JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization Mission
Established in 1965, UNDP is the United Nations’ global development network, operating in nearly 170 countries and territories. Its mission is to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience to crises and shocks. The Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) is UNDP’s primary knowledge and advisory center for the Europe and Central Asia region.
Context
The Online Volunteer will be part of UNDP’s Climate and Disaster Resilience Team at the Istanbul Regional Hub, supporting research and analytical work on disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and risk-informed development across Europe and Central Asia. The assignment will focus on identifying and assessing indicators, data sources, and policy approaches related to disaster resilience, preparedness, response, and adaptive capacity, with an emphasis on cross-country comparability and data availability. The findings will contribute to ongoing analytical work on country risk profiles.
Key Responsibilities
The Online Volunteer will support policy research related to disaster resilience and risk reduction in Europe and Central Asia. The assignment will contribute to ongoing efforts within UNDP to strengthen evidence-based assessments of resilience capacities across countries and territories in the region.
Policy and Framework Review: Conduct desk research on international, regional, and national frameworks related to disaster risk reduction, resilience, preparedness, response, and recovery, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and other relevant strategies and policy instruments.
Identification of Comparable Indicators: Identify indicators that could support the assessment of disaster resilience capacities across countries. The research should consider the availability, consistency, and comparability of data across the Europe and Central Asia region.
Comparative Analysis: Review how governments, international organizations, and research institutions assess disaster preparedness, response planning, resilience, and risk governance, and identify approaches that support cross-country comparability.
Testing and Feedback: Apply selected approaches to a small sample of countries and document observations regarding data availability, consistency, and practical applicability.
Research Outputs: Prepare concise summaries, briefing notes, and background materials highlighting key findings, potential indicators, data sources, and recommendations.
Required Skills and Experience
Education/Field of Academic Study: Public Policy, Development Studies, Environmental Studies, Climate Change, or closely related fields.
Research Skills: Experience conducting desk research, literature reviews, policy analysis, or institutional analysis.
Analytical Skills: Ability to review, synthesize, and interpret information from policy documents, strategies, and international frameworks, and identify patterns, common approaches, and emerging trends across countries and regions.
Knowledge Areas: Familiarity with disaster risk reduction, resilience, climate adaptation, sustainable development, or related policy areas is desirable.
IT Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel.
Language skills: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Russian, or any language from the RBEC region is an advantage.
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