Disaster Risk Reduction Associate Officer

UNDRR is working closely with the Government of the People’s Republic of China through the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) and other partners in China. Hence, it would be very important to have a staff member who could support in strengthening the relationship with these counterparts.

Enhanced partnership between UNDRR and China can make a significant difference to the achievement of the Sendai Framework in countries furthest behind. An enhanced China–UNDRR partnership supports the further integration of disaster risk reduction to build climate and disaster resilience across China’s international development cooperation, including the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Belt and Road cooperation, and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Action Plan, among others.

This helps link China’s disaster risk reduction priorities with UNDRR’s global mandate, regional presence, and technical platforms, while translating China’s experience in disaster prevention, emergency management, resilient infrastructure, and urban resilience into practical cooperation with partner countries.

UNDRR also supports the all-of-government approach to disaster risk reduction espoused in the Sendai Framework by broadening engagement with relevant ministries, departments, and institutions in China.

Under the direct supervision of Programme Management Officer, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks :

Support in liaising with officials Government of People's Republic of China

UNDRR’s cooperation with China is longstanding, dating back to 2003. MEM is UNDRR’s principal counterpart in China and China’s focal point for implementation of the Sendai Framework. The current cooperation agreement provides an important foundation for collaboration. This comprises technical support for disaster risk reduction and emergency management in China, as well as support globally, including across Belt and Road partner countries. MEM supports UNDRR’s work with concrete impact across seven agreed areas :
i) strengthening risk knowledge and risk assessments.
ii) advancing inclusive, end-to-end early warning systems linked to early action.
iii) enhancing urban, rural and local resilience.
iv) supporting recovery readiness.
v) promoting resilient infrastructure systems.
vi) promotion of inclusion; and vii) building capacity through knowledge exchange, partnerships and international engagement.
These areas of partnership are aligned with the implementation of both UNDRR’s Strategic Framework and China’s GDI. The UN volunteer will play a key role in the strengthening MEM and UNDRR relationship by providing technical and programmatic inputs, especially building on his / her knowledge of China.

Participate in Collaboration with Chinese Academia :

UNDRR’s collaboration with China extends to knowledge, research and academic partnerships, particularly through the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme and Beijing Normal University (BNU). Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), co-sponsored by UNDRR and the International Science Council and supported by Chinese scientific institutions, provides a science-policy platform to advance interdisciplinary research, improve understanding of complex risks and support implementation of the Sendai Framework. In parallel, UNDRR and BNU renewed their memorandum of understanding for 2025–2027 to strengthen regional cooperation in generating new knowledge and applying science and technology for disaster risk reduction. More broadly, many Chinese academics and researchers contribute to UNDRR’s scientific networks and knowledge products, including the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, work on integrated flood risk assessment, analysis of compounding and complex risks, and research on the links between disaster risk reduction and climate change. The UN Volunteer helping to support the DRR related research especially leveraging the learnings from the rich Chinese literature in this practice area.

Support in the proposed project on GLOF monitoring and early warning :

The proposed project aims to reduce the loss of life, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the transboundary Bhotekoshi River Basin on the China - Nepal border by establishing an integrated, science based early warning and risk management system. It will improve early detection, forecasting, and warning dissemination, strengthen institutional coordination, and enhance disaster preparedness and anticipatory action capacity in vulnerable communities, including through inclusive and accessible approaches that reach women, persons with disabilities, and other at-risk groups, thereby promoting climate and disaster resilience in the Basin. The UN Volunteer will support the programme management of project and also technical engagements with partners both in China and Nepal.