The outbreak of Covid-19 is having a devasting impact on economies across the globe. Tajikistan has also seen a steep fall in GDP growth. During the first half of 2020, the economy recorded a 3.5% growth which is half (7%) the annual growth of 2019. Although the economic contraction in Tajikistan so far has  not been as severe as anticipated, the slowdown of the economy is already having a cascading socioeconomic impact such as a rise in job losses and reduced household consumption.Importantl y, there is a significant fall in personal remittances which will further exacerbate vulnerability. In the first two quarters of 2020, personal remittances from Russia fell by more than 32% compared to the same period last year. In an economic downturn, migrant workers are often the first to be laid off. According to a recent survey in Moscow, as a result of Covid-19, 76% of migrants lost their jobs either through layoffs or unpaid leave. Among Russian citizens, job losses amounted to 42%. Around 58% of migrants had lost all of their income while among Russians the proportion who reported losing all was 23%.

Although migrant workers make a significant contribution to the Russian economy, they have, from time to time, faced discrimination and harassment. Lately, there have been reports of unregistered migrants being denied medical services. Although Tajikistan has organized several charter flights to bring back Tajikistan’s nationals, there are probably many who have lost their jobs and want to return but are still stranded in Russia. Others who were on leave in Tajikistan are eager to go back to Russia, but its borders remain are closed for citizens of many countries, including Tajikistan

PURPOSE

UN Resident Coordinator Office in Tajikistan is seeking the services of an international consultant to carry out an assessment. The assessment aims to help in better understanding the situation of Tajik migrants in Russia who are affected by the economic downturn triggered by Covid-19 pandemic. The assessment will try to piece together information from various sources to draw a full picture of Tajik migrants in Russia: issues that they are facing, implications of the slowdown of the Russian economy, and its wider impact on migrants

The assessment will delve into the challenges faced by Tajik migrants who have suffered temporary or permanent job losses in Russia. It will try to shed light on the coping mechanisms of migrants who have decided to stay in Russia and those who wish to return but are unable to do so owing to travel restrictions and lack of funds. The analysis will also provide insights into the economic situation in Russia along with employment prospects for migrants in the short to medium term. Furthermore, it will help to identify opportunities to promote safe migration for those who wish to go to Russia for work and measures to improve migrant services.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

UNRCO will contract an international consultant who will report to the Head of the RCO, and on a day-to-day basis on technical matters to the UNRCO Economist.  Within 10 days after signing the contract, the consultant will submit an inception report to the UNRCO which will describe the overall assessment approach, sources of data/information that will be used, methodology for collecting primary and secondary data, and an annotated outline of the report including short description under each heading/topic.

Following UNRCO comments and recommendations, the consultant will resubmit the final revised inception report to the UNRCO within 5 working days. It is expected that the consultant will submit the first draft of the assessment report by Jan 31, 2021. The consultant will revise the report addressing all the comments/inputs provided by the UNRCO and then submit the final report by February 28, 2021. 

The detailed ToR is presented in Annex 3

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate;
• Excellent report writing skills;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints

Academic Qualifications:

• An advanced University degree in economics, social sciences or related field;

Professional experience.

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in international development; past research experience in migration and labour market analysis is required;
• Extensive knowledge of, and experience in applying qualitative and quantitative analytical research methods;
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to tailor the language for the target audience.
• Previous work experience in Central Asia and especially in Tajikistan is an important asset.

Knowledge of languages:

• Fluent in English and Russian languages.

Application Procedure:

Please follow the link to download Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and follow the application procedures indicated in the downloaded ICPN: 

http://www.undp.tj/va/upload/va/ICPN%20International%20Consultant_COVID%20impact%20to%20migration.pdf

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply online via website www.jobs.undp.org:

• In order to be considered in the long list of applicants please go to the Registration link, register your account and upload Personal CV or Resume (Please do not upload your Financial Proposal). (If you already have a registered account, please use your login and password for further applying).
• Important! Additional documents should be sent to e-mail address ic.tj@undp.org, for proper evaluation prior to the deadline:

1. Offeror’s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability
2. stating your interest and qualifications for the advertised position
3. provide a brief methodology on how the consultant will approach and conduct the work
4. Breakdown of costs supporting the all-inclusive financial proposal
5. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

Please note that incomplete applications will not be further considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials

Candidates should submit the above-mentioned documents by November 30, 2020 via e-mail to ic.tj@undp.org Title of assignment should be written in the subject line of the email.

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic communication to the address or email indicated above. UNDP Tajikistan will respond in writing or by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.

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.