UNESCO is inviting written proposals from Individual Consultants to act as the Individual Consultant to Support Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and Connected Seas (ICG/NEAMTWS) and IOC DG ECHO CoastWAVE 2.0 funded Project for the work assignment described in attachment A.

Background and Objective

The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and Connected Seas (ICG/NEAMTWS) manages tsunami-risk-related affairs across 40 Member States bordering the region.

Under the umbrella of the ICG/NEAMTWS, the new CoastWAVE DG ECHO funded Project Phase-II (CoastWAVE 2.0) is aimed at Scaling-Up and Strengthening the Resilience of Coastal Communities in the North-Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Regions to the Impact of Tsunamis and other Sea level-related coastal hazards. The project officially started on 1 July 2024. Its goal is to build collective and common capacities in tsunami hazard assessment and evacuation mapping using probabilistic approaches in the NEAM region.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to support the Programme Specialist/Technical Secretary of ICG/NEAMTWS with the overall development and implementation of IOC activities that assist ICG/NEAMTWS Member States and contribute to the ongoing CoastWAVE 2.0 Project activities.

Duties/Tasks and Expected Output

The contract duration for this assignment is 3 months. During this period, the Individual Consultant is expected to complete the following tasks within the ICG/NEAMTWS and CoastWAVE project framework:

• Advance a literature analysis drafted by the Secretariat on High Impact Low Probability (HILP) tsunami events, and support the preparation of key documents and recommendations for the HILP Dialogues which will contribute to CoastWAVE 2.0 Project’s Component 4, “Enhance dialogues with Emergency Responders, Decision Makers on High Impact Low Probability (HILP) tsunami events within a multi-hazard context to improve strategies and effective decision-making capabilities”.
• Provide general assistance with the development and implementation of activities aimed at supporting ICG/NEAMTWS Member States and ongoing CoastWAVE 2.0 Project activities.
• Assist with the planning and organization of meetings and conferences, including supporting the organization of the ICG/NEAMTWS-XIX Session in late November 2024 and other related meetings.
• Draft meeting reports and other informational materials.
• Manage and coordinate information on web-based tools and platforms, such as OceanExpert.
• Provide assistance with ad-hoc tasks when required.
• No travel under this assignment is expected.

Qualification and Experience

• Master’s degree in relevant field of application (Disaster Risk, Risk Governance, Environmental Sciences, or similar). A PhD degree will be an additional asset.
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience, including at least 1 year at the international level, in the areas mentioned above.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English.\
• General understanding of the work and mission of UNESCO-IOC.
• Understanding of the role of the Tsunami Resilience Section (TSR) in managing and coordinating the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and Connected Seas (ICG/NEAMTWS).
• Knowledge of the Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme (ODTP) and Ocean Decade Challenge 6 (Increasing community resilience to ocean hazards), EW4ALL, as well as the Sendai Framework for DRR.
• Insight and skills related to implementing and coordinating international projects.