mechanisms, the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) in 2009, a regional framework for cooperation, coordination, technical support, and resource mobilisation for disaster risk management. It also affirmed ASEAN’s commitment to the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA). Southeast Asian countries contribute to the DRR agenda in the Asia-Pacific, and includes several mechanisms such as Regional Platforms and a biannual Asian Ministerial Conference for DRR known as AMCDRR.

Disaster risk reduction (and increasingly climate change adaptation) has gained momentum in Southeast Asia through different mechanism such as the ASEAN institutions and the network of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, as well as other set-ups of civil society and intergovernmental organisations.

The main DRR donors in the region are: AusAid, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Union (through Member States and European institutions), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Australian government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, USAID and the Republic of Korea. Regional and private contributions are also significant.

In 2003, DG ECHO launched a global evaluation on DRR, in which Southeast Asia was ranked as having one of the highest levels of vulnerability compared to other regions. Disparities in vulnerability within the region and within each country were high, impeding a global approach. Disaster preparedness was not a strategic priority for many of the national legislations of Southeast Asian countries. Thus their capacity to cope with disasters was weak, and locally many communities and institutions were lacking in awareness, knowledge, expertise, resources and mandate. In such a scenario, the lack of resilience of people, institutions, basic services and other infrastructure resulted in vulnerabilities and losses (both in lives and assets lost) which could often be mitigated or avoided. The more a vulnerable population is exposed to hazards, which exhaust its coping mechanisms, the more difficult it becomes for it to emerge from the spiral of vulnerability.

Considering these issues, successful DIPECHO projects predominantly included the following components carried out across Southeast Asia from 2005 to 2015:

• Infrastructure support
• Advocacy and public awareness-raising
• Small-scale mitigation works
• Mapping and data computerization
• Education and public awareness raising
• Early warning systems
• Research and dissemination
• Facilitation of co-ordination
• Institutional strengthening
• Local capacity building and training

It is now recognised integrating DRR into socio-economic development and cooperation policies should become systematic, as reducing risk and vulnerability are important in militating negative impacts of hazards, and thus contributing to achieving the recently settled Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Over the past few decades, the impact of disasters has changed in Southeast Asia. The local community, DIPECHO partners, civil society organizations and institutions with national and subnational governments have developed different coping capacities. However, the vulnerability profile is also changing: more people are moving into urban areas, traditional coping mechanisms are being eroded as communities spread, and countries recover from economic crisis caused by recurrent hazards in the region, such as the floods in Thailand in 2011, Typhoon Nargis in 2008, Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and others. In addition, physical exposure and systemic weaknesses in national and subnational government, the high percentage of affected arable land, the fragility of rural livelihoods, environmental degradation (such as deforestation linked to illegal logging), climate change (such as more frequent droughts), land reallocation, and rapid and unplanned urban growth found in the Southeast Asia region, have all contributed to increased vulnerability, reduced capacity to mitigate loss, and decreased resilience.

Since the context of coping capacity in Southeast Asia has changed at institutional as well as government, civil society and individual levels compared to last decades, a study is proposed, which intends to capture DIPECHO contributions in this evolution in the region. The study will examine successes/good practices and challenges faced by DIPECHO, provide an analysis of new or emerging hazards and risks, and provide concrete recommendations for future DRR to continue improving coping capacity in government, civil society and at individual level, in line with regional and global frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for DRR, and the post AADMER Plan of Action.

Purpose of the Study:

To document success stories, good practices, lesson learned and challenges in DRR       in the Southeast Asia region over the past two decades, and provide the key recommendations for national Red Cross Societies, I/NGOs, civil society, donors and national, sub-national and local governments to build resilience at all levels.

Alignment to the IFRC’s objectives and strategy

(IFRC’s Strategy 2020)

The objectives of this consultancy support align with the following Strategic Aims set out in IFRC’s Strategy 2020.

• Strategic Aim 1: Save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery from disasters and crises
• Strategic Aim 2: Enable healthy and safe living

It contributes to the Area of Focus 1 (DRR) of the 2016 Operational Plan under the Bangkok Cluster Country Support Team (CCST), in particular the output stating that “Community awareness and public education campaigns are conducted using harmonized messages on risk reduction”.  

Project objectives

The objectives of the study are:

• To provide significant recommendations for building the resilience of local communities by national and international Red Cross Societies, I/NGOs, civil society organizations, national and subnational governments and donors, within the context of regional and global DRR frameworks.

Desired outcomes

The final list of documentation for review will be prepared after consultation with DG ECHO and current DIPECHO project partners but will likely include: DIPECHO country briefs, guidelines for the nine Action Plans, Humanitarian Implementation Plans, project partner reports and evaluations, regional and national consultation meeting reports, and presentations given by DIPECHO partners and DG ECHO.

The appraisal should also include training, information, education and communication and public awareness raising materials, and case studies produced over the course of nine Action Plans. Several DIPECHO regional and global evaluations are expected to be reviewed.

Consultancy outputs

The following are expected to be delivered by the consultancy team:

• Define the criteria for good practices / success stories based on Thematic Areas (i.e. Advocacy & Public Awareness Raising, DRR in Education, Institutional Strengthening, Local Capacity Building, Early Warning to Early Response, etc.)
• Set of good practices / success stories in each Thematic Area of study
• List of Key Informants for interviewing; full bibliography of documentation reviewed.
• First draft report for presentation during the Southeast Asia regional workshop. Second draft for peer review and feedback by DG ECHO, and current DIPECHO partners.
• Final completion report.

Method of delivery and reasons for selecting that method

The study will be carried out after the second quarter of this intervention. The study will be divided into four phases. Some phases can be home based and some will be undertaken through the assessments in selected thematic areas and/or countries in Southeast Asia:

• First phase: Desk Review of DIPECHO funding projects in Southeast Asia over 20 years; agree on the report outline with the IFRC/Bangkok and ECHO; after desk review, the consultant will suggest the thematic areas of study. Further develop a criteria to ascertain good practices. (12 days).
• Second phase: Identify Key Thematic Areas by conducting the desk review and consultation meeting with IFRC/BKK and ECHO; Setting up a key informant interview schedule with DIPECHO partners and others (to be carried out in country, over Skype, or telephone) (6 days)
• Third phase: Select Good Practices in each thematic area and identify specific countries in the region[1] for data collection and carry out key informants and other interviews; Prepare the first draft report for discussion and getting the feedback from implementing partners and expertise in each thematic area (12 days).
• Fourth phase: Prepare for the Southeast Asia regional workshop; Develop the agenda in line with purpose and objectives of the study; identify participants; and facilitate the workshop (2 days); Finalize report and submit the completion of Final Report (6 days).

While preserving independence, the study will be carried out based on existing documents and information provided by DG ECHO and DIPECHO partners, as well as emerging hazards and risks, and in line with and regional and global DRR frameworks and other DRR initiatives. 

The study shall be carried out through analyses of various sources of information including desk study, field visits and interviews with current and past DIPECHO partners, project beneficiaries, national subnational government representatives, DG ECHO and other donors, to cross-validate. Since the study also needs to provide recommendations, the consultancy team will review regional and global DRR frameworks.

The consultant team will design the method and agenda for the regional workshop as part of the study, to fit with the purpose and objectives of study. The consultancy team leader will be responsible for facilitation of workshop.

Support to be provided to the consultant

The study will not be possible without getting the details information of DIPECHO partners and their key results. IFRC expects full cooperation of ECHO to identify the key partners and results. IFRC Regional Project Manager will support on the coordination and provide background information including provide the consultation meeting with ECHO.

Time Allocation, for budget purposes

The regional study will be carried out during December, 2016 till June, 2017. The study can be completed in three to six months.  A detailed plan of action discussed and agreed with the consultancy team as part of the agreed contract arrangements for the consultancy service.

Management of consultancy

The study will be led by external consultant team (with maximum 2 persons) in Southeast Asia countries. The consultancy team will be contracted, coordinated and supervised the study by the IFRC Bangkok CSST Office by the IFRC. The IFRC/Bangkok Office will manage the study. The consultant team leader and team member should have the following qualifications:

Main role and responsibilities:

• Experiences in carrying out regional evaluations
• Good DRR technical knowledge
• Excellent analytical ability
• Good connections with DG ECHO and DIPECHO partners in Southeast Asia
• Good knowledge of the region and in particular regional DRR strategies
• Good knowledge and skills in participatory research and evaluation methods
• Excellent writing ability 

Application Procedures

Interested candidates should submit their application to anchalee.limpiponpaiboon@ifrc.org  and  include:

1. Curricula Vitae (CV) for all members of the team applying for consideration.
2. Cover letter clearly summarizing your experience as it pertains to this assignment, your daily rate (Swiss Franc – CHF), and three professional references.

Application material are non-returnable, and we thank you in advance for understanding that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the next step in the application process.

Closing date:   30 November 2016

More information about IFRC, please see www.ifrc.org.