Contract for Individual Consultant (other Specialists): Request for written proposal
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Background and Objective
UNESCO operates at the interface between natural and social sciences, education, culture and communication, playing a vital role in building a global culture of resilience. UNESCO assists countries in capacity building for management of disaster and climate risk, particularly supporting the Member States on 1) early warning systems; 2) safe critical infrastructures; 3) UNESCO designated sites risk prevention; 4) using Science, Technology and Innovation such as Artificial Intelligence and big data; 5) built safe environment; 6) risk governance; 7) nature based solutions, and 8) post disaster response.
Purpose of the Assignment
UNESCO acts as a secretariat to run the International Platform for Reducing Earthquake Disaster (IPRED), which is a network of national centers of excellence from 11 earthquake-prone countries to exchange knowledge accumulated in the advanced countries on seismology and earthquake engineering as well as support developing countries to build capacity in this field.
Seismic codes play significant role in reducing disaster risk, particularly in earthquake-prone regions. Engineers can reduce the possibility of structural collapse or extensive damage of buildings by following seismic codes. The content of these codes differs depending on the region or country, including the concept, and assumed seismic force. UNESCO and IPRED have been working on comparing and improving the performance of seismic codes. The information of seismic codes is also essential for both preventing disaster and recover better from disaster.
Post-earthquake quick field assessment of buildings (PEQA) could be a powerful tool to avoid secondary damage and facilitate better recovery and reconstruction by quickly assess the safety of the damaged building for prohibiting or allowing to use them. However, there are still a lot of countries that don't have methods and systems of the PEQA. In the annual meeting of IPRED 2021, it was decided to collect technical information on the PEQA of Japan, Mexico, and Peru, and UNESCO already collected on Japan last year.
The early warning and early action stand as one of the effective methods to save lives and reduce the economic impact of natural hazards. UNESCO supports countries in establishing, maintaining and improving early warning systems, which are an essential component of disaster risk reduction. UNESCO is part of the UN Secretary General's initiative "Early Warning System for All" where everyone on the earth will have access to early warning system by 2027. UNESCO is part of the initiative together with UNDRR, WMO, UNEP and UNDP.
In this context UNESCO is seeking an experienced individual consultant to support the activities on the following areas:
- collect seismic codes in the Asia region and develop a database;
- draft the database for publication on the UNESCO website;
- collect the technical information on PEQA;
- support the Member States to set up/improve early warning systems.
IPRED project: Project outline
The International Platform for Reducing Earthquake Disaster (IPRED) is a platform for collaborative research, training and education in the field of seismology and earthquake engineering. The International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (IISEE) acts as this platform's 'Centre of Excellence'. Supported by UNESCO, IISEE was established in Japan in 1962, it is dedicated to training researchers and engineers in developing countries. The main objects of this initiative are the following:
- To exchange information and propose plans on collaborative research, training, and education regarding seismology and earthquake engineering in order to reduce disasters due to earthquakes, especially on buildings and housing.
- To address policy-relevant issues related to the reduction of earthquake disaster risks and implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, including the formulation of recommendations on priorities of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).
- To establish a system to dispatch experts to earthquake stricken countries in order to carry out post-earthquake field investigations and draw lessons for future risk reduction, by utilizing the worldwide network of the graduates of training courses organized by the IISEE (over 1400 graduates from some 100 countries).
Following the kickoff meeting in Japan in June 2007, the 1st Session of IPRED was held at UNESCO in Paris in July 2008. It was attended by representatives of major earthquake-prone countries (Algeria, Chile, Egypt, El Salvador, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru, Romania, and Türkiye). The following sessions were held in various earthquake-prone countries.
This project is funded by the Japanese Government.
Duties/Tasks and Expected Output
I. Seismic code database
- Collect the data of seismic codes of Asian countries in English.
- Draft the database to publish on the UNESCO website in English.
II. Post-earthquake quick field assessment
- Collect the technical information on PEQA such as its background, legal framework, implementation practices and methodologies in Mexico and Peru in English.
III. Early warning systems (EWS)
- Provide technical advice to seek opportunities for further support or collaboration by UNESCO on the EWS.
- Provide a technical contribution to preparation and implementation of the above-mentioned projects.
Timetable and Deliverables
a. A monthly report related to the progress of data collection and drafting data for publication in each country.
b. A monthly report related to the progress of information collection and drafting the guideline.
c. A monthly report on UNESCO actions in the EWS
Qualifications
Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in civil engineering, seismic engineering or other related fields such as disaster risk reduction. Excellent knowledge of English and Spanish (written and spoken). Spanish native speaker has a strong advantage.
Supervisory arrangements
The incumbent will work under the overall and direct supervision of the Chief of the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit at the UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector.
Request to submit a written proposal for a work assignment with UNESCO
UNESCO is inviting written proposals from Individual Consultants; for the work assignment described in attachment A.
To enable you to prepare a proposal for this assignment, please find attached the following documents:
- Terms of Reference (see attachment A);
- UNESCO's contract for Individual Consultants, the contracting modality used for these assignments (attachment B);
- Background material concerning the work assignment (attachment C) Your written should comprise:
- A Technical Proposal consisting of:
- an up to date curriculum vitae, and
- an approach and methodology for the assignment, a workplan and comments on the Terms of Reference if any (in brief).
The amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars or in euros only. Please show any travel costs separately
Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English.
UNESCO places great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements.
From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation best value for money.
Your proposal should be submitted by e-mail no later than close of business (18:00) on [31 August 2024]. E-mail proposals should not exceed 5MB.
The e-mail address is: [email protected]
It is the individual's responsibility to ensure that his/her proposal is received by the deadline.
Thank you for your interest in this UNESCO assignment; and we look forward to receiving your proposal.