Based on the request of the Ministry of Environment Protection & Natural Resources (MoE) of Georgia, UNDP will assist the MoE in conducting a needs assessment and a feasibility study for establishing an early warning system for natural hazards in Georgia. Natural hazards (notably floods, landslides and mudflows) put people at risk and cause frequent emergencies, which pose humanitarian, development and environmental challenges. During the last decade, advances in science and technology have improved the potential of early warning systems to reduce human loss from meteorological or hydrological disasters, which constitute 90% of all natural disasters. Especially since the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, early warning systems have been a priority in many countries. Effective early warning systems are widely recognized as good practice if evidence-based and people-centered, and thereby empowering individuals and communities to act on risks in sufficient time and in an appropriate manner to reduce the possibility of injury, loss of life and damage to property or the environment. Recent research underlines the complexity of establishing effective early warning systems. Such systems are now widely acknowledged as more than a scientific or technological challenge related to hazard monitoring, forecasting and telecommunications. To serve people effectively, systems must be integrated and link all actors in an early warning chain including the scientific and technical community, public authorities and local communities. In addition, early warning systems must be complemented by capacity building in communities at risk, training of professional emergency services, and allocation of adequate resources to enable necessary preparedness and effective response. Governments need to develop and support legislation, administration, contingency planning and operational procedures to support early warning systems. Inter-ministerial and inter-agency coordination is equally important to allow multi-sectoral collaboration. UNDP’s institutional mandate and close collaboration with government are preconditions for successfully conducting this study. Putting early warning high on the national agenda is a strategic activity for the organization at a time when climate change is likely to produce more extreme climate events. In addition, this feasibility study is in line with the second priority action of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, that is to identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning. The study will be implemented in close collaboration with the UNDP Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor, the UNDP Environment & Energy portfolio, MoE and other concerned national and local authorities. The study will be financed from UNDP Georgia on-demand consultancy service project. The overall objective of the UNDP assistance is i) to conduct a needs assessment and a feasibility study for establishing a natural hazard early warning system in Georgia and ii) to suggest UNDP’s priority capacity development interventions for establishing and operating a natural hazard early warning system within the MoE and other relevant institutions. More specifically, the feasibility study will assess the feasibility of establishing the natural hazard early warning system in Georgia and propose its scientific basis, technological components and institutional framework. It is meant to assess opportunity costs, requirements and working modalities of an effective natural hazard early warning system. Since a participatory and inclusive approach is encouraged, such study is expected to contribute to enhanced collaboration between policy makers, emergency managers, scientists and civil society and result in the Government adopting a proactive approach to risk management. The scope of this feasibility study will be as follows: - Scope of an early warning system for natural hazards in Georgia (e.g. regional versus national, single- versus multi-hazard focusing on floods, landslides, droughts, wildfires etc.)
- Working modalities of natural hazard early warning system including:
- Indicators to forecast the location, intensity and timing of heavy precipitation
- Monitoring of rainfall, water flow and water levels
- Baseline data on ground topography, slope and vegetation cover
- Assessment of a feasibility for the following three components of the early warning chain:
- Technical identification and monitoring of hazards
- Communications requirements
- Response to warnings
- Assessment and recommendations on how the natural hazard early warning system could best be a part of the national institutional and legislative framework considering current responsibilities of MoE/National Environment Agency, Ministry of Regional Development & Infrastructure, Ministry of Interior/Emergency Management Department, local authorities and civil society organizations
- Assessment of opportunity costs for establishing th natural hazard early warning system and alternative allocation of funds for disaster risk reduction (e.g. risk mapping, riverbank protection)
- Assessment of system, institutional and individual level capacities existing in MoE and other key institutions for establishing and operating the early warning system for natural hazards
- Recommendations on capacity development initiatives for MoE and other key institutions for establishing and operating an early warning system for natural hazards
The study will be conducted by a team of experts composed of one international and one national expert. The national expert will work under overall supervision and guidance of the international expert |
An international consultant will have following duties and responsibilities: - Development of a methodology, scope and outline of the natural hazard early waning assessment report
- Desk review of available natural hazard early warning systems applicable to current needs in Georgia and development of findings and recommendations for MoE and other relevant institutions
- Consultations with key stakeholders including, the MoE/National Environment Agency, the Georgian National Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction & Sustainable Environment, UNDP Disaster Risk Reduction Think-tank, Ministry of Interior/Emergency Management Department, CENN and others
- Investigation of the feasibility for establishing early warning system for natural hazards in Georgia and formulation of key recommendations
- Development of recommendations on capacity development initiatives for MoE and other key institutions for establishing and operating an early warning system for natural hazards
- Discussion of the draft report with main findings and recommendations of the study to key stakeholders
- Finalization of the feasibility study report with findings and recommendations for various categories of risks and stakeholders – including next step; and
- Development of a project proposal for UNDP’s capacity development interventions for establishing and operating an effective early warning system for natural hazards within the MoE and other institutions
Deliverables - Natural Hazard Early Warning System Feasibility Study
- Project proposal on UNDP’s capacity development interventions for establishing and operatinga natural hazard early warning system within MoE and other relevant agencies
Payment modality The incumbent will be paid a lump sum that will include daily fees, DSAs for Tbilisi and travel costs. It is envisaged to have up to two visits of the expert to Georgia. The payment will be made in two installments upon satisfactory completion of the following deliverables: - 40% - upon submission to and clearance by UNDP of the first draft of the early warning system assessment report;
- 60% - upon submission to and clearance by UNDP of the final report and the project proposal for UNDP’s capacity development interventions for establishing and operations of early warning system for natural hazards within the MoE and other key institutions
Evaluation criteria Experts will be evaluated against combination of technical and financial criteria. Maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria equals to 70 and for financial criteria – to 30. Candidates who will obtain 70% out of maximum obtainable scores of the technical criteria will be considered as qualified. Only qualified candidates will be requested to submit financial proposals. |
