006 Call for Proposals: DRR Capacity Building in Ethiopia
2020 Call for Proposals (Grants out)
UNDRR is the United Nations’ focal point for the coordination of disaster risk reduction, working with countries and a broad range of partners and stakeholders to support the implementation, monitoring and review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in coherence with the 2030 Agenda and other instruments, for the multihazard management of disaster risk in development and the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses.
UNDRR issues grants, in line with UN Financial Regulations and Rules, to apolitical and not profit-making organisations to facilitate, implement, or carry out activities related to UNDRR’s and the partner’s mandates and work programmes.
To this end, UNDRR invites not profit-making organisations to submit grant proposals that focus on the project described below.
Project title: Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity Building in Ethiopia: development of an information management system for early warning for forest fires in Ethiopia
A.Rationale:
Ethiopian forests provide an important natural and economic resource and are protected from fire by law. Forestry is one of the principal pillars of Ethiopia's Climate Resilient and Green Economy Strategy (2011). However, the health of forest ecosystems and its services are threatened by fire, which is listed among the most common hazards in Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Policy and Strategy and its 2018 Programme of Action. Furthermore, the risk of forest fires is classified high for many Ethiopian regions. In 2000 and 2019, extensive forest fire has caused major losses of natural and economic resources. Modeled projections of future climate indicate a likely increase in the frequency of fire occurrence in the regions, related both to increase in temperature and to greater variance in rainfall. In areas already affected by forest fire hazard, the fire season is likely to increase in duration. Climate projections further indicate a likely increase in the severity of the fire hazard.
In 2020, NDRMC, UNDRR and partner organisations developed a road map identifying a set of activities and practical recommendations aiming to improve the availability, accessibility and use of risk information for preparedness at the continental, regional, national and local scales – that of the African Union Commission (AUC), the Regional Economic Communities and four countries—Angola, Zambia, UR Tanzania and Ethiopia. The road map focuses on preparedness and impact-based Early Warning Systems, and in this context looks to enhance the capacity for data exchange and coordination among national, regional and continental actors, including for the management of forest fire risk.
Based on a baseline analysis of the status of Early Warning System (EWS) in Ethiopia, the road map highlighted strengths and challenges across four components of the EWS and recommended priority actions across four pillars of EWS, which count Disaster Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Forecasting, Communication and Dissemination, and Preparedness and Response. Two components, Disaster Risk Knowledge and Preparedness and Response stand out as Ethiopia’s strengths with notable highlights in terms of the assessment of flood and drought risk. Ethiopia institutional and legislative structure for the Disaster Risk Knowledge and Communication and Dissemination components is robust – the analysis of the existing system in Ethiopia highlights that the country has developed a clear identification of roles and responsibilities of different institutions and has established policies mandating risk assessment – but improvement in coordination is required. This creates an opportunity for an early warning for forest fire to plug into existing structures and further augmenting existing capacity.
B.Purpose:
This project aims to support the Government of Ethiopia in the development of an effective mechanism to manage the risk of forest fire at the national level, namely through development of tools and procedures for an early warning system for forest fire. Key national partners comprise the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC), namely its Early Waring Unit as well as the National Meteorological Agency, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture, the United Nations agencies and DRR stakeholders at the regional level.
In 2019, NDRMC and UNDRR agreed on a collaboration to strengthen the national capacity to manage forest fire risk. With Financial support from the Government of Italy, the present project responds to this ambition, aiming to endow NDRMC and its national partners with a country level information management system for the generation and delivery of impact-based early warning for forest fires.
The project follows the recommendations developed in the road map for improving the availability, accessibility and use of risk information, focusing on forest fire risk across the four components of impact based EWS. A substantial contribution to the existing coordination mechanisms is envisaged, supported by tools and processes, which will allow for timely collection and analysis of information necessary for the definition of thresholds and for the issuing of actionable early waring messages.
Furthermore, the project addresses recommendations and priorities identified in the Tunis Declaration, adopted in October 2018 At the Ministerial session and the Africa-Arab platform for disaster risk reduction in Tunisia, which sets out directions for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, namely by encouraging African States to strengthen their early warning systems, including multi-hazard and impact-based early warning, with priority on hydrological and meteorological systems.
C. Outcome:
Anticipated high-level outcomes of the project include:
o data and information relevant for the development and implementation of an impact-based forest fire EWS is available, systematically organized and shared across relevant stakeholders to enable decision based on the most accurate assessment of impact;
o technical capacity and scientific knowledge is further strengthened among key EWS stakeholders, making high quality analysis available through state-of-the-art modelling and reliable tools to monitor and forecast modelling forest fire risk;
o NDRMC and key partner institutions are fully equipped to produce and disseminate a standardized warning bulletin;
o Coordination is strengthened among key EWS stakeholders, drawing on their individual mandates, to ensure information sharing and targeted action;
o lessons from the project are made available at the regional level through IGAD-ICPAC and IGAD DRR Unit to promote multi-hazard impact-based forecasting and warning and to support trans-boundary risk management.
The Project contributes directly to UNDRR’s 2016-2021 Strategic Framework and UNDRR Work-Programme, namely the Strategic Objective 2: Support to Regional and National Sendai Framework Implementation, Deliverable 2.2.1: Capacity development for national and local planning, implementation and monitoring supported. It also contributed to the achievement of Target A, B, C, D and G of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Expected Outcomes:
o Relevant stakeholders actively contribute to the development of the four components of an Early Warning System for forest fire risk; future integration of the system into the wider multi-hazard EWS is welcomed and supported by DRR stakeholders.
o NDRMC Early Warning Directorate and national partners benefit from an open source web-GIS data integration platform to ensure access to relevant risk information by all relevant stakeholders, as required for a functional impact-based EWS; coordination among relevant stakeholders is strengthened.
o Quantitative assessment of forest fire risk and for prediction is available; feeding into the information platform, the model allows for the generation of semi-automatic and contextualized warning bulletins for dissemination to key stakeholders at the national and regional level.
o Key stakeholders have sound technical understanding of the system and have an active role in the implementation of the EWS for forest fire.
o An EWS for forest fire is developed and implemented, incorporating feedback and adjusted to the needs of the key stakeholders; it is grounded and contextualized in the existing institutional arrangements and provides new means to strengthen coordination among EWS stakeholders at the national and regional level.
D.Output:
Indicators of achievement:
o A real-time data exchange system for impact scenario building is developed, tested and ready for used by a trained team based within NDRMC and across partner institutions;
o A model for the assessment of forest fire risk and for forecasting is developed, integrated in the above platform and tested;
o A customized tool for the generation of a semi-automatic warning bulletin is developed to render actionable the outputs generated through the model;
o The new EWS for forest fire is institutionally and technically integrated with existing mechanisms and tools;
o Technical staff members from NDRMC Early Warning Directorate and across relevant national organizations are trained in the use of the above tools and have agreed the most appropriate and effective dissemination of the warning;
o NDRMC benefits from technical and scientific assistance to ensure a sustained functioning of the EWS for forest fire;
o The EWS for forest fire is compatible with information management systems used and envisaged by IGAD-ICPAC.
- Suggested activities:
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# |
Activity |
Expected Outcome |
Expected deliverables |
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1 |
Inception & specification of needs and requirements
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Relevant stakeholders are informed about the project, actively contribute to the development of the four components of an Early Warning System for forest fire risk; future integration of the system into the wider multi-hazard EWS is ensured. |
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2 |
Development of a data integration platform. NB: the platform needs to have been already operationally used for decision making by one or more governmental authorities with mandate to issue early warning
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NDRMC Early Warning Directorate and national partners benefit from an open source web-GIS data integration platform to ensure access to relevant risk information by all relevant stakeholders, as required for a functional impact-based EWS; coordination among relevant stakeholders is strengthened.
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3 |
Implementation of a model for forest fire risk forecast at country level and of a customized IT tool for the generation of a semi-automatic warning bulletin. |
Quantitative assessment of forest fire risk and for prediction is available; feeding into the information platform, the model allows for the generation of semi-automatic and contextualized warning bulletins a for dissemination to key stakeholders at the national and regional level. |
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4 |
Organization of a technical training workshop on Early Warning and Early Action (equivalent to a full time, 5-day session minimum) and experience sharing at the level of the IGAD region |
Key stakeholders have sound technical understanding of the system and have an active role in the implementation of the EWS for forest fire. |
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5 |
Assistance on scientific and technical issues for the entire duration of the project.
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An EWS for forest fire is developed and implemented, incorporating feedback and adjusted to the needs of the key stakeholders; it is grounded and contextualized in the existing institutional arrangements and provides new means to strengthen coordination among EWS stakeholders at the national and regional level. |
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F. Resources:
Please list staff/expert profiles and the number of days budgeted for individual roles.
G. Elements specific to the project that the grantee should know:
Applicants should be non-for-profit organizations. The project is implemented concurrently with other UNDRR’s activities in Ethiopia focused on the collection of disaster loss data, on DRR budgeting and displacement. There is no requirement that these activities and the proposed project feed into each other, but it would be desirable that the successful applicant takes into consideration the planning for these activities and ensures possible synergies across the efforts.
Please indicate a plan for implementation taking into consideration challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
H. Budget and administrative-related aspects:
The duration of the proposed project cannot exceed the date of 20 August 2021. The maximum amount requested from UNDRR for the implementation of this project cannot exceed 230,000 USD. The project proposal must not exceed 10 pages (attachments such as scanned copies of entity’s registration, CVs of staff etc. do not count).
For this purpose, please fill in duly all the sections of the application form, include the required documents (scanned copy of NGO/IGO’s registration certificate, CVs of staff etc.) and budget excel sheets, and send the complete application package (application form, budget excel sheets, entity registration certificate, CVs of staff, etc.) to the following email address: undrrgrantproposal@un.or cc: katarina.mouakkidsoltesova@un.org
Reference: 006 Call for Proposals: DRR Capacity Building in Ethiopia
Deadline for applications: 23 August 2020 midnight New York, USA EST (Eastern Standard Time). Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.
Projects’ activities can include, amongst others, the following:
- seminars, workshops, trainings;
- capacity building activities;
- institutional strengthening activities and
- advocacy
The following types of activity will not be covered:
- capital expenditure, e.g. land, buildings, equipment and vehicles;
- individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
- supporting political parties; and
- sub-contracting
Due to the number of applications, only short-listed applicants will be notified.
Please note that the grant payment schedule will be determined with the selected grantee when finalizing the agreement. UNDRR standard practice is: not to exceed 40% of the requested amount upon signature of the grant agreement; remaining payments made based on a schedule of payments linked to production of project milestones and the final payment, 20%, will be paid after the end of the project, once final documents have been received, verified and approved by UNDRR.
Refund of grants: UNDRR may request organizations to refund, either in part or in whole any amounts paid in respect of a grant when:
- the project was not implemented in full or in part;
- the grant was spent for ineligible expenditures other than those mentioned in the budget proposal submitted to, and approved by UNDRR;
- no narrative, financial or audit report was submitted within the deadline established by the grant agreement;
- a narrative report and/or a financial report submitted was determined to be unsatisfactory;
- a negative evaluation of the project by UNDRR;
- any other valid reason provided by the UNDRR.