Background

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development. CDRI promotes rapid development of resilient infrastructure through three strategic priorities, including technical support and capacity building, research and knowledge management, and advocacy and partnerships. As of September 2022, 31 countries, six international organisations, and two private sector organisations are members of the coalition.

CDRI’s Biennial Report on Global Infrastructure Resilience will focus global attention on the critical and multi-faceted challenges posed to disaster and climate resilient infrastructure, with a thematic focus on nature-based solutions.

The Report will be launched at the G20 Summit in 2023 during India’s presidency. A core initiative within the Report is the first ever fully probabilistic risk assessment covering global infrastructure sectors — that is expected to inform planning, decision making and investment in disaster and climate resilient infrastructure by providing credible and fully comparable probabilistic risk metrics that cover every country and territory in the world. In addition, the Report comprises thematic chapters on nature-based solutions, financing for resilient infrastructure, and monitoring the progress of global commitments on infrastructure resilience.

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development. CDRI promotes rapid development of resilient infrastructure through three strategic priorities, including technical support and capacity building, research and knowledge management, and advocacy and partnerships. As of September 2022, 31 countries, six international organisations, and two private sector organisations are members of the coalition.

CDRI’s Biennial Report on Global Infrastructure Resilience will focus global attention on the critical and multi-faceted challenges posed to disaster and climate resilient infrastructure, with a thematic focus on nature-based solutions.

The Report will be launched at the G20 Summit in 2023 during India’s presidency. A core initiative within the Report is the first ever fully probabilistic risk assessment covering global infrastructure sectors — that is expected to inform planning, decision making and investment in disaster and climate resilient infrastructure by providing credible and fully comparable probabilistic risk metrics that cover every country and territory in the world. In addition, the Report comprises thematic chapters on nature-based solutions, financing for resilient infrastructure, and monitoring the progress of global commitments on infrastructure resilience.

UNDP’s Synergy with Infrastructure Resilience and CDRI

UNDP has been a key partner to the CDRI right since its inception. UNDP supported the CDRI in its two International Conferences in 2018 and 2019 which paved the way for its formal launch. Globally, UNDP’s role in infrastructure resilience has been in the following ways:

  • UNDP works to promote resilience at the level of communities and governments through several interventions and considers these resilience measures essential to building infrastructure resilience. For example, UNDP has promoted building codes and regulations in several countries, which contribute to improving the standards and capacities for improving regulations and building resilience.   
  • UNDP helps countries conduct risk assessment which addresses infrastructure planning. UNDP also supports assessment of infrastructure damage and loss after major disasters. These assessments contribute to development planning as well as recovery and reconstruction of infrastructure.    
  • UNDP helps countries adopt policies and implement programmes to build more resilient community infrastructure to protect the lives and livelihoods of people who depend upon small-scale infrastructure, such as roads, draining, irrigation, and electricity and water conduits.

UNDP is supporting the CDRI in the coordination, drafting, editing and production of the report.

The Report is spearheaded by the Coordinating Lead Author and the Project Management Office and entails a hierarchy of authors contributing across the six pillars in varied capacities. 

Pillar 1: Global Infrastructure Risk Model

The Model is the first ever fully probabilistic risk assessment covering global infrastructure sectors. It is expected that it will inform planning, decision making and investment in disaster and climate resilient infrastructure by providing credible and fully comparable probabilistic risk metrics that cover every country and territory in the world.

Pillar 2: Global Infrastructure Resilience Index

The Index will highlight the progress of various countries in developing disaster and climate resilient infrastructure by combining metrics from the global risk and resilience assessment done in Pillar 1 with the metrics of infrastructure investment and quality of infrastructure governance. These will be derived from the Global Infrastructure Resilience Survey (GIRS) - a global survey that will collect and analyse infrastructure management and decision-making data to develop a novel global database on global infrastructure resilience.

Pillar 3: Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Disaster and Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Pillar 3 will discuss the common economic, social, political, institutional issues that need to be addressed at the global, national, and sub-national levels to unlock and realize the potential of nature-based solutions in disaster and climate resilient infrastructure. The Pillar will advocate for mainstreaming and greater uptake of nature-based solutions for resilient infrastructure.

Pillar 4: Progress Monitoring

This pillar will include reviewing the progress towards achieving the goals and targets of the Sendai Framework and other associated international commitments on disaster and climate risk reduction and assessing countries’ progress in achieving them

Pillar 5: Financing for Disaster and Climate Resilient Infrastructure

This pillar of will discuss the financial models and mechanisms, as well as opportunities that can be leveraged to support the development of disaster and climate resilient infrastructure. It will elaborate the economic and financial case for resilience and identify innovative approaches to mobilize finance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Work on the different Pillars of the report will be completed between November 2022 and January 2023, including a technical peer review process.  The objective of the assignment is to weave and thread the results of these Pillars into a single coherent narrative in the first quarter of 2023.  After a technical review and validation by the International Advisory Board of the Report, a final draft will be prepared in the second quarter of 2023, including the main text and annexures, ready for design, translation and publication, for both print and digital versions. 

The assignment 

UNDP seeks to hire a Lead Author to work closely with the Coordinating Lead Author in this period to shepherd the report from the draft chapters through to the final print ready version. The drafting team (the Coordinating Lead Author and Lead Author) would be supported by the Project Management Unit of the report. 

Responsibilities and Deliverables 

Specific responsibilities:  

  1. Work closely with the Coordinating Lead Author to develop the overall narrative of the Report, in particular to draw out critical findings from the raw material of Pillars 0 – 5, identify and highlight core messages and recommendation and to strengthen consistency and flow. 
  2. Draft sections of the Report in agreement with the Coordinating Lead Author, on the basis of an agreed drafting schedule and chapter structure, including the selection of case studies, statistical and graphic material to be included. 
  3. Review and edit successive drafts of the Report through to the final draft. 
  4. Support the Peer Review process of the Report, including by the International Advisory Board. 
  5. Provide guidance and support to the Project Management Unit of the report, to ensure that the bibliography, indexing, annexures, credits, footnotes and all supporting material and developed to the highest international standard.  

Deliverables 

 In close coordination with the Coordinating Lead Author, the deliverables of this assignment would be: 

  1. A first draft of the Report ready for Peer Review and validation by the International Advisory Board  
  2. A final peer-reviewed draft of the report ready for design, translation and publishing. 
  3. All the accompanying materials (bibliography, annexures, credits, logos and footnotes, ready for design, translation and publishing. 
  4. Complete finalisation, revision and correction of the Report and its Annexures 

 

Competencies

Functional Competencies   

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

  • Good knowledge on academic writing, research practices and journal referencing
  • Ability to work with minimal supervision.

Communication skills

  • Good communication, interpersonal skills, with an ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Core Competencies

  • Demonstrates/safeguards ethics and integrity

Required Skills and Experience

Candidates should meet the following requirements:

  1. Education:  Advanced university degree in a subject area relevant to disaster and climate risk and resilience (for example, civil engineering, architecture, geography).  A PhD would be desirable.
  2. Experience: At least fifteen years of professional experience in developing indicators and indexes to measure disaster risk and resilience, in particular based on probabilistic modelling techniques.  Experience in using this information to engage governments would also be desirable.
  3. Global reports: Professional experience in the development and production of global reports on disaster risk and resilience issues is essential
  4. International background:  Experience acquired two or more geographic regions, including at least one from the Global South
  5. Languages: Fluency in English.  Knowledge of other UN languages would be also desirable.
  6. Publication history: At least five publications in academic journals (as author or co-author) relevant to the present assignmen

Duration of the assignment:

The assignment would be for 6 months, between January 1 and June 30, 2023, with a total estimated dedication of 60 consultant days.

Payment Terms

Deliverable

Due date

Payment

Inception Report outlining approach to assignment and to achieving results

January 15, 2023

10%

Baseline for monitoring progress in disaster and climate infrastructure resilience designed using the outputs of Pillars 1 and 2. Case studies from recent Post Disaster Need Assessment exercises to illustrate and validate the baseline selected and prepared.  Review of other relevant indicators from the SFDRR and SDG monitoring processes.

 

February 28, 2023

20%

Draft chapter on progress monitoring prepared and submitted to the Coordinating Lead Author.  Quantitative, statistical, graphic and cartographic information, based on the outputs of Pillar 1 and 2 prepared for integration in the Draft Report.

March 31, 2023

20%

Statistical tables, infographics and cartographic products prepared to include as Annexures of the Report 

May 30, 2023

20%

Complete finalisation, revision and correction of all statistical, graphic and cartographic information in the Report and its Annexures

June 30, 2023

30%

Evaluation Criteria

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as Responsive to the requirement. Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation;

•           Technical Criteria weight - 70%;

•           Financial Criteria weight – 30 %

Technical Criteria (70% of the total evaluation)

  • Educational Qualification 35marks.
  • Relevant Experience 35 marks.

Financial Proposal:

Technically qualified consultants will be requested to submit their lump sum rate i.e. consultants who score more than 70% i.e. 49 marks with respect to the above-mentioned evaluation criteria. Consultant should not specify their consultancy fee on their CV or with the submission. The CV will not be evaluated further in case the consultant submits the same.

The contract shall be awarded on the merit basis.

Note: Please ensure that all the documents to be uploaded should be combined in a single PDF file before uploading as the system has provision of uploading only one document.

General Conditions for Individual Contract-
http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/procurement/UNDP%20General%20Conditions%20for%20Individual%20Contracts.pdf 

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.