Public Finance Consultant

Result of Service
Objective of the assignment:
The assignment is to conduct a national budget review to:
* Highlight possible gaps between budget allocation/public investment and national strategies on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA);
* Identify priority actions and formulate recommendations for increasing investment and public expenditures in DRR/CCA;
* Support the integration of DRR/CCA into development planning and budgeting processes; and
* Provide feedback into the development of a global taxonomy for DRR and CCA expenditures.
Work Location
International
Expected duration
Four Months
Duties and Responsibilities
Organizational Setting and Reporting
Created in December ‎1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system
for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the
disaster reduction activities of the United Nations. Led by the Special
representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), UNDRR has around ‎100 staff
located in its HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, and ‎5 regional offices and other
field presences.
Specifically, UNDRR coordinates international efforts in disaster risk
reduction and guides, monitors and reports on its implementation, particularly
through follow-up and review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction ‎2015-‎2030. UNDRR creates global awareness of disaster risk reduction
benefits and empower people to reduce their vulnerability to hazards. It
encourages for greater investments in disaster risk reduction to protect
people's lives and assets, and for increased and informed participation of men
and women in reducing disaster risk. UNDRR informs and connects people by
providing practical services and tools such as Prevention Web, publications on
good practices, and by leading the preparation of the Global Assessment Report
on Disaster Risk Reduction and the organization of the Global Platform for
Disaster Risk Reduction.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Chief, UNDRR Regional Office for
Arab States and the Programme Officer (Sendai Framework Monitor), the Public
Finance Consultant will undertake the following responsibilities in the
identified target countries:
‎1. Collect and analyse relevant plans and strategies related to Climate
Change Adaptation
(CCA), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), National Adaption Plans (NAPs),
infrastructure sectors, etc. and produce a literature review and mapping of
these documents while requesting information for documents not publicly
available;
‎2. Undertake thorough analysis and research into the political and
institutional situation of the country related to risk management and identify
principal stakeholders for DRR and CCA in the target countries (many DRR
interventions are not necessarily implemented by National Disaster Management
Agencies (NDMA) but often directly by line ministries);
‎3. Establish a methodology and approach for conducting budget reviews to
identify DRR and CCA related expenditures and investments in the country based
on the literature review and mapping exercise;
‎4. Engage with the UNDRR team developing a global taxonomy for DRR and CCA
expenditure tagging and tracking and provide recommendations into the
development and design the global taxonomy;
‎5. Collect budget data from the line ministries, and verify and validate
budget data through consultations with various ministries;
‎6. Facilitate physical meetings of beneficiary institutions with stakeholders
identified as having a major role in DRR investments, and support the
organization of on-site outreach activities as requested by the supervisor;
‎7. Determine total expenditures and investments in DRR and CCA related
projects, and assess alignment on what has been budgeted and identified in
national DRR and CCA related strategies and plans;
‎8. Highlight gaps and identify priorities and needs for investment and public
expenditures in risk prevention and reduction to consider in future plans and
budgets;
‎9. Review and assess infrastructure plans and strategies of critical sectors,
and provide recommendations to further embed DRR/CCA considerations in the
planning and budgeting process;
‎10. Disseminate findings through technical workshops and events, with the aim
of mainstreaming DRR into national budgeting processes, and provide training
on the budget review methodology.
‎11. Facilitate partnerships among government institutions, UN Agencies,
donors, private sector, civil society to support the formulation and
implementation of DRR investments;

Work implies frequent interaction with the following: officials in national
governments, international organizations, regional intergovernmental
organizations, non-governmental organizations, technical organizations and the
United Nations System.
Qualifications/special skills
Education:
* Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in international or development economics, finance, statistics, public policy or a related field is required.
* A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:
* A minimum of five years of experience in public finance management and/or economic analysis is required.
* Technical competence in public finance management, budgeting, climate change assessment and analysis, knowledge of computing in financial management, budget processes and financial reporting is required.
* Familiarity with budgeting processes and budget analysis methodologies (e.g., the OECD/DAC policy marker for DRR/CCA level of investments and expenditures) is required.
* Background/familiarity with disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and/or sustainable development is desirable.
* Previous UN experience is desirable.
* Prior work experience with public investment planning processes in the context of developing countries is desirable.
Languages
• Fluency in both oral and written English is required
* Knowledge of Arabic is desirable
Additional Information
Special Notice
As per UN policy, Consultants and Individual Contractors may not apply for or
be appointed to any position in the Professional or above categories and for
positions at the FS-‎6 and FS-‎7 levels in the Field Service category within six
months of the end of their current or most recent service. This restriction
does not apply to associate experts (Junior Professional Officers) appointed
under the Staff Rules.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT
PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED
NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.