Substantial progress has been made in many countries in Europe and the CIS and towards political stability, consolidation of democracy, rule of law, and improvement of human rights records. However, the development in several countries continues to be affected the legacy of past regimes and recent conflicts with persisting inter-ethnic tensions within and across borders, and only slowly improving sub-regional cooperation. Despite progress has been made in creating a framework for respecting human rights and the rule of law, many issues need to be addressed, including the independence and efficiency of the judiciary, widespread corruption, and discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, race, sexual orientation, and other grounds.

The Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) is UNDP’s main knowledge and advisory hub for the countries serviced by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS (RBEC). The Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster of this Regional Hub provides technical advisory services and programming support on Human Rights, Rule of Law, Justice and Security to UNDP Country Offices in the region.

In the region, UNDP works with national and international partners to strengthen the social contract between the state and society in a manner that protects human rights, promotes equality, and enhances social cohesion. This includes increasing citizen access to justice and safety; supporting the development of legislation that protects the rights of people, particularly minorities and other vulnerable groups, and those with disabilities; building efficient National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and supporting the implementation of international standards and recommendations; strengthening capacities of security and justice institutions; supporting conflict prevention, and placing gender equality and women at the center of governance and peace efforts.

The Hub also connects the region to a global network of development experts, to build knowledge and capacity, and to forge partnerships to meet the development challenges of a large and diverse region. Furthermore, the Hub is implementing the Regional Programme (2018-2021) with several components on human rights, rule of law, justice and security. The regional programme has been formulated based on the most crucial regional challenges with a particular focus on a strengthened approach to specific sub-regional challenges. Furthermore, the Istanbul Regional Hub is also implementing sub-regional initiatives and projects, such as the Central Asia Support Initiative for National Human Rights Institutions and the Regional War Crimes Project – Justice for Victims and Missing Persons in the Western Balkans. 

The Consultant will work in the Istanbul Regional Hub, under the direct supervision of the Human Rights, Rule of Law, Justice and Security Programme Specialist and overall guidance of the Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster Leader. The Consultant’s  task will be to support the implementation of Central Asia Support Initiative for National Human Rights Institutions and the design of a sub-regional project in support of National Human Rights Institutions of Central Asia. The consultant will also  support the implementation of the human rights, rule of law, justice and security components of the regional programme, including sub-regional and regional initiatives. The consultant will also provide support to the Programme Specialist for advisory services to COs. Furthermore, the consultant will be supporting the development of knowledge/policy products. 

• Contribute to the implementation of the Central Asia Support Initiative for National Human Rights Institutions and the design of a sub-regional project in support of National Human Rights Institutions of Central Asia;
• Support project development of country projects and programmatic frameworks;
• Preparation of concept notes for regional policy and research initiatives as well as thematic policy notes; 
• Contribute to regional initiatives regarding policy guidance on implementation of SDG 16; 
• Oversee the conceptualisation of knowledge products on Rule of Law, Justice, Security and Human Rights; 

Deliverables and estimated timeline:
Submitted by end of April 2018: 

• Concept note for regional workshop on NHRIs and National Statistics Office on SDGs developed

Submitted by end of May 2018: 

• Report of regional consultations on human rights and rule of law for social cohesion for Western CIS and South Caucasus drafted 
• Research for PVE and Human Rights designed and launched

Submitted by end of June 2018: 

• Regional workshop on NHRIs and National Statistics Office on SDGs implemented and report drafted 
• Training workshop for National Preventive Mechanism in Central Asia implemented 

Submitted by end of July 2018: 

• Development of access to justice assessment in Belarus supported 
• Sub-regional project document for the Central Asia Support Initiative for NHRIs drafted

Submitted by end of August 2018: 

• Design of anti-discrimination campaign supported
• Concept Note for 3rd regional consultations of NHRIs in Central Asia drafted 

Submitted by end of September 2018: 

• Training for Ombudspersons and senior staff of NHRIs of Central Asia implemented Design of sub-regional programme strategy for Western CIS and Southern Caucasus supported

Submitted by end of October 2018:

• Report of 3rd regional consultations of NHRIs in Central Asia drafted 
• Organisation of research workshop on PVE and human rights supported

Submitted by end of November 2018: 

• Campaign for International Human Rights Day designed and prepared
• Capacity Assessment of NHRI in Central Asia supported 

Submitted by end of December 2018:

• Finalisation on report and guidance note on PVE and human rights supported
• Concept Note for Innovation for Rule of Law and Human Rights drafted

Submitted by end of January 2019

• Annual Workplan for Central Asia Support Initiative for NHRIs drafted 
• Follow-up support provided to NHRIs and NSOs in 2 countries

Submitted by end of February 2019

• Resource mobilisation for regional programmatic initiatives supported 
• Concept note on Business and Human Rights developed 

Submitted by 26 March 2019

• Project development in two countries supported 

Timeline of specific tasks and deliverables will be agreed with the consultant in writing at the beginning of each month. The Consultant will report about the progress of activities to the Human Rights, Rule of Law, Justice and Security Programme Specialist in written.

Payment will be performed in twelve (12) equal installments in relation to the progresses achieved with regard to the satisfactory completion of the deliverables upon submission of a report.

Given the nature of the tasks requiring strict cooperation with the Human Rights, Rule of Law, Justice and Security Programme Specialist and with the other members of the Governance and Peacebuilding team, full-time presence at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub is required. 

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies 

• Good understanding of capacity development;
• Excellent drafting, reporting, facilitation and presentation skills;
• Ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit and positive working relationships;
• Results driven, ability to work under pressure and to meet required deadlines.
• Proven ability to work in a team, develop synergies and establish effective working relations within the Practice teams, with persons of different Country Offices, and other counterparts (as required, e.g. donors and CSOs); 

Academic Qualifications/Education:

• Master’s degree in Law, Social Sciences, International Relations, Governance, Human Rights, Development, HIV/Health, and other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of proven work experience on rule of law, justice, security and human rights related issues in international organizations or public administration;
• Relevant international experience in the ECIS region is a strong asset;
• Previous experience in UNDP assignments is considered as a strong asset;
• Proven experience in programming in the areas of human rights/rule of law, i.e. NHRIs/Ombudsman institutions, Government institutions, justice and security sector reform, access to justice, SGBV etc;
• Experience in drafting project reports; 
• Experience in corporate software and handling of web based contents and management systems;
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of Human Rights Based Approach principles and of UN and human rights treaties and mechanisms.  

Language skills:

• Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English;
• Russian is considered an asset.

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: a) Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and b) 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 35 points:

• Criteria A (Relevant experience including in the Central Asia region) – max 4 points;
• Criteria B (experience with other similar UN/UNDP assignments)- max 4 points; 
• Criteria C (In-depth knowledge and understanding of HRBA principles and UN human rights treaties and mechanisms) – max 6 points; 
• Criteria D (Proven experience in programming in the areas of human rights/rule of law, including support to National Human Rights Institutions) – max 8 points;
• Criteria E (Proven experience in drafting project reports) – max. 5 points:
• Criteria F (Additional language skills) – max 4 points;
• Criteria G (other technical skills – corporate software, web-based contents and management systems) – max 4 points: 

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 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://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please upload the P11 instead of your CV. 
• Financial Proposal* - All applicants shall submit a detailed, carefully considered and justified financial statement based on a lump sum specifying (1) all-inclusive lump sum amount for tasks and an estimated duration as specified in this announcement and (2) travel to and from the duty station. Missions related costs must not be included in the financial proposal. These costs will be covered separately as per UNDP rules and regulations.

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.). 

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner certified by the supervising officer.

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 http://dss.un.org 

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under:  http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.