Disaster-Resilience Expert

Performance indicators for evaluation of outputs. • Use of reliable and context-specific data to support the development of disaster-resilience component of the roadmap. • Timely submission of the roadmap. • Effective engagement and coordination with relevant stakeholders as well as with the national consultant to guarantee consistency throughout the different components of the roadmap; • Clear presentation and dissemination of the methodology and key recommendations during the capacity-building workshop to facilitate informed decision-making among stakeholders.

15June2026-15Nov2026

ESCAP’s Transport Division is responding to an official request for technical assistance from the Malé City Council, Maldives. The request reflects the urgent mobility pressures faced by Malé City, where traffic congestion has become a persistent constraint on everyday mobility. High road occupancy levels and limited public space significantly reduce traffic efficiency and increase travel time. At the same time, public transport services remain fragmented, while private vehicle ownership remains high. These structural challenges are further aggravated by frequent natural hazards, including heavy rainfall and flooding, which regularly disrupt transport operations and damage already vulnerable infrastructure. Moreover, such events affect not only private and public transport, but also other forms of mobility, limiting active alternatives such as walking and cycling. As a result, strengthening resilience to extreme weather events and integrating resilience considerations into urban transport planning have become urgent priorities for local authorities. The project aims to support the Malé City Council in addressing these challenges through the development of a comprehensive decongestion plan tailored to the Maldivian context. The initiative will bring together relevant municipal departments, transport operators, public transport providers and other key stakeholders to ensure coordinated long-term planning. The project will deliver the following activities to strengthen the City’s technical capacity: a. Designing and conducting an Urban Mobility Survey (UMS) to support the development of a decongestion plan. b. Carrying out a Disaster Risk Assessment (DRA) to evaluate the impacts of natural hazards on mobility and infrastructure. c. Organizing a Consultation Workshop in Malé City to present the results of the UMS and to consult stakeholders on defining next steps. d. Developing a Decongestion and Disaster Resilience Roadmap based on the findings of the UMS, the DRA, and the consultation workshop. e. Delivering a Capacity-Building Workshop in Malé City to strengthen the City’s capacity to reduce congestion, improve multimodal mobility, and enhance resilience to natural disasters. Duties and Responsibilities: Against this background, ESCAP is seeking to hire a disaster-resilience expert to support the implementation of the second phase of the project. Throughout the assignment, the consultant is expected to collaborate closely with the ESCAP project team, municipal authorities and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a timely and effective delivery of the project outcomes. Under the overall guidance of ESCAP’s responsible project officer, the consultant will undertake the following tasks: 1. Participate in the first consultation workshop in Malé, engage with relevant stakeholders, and carry out on-site activities to support the development of the disaster risk assessment (DRA). 2. Conduct the DRA, which will serve as the empirical basis for the Roadmap (final output). The DRA may be conducted remotely: any necessary on-site inspections will be coordinated with the national consultant. A hot-spot analysis (or similar output) will be included in the DRA but will be carried out by a separate consultant, in close coordination with this assignment. 3. Develop the disaster-resilience component of the Roadmap, in close collaboration with the urban mobility expert to ensure a cohesive and integrated output across components. 4. Present the Roadmap and its guidelines at the capacity-building workshop in Malé.

University degree in transport, civil engineering, urban planning, climate change or related field. Experience in research and analysis in the transport or climate change sector.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Dhivehi is desirable.

Not available.