UNDP Jobs - 51770- Consultant: Coordinator

Consultant: Coordinator - Expansion and Sustainability of the HIV Regional Legal Network

Location :

Home -based, two missions foreseen to Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

15-Dec-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Estimated 15 January 2015 – December 2015

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Up to 150 working days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP is the UN's global development network advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. As a founding Cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and guided by the health-related MDGs, responding to HIV is one of the organizations’ priorities. Under the UNAIDS division of labour, UNDP is responsible for leading the UNAIDS response in addressing dimensions of AIDS relating to: development planning and mainstreaming; governance; and human rights, gender and sexual diversity. UNDP is also responsible for providing support to governments in their implementation of policies and programs that protect the human rights of people affected by HIV.

The region of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (EECA) is home to the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world: rising from an estimated 970,000 people living with the virus in 2001 to 1.6 million in 2013. The Russian Federation and Ukraine, the two most populous countries in the region, together account for almost 90 percent of newly reported HIV cases. Levels of treatment in the region are low with between 25 – 35% percent of those in need of antiretroviral therapy receiving it, possibly less if the recommendations of the WHO 2013 Treatment Guidelines are applied. While there has been a significant improvement in the legal environment relevant to HIV in the region, certain gaps still persist. In November 2014, during the Regional Dialogue on HIV, rights and universal access in Eastern Europe shortcomings which hinder the protection, upholding and fulfillment of the human rights of people living with, or affected by HIV were outlined. These gaps include, but are not limited to: breach of confidentiality, stigma and discrimination, criminalization of transmission, criminalization of the behavior of key populations, and others. In cooperation with governments, other UN agencies, international organizations, and civil society actors, UNDP works to develop the capacity of national legislators, government offices and civil society actors on matters of HIV and the Law. In September 2012, as part of its regional project “HIV, Rights and Universal Access in Eastern Europe”, co-funded by the European Union, UNDP with support from civil society and IDLO helped establish the the Regional HIV Legal Network. Since then the Network has had two more annual meetings and now covers legal aid organizations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine with plans to expand to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

More information is available on the Network’s website http://hiv-legalaid.org/.

UNDP seeks a consultant (a Regional Network Coordinator) to support the expansion, professional growth and financial sustainability of the Regional HIV Legal Network development, manage the work coordination and communications among network members and contribute towards the professional development and expansion of coverage both terms of geography and scope of services. The Regional HIV Legal Network Coordinator will be responsible for the network development into an effective and efficient quality service provider.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant reports to the Legal Specialist on Rights and Law at UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Team Istanbul Regional Hub (Supervisor).

Responsibilities of the Consultant:

Communicates with the network members and is responsible for moderating communication such as online discussions, information exchange sharing of materials;
Leads the implementation of the Network Code of Conduct adopted in November 2014 and verifies compliance of Network members with quality standards set therein;
Coordinates the expansion of the Network to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan by liaising with free legal aid providers, facilitating exchange of information with other network members and ensuring implementation of the Network Code of Conduct by new members;
Leads the expansion and improvement of the Network’s website and its development into a one-stop shop for all information regarding HIV and the Law matters in the countries covered by the Network. In this process, close collaboration with Network members and other free legal aid providers in the region and worldwide;
Participates in the recruitment of and actively collaborates with a facilitator to develop the Network Strategic Plan, in close cooperation with representatives of all Network members;
Participates in the recruitment of a fundraising consultant and works together with the consultant and representatives of Network members in the development of a Fundraising Plan;
Coordinates the international cooperation of the Network with other free legal aid providers in the context of HIV to ensure dissemination of cost-effective and efficient service models and other good practices, including and subject to available funding, through twinning exchange, information sharing, communication in virtual space;
Coordinates the full integration of the services provided by the Network in the programming of regional umbrella organizations focusing on people with HIV, such as the Eastern Europe and Central Asian Union of people with HIV (ECUO), the Eurasian Coalition on Male Health (ECOM), the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN), the Sex workers associations’ network (SWAN). Where possible, the development and signing of MOU and cooperation agreements;
Represents the Network at national/regional/ international meetings;
Contributes to periodical and annual reporting of UNDP and performs other tasks assigned by the Supervisor.

The Regional Network Coordinator shall be home-based.

Deliverables:

By the end of the consultancy contract the following products are expected to be delivered:

Code of Professional Conduct finalized, adopted, posted online on the Network website in English and Russian, covering ethics components of working with HIV-positive clients and key populations most at risk of HIV (by 1 March 2015);
Completed assessment of all Network members level of compliance with the Code of Conduct’s standards (by 31 May 2015);
Updated Network website (by 30 June 2015);
Organization to join the Network identified in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and invited to join the Network after approval by Network members and assessment of compliance with the Code of Conduct (by 31 July 2015);
Approved Strategic Plan of the Network (by 31 August 2015);
Approved Fundraising Plan of the Network (by 31 December 2015).

Payments will be made once a month upon submitted satisfactory progress report against deliverables and approved timesheet submission providing details of time spent on respective deliverables, their timely execution and acceptance by the Supervisor (Legal Specialist). During the contract, the Supervisor may request updates on/of deliverables as per the Description of Responsibilities.

Competencies

Commitment to the principles set forth in the UN High Level Declarations on HIV and AIDS;
Good understanding of the legal systems of the region as evidenced by experience/scholarship;
Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently, strict adherence to completing assigned tasks in a timely manner;
Quality-oriented professional, constructive approach to obstacles and delays in planned performance;
Excellent communication skills, oral and written;
Advanced user of virtual communication tools. Advanced knowledge in developing and administering online resources such as websites and portals is a plus;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education:

Bachelor’s degree in law, international relations, or human rights.

Experience:

Five or more years of relevant regional experience in the field of human rights, or legal aid work;
At least two years of experience in work with HIV and law/policy issues, network management of civil society and private sector organizations, management of online resources.

Language skills:

Fluency in Russian and English;
Knowledge of more regional languages is a plus.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 30 points:

Education and additional qualifications (courses, diplomas) – max points: 5;
Work experience in human rights and legal aid, HIV and law issues – max. ponts: 15;
Experience in network management – max. ponts: 5;
Online resource management skills – max points: 5.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 13 points.

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ). Please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
Financial Proposal* - specifying a daily rate in USD. Payment to be made once a month upon submitted satisfactory progress report against deliverables and approved timesheet;
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged costs ,except of travel costs related to possible missions, must be included in the financial proposal.
Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.