February 2009 

Consultants for the Review of the OCHA Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Closing date: 9 March 2009

Approximate duration of assignment: 45 days (over a period of three months)

Tentative contract starting date: 1 April 2009

Location city: Geneva

Location country: Switzerland

Background

In December 1991, the General Assembly requested the United Nations to “establish a central register of all specialized personnel and teams of technical specialists, as well as relief supplies, equipment and services available within the United Nations system and from Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, that can be called upon at short notice by the United Nations” (Resolution A/RES/46/182 adopted on 19 December 1991).

In line with this request, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) established a Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities, hereafter referred to as the ‘Central Register’, as an operational tool to support, in conjunction with other measures, the United Nations system and the international community as a whole in their efforts to ensure expeditious delivery of the required humanitarian emergency assistance. The Central Register is accessible under the following link: http://ocha.unog.ch/cr/.

Job description

On 1 February 2008, the General Assembly (GA) adopted the Resolution A/RES/62/92 “International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development”. In paragraph nine of A/RES/62/92 the GA states that it: “Takes note that a review of the Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities, planned for 2008, is expected to assess its value added and user satisfaction, and requests the Secretary-General to report on its findings”.

The overall objective of the Review is therefore:

• to assess the value added and the user satisfaction of the Central Register

• i.e. to assess  the relevance appropriateness, effectiveness, coverage and efficiency of the Central Register

The Review will answer the following specific questions:

• Is the information provided in the Central Register relevant and appropriate in meeting the needs of its end users?

• Is the Central Register an effective tool in obtaining information and extracting disaster management information?

• Does the information provided in the Central Register authoritatively cover the needs of its users and clients?

• How user friendly is the Central Register from a technical perspective?

Methodology

The review will be carried out through analyses of various sources of information including desk reviews; surveys and interviews with key stakeholders (such as UN and users of the Central Register); and through cross-validation of data. In order to address the objectives of user satisfaction and added value of the Central Register, an online survey will be disseminated to the clients and users of the several directories of the Central Register. While maintaining independence, the review will seek the views of all involved parties.

A Terms of Reference for the review will made available to the selected candidate(s). Among the deliverables expected, there will be a) an inception report translating the ToR into more detailed methodology and timeline (expected - beginning April), b) the programming of an online survey (expected - April), c) a final report of maximum 15000 words not including annexes (expected mid-June), and c) debrief/ presentation in Geneva and possibly in New York (expected end of June).

Consultants should apply the norms and standards for evaluation established by the United Nations Evaluation Group (the two documents are available from the website of the OCHA Evaluation and Studies Unit: http://ochaonline.un.org/esu).

Criteria / skills requested

This review will require the services of a consultant with the following experience:

§  Demonstrable experience in managing and conducting evaluations of humanitarian programmes and the capacity to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders and on a team

§  In-depth knowledge of international emergency response tools and mechanisms

§  Experience in survey design, analysis and representation of the results

§  Experience in online survey programming/ development

§  Previous work in or knowledge of the UN and/or donor institutions; and workshop facilitation skills are all desirable.

§  Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions and to prepare well-written reports in a timely manner.

§  Fluency in English

Who should apply

Applications from individual candidates are expected. The Evaluation and Studies Section encourages the application of female candidates.

How to apply

Interested consultants should submit an expression of interest to pds@un.org. Reference: 0902-EE-Central-Register. The application should contain the following:

1. CV and UN P-11 of candidate

2. Letter expressing interest and clearly identifying how the candidate meets each of the criteria/ skills listed above

Only short listed candidates will be contacted. Contracting is subject to funding. 

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