Associate - DRR, Climate Change and Resilience

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan, focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. UNFPA has been operating in India since 1974.

Odisha, with its long coastline, is among India’s most disaster-prone states, recurrently affected by cyclones, floods, heatwaves and periods of drought. Climate change is further intensifying and diversifying these risks which intersect with existing socio-economic and demographic vulnerabilities, resulting in differentiated and often compounded impacts on women and girls, children and adolescents, older persons, persons with disabilities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other marginalised groups. Inequalities in access to resources, mobility, information, decision-making and essential services can further heighten vulnerability during emergencies and recovery. At the same time, climate and disaster risks interact with wider demographic and social transitions, including migration, urbanisation, changing household structures, care responsibilities and livelihoods, with implications for health, wellbeing, protection and community resilience.

Recognising these interlinkages, UNFPA Odisha has been working to strengthen the integration of gender equality, social inclusion and population perspectives within disaster risk reduction and resilience efforts. A key partnership in this area has been with the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), through which UNFPA has supported the institutionalisation of gender-transformative approaches to DRR.

An important component of this engagement is the strengthening of a Gender and Inclusion Cell within the DRR ecosystem. The Cell supports policy review and alignment to integrate gender and social inclusion across DRR frameworks and processes; strengthens systems for the generation and use of disaggregated data to better identify differential vulnerabilities; supports capacity building of relevant stakeholders; and contributes to strengthening community resilience through more inclusive and responsive DRR approaches. Together, these efforts seek to ensure that disaster and climate resilience is people-centred, rights-based and responsive to intersecting vulnerabilities.

Building on this experience, there is an opportunity to further document and strengthen the evidence base around gender, population dynamics, demographic change, climate vulnerability and resilience.

The National UN Associate Volunteer will support the UNFPA Odisha State Office through preliminary research, desk review, data and evidence compilation, documentation, stakeholder mapping and preparation of basic knowledge products. The Volunteer will also assist the team in preparing inputs for concept notes and proposals and in documenting good practices emerging from Odisha.

The Volunteer will work as part of the UNFPA Odisha team and support engagement with OSDMA, relevant Government departments, UN agencies, development partners, academic and research institutions and civil society organisations.

Under the direct supervision of the designated UNFPA Odisha Programme Supervisor, the UN Associate Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Support preliminary desk research and evidence compilation on the linkages between climate change, disaster risk, environmental vulnerability, population dynamics, demographic change, gender and social vulnerability in Odisha.
• Support the preparation of short background notes, policy briefs, presentations, concept notes and talking points on selected issues relating to climate resilience, DRR, demographic resilience, gender and population dynamics.
• Assist in mapping relevant Government policies, programmes, institutions, academic and research organisations and development partners working on climate change, environment, DRR, resilience and related areas in Odisha.
• Support documentation of the work and partnership between UNFPA and OSDMA, including relevant initiatives, tools, capacity-building activities and the work of the Gender and Inclusion Cell.
• Support documentation of good practices, lessons and emerging experiences from Odisha relating to gender-transformative DRR, climate adaptation, social inclusion and community resilience.
• Support compilation and organisation of relevant disaggregated data, research, policies, guidelines, tools and other evidence relating to gender, population dynamics, demographic change, climate vulnerability and resilience.
• Participate, as part of the UNFPA team, in consultations, workshops, technical meetings and knowledge-sharing events with OSDMA, Government departments and other partners, and support the preparation of meeting briefs, presentations, minutes, action points and follow-up documentation.
• Contribute to knowledge management by maintaining stakeholder mappings, databases, evidence repositories and documentation relating to climate resilience, DRR, population and gender.
• Support the preparation of background inputs for concept notes, proposals and potential partnerships in the areas of demographic resilience, climate change, DRR, gender and environment.
• Support the identification and documentation of potential areas for future engagement with OSDMA and other relevant institutions, based on guidance from the UNFPA team.
• Undertake other related research, documentation, coordination and programme-support tasks assigned by the supervisor.