IFRC consultancy in Community Safety and Resilience

Terms of Reference for the Revision of the Framework for Community Safety and Resilience

1. Summary 1.1. Purpose: The purpose of the consultancy is to revise the current IFRC Framework for Community Safety (FCSR) and Resilience. The FCSR will serve as key guidance for Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) National Societies to develop and sustain programmes, projects and interventions which contribute to the building of safe and resilient communities. 1.2. Audience: National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and IFRC Secretariat 1.3. Commissioner: IFRC Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction Department
   1.4. Reports to: Planning and Evaluation Department 1.5. Duration: a maximum of 50 days 1.6. Timeframe: February – July 2013 1.7. Location: Geneva and IFRC Field Offices
2. Background The Framework for Community Safety and Resilience (FCSR) was developed in 2008 through extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders, including 80 National Societies across all seven IFRC zones. The main goal of the FCSR is to provide National Societies with guidance on how to develop and sustain Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) programmes, projects and interventions which contribute to the building of safe and resilient communities. The FCSR also serves as an important advocacy tool in promoting and profiling the RCRC work in DRR and strengthening resilience towards governments and international communities and on behalf of the most vulnerable. It helps the RCRC Movement to position itself as a global leader in strengthening community resilience, highlighting the comparative advantages and areas of excellence. It is in full compliance with the five priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and it also supports the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The FCSR provides a guideline for planning and programming, setting DRR within the wider development context and focusing on the building of community safety and resilience.

The FCSR played an important role in putting community resilience on the agenda of the IFRC`s secretariat and National Societies and aligning their planning and programming in support of community safety and resilience. The concept of community safety and resilience, as recognized by the global DRR forums in Oslo in 2009 and in Damascus in 2011, has become established within the IFRC as an overriding goal for their community-based programmes and as a way forward to integrated programming at the community level. Guided by the FCSR and in conformity with specific national and regional conditions, IFRC offices and National Societies have developed various resilience initiatives and models, which include, among others: • Regional resilience model in the Americas • Africa food security initiative • Zambezi River Basin Initiative • Asia Pacific and Africa, and Indian Ocean DRR Frameworks • Resilience models of six National Societies (Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan) • Preparedness and Resilience Unit of the IFRC’s South Asia Regional Office with its online library on regional and national DRR tools, guides, manuals and modules

In the course of implementing programs, however, the IFRC and National Societies have encountered various challenges and problems. During the Oslo Forum in 2009 and especially the Global Community Safety and Resilience Forum in Damascus in 2011, participants discussed the challenges and problems they faced in implementing programmes in support of community safety and resilience, as well as the issues regarding how to scale up these activities. As a way forward to strengthen the RCRC activities for community safety and resilience, the participants in the Damascus Forum requested the IFRC Secretariat to revise the FCSR to make it more a operational tool with increased utility for designing and implementing programmes.

At the 2011 General Assembly, National Societies that had participated in two workshops on Strengthening Community Resilience renewed their commitment to scale up community resilience activities and asked the IFRC Secretariat to “provide them with an updated coherent, global framework which will guide and help those in undertaking activities to strengthen community resilience based on the existing Community Safety and Resilience Framework and National Society experiences.”

1. Purpose & Scope The purpose of the consultancy is to revise the current IFRC Framework for Community Safety (FCSR) and Resilience. The FCSR will serve as key guidance for Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) National Societies to develop and sustain programs, projects and interventions which contribute to the building of safe and resilient communities. The FCSR and the process of its development should:
2. Review prior IFRC research and studies into community safety and resilience. It will be important to ensure consistency when appropriate or revision of the resilience characteristics and indicators already developed for the IFRC in-depth resilience studies discussion papers . It will also be important to analyze and included in the revised FCRS the good practices and lessons learned obtained by National Societies in community safety and resilience programming.
3. Include key objectives and indicators appropriate to the IFRC operational context. It is critical to ensure that the framework is compatible with and appropriate for the IFRC organizational culture and operational context. Therefore, it is essential to meaningfully consult with key IFRC stakeholder groups to ensure the FCSR is relevant to different program areas and their respective stakeholders.
4. Include a global mechanism for implementing the revised FCSR. It is important that the revised FCSR not only provide conceptual guidance but also serves as an operational, result-oriented tool and mechanism to design, implement and monitor, evaluate, and report on community safety and resilience programming. This will include an M&E plan (as an annex) that coherently defines each indicator, source and method, recommended measurement frequency, and purpose;
5. Methodology Specific methodological approaches and tools will be discussed in joint consultation with the IFRC management team for the consultancy. An inception report will be used to demonstrate a clear understanding and realistic plan of work for the assignment, checking that the work plan is in agreement with the TOR and the overall IFRC vision for the consultancy. Primary methods will include: A. Desktop research and review Including but not be limited to the following: a. IFRC, Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction Study, Lessons Learned from the Tsunami Operation CBDRR Programmes, July 2012 b. Understanding community resilience and program factors that strengthen them, A comprehensive study of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies tsunami operation, June 2012 c. IFRC, Key determinants of a successful CBDRR programme, Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction Study, ARUP International Development, September 2011 d. Characteristics of a Safe and Resilient Community - Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction Study, ARUP International Development – September 2011 e. The Road to Resilience - Bridging relief and development for a more sustainable future. IFRC discussion paper on resilience, June 2012 f. IFRC, The Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction, Building Safer Resilient communities, 2007 B. Consultation and interviews with various RCRC stakeholders including National Societies in five zones, relevant departments in Geneva, zone offices, the DRR Working Group, Stockholm Group (health) and the DRR Support Group (based at the IFRC Geneva secretariat), the RCRC Reference Centres (Climate Change, Livelihoods, Global Disaster Preparedness). The process will focus on gathering information about various national and regional resilience initiatives/models and community resilience programmes, identifying the strength and weakness of the current FCSR and collecting ideas on what to be revised/updated, and the best tools and processes to operationalize the framework. C. Consultation with key external partners:  UN agencies: UNISDR, UNICEF, UNDP, WMO,  Research institutions: Arup, Lund University, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) etc  Private sector: Zurich Financial Services, Nestle,  Donors DFID, SIDA, USAID, CIDA, Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, etc  Inter-governmental bodies: EU, Africa Union, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank (GFDRR)

D. Stakeholder workshops to solicit viewpoints and to share draft elements of a revised FCSR. A workshop to share draft elements of a revised FCSR, including indicators, with representatives from National Societies, the Secretariat zone offices and DRR Working Group.

1. Management A. The overall oversight of the FCSR revision will be provided by the Advisory Body for Sustainable Development and Health.
   B. A management team for the consultancy will consist of a member of the Planning and Evaluation Department, a member from the DRR program area, as well as other potential stakeholders as appropriate and to be determined. C. The following Secretariat resources and existing DRR groups will be utilised to guide the revision process utilising their recurrent meetings as well as organising specific sessions:  Programme Services Division Office of the Under Secretary General  Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction Department  DRR Support Group of the Secretariat  DRR Working Group
2. Deliverables A. An inception report to demonstrate a clear understanding and realistic plan of work for the assignment, checking that the work plan is in agreement with the TOR and the overall IFRC vision for the consultancy. B. A report summarizing: • The revision process; • Key issues raised and how they have been addressed; • Recommendations for moving forward.

C. Revised Framework for Community Safety and Resilience (maximum 10 pages) that will include: • Update of the key characteristics of safe and resilient communities and how to develop and sustain RCRC programs, projects and interventions which contribute to the building of safe and resilient communities • Revise and update the community safety and resilience objectives of the RCRC with aligned indicators. • Include global mechanism to guide the design, implementation and monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on community safety and resilience programming. • An M&E plan (as an annex) that coherently defines each indicator, source and method, recommended measurement frequency, and purpose.

1. Timeframe Specific dates for the consultancy will be agreed upon in consultation with the selected consultant/s and reflected in the inception report. The consultancy will be for a maximum of 50 working days. Below is a suggested timeframe for the study:

Time Action Deliverables Weeks 1 - 8 A. Design methods to ensure comprehensive engagement and consultation with all internal and external partners and provide a roadmap with clear timeframe and deliverables. B. Desktop research and review C. Consultation and interviews with various RCRC stakeholders including National Societies in five zones, relevant departments in Geneva, zone offices, the DRR Working Group and the DRR Support Group 1. Inception Report

1. Summary of the findings of the desktop research and review and consultation Week 9 - 12 D. Draft a revised FCSR 3. Draft Framework Weeks 13 - 16 E. Circulate draft for comments/feedback F. Organize a workshop to present revised version of the FCSR G. Produce final draft of the revised FCSR 4. Stakeholder workshop/s Week 17-18 H. Finalisation and approval at global RCRC meeting 5. Final Framework of maximum 10 pages
2. Summary report
3. Quality & Ethical Standards

The consultant/s should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the exercise is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of people involved, and to ensure that the exercise’s deliverables are technically accurate, reliable, and legitimate, conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability. Therefore, the consultants should adhere to the evaluation standards and specific, applicable practices outlined in the IFRC Framework for Evaluation. The IFRC Evaluation Standards are: 1. Utility: Evaluations must be useful and used. 2. Feasibility: Evaluations must be realistic, diplomatic, and managed in a sensible, cost effective manner. 3. Ethics & Legality: Evaluations must be conducted in an ethical and legal manner, with particular regard for the welfare of those involved in and affected by the evaluation. 4. Impartiality & Independence; Evaluations should be impartial, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment that takes into account the views of all stakeholders. 5. Transparency: Evaluation activities should reflect an attitude of openness and transparency. 6. Accuracy: Evaluations should be technical accurate, providing sufficient information about the data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods so that its worth or merit can be determined. 7. Participation: Stakeholders should be consulted and meaningfully involved in the evaluation process when feasible and appropriate. 8. Collaboration: Collaboration between key operating partners in the evaluation process improves the legitimacy and utility of the evaluation.

It is also expected that the evaluation will uphold the seven Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent: 1) humanity, 2) impartiality, 3) neutrality, 4) independence, 5) voluntary service, 6) unity, and 7) universality. Further information can be obtained about these principles at:www.ifrc.org/what/values/principles/index.asp”

1. Consultant/s The consultancy for this assignment may consist of one or more consultant/s. Required expertise includes the following: • Practical and theoretical experience and understanding of resilience and DRR issues, including links to health programming; • Knowledge of the IFRC and the larger RCRC Movement and its community-based programs; • Demonstrated knowledge and experience of developing frameworks and guidelines for community-based programs; • Demonstrated experience in developing M&E and accountability systems, with a command of indicators, especially those relating to community safety and resilience; • Demonstrated experience in qualitative data collections, excellent communication and facilitation skills, and the ability to work with multiple stakeholders. • Excellent command of English and excellent writing skills; Strong ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations to prepare well-written reports.

How to apply:

Interested candidates should submit their application material by January 30th 2013 to the Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction department Ms. Morgane Daget (morgane.daget@ifrc.org). Application materials should include: 1. Curricula Vitae (CV) for all members of the team applying for consideration. 2. Cover letter clearly summarizing your experience as it pertains to this assignment, your daily rate, and three professional references. Cover letter should include a brief description of your firm or institution (for applicants other than individual contractors). 3. Technical proposal not exceeding five pages expressing an understanding and interpretation of the TOR, the proposed methodology, a time schedule, and an estimated budget. 4. At least one writing example most similar to that described in this TOR.

Application materials are non-returnable, and we thank you in advance for understanding that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the next step in the application process.