Background information
ISET-Nepal is a policy research organization that conducts interdisciplinary research and interactions on cross-cutting environmental, water, technology, politics, and society with a broad spectrum of Nepali society and global actors; it also engages in policy dialogues. It is registered with the District Administration Office (DAO), the Government of Nepal, and the Social Welfare Council. ISET-Nepal examines social and environmental challenges to build a society capable of addressing such challenges through improved knowledge and capacities. The organization collaborates with diverse national and international academicians, researchers, and organizations. The organization generates evidence for policies on the following five themes: Disaster Risk Reduction, The Changing Rural-Urban Continuum, Climate, Water, Ecosystem, Food, and Livelihood Interdependence, Energy System and Management, and Public-Sector Governance.
ISET –Nepal, with support from DCA and in partnership with Changunarayan Municipality, is implementing an urban DRR project referring to the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) to promote resilient and sustainable urban growth.
JoB purpose and Expected results
Overall Duty
To contribute to implementing the project ”Risk to Resilience through Collective local Actions-NEXUS Plus” in coordination with the Executive Director.
Purpose
This job is for technical assistance in implementing the project’s activities, which aim to reduce the impact of disasters and create a resilient community within the project intervention areas. The individual shall coordinate and communicate with the Executive Director at ISET and Program Manager at DCA for the activities’ implementation, which has been clearly defined in the roles and responsibilities of the PC to be recruited.
Scope of the Services
Changunarayan municipality is the largest municipality by area out of the four municipalities of Bhaktapur District. It has 54,551 population, of which 27,137 are female (Municipality Census 2068). The municipality’s per-urban areas are rapidly shrinking due to high urbanization, in-migration, and other pull and push factors. Some wards are located in plains (ward no. 2 and 3) and some in hill or mountains (ward no. 6 and 7), while the rest five (ward no. 1,4,5,8 and 9) have mixed topography. Based on the nature of the landscape and its topography, the municipality is prone to various disaster events such as landslides, floods, lightning strikes, and fires. The increasing air pollution and lack of dedicated open spaces and infrastructure also threaten people during disasters.
Climate change is emerging as additional stress to the development and impacts local people and their livelihoods, pushing them towards poverty. Women, children, and marginalized groups are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, yet their presence is nominal in decision-making in the disaster management sector. Services provided by the state and the municipality are yet out of reach of the informal sector population and the disadvantaged and marginalized groups. The Changunarayan municipality requires the collaboration of non-government and civil society organizations and private sectors to manage these emerging issues. Some programs and activities in DRR management have been implemented in the municipality, showing some positive impacts. Continuing these programs and innovative ideas and approaches is a current need in Changunarayan Municipality. Knowledge management and dissemination of information/ data at the local level are also crucial.
The PC shall carry out the following activities:
Time, logistics, and facilities
The individual will commence work as a PC from July 1st week, 2024, and will work until 31 December 2024. The project will run until 2026. There is a bigger chance of project extension up to 2029. He/she will carry out the task individually and work under the ED, ISET-Nepal, to carry out the stipulated tasks.
All the benefits will be provided as per the organizational policies.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Some of the specific tasks that will be assigned to PC include:
1. Overall coordination and management of the Project.
2. Carryout hazard/risk mapping in high-risk urban areas of the Changunarayan Municipality and raise community awareness programs and training in this context. Facilitate mainstreaming DRR/CCA in the development planning of Changunarayan Municipality
3. Developing ICE materials covering Risk/hazard. Coordinate with concerned stakeholders
4. Planning and preparation for Kitchen fire safety drills for women and men and scaling up fire safety in other municipality wards.
5. Facilitating and backing up Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMCS) to build on the expected roles by addressing the identified gaps/deficiencies and
6. Demonstrate model space and work with the community and the local government to prepare SOP.
7. Design and implement NBS mitigation in coordination with Wards and Changunarayan Municipality.
8. Help execute resilience strategies in municipal governance and planning (use of URBAN DRR scorecard for ranking)
9. Carry out community consultation and capacity-building activities.
a. Design and/or provide input into training for young women champions and local entrepreneurs
b. Design and implement training and capacity-building programs for urban residents (women & youths).
10. Participate in meetings with government and community leaders on DRR and urban planning for households and communities.
11. Develop local volunteers and link them with VMS
12. Help strengthen the DRR information and management system at Changunarayan Municipality.
13. Facilitate small grants for start-up businesses focusing on youth and women.
14. Facilitate research on urban heat waves at Changunarayan Municipality and urban Resilience Learning Dialogue platform in collaboration with MoFAGA/DPNet and NDRRMA.
15. Ensure project quality, safety, and compliance with environmental standards.
16. Document the progress and process of the transformative changes and learning
17. Prepare and submit progress reports to the donor
18. Maintain links with potential consultants for the above-mentioned tasks
19. Carry out any other Nexus project-related activities or responsibilities as agreed with DCA that fall under the Project Coordinator’s job responsibility.