United Nations World Food Programme - WFP Ethiopia Programme Officer Jobs in Ethiopia

United Nations World Food Programme - WFP Ethiopia Programme Officer Jobs in Ethiopia

Job Id: 206719

Category: Development and Project Management Location:
Salary:

Job Description

About WFP & R4 Initiative

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.

Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

For the 1.3 billion people living on less than a dollar a day globally and depending on agriculture for their livelihoods, vulnerability to climate-related shocks is a constant threat to their food security and well-being.

As effects of climate change increase the frequency and intensity of natural hazards rise, with farmers facing a growing risk that these climate-related shocks will destroy their assets.

Understanding how to help communities confront and manage this risk, so they can be resilient to climate-related shocks, is critical for addressing global poverty.

The Climate Solutions work plan currently comprises 2 programmes i. R4 Rural Resilience Initiative and ii. The Satellite Index Insurance for Pastoralists in Ethiopia (SIIPE). A brief programme description follows:

R4 Rural Resilience Initiative: R4 has broken new ground in the field of climate risk management by enabling poor farmers to pay premiums for crop index insurance with their own labor.

Farmers can access insurance by paying with their labor through Insurance-for-Work (IFW) schemes. When a drought hits, compensation for weather-related losses prevents farmers from selling productive assets and stimulates faster recovery.

IFW schemes are built into the government’s PSNP programme. Assets built through risk reduction activities promote resilience by steadily decreasing vulnerability to disaster risks over time.

Insurance also facilitates access to credit at better rates, serving as collateral. Households can thereby invest in riskier but more remunerative enterprises, as well as in improved seeds, fertilizers and new technologies to increase their agricultural productivity.

Participants also establish small-scale savings, which are used to build ‘risk reserves.’ Savings help build a stronger financial base for investing – but also act as a buffer against short-term needs and idiosyncratic shocks, such as illness and death.

To ensure long-term sustainability, R4 contributes to the creation of rural financial markets, by building local capacity and gradually transitioning farmers to pay for insurance in cash.

Text Box: Saving Lives, Changing Lives Satellite Index Insurance for Pastoralists in Ethiopia (SIIPE): The SIIPE pilot programme provides index-based livestock insurance coverage to 5,001 beneficiary households in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Within the Somali region, the programme started in three districts (Woredas). Similar to R4, SIIPE targets PSNP households who own between 5 – 11 Tropical Livestock Units. Pastoralists can access insurance by paying premiums with their labor through Insurance-for-Work (IFW) schemes. In 2019, the programme will scale up to cover more than 10,000 households in the region and beyond.

Organizational Context

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Climate Solutions Team Leader, the Programme Officer will provide technical support and guidance for the Climate Risk Management Programmes to introduce livelihood support, market linkages and income generating activities under the climate solutions umbrella.

Job Purpose: