Historique

Early Recovery is a key component of humanitarian crisis response. Early Recovery addresses recovery needs during the humanitarian phase, using humanitarian mechanisms in accordance with development principles. It is an integrated, inclusive, and coordinated approach to gradually turn the dividends of humanitarian action into sustainable crisis recovery, resilience building and development opportunities. Emergency relief addresses peoples’ survival and basic well-being. Early Recovery restores people’s capacities and supports communities’ first steps to recover from the crisis. The Global cluster on Early Recovery (GCER) formerly known as CWGER advocates for humanitarian actors to integrate approaches into their humanitarian work, where possible, that will mitigate the impact of a future crisis on a community. Lastly, the Early Recovery approach presents important opportunities to promote gender equality. Failure to include gender perspectives in early decision-making processes can have long-lasting impacts on women, men, boys, and girls particularly in the context of governance structures, policies and practices, which can reinforce existing socio-economic disparities between men and women.

At the country level, the early recovery cluster exists alongside the other humanitarian clusters as part of the organizational context of the humanitarian response.  The cluster follows the global naming convention in some countries – Early Recovery Cluster – but will sometimes be called by a more descriptive term depending on the context and the specific role it is designated to pursue by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).  For example the Cluster is called the Social Cohesion and Sustainable Livelihoods Cluster (SC&SL) in Iraq, reflecting its thematic focus on maintaining peace with affected communities and mitigating the potential for rising tensions to spill over into community conflict (maintaining social cohesion). Providing livelihoods opportunities fits into the social cohesion agenda.

As per the IASC-endorsed Operational Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sector Leads and OCHA in Information Management, the responsibility for conducting intra-cluster coordination rests with the Cluster Lead Agencies.  For Early Recovery related inter-agency efforts, this responsibility is with UNDP. UNDP is also responsible for supporting OCHA in its efforts to ensure coherence and coordination between intra- and inter- cluster information management (IM) activities at the country level. As Cluster Lead, UNDP works closely with early recovery partners in-country to establish the systems and processes needed for effective IM, in line with the above-mentioned Operational Guidance.

Information Management Officers work directly with the Cluster Coordinator as well as working with UNDP and partners, including UN agencies, NGOs, national and local authorities to gather, analyze and format information to assist informed decision-making and enhance overall coherence in this field.  Mechanisms such as existing UN country thematic working groups, as well as others, can and should be put to the service of the IMO to permit the collection and gathering of information.

See Operational Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sector Leads and OCHA in Information Management (October 2007): http://www.humanitarianreform.org/humanitarianreform/Portals/1/cluster%20approach%20page/Res&Tools/IM/OperationalGuidance%20Information%20Management.pdf

Devoirs et responsabilités

Functions:

Develop and implement an information management system for the Cluster.

Map existing information management systems already existing in-country (OCHA, cluster lead agencies, national and local authorities) to develop an understanding of information resources available and systems that already exist as a platform for developing information products, services and tools for planning, reporting, and accountability.

Develop information tools and products to support the information needs of the Cluster and the HCT:

• Manage the Inter-cluster website (humanitarianresponse.info and earlyrecovery.info) as a hosting mechanism for meeting schedules, minutes, posting maps, providing standard forms, policy/technical guidance, datasets, needs/gap analysis;
• Develop and manage the 3W database and / or GIS mapping mechanism to support programming and project coordination, planning and implementation;
• Maintain contact lists to facilitate coordination;
• Develop templates for standardised data collection if necessary.

Identify and prioritize objectives to address information needs:

• Identify the most appropriate mechanisms for data/information collection, processing, analysis and dissemination to address early recovery coordination and information needs;
• Develop and produce a workplan to implement an information management strategy;
• Build capacity of the national IMO.

Identify information requirements to support coordination of early recovery activities and early recovery decision making:

• In cooperation with OCHA’s information management staff, strengthen the capacity of the SC&SL Cluster to manage information;
• Ensure that the information to support the Cluster’s IM needs and its coordination role is submitted/collected, organized, prioritized and made available to all stakeholders in-country, including national and local authorities;
• Develop partnerships with other IMOs and Cluster partners, including national and local authorities, to strengthen information exchange

  Establish contacts to access available national statistics if possible, or statistical surveys carried out in country:

• Ensure information will contribute to an evidence base of good practice to assist advocacy;
• Present data and information in an accessible and useful format (templates, maps, reports) for analysis to support strategic and operational decision making.

Identify data standards and key datasets pertinent to the early recovery process and promote the use of such standards:

• Promote the use of global information management standards and data/information sharing protocols within the SC&SL Cluster, UN Country Team, UNDP Country Office and among development and humanitarian partners (including local authorities), such as SHARE standards, standardised metadata, as well as data standards (particularly P-codes);
• In collaboration with OCHA counterparts, contribute and support data collection, data entry and use of standardised information management systems and tools to support humanitarian operations, including early recovery. These standardised databases and systems include: Who does What Where, Contacts Directory, Humanitarian Dashboard, and the Financial Tracking System.

Results:

• A functioning information management system will strengthen the planning and response capacity of the Cluster and provide the evidence-base to support planning and decision-making of the Cluster and all humanitarian actors in the crisis;
• An accessible, well organized information management system allows for a well-coordinated and better planned early recovery response in a crisis setting.  It will result in a more efficient early recovery cluster and network that will have the ability to respond in an appropriate time-critical manner to improve the conditions of affected communities and the capacity of national and local authorities to provide essential services to its people and reduce the vulnerability of communities to the impact of shocks.

Specific deliverables:

(will be adapted for each country specific deployment)

• Platform (web-based or alternative) for hosting information relevant to the Cluster and the broader ER agenda managed by an ER Advisor, working directly with the HC.
• Workplan produced to develop an information management strategy
• Templates produced for standardized information collection, or on-line system for partners’ reporting
• Standard Operating Procedure produced for information collection from all partners
• Standard Operating Procedure produced for the dissemination of information to partners
• Contact list of partners produced
• Maps (or alternative products) of SC&SL and early recovery needs, gaps and issues (updated periodically)
• Maps (or alternative product) of Cluster partners and activities (3W)
• Reports produced (occasionally) on early recovery issues as requested by (and for) the ER Advisor and/or the HC.
• Debriefing report / handover note produced as relevant.

Compétences

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of the UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Professionalism

• Advanced knowledge of the use of information management in humanitarian response and recovery environments;
• Highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative ability to identify and  articulate the information management requirements of complex situations requiring a coordinated response between disparate actors;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to use sound judgment to ensure the effective and timely completion of complex tasks;
• Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters).

Communication

• Excellent communication and training (spoken and written) skills including the ability to convey complex information management concepts and recommendations to staff at all levels, both orally and in writing, in a clear, concise style that can be readily understood by non-information management practitioners.

Teamwork

• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organisational goals;
• Places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision.

Planning and Organisation

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;
• identifies priority activities and assignments;
• Adjusts priorities as required;
• Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning;
• Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Accountability

• Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments;
• Operates in compliance with organisational regulations and rules;
• Supports subordinates and peers, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments;
• Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Client Orientation

• Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view;
• Designs solutions and basis recommendations on the principles of usability;
• Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems;
• Keeps clients’ informed of progress or setbacks in projects;
• Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to clients.

Judgment/Decision-making

• Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, gathers relevant information before making a decision;
• Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them;
• Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information;
• Checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision.  

Summary of Critical Competencies for Immediate Response Situations:

• Possess a comprehensive set of competencies to immediately take on the challenging role of leading the information needs of early recovery efforts in the designated area of responsibility – strategic, integrity, results oriented, teamwork, good inter-personal skills, well developed communication skills, sound judgment, analytical skills, flexibility, proactive engagement, innovation, risk management, gender and culturally sensitive, ability to work under pressure and demonstrates high tolerance for change, complexity and unpredictability.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education: 

Advanced university degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in:

• Social Sciences (International Development, International Relations etc.);
• Business Administration (Information Management or Computer Science);
• Management (Information Management or Information Systems);
• Geographical Information Science;
• Statistics;
• Social Science;
• A related field; or

A combination of relevant academic background (at least a first level university degree id est Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) and extensive relevant professional experience in a related area may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.

Experience: 

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in information management or a related field; experience both at the national level and international level in large organizations with dispersed operations and/or in the public and private sector preferred (seven years’ experience if candidate holds Bachelors Degree or equivalent).
• Demonstrated and proven experience in the design and successful implementation of new processes and systems is desirable.
• Demonstrated and proven experience in the application of standards to the development and use of information management systems is desirable.
• Experience working within the UN system, preferably in an operational UN Agency or with OCHA.
• Experience in the application of information management in humanitarian response and recovery operations (complex emergencies and/or natural disasters) is desirable;
• Qualifications and / or industry certification and /or demonstrable experience in the following applications: Microsoft Office (advanced user certification of MS Access, MS Excel and MS Word desirable) and Lotus Notes are desirable;
• Qualifications and/or industry certification and/or demonstrable experience in project management are desirable;
• Knowledge and experience of database development and management is desirable;
• Knowledge of GIS and Content Management Systems is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
• Fluency in one or more official UN languages or the working language of the duty station is desirable.