Disaster and Climate Change-related Displacement Analyst (part time 60%)

Background

UNDP’s Governance, Peace, and Human Mobility team supports programming to protect, support, empower, and unlock the transformative potential of mobile populations for development, especially in fragile and crisis contexts.  Within the Governance and Peace team, a sub-team – linked to UNDP Crisis Bureau’s Crisis Readiness, Response, and Recovery Team (C3RT) – focuses on prevention of, and response and solutions to forced displacement and early recovery. Crisis Readiness, Response, and Recovery Team (C3RT) ensures organizational readiness, mobilizes timely and effective response to crises and enables early recovery based on a whole-of-CB and whole-of-GPN approach that builds on best-in-class procedures, systems, and expertise. On response, the team provides immediate support to COs in crisis situations including on solutions to forced displacement.

Forced displacement is increasingly threatening sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. Integrated development solutions that meet the needs of displaced people and marginalized host communities, while supporting community development, have been identified as the only sustainable means of addressing the challenges that forced displacement poses to development. The RSHM team works to support UNDP country offices, build effective partnerships, and promote thought leadership on development solutions to displacement, recovery, and resilience, as well as the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

The C3RT and Governance teams work on research and knowledge products to the evidence base, enhance UNDP’s programming, and shape global policy to facilitate proactive measures to govern displacement risks and address negative drivers of migration in areas under threat from climate change impacts, and prepare areas of destination – especially cities – for increases in population and changes in demography resulting from climate-related mobility.  This research involves i) examination of displacement risk governance finance to understand how finance streams can be optimized, and ii) exploration of future displacement and mobility trends – including climate-related displacement – to promote mobility-responsive adaptation and development planning.  

Duties and Responsibilities

The Disaster and Climate Change-related Displacement Analyst will work under the supervision of the Migration, Displacement and Recovery Specialist at UNDP BRH.

The Disaster and Climate Change-related Displacement Analyst is expected to provide research, communications, and technical support to UNDP’s positioning on climate-related displacement and mobility.  This will include collating relevant research on climate-related displacement, the drafting of knowledge products and communications material, organization of events and engagements to disseminate UNDP’s research, and support to country offices with related programming as required.

Specific Scope of Work shall be as below.  

Support evidence-based planning and programming on mobility-responsive development and climate adaptation.

• Synthesize data and develop of high-quality research and knowledge products to inform policy frameworks, influence international mechanisms - including but not limited to the Global Compact on Refugees, Global Compact for Migration, the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, the Solutions Hub on Internal Displacement, and regional agreements such as the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility - as well as relevant national laws, policies, and practices.
• Facilitate targeted engagement and collaboration with countries significantly impacted by displacement and high climate vulnerability, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• Establish effective cross-team coordination and build synergies through the organization of briefings, joint events, and collaborative programming with disaster risk reduction, climate security, climate adaptation, subnational governance teams, and the Early Recovery Task Team.
• Strengthen collaboration within the Regional Hub, proactively pursuing actions based on findings and recommendations from data analysis and research products. Support the Programme Specialist in ensuring effective communication of the Regional Hub’s activities to Crisis Bureau Headquarters and the Solutions to Internal Displacement Global Hub.

Support country office positioning and resource mobilization in displacement, human mobility, and Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus programming.

• Respond promptly to support requests from Country Offices and actively engage in relevant Inter-agency groups and Networking Groups such as the Network Group on Urbanization and Human Mobility, Issue-Based Coalition (IBC) Resilience, and Disaster Displacement Working Group, among others.
• Contribute substantively to the development of strategic presentations, concept notes, project proposals, and technical guidance, ensuring Country Offices are effectively 
• Supported in designing and articulating high-quality initiatives on climate mobility.

Support crisis readiness, response, and recovery related to displacement within the Bangkok Regional Hub.

• Provide timely and targeted support to crisis response and recovery operations managed by the Crisis Readiness, Response, and Recovery team, ensuring displacement considerations are effectively integrated and managed in alignment with emerging needs and evolving contexts.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s). 

• Organize training, workshops, and capacity building activities in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia. 
• Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: Level 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: Level 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
• Learn Continuously: Level 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: Level 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
• Act with Determination: Level 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: Level 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Level 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

2030 Agenda: Prosperity

• Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility. Addressing the Adverse Drivers of Irregular Migration and Forced
  Displacement
• Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility. Human Mobility: Climate Change and Environment

Business Direction and Strategy     

• Futures and Foresight. Ability to look at information from the past and present, identify patterns and trends and use them to inform decision making with a long-term view. 
  Being sensitive and able to scan horizons and pick up weak signals of change, explore their potential implications and assess their impact and urgency. Using creativity and imagination to communicate insights in compelling and engaging ways to challenge current mental models; ability to develop scenarios, speculative designs to present future visions or by making it experiential. Being able to facilitate debate and discussion about possible futures; help people to feel comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty.

Business Management

• Working with Evidence and Data. Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.
• Communication. Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. 
  Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels 

Business Development    

• Knowledge Generation. Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or
  responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in International Relations, Social Sciences, Development, Migration Studies, or relevant studies is required. OR
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Focused studies in migration and/or displacement will be advantage.  
   

Experience:

• Applicants with Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience.
  Applicants with Bachelor’s degree are required to have a minimum of two years of professional experience in managing development issues at the national or international level.
• Experience working within a development organization in research, analysis, programme development is required.  
• Experience researching trends related to climate change and human mobility is required, as evidenced by at least one published or forthcoming paper. 
• Experience working to promote inclusion of marginalized groups in development or adaptation planning is an advantage.
• Experience working on development programmes within the Asia Pacific is an advantage. 
• Experience researching Small Island Developing States is an advantage. 
• Demonstrated understand of the rigor required for academic writing and analysis, for instance writing or engaging in editorial processes for academic journals or research publications is an advantage

Required languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of an Asia-Pacific regional language is an advantage. 

Travel:

• Travel, especially to countries affected by displacement and climate-related mobility in Asia-Pacific, may be required

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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