Closing date: 15 Aug 2016
Terms of Reference
A review of Governance and Secretariat Models appropriate for the Global Alliance for Urban Crises
Consultant
Dates: September – October 2016
Background
The Global Alliance for Urban Crises (‘the Alliance’) was launched in May 2016 at the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul. The Alliance has more than 70 institutional members – including associations of urban professionals and municipal authorities, as well as academic institutions and development and humanitarian agencies. These different constituencies have not historically worked together in urban areas affected by or at risk of humanitarian crises. The Alliance aims to improve collaboration and joint working and will focus on (i) Advocacy and Influencing; (ii) Information sharing, evidence building and knowledge management (iii) Capacities and skills.
Alliance Members become a signatory to the Urban Crises Charter that sets out good practice in urban humanitarian interventions. Alliance Partners sign the Charter but also commit to advancing the goals of the Alliance through policy work or operations. These four key commitment areas are:
· Tailoring humanitarian response to the urban context by developing shared assessment and profiling tools, promoting joint analysis, and adapting coordination mechanisms.
· Developing or working with existing global, regional and national rosters to facilitate the deployment of urban leaders, managers and technical experts.
· Building the evidence base on the specific characteristics of protracted displacement in urban areas, and contributing to the design of appropriate and cost-effective responses, with particular regard to protection of vulnerable people, shelter, basic services and infrastructure.
· Ensuring that initiatives focused on building urban resilience incorporate components on resilient response and recovery from crises, and that they leverage greatest impact in cities most at risk of humanitarian emergencies.
The Charter and an overview of the Alliance can be downloaded on its temporary website: www.urbancrises.org
The Alliance is currently informally convened by urban specialists in International Rescue Committee (IRC), the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and UN-Habitat. These representatives also form the ad-hoc secretariat for the Alliance, with one support staff member (Coordination, Advocacy, Outreach and Communication Consultant). A further ‘core group’ of institutions have been involved in discussions over the past 18 months, and were members of the Urban Expert Group for the WHS. The most active members of this loosely formed group are International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), World Vision International, United Communities of Local Governments (UCLG), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). An informal advisory group of core members meets periodically.
The consultant will be contracted by IRC on behalf of the Alliance.
Scope of Work
The interim convenors of the Alliance are currently fundraising on behalf of the Alliance for both core funding (to cover Secretariat posts) and initiatives (including emergency deployments of urban experts and research on urban displacement). Funding discussions are at an early stage, but more concrete proposals on staffing will be needed in the coming months. The Alliance also requires a governance structure to be put in place. Initial ideas for governance and secretariat were discussed at the pre-launch of the Alliance (April 2016, Barcelona) and will be shared with the successful candidate. The current convenors will present options for governance mechanisms and secretariat staffing and functions to the informal advisory group in early November 2016. This consultancy will inform the planned consultation.
The consultant will be required to undertake a desk study of secretariat and governance models used by other networks and alliances in the development and humanitarian spheres (and in other industries, if appropriate). S/he should consider virtual secretariat working arrangements, models where staff are located across different sites and the outsourcing of particular functions (e.g. knowledge management to Alliance partners). S/he should note that funding for the Secretariat is likely to come from multiple sources. Familiarity with United States-based foundations, trusts, and Private Sector entities within the context of international law, rules and regulations is desirable so as to ensure understanding of how the choice of institutional set-up for the secretariat will facilitate or limit access to different sources of funding. The review should include options for staffing type and levels, taking in to account that funding for posts is not yet secured, and suggesting minimal and optimum numbers of posts. A similar review of governance structures should also be undertaken, along with an analysis of how the relationship between the Secretariat and Governance structure can be managed.
The consultant will work closely with an IRC focal point and the ad hoc secretariat and may be supported by a small team comprised of different expertise, to be assembled and sub-contracted by the consultant as appropriate. The informal advisory group will act as a sounding board for the study.
A desk review of Secretariat and Governance models will be complemented by telephone interviews, where necessary, with members of alliances and networks analysed. The consultant will also devise a short questionnaire to be undertaken by telephone with members of the Alliance Core Group to determine their preferences for the management and oversight of the Alliance, and any other contributions to the review.
The consultant should consider the institutional set-up of, amongst others, the Global Alliance for Humanitarian Innovation, the Solutions Alliance, the International Network for Education in Emergencies, the Cash Learning Partnership and other similar initiatives.
Outputs
A report of not more than 10 pages outlining possible models for the Global Alliance for Urban Crises’ Secretariat and Governance arrangements (with pros and cons), taking into account resource constraints, potential for fundraising, sustainability and stakeholder buy-in. An annex containing a list of documents, websites and individuals consulted for the review.
Timing
The scope of work is expected to take fifteen days to complete. The consultant will be required to submit an outline of the report to IRC by Monday 12th of September 2016, a first full draft by the Monday the 10th of October 2016 and the final report must be submitted to IRC by the 31st of October 2016. The consultant will be briefed in early September by representatives of IRC, DFID and UN-Habitat, who will provide introductory contact details for the core Alliance members and for a range of other networks and alliances.
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit a proposal to Joanna Henderson (Joanna.Henderson@rescue.org) and Mina Zingariello (mina.zingariello@rescue.org) including their expression of interest, CV and estimated cost in GBP. Deadline for submission is 15th August 2016.
How to apply:
Interested candidates should submit a proposal to Joanna Henderson (Joanna.Henderson@rescue.org) and Mina Zingariello (mina.zingariello@rescue.org) including their expression of interest, CV and estimated cost in GBP. Deadline for submission is 15th August 2016.