Jordan: Development of a Sub Regional Framework for children affected by the Syria Crisis

LOCATION/DURATION:

Duration: 20 working days

Estimated Start Date: 15 January 2017

Estimated end Date: 9 February 2017

BACKGROUND:

As the Syria crisis enters its sixth year, civilians continue to bear the brunt of a conflict marked by unparalleled suffering, destruction and disregard for human life. 13.5 million people continue to require humanitarian assistance, including 4.9 million people in need who are trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas where they are exposed to grave protection threats, severe food insecurity and potential starvation. Over half of the population has been forced from their homes, and many people have been displaced multiple times. Children and youth, millions of whom have known nothing but conflict, comprise more than half of the displaced, as well as half of those in need of humanitarian assistance. Parties to the conflict act with impunity as they continue to commit violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The Syria crisis has also displaced 4.81 million Syrian refugees into Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, and there are an estimated 6.1 million internally displaced people within Syria. Turkey hosts more refugees than any other country – some 2.76 million, accounting for around 3.5 per cent of the population of Turkey. In Lebanon, the one million Syrian refugees are equivalent to over 20 per cent of the population, and the 655,000 registered Syria refugees in Jordan is equivalent to nearly nine percent of the population.

Refugees are living primarily in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, with only a minority – some 10 per cent – living in camps. However, despite this geographic integration, the refugees face extremely high rates of poverty – 70 percent of refugees are below the poverty line in Lebanon, 68 percent in Jordan, 54 percent in Egypt, and 37 percent in Iraq. While refugees and host nationals have a similar labour force participation rates, the unemployment rates for refugees are far higher than host nationals.

OBJECTIVES:

1. UNICEF country offices in Syria Crisis affected countries (Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Turkey) to agree on common scenarios for the short and medium term (1 and 3 years) with a particular focus on the situation of vulnerable children and pregnant and lactating women (PLWs) (Syrian refugees, host populations, affected people inside Syria and Iraq) and linking the situation inside Syria to that in neighboring countries.

2. UNICEF to adopt a common strategic framework across the six Syria crisis COs to guide its support to children and PLWs in the medium term, informed by a common perspective on service provision in host countries and inside Syria, in particular on education, and addressing protection concerns faced by children in the sub-region.

METHODOLOGY:

Desk review of background documents; key informants interviews (OCHA, UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR, WFP, IOM, UNDP, key NGOs at Regional/Amman, Donors); participate in relevant UNICEF management meetings as deemed appropriate by the supervisor.

Background documents:

• Situation reports

• End of Year Reports

• London Conference Education Paper

• Child Protection assessments

• UNICEF Country Programme Documents and mid-term reviews or Strategic moments of reflection documents

• HRP 2016 and 2017

• 3RP 2016 and 2017-18

• NLG documentation

KEY DELIVERABLES:

1. Provide a draft 0 inception report with 3-4 potential scenarios by 26 January (after 5 days of desk review and 5 days of key informant interviews) including a list of assumptions, risk management analysis and an analytical framework to capture affected population and potential returns from refugee countries in each proposed scenario (ethnic and socio-economic profile, numbers, destination inside Syria);

2. Incorporate UNICEF inputs (from UNICEF country offices –Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and Regional Office management and WOS focal points ) in draft 1 of the scenarios by 4 February and undertake a presentation followed by a facilitated discussion (with UNICEF managers and key stakeholders) to identify priorities for the common strategic framework.

3. Inception report based on the facilitated discussion, interviews and document review on the draft strategic framework priorities.

4. Draft common strategic framework presented to UNICEF management for review by 6 February 2017.

5. Final common strategic framework delivered by 9 February 2017.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (IF APPLICABLE):

Weekly touch base with the supervisor. Interim report at mid-term and final report by on week within the end of the consultancy.

ICT CONSIDERATIONS (PLEASE CHECK IF APPLICABLE):

Access to electronic Information Resources UNICEF email ID ICT Hardware (please specify): __

TRAVEL CONSIDERATIONS (PLEASE CHECK IF APPLICABLE):

Travel to Amman may be required by the supervisor. In that case it will subject to Travel Authorization

None Commencement travel (consultant’s cost) Mission travel (schedule/itinerary required): __

For individual contractors and consultants, all travel arrangements to commence the assignment, including insurance and visas, will be managed and paid by the individual. Therefore, expected travel costs must be included as a budget item in the financial proposal. Should “mission travel” be required, UNICEF will manage and pay for travel via Travel Authorization. However, this will be subject to the following prerequisites: Medical Clearance, Security Clearance through the Travel Request Information Process (TRIP) system, the Basic and Advanced Security in the Field Trainings, Travel Visa, and liability waiver. Trip prerequisites will be met at the expense of the consultant.

Travel cost shall be calculated based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel. Costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC at http://icsc.un.org). The consultant must travel on UNICEF approved airlines.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Due to the multi-faceted scope of assignment and skills set required, UNICEF strongly advises that this TORs should be implemented by a team or an academic/think tank institution.

Required qualifications include:

Education: minimum of Master Degree in Political Science, Social Studies, International Affairs or Governance.

Language: English required; Arabic as a plus.

Work experience:

FOROBJECTIVE 1: at least 10 years of experience as political or international affairs analyst, with work on humanitarian issues and recent experience on Syria as highly desirable.

FOR OBJECTIVE 2: at least 10 years of experience on stabilization/State and governance building; restoration of social service sectors, sector wide-approach; peacebuilding.

Technical knowledge:

FOR OBJECTIVE 1: political analysis; governance; stakeholders’ analysis; understanding of humanitarian operations.

FOR OBJECTIVE 2: basic social service systems development; governance building, recovery planning, peacebuilding.

Payment Schedule:

1. PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Select proposed methodology Choose an item.

(Payment upon deliverables/milestones): UNICEF will only make milestone payment based on achievement of specific deliverables as listed on the table above. These payments should be stated in terms of percentage. Also note that UNICEF does not make advance payment except under certain conditions in line with UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.

20% at deliverable 1.

30% at deliverable 2, 3, 4

50% at deliverable 5.

EVALUATION PROCESS:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit the below to menarobids@unicef.org

1. Cover letter/application.
2. Financial quote as lump sum for professional fees, and lump sum for travel/administrative/subsistence, if applicable.
3. CV.
4. Examples of previous, relevant work as applicable
5. Proposed methodology/approach to managing the project.
6. At least 2 Referees
7. P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html ).

Email Subject: (i.e. consultancy title)

Late submissions, incomplete packets, or submissions with an incorrect email subject heading will not be considered.

Successful applicants may be invited for further technical assessment and offers will be evaluated by the following criteria:

Applicant

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (max. 80 points)

Overall Response (10 points)

Understanding of tasks, objectives and completeness and coherence of response

Overall match between the TOR requirements and proposal

Proposed Methodology and Approach (20 points)

Quality of proposed approach/methodology

Quality of proposed work plan

Technical Capacity (50 points)

Relevance of consultant’s experience with similar projects and as per required qualifications

Quality of previous work

References

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION - Total Points

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL (max. 20 points)

Daily rate

Economy Air Ticket (Please specify preference if travel to be arranged by UNICEF or consultant)

Total estimated cost of contract (proposed contract fee only)

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL - Weight Combined Score

TOTAL SCORE (max. 100 points)

General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors

1. Legal Status

The individual engaged by UNICEF under this contract as a consultant or individual contractors (the “Contractor”) is engaged in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a Government or of any other entity external to the United Nations. The Contractor is neither a "staff member" under the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor an "official" for the purpose of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 1946. The Contractor may, however, be afforded the status of "Experts on Mission" in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention and the Contractor is required by UNICEF to travel in order to fulfill the requirements of this contract, the Contractor may be issued a United Nations Certificate in accordance with Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.

1. Obligations

The Contractor shall complete the assignment set out in the Terms of Reference for this contract with due diligence, efficiency and economy, in accordance with generally accepted professional techniques and practices.

The Contractor must respect the impartiality and independence of UNICEF and the United Nations and in connection with this contract must neither seek nor accept instructions from anyone other than UNICEF. During the term of this contract the Contractor must refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on UNICEF or the United Nations and must not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICEF. The Contractor must exercise the utmost discretion in all matters relating to this contract.

In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, the Contractor (a) will conduct him- or herself in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service; and (b) will comply with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICE relating to fraud and corruption; information disclosure; use of electronic communication assets; harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority; and the requirements set forth in the Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, the Contractor must not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other entity external to UNICEF any information that has not been made public and which has become known to the Contractor by reason of his or her association with UNICEF or the United Nations. The Contractor may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF, and shall under no circumstances use such information for his or her private advantage or that of others. These obligations do not lapse upon termination of this contact.

1. Title rights

UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material created by the Contractor which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract. At the request of UNICEF, the Contractor shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to UNICEF in compliance with the requirements of the law governing such rights.

1. Travel

If UNICEF determines that the Contractor needs to travel in order to perform this contract, that travel shall be specified in the contract and the Contractor’s travel costs shall be set out in the contract, on the following basis:

(a) UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis.

(b) UNICEF will reimburse the Contractor for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount equivalent to the daily subsistence allowance that would be paid to staff members undertaking similar travel for official purposes.

1. Statement of good health

Before commencing work, the Contractor must deliver to UNICEF a certified self-statement of good health and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement. In addition, the Contractor must include in this statement of good health (a) confirmation that he or she has been informed regarding inoculations required for him or her to receive, at his or her own cost and from his or her own medical practitioner or other party, for travel to the country or countries to which travel is authorized; and (b) a statement he or she is covered by medical/health insurance and that, if required to travel beyond commuting distance from his or her usual place or residence to UNICEF (other than to duty station(s) with hardship ratings “H” and “A”, a list of which has been provided to the Contractor) the Contractor’s medical/health insurance covers medical evacuations. The Contractor will be responsible for assuming all costs that may be occurred in relation to the statement of good health.

1. Insurance

The Contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of this contract as he or she considers appropriate taking into account, among other things, the requirements of paragraph 5 above. The Contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members. The responsibility of UNICEF and the United Nations is limited solely to the payment of compensation under the conditions described in paragraph 7 below.

1. Service incurred death, injury or illness

If the Contractor is travelling with UNICEF’s prior approval and at UNICEF's expense in order to perform his or her obligations under this contract, or is performing his or her obligations under this contract in a UNICEF or United Nations office with UNICEF’s approval, the Contractor (or his or her dependents as appropriate), shall be entitled to compensation from UNICEF in the event of death, injury or illness attributable to the fact that the Contractor was travelling with UNICEF’s prior approval and at UNICEF's expense in order to perform his or her obligations under this contractor, or was performing his or her obligations under this contract in a UNICEF or United Nations office with UNICEF’s approval. Such compensation will be paid through a third party insurance provider retained by UNICEF and shall be capped at the amounts set out in the Administrative Instruction on Individual Consultants and Contractors. Under no circumstances will UNICEF be liable for any other or greater payments to the Contractor (or his or her dependents as appropriate).

1. Arbitration

(a) Any dispute arising out of or, in connection with, this contract shall be resolved through amicable negotiation between the parties.

(b) If the parties are not able to reach agreement after attempting amicable negotiation for a period of thirty (30) days after one party has notified the other of such a dispute, either party may submit the matter to arbitration in accordance with the UNCITRAL procedures within fifteen (15) days thereafter. If neither party submits the matter for arbitration within the specified time the dispute will be deemed resolved to the full satisfaction of both parties. Such arbitration shall take place in New York before a single arbitrator agreed to by both parties; provided however that should the parties be unable to agree on a single arbitrator within thirty days of the request for arbitration, the arbitrator shall be designated by the United Nations Legal Counsel. The decision rendered in the arbitration shall constitute final adjudication of the dispute.

1. Penalties for Underperformance

Payment of fees to the Contractor under this contractor, including each installment or periodic payment (if any), is subject to the Contractor’s full and complete performance of his or her obligations under this contract with regard to such payment to UNICEF’s satisfaction, and UNICEF’s certification to that effect.

1. Termination of Contract

This contract may be terminated by either party before its specified termination date by giving notice in writing to the other party. The period of notice shall be five (5) business days (in the UNICEF office engaging the Contractor) in the case of contracts for a total period of less than two (2) months and ten (10) business days (in the UNICEF office engaging the Contractor) in the case of contracts for a longer period; provided however that in the event of termination on the grounds of impropriety or other misconduct by the Contractor (including but not limited to breach by the Contractor of relevant UNICEF policies, procedures, and administrative instructions), UNICEF shall be entitled to terminate the contract without notice. If this contract is terminated in accordance with this paragraph 10, the Contractor shall be paid on a pro rata basis determined by UNICEF for the actual amount of work performed to UNICEF’s satisfaction at the time of termination. UNICEF will also pay any outstanding reimbursement claims related to travel by the Contractor. Any additional costs incurred by UNICEF resulting from the termination of the contract by either party may be withheld from any amount otherwise due to the Contractor under this paragraph 10.

1. Taxation

UNICEF and the United Nations accept no liability for any taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant and individual contractor on payments made under this contract. Neither UNICEF nor the United Nations will issue a statement of earnings to the consultant and individual contractor

NOTE: All persons engaged under a UNICEF service contract, either directly through an individual contract, or indirectly through an institutional contract, shall be subject to the UN Supplier Code of Conduct: https://www.ungm.org/Public/CodeOfConduct =

Qualified candidates are requested to submit the below tomenarobids@unicef.org

1. Cover letter/application.
2. Financial quote as lump sum for professional fees, and lump sum for travel/administrative/subsistence, if applicable.
3. CV.
4. Examples of previous, relevant work as applicable
5. Proposed methodology/approach to managing the project.
6. At least 2 Referees
7. P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html ).

Email Subject: (i.e. consultancy title)