A. About Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

ADPC is an autonomous intergovernmental organization with a vision to reduce disaster and climate risk impacts on communities and countries in Asia and the Pacific by working with governments, development partners, international organizations, NGOs, civil society, private sector, media, and other key stakeholders.

Established in 1986 as a technical capacity building center, ADPC has grown and diversified its expertise across social and physical sciences to support sustainable solutions for risk reduction across a broad range of specialist areas. With over 100 staff from 19 different nationalities and a wide range of professional expertise from atmospheric scientists to social scientists with experiences from all levels of engagement typically required for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Resilience (CR) in an effective manner. ADPC is a competent regional resource center and has seven thematic departments: ADPC Academy, Risk Governance, Climate Resilience, Urban Resilience, Health Risk Management, Preparedness for Response and Recovery, Geospatial Information. These are supported by Finance, Human Resources and Administration, and Strategic Planning departments. In addition to the departments, ADPC works on three cross-cutting themes: Gender and Diversity, Poverty and Livelihoods, and Regional and Transboundary Cooperation through permanent working committees.

ADPC Strategy 2020 guides the organization in providing comprehensive risk reduction support to countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC recognizes the importance of examining the linkages between disaster risk management, poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainability, rights-based approaches, climate change and regional cooperation.

B. Background

Disasters take a huge toll on the development agenda of SAR countries. Between 2000 and 2017, disasters in South Asia incurred estimated damages of US$ 149.27 billion. Public expenditure is under stress by the repeated need to reallocate capital budgets away from long term development planning and towards reconstruction activities in post-disaster environments. For example, since 2005, Pakistan has suffered losses on the order of US$ 16 billion due to natural disasters. In Bangladesh, 2007 Cyclone Sidr resulted in damages and losses of US$1.7 billion, or 2.6 per cent of GDP.

To increase resilience and achieve climate commitments, there is a need for a transformational shift towards policies and institutions that enable climate and disaster resilient investments. Investing in resilient infrastructure is both profitable and urgent as disruptions are extremely costly for governments, households and private sector and large ongoing investments in infrastructure assets will have long-lasting repercussions as poor maintenance and natural disasters result in a vulnerable stock.

With the financial support from the World Bank Group, ADPC will be implementing a five years’ project, titled “Climate Adaptation and Resilience Project for South Asia” (CARE). The project aims to create an enabling environment for climate resilience policies and investments across South Asia. This objective will be achieved through enhanced regional cooperation and knowledge exchange for climate resilience and adaptation and mainstreaming of resilience and adaptation in national policies, plans and investments.

Scaling up the national policies on climate change and water sector resilience is vital to satisfactorily implement all the required components of the project. It would involve development of standardized geospatial databases and other data for climate-related risk assessments on the transport sector.

Scaling up the climate resilient financing is vital to satisfactorily implement all the required components of the project. It would involve review of national policies to support in development of climate resilient frameworks in planning and financing.

Accordingly, a highly qualified and experienced Climate Public Finance Specialist will be required to support in reviewing regional and national reports and frameworks, etc.

The objectives of this staff position are to:

• Provide overall technical oversight on the Climate Public Finance for the CARE Program
• Take a lead role in CARE work related to climate public finance in focus countries and ensure that outputs and deliverables are produced in a high quality
• Provide overall support and technical inputs on climate and disaster risk finance review and analysis, preparation of policy and planning options and policy reforms for sectors through participatory process and engagement of stakeholders in focus countries
• Adopt World Bank methodology to conduct analysis of current status, challenges, and options to integrate climate change related expenditure into national budgetary processes, in view of the existing climate risk financing frameworks
• Provide technical guidelines and prioritized actions to roll out the frameworks at national and sub-national level
• Work alongside the Climate Policy and Planning Specialist (HQ), and Climate Public Finance Specialists in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal to deliver program outputs focused on climate policy, planning, and finance
• Ensure quality control and quality management of all relevant products and activities pertaining to climate finance

C. Statement of Intent

The Climate Public Finance Specialist will provide technical inputs in adopting WB review and analyze existing climate public finance and support developing climate modeling and climate risk information to inform climate resilient policy, planning and sectoral guidelines. The Climate Public Finance Specialist will provide support remotely and also face-to-face with CARE country team and consultants.

The Climate Public Finance Specialist will be based in Bangkok, Thailand

Note: It is not the intent of this Terms of Reference to cover every aspect of the position requirements, rather to highlight the most important areas of personal and joint responsibilities.

D. Duties and Responsibilities

The Climate Public Finance Specialist will provide the following:

• Regional technical lead on Climate Public Finance and Expenditure to develop country action plans for climate and disaster risk informed investments supplemented by a National appraisal and approval framework in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal
• Technical facilitation on the National Policy Dialogue on Climate Change in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal
• Regional technical lead in developing country fiscal risk analysis reports including country action plan for climate-related fiscal risk mitigation measures in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal by using World Bank’s Climate Change Fiscal Risk Analysis tool
• Technical support in the development of the Bangladesh Climate Fiscal Framework (BCFF), which is to be approved by the Ministry of Finance
• Co-lead (along with the Regional Climate Policy and Planning Specialist) to develop national guidelines on climate finance and planning in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal
• Provide technical support in the development of an implementation plan on climate change financing framework in Pakistan
• Provide technical support in assessing the status on National Climate Change Budgeting and Planning in Nepal
• Regional lead in the development of an implementation plan to roll out the climate change financing framework in selected province in Nepal, supplemented by a guidance note on CCFF for LAPA, which is to be piloted during the development of LAPA in the pilot province.
• Performing other relevant tasks as assigned by the Project Director, Country Project Lead and Climate Policy and Planning Specialist (Regional).

E. Qualifications

The candidate should at least have:

• A master’s degree of higher in Climate Change, International Development, Political Science, Public Administration or a relevant social science degree
• At least 8 years of experience and proven competency in conducting analysis and provide strategic guidance in the field of public finance and/or public investment planning, macro-economic analysis
• A minimum of 4 years of professional experience of working in Asia and the Pacific region
• Familiarity with economic analysis in agriculture, water resources, rural development and/or other climate change related investments will be an asset
• Experience on support to finance and planning ministries to operation climate risk financing framework
• Good capacity development experience, including experience in sectors relevant to the Climate Change response in South Asia
• Previous work and experience with the World Bank will be an asset
• Strong analytical skills and solid understanding of climate science, global frameworks, climate adaptation/resilience strategies, climate-informed policies and planning frameworks and sectoral interventions, global and national framework of climate services
• Proven research and analytical work
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and capacity to work under pressure and short deadlines
• Cross cultural awareness and ability to work amongst a diverse group of staff, and partners
• Required computer proficiencies: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams
• Experience in training, capacity building and facilitating high-level discussions
• Excellent English proficiency in oral and written communication, including a demonstrated track record in technical report writing and ability to communicate technical matters effectively to general audience.

F. Reporting Relationships

The Climate Public Expenditure Specialist will report to the Director of Risk Governance Department. The specialist will also coordinate with the other CARE project specialists at the regional and national level to carry out different relevant activities under the project.

G. Contract Duration

The contract duration will be for 2 years initially with a possibility of extension based on performance and technical requirements of the position.

H. Selection Method

A staff member will be selected in accordance with ADPC’s recruitment and/or capacity assessment process.

Women are especially encouraged to apply.