Organization Mission

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 efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 100 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with UN Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community.

Context

This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of a two-year regional project on disaster risk communication and early warning systems in Southeast Asia, implemented by the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and funded by the European Union (DG ECHO). UNDRR is the global co-lead of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, launched in 2022. This project is part of UNDRR’s efforts to enhance early warning system coverage and effectiveness under the EW4All initiative.

The project aims to improve early warning systems in Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR, ensuring that women, girls and persons with disabilities receive timely, accessible and accurate early warning messages and can act on them to protect themselves, filling critical ”last-mile” gaps in early warning delivery. The project will be implemented at the local level in five communities in Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR, and in close collaboration with universities and civil society organizations.

Result 1 of the project includes qualitative research to understand people’s risk behavior, done in collaboration with local universities.
Result 2 includes the establishment of tripartite crisis communications platform at the local level with local authorities, community members and media (in collaboration with civil society organizations); capacity building around risk communications; and developing risk communications strategies and plans. Result 3 looks at exchanging best practices and lessons learned from the project and wider risk communication experience between Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, as well as Malaysia and Vietnam. Main stakeholders in the project include local authorities, national and provincial disaster management authorities, women’s groups, organizations of persons with disabilities, community representatives, media and the donor DG-ECHO.

The project runs until 31 May 2027. This assignment is initially for 12 months and may be extended, based on satisfactory performance and project needs, until the end of the project.

Key Responsibilities

The UN Volunteer Specialist will be the thematic lead on risk communication and community-based interventions for the regional project on disaster risk communication and early warning systems in Southeast Asia. The UN Volunteer Specialist will work closely with an International UN Volunteer (Project Coordinator – Disaster Risk Communication) on implementing the project and be supported by UNDRR’s Risk Knowledge Officer for Southeast Asia, Gender Advisor and Disability Advisors, and other staff. The UN Volunteer Specialist will perform the following tasks :

Technical Support and Capacity Building :
– Support the coordination of field-level activities with implementing partners and community stakeholders.
– Coordinate and support qualitative social research on disaster risk behavior in selected communities, in close collaboration with local universities.
– Facilitate the collection and synthesis of community insights and research findings to inform project approaches.
– Facilitate community consultations, workshops and trainings.
– Coordinate and support the establishment of local risk communication platforms involving communities, authorities, and media representatives, and in close collaboration with civil society organizations.
– Support the organization and conduct of capacity building sessions and participatory workshops on risk communication, with attention to gender and disability inclusion and leadership.
– Provide technical inputs to the development of communication strategies and plans in collaboration with partners and communities.

Stakeholder Engagement :
– Build and maintain effective working relationships with national and local authorities, civil society organizations, and development partners including organizations of persons with disabilities.
– Represent UNDRR in relevant meetings, workshops, and coordination forums related to this project.

Monitoring, Reporting and Learning :

– Facilitate cross-country exchanges and draft knowledge products and documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and innovations in inclusive risk communication.
– Ensure the visibility of the project through stories, case studies, contributions to UNDRR communication platforms and social media.

Other :
– Undertake regular travel to project sites in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia.
– Perform any other related duties as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Required Skills and Experience

– implementing community-based or grassroots projects;
– implementing risk communication projects or similar community outreach and awareness-raising initiatives.
– facilitating participatory workshops and delivering training, especially with community members, local authorities, and/or media partners.
– building and maintaining partnerships with government, civil society, and/or media organizations at local or national levels.
– Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with grassroots communities, women’s organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, media, and authorities at different levels.
– Proven ability to apply gender-responsive and disability-inclusive approaches in project planning and implementation, with sensitivity to cultural and contextual differences.
– Ability to work with minimum supervision.
– Excellent oral and written skills; accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing.
– Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
– Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable :
– Experience working in the context of disaster risk reduction or disaster risk management
– Experience working in the United Nations or other international development organizations
– Experience working in Southeast Asia

Core Competencies

• Adaptability and flexibility
• Creativity
• Planning and organising

Living Conditions

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The climate is tropical, with the monsoon season running from May/June through October/November. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, and it is also the most populated city in the country. It is located in the Chao Phraya River delta in the central part of the country. Bangkok has an estimated population of 8.75 million as of 2017 (13% of Thailand’s total population), based on data from the 2010 census. Over the past decades, Bangkok has grown rapidly with little urban planning or regulation. This has led to traffic congestion and air pollution, and there is frequent flooding of streets during the rainy season in the city’s low-lying areas. The cost of living in Thailand is relatively low, as compared to many other capitals in Southeast Asia. Housing is widely available in various sizes and at various price points. Private healthcare in Thailand is of excellent standard, and there are numerous top hospitals in Bangkok, which fall far below countries like the US in terms of price. There are numerous high-quality international schools available in Bangkok, with English as the language of instruction. Bangkok has different public transportation options, including the BTS Skytrain and MRT Underground, metered taxis, mobile-based ride-hailing services (Grab, All Thai Taxi, etc.), tuk tuks, motorbike taxis, buses and boats.
You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator.
The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.”