Call for expressions of interest - Famine Review Committee Member  

Job Description

The Famine Review Committee (FRC) of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) seeks to expand its thematic, gender, geographic, linguistic, national, and other diversity in its membership. 

Express Interest on website (https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/frc/form/)

Purpose

The FRC is activated by the IPC GSU whenever a country IPC TWG or analysis team makes a Famine classification or if key stakeholders have concerns about the need for a Famine classification.

The purpose of the FRC is to provide independent and neutral technical feedback to the IPC TWG/analysis team on their IPC analysis results. The FRC serves as an additional quality assurance step to help ensure technical rigour and neutrality of IPC results related to Famine classifications. The FRC can promote building technical consensus in case of disagreement within the IPC TWG/analysis team. Overall, the FRC enhances the credibility of the IPC process and outcomes.

Governance and Reporting Lines

The independent experts of the FRC are not affiliated with any IPC technical or governance bodies and engage directly with the IPC Global Programme Manager. FRC members do not represent their employers or any other institutions with which they are affiliated during Famine reviews. FRC members are independent of the day-to-day implementation of the IPC programme. Given their expertise, they may be employed in an advisory capacity on technical development initiatives of the IPC. The IPC Global Programme Manager calls upon the FRC to support IPC Famine reviews and coordinates correspondence between the FRC and other IPC governance bodies at country and global level.

The FRC, as a committee, liaises only with the IPC Global Programme Manager and, through his/her coordination, informs, briefs, or otherwise engages with other IPC bodies (IPC Global Steering Committee, IPC High Level Executive Committee, IPC Country Technical Working Groups/analysis teams or other IPC technical bodies).

FRC members are expected to systematically be able to demonstrate:

• Freedom and willingness to exercise the highest levels of technical independence, without undue influence from any organization or other actors.

• Commitment to disclosing any conflict of interest should they arise for a given analysis.

• Availability to participate in ad hoc Famine reviews, including during nonstandard working hours and at short notice.

• Ability to work in a high-pressure, consensus-based, and transparent modality.

• Commitment to upholding humanitarian principles.

Technical Focus

Analysis in famine prone areas focus on food security, nutrition, health, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and protection, taking into account additional elements such as conflict, climate, displacement, and economics.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The primary function of the FRC is to critically review results from an IPC TWG/analysis team and make a technical determination on whether the results are plausible or not. Additionally, the FRC has two other functions. As part of each Famine Review, the FRC provides recommendations to stakeholders to prevent and mitigate famine, including senior decision-makers and analysts. Also, as part of the IPC initiative’s ongoing efforts to improve the IPC normative protocols, the FRC contributes to the IPC technical development processes directly related to famine analysis.

The FRC members typically:

1. Conduct evidence reviews: During a Famine review, the FRC member reviews available documentation and evidence to determine if a Famine review is feasible, considering the availability and adequacy of data, as well as the apparent level of severity. Following an induction meeting with the Famine Review preparation team and the initial technical consultation with the country IPC TWG/analysis team, the review process may identify data gaps or aspects needing further exploration and analysis, including possible travel.
2. Conduct technical consultations: Consultations are held with the country IPC TWG/analysis team as well as with the Famine Review preparation team. The technical review process may also include consultations with key informants to further technical understanding, access additional data, and gather context information, such as from experts that recently visited the areas under review. Key Informant Interviews are organized by the IPC GSU and help ensure that a diversity of stakeholder organizations are consulted by the FRC during its review. Key Informants may include local or national government officials, country technical experts, resource partners, and others. FRC consultations and all data and analysis submitted to a Famine review remain confidential unless explicitly authorized by the key informants interviewed or organisations sharing data and analysis.
3. Contribute to the deliberation and conclusions of Famine reviews: The member fully engages in the technical review process and assesses the reliability (time and method validity) of the evidence supporting the TWG/analysis team classification, the interpretation and documentation of evidence and analysis and the overall conclusion on phase classification and population figures. The review assesses the plausibility of Famine classifications and produces recommendations to the TWG/analysis team accordingly.
4. Draft the FRC reports: The technical review process concludes with the production and dissemination of the FRC report. The FRC member is requested to contribute to the production and finalization of the document and to verify the technical soundness of additional related documents that may be published alongside the FRC report upon request.
5. Contribute to the preparation and delivery of presentations of FRC findings, conclusions, and recommendations: Following the review, the FRC with the support of the IPC GSU produces a concise presentation for use in briefings and other informative meetings held with the country IPC TWG/analysis team and/or other key stakeholders (national government or de-facto authorities, heads of agencies, UN Country Teams, regional entities, etc.). Additional briefings are usually organized with the IPC Global Steering Committee and resource partners.
6. Contribute to all other FRC activities: These include, but may not be limited to, FRC learning processes, IPC technical development processes directly related to the work of the FRC and which may include technical proposals by FRC members, periodic FRC retreats whether virtual or in-person, ad hoc technical support to country IPC TWGs/analysis teams that have participated in a Famine review, and other FRC activities in line with the broader mission of the FRC.

Remuneration and Benefits

Membership in the FRC is not a full-time position. Based on past experience, the number of Famine Reviews varies from one to six per year and each Review typically requires 60-80 hours of work. While ensuring that the highest degree of independence is maintained, support to Famine Reviews is foreseen to be financially compensated (except for the onboarding process). Further information will be provided during the selection process.

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

Minimum Requirements

FRC members must have technical expertise in core areas of Famine analysis, including but not limited to food security, nutrition and health. Professional backgrounds of FRC members may include extensive, long-term experience as humanitarian practitioners, including in Famine prevention and response, as well as academia and other research backgrounds. In particular, applicants should have:

1. Strong and demonstrated technical expertise in core areas of Famine analysis, including food security, livelihoods, nutrition or health - inclusive of other related dimensions such as WASH, diseases, mortality and other as relevant.
2. Additional considerations will be given to candidates with technical expertise in related domains (for example but not limited to epidemiology, anthropology, demography, gender studies, statistics, conflict, political science, and others).
3. 15 or more years of relevant experience, including applied expertise in academia, as a humanitarian practitioner, and/or other relevant fields and roles.
4. Strong understanding of the IPC, or willingness to learn.
5. Ability to lead and work effectively with a diverse team of people of different national and cultural backgrounds in an international setting.
6. Working knowledge of English, intermediate knowledge of a second language (Arabic or French) would be considered an asset.

Preference will be given to candidates who increase the diversity of nationality, gender, geographic areas of expertise (life and/or professional), ethnicity, language, age, and any other considerations within the FRC.

Additional Information

• This call for expression of interest does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing).
• Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non- and under-represented members, as well as candidates from Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDCs), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Land-locked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are encouraged to apply to this Call for Expression of Interest.
• All applications will be reviewed, and only qualified applicants will be directly contacted for interviews and contacted again, if selected.
• Please note that the FRC will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list.
• The FRC has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives, and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

For more information, visit the FRC section on the IPC website

How to Express Interest

• To apply, please submit your application, including your CV and a cover letter through this online form.

• The FRC is open to new membership at any time, this call for expression of interest does not have a closing date. However, for the first round of recruitment, please apply before 30 November 2024, 11:59:00 PM.

About the Organization

Organisational Setting

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a global, multi-partner initiative to facilitate decision-making for improved food security and nutrition analysis. The IPC uses a set of tools and protocols for classifying the severity and nature of food insecurity and acute malnutrition that integrates food security, nutrition, and livelihood information into a clear statement about the nature and severity of food insecurity and malnutrition and implications for response. IPC incorporates a meta-analysis approach drawing on evidence-based analysis that includes a broad range of data sets and stakeholders. The demand for IPC is constantly increasing, and currently it is implemented in over 30 countries around the world. This global initiative is governed and strategically guided by 19 organizations, including United Nations agencies, international NGOs, technical agencies and regional inter-governmental bodies: Action contre la Faim (ACF) International, CARE International, Comité permanent Inter-États de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), Global Food Security Cluster, Global Nutrition Cluster, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC), Oxfam, Southern African Development Community (SADC), Save the Children, Sistema de la Integración Centro Americana (SICA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO).

The operational arm of the IPC Partnership, the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU), headed by the IPC Global Programme Manager, is responsible for the implementation of the IPC Global Strategic Programme (2023-2026). A key commitment of the IPC Global Strategic Programme 2023-2026 consists of improving processes and protocols for Famine classification and detection as well as continuing to conduct reviews of potential Famine classifications.

The Famine Review Committee (FRC) is an ad hoc specialized committee consisting of a panel of international technical experts in the areas of food security, livelihoods, nutrition and health. The committee is activated by the IPC GSU when there is a need to independently review IPC analysis findings to support quality assurance and technical consensus building in situations when there is a potential IPC Famine classification or a breakdown in consensus regarding a potential IPC Famine classification. The FRC provides recommendations to the IPC country Technical Working Group (TWG) or analysis team, and the IPC GSU serves as the chair, secretariat and provides coordination support to the FRC.

The FRC is seeking to expand. Selected candidates will serve as a member of the FRC, supporting Famine reviews and other FRC activities.