Vacancy: International Consultant to support the establishment of the Legal Resources and Information Centre within the National Institute of Justice, UNDP Moldova

International Consultant to support the establishment of the Legal Resources and Information Centre within the National Institute of Justice

Vacancy Number: Pr15/01083

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	04 Sep 2015, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	15 Sep 2015, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	15 Sep 2015
Reference to the project:	Strengthening Technical Capacities of the National Institutions for the Human Rights Protection and Promotion
Expected Duration of Assignment:	September – November 2015 (up to 30 working days)
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Online" button or at https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=59367 no later than 23:59, 04 September 2015. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: alexei.ghertescu@undp.org. UNDP will respond 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 applicants.
Supporting Documents: Individual Consultant Procurement Notice Terms of Reference Personal History Form (P11) UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Contacts:

Mr. Alexei Ghertescu.

Background

Promotion and protection of human rights and equality, strengthening justice and development of democratic governance is at the core of the UN work in Moldova. In these areas, the UN is aiming to ensure that difficult and complex reforms designed to strengthen government institutions and the justice sector remain on track, and that support is provided to move from policy and legislative formulation to practical implementation.

Therefore, the Strengthening Technical Capacities of the National Institutions for the Human Rights Protection and Promotion Project is seeking to support the implementation of the relevant human rights reforms, plans and commitments, in order to ensure that the capacities of the national human rights institutions are strengthened, so that they are able to perform their key functions on the human rights monitoring, reporting, promotion and protection. The overall objective of the project is to improve human rights protection and rule of law, including effective national implementation of European and international instruments in the Republic of Moldova, through the strengthening institutional capacities of key actors in relation to justice and vulnerable groups.

The project seeks to strengthen the capacities of public institutions, which have a mandate in areas relating to human rights, criminal justice, governance and anti-corruption, in performing their key functions.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is envisaged as playing a key role in relation to the implementation of the whole programme. The NIJ is uniquely positioned to bridge programme`s components in terms of involvement of the target groups as a specialised training institution. The NIJ will serve as a logistic platform for the planned capacity building activities, as well as will ensure the anchoring of the programme to ensure its sustainability during and beyond the programme duration.

One of the subcomponents of the project implies providing support to the establishment and capacity building of the NIJ’s Legal Resources and Information Centre. The Centre is intended to provide the targeted public institutions, prosecutors and judges with the relevant updates and analysis on the national and international legal frameworks, methods of their application on practice.

Various options have been discussed as to the development of the NIJ’s Legal Resources and Information Centre, from a simple information focal point for the representatives of the human rights protection institutions, judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other related professionals and institutions to turning it into a research centre that would prepare and/or coordinate research and studies on a wide spectrum of justice and human rights related issues.

Scope of work

The main objective of this consultancy is to conduct the assessment of the existing capacities of the National Institute of Justice of Moldova for establishing its Legal Resources and Information Centre (hereinafter – the Centre), to elaborate several options for further development and diversification of the Centre’s activities, taking into account the national context, and to produce relevant recommendations for the implementation of the respective options.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objective the International Consultant shall perform the following tasks:

1) Planning and initial research:

Produce a preliminary plan of activities (with the detailed timetables) necessary for the performance of this assignment;
Carry out preliminary desk-review of the information on the activity of the NIJ and of the regulatory framework for the activity of the NIJ and the Centre;

2) Facts-finding and assessment:

Meet with the relevant stakeholders:

With the senior management and employees of the NIJ, including those who will be responsible for the activities of the Centre;
With the representatives of other institutions from Moldova that carry out various research activities and studies and provide information services in the fields of law, justice and human rights in Moldova (universities, libraries, Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court of Justice, Academy of Science, Ombudsperson Office, Equality Council, NGOs, etc.);

Collect the information and data necessary for the successful completion of all assignment related objectives;
Review the current situation with the establishment of the Centre: any preparatory activities carried out already, identify the requirements for the organization and structure of the Centre as a subdivision of the NIJ as provided in the relevant regulatory documents, identify the resources (administrative, organizational, financial, human, etc.) that are currently allocated and will be available in future for the activity and development of the Centre;
Conduct an assessment of current capacities of the NIJ for the successful establishment and development of the Centre, and assess the needs for further activities, resources and measures that are necessary for the establishment, capacity building and development of the Centre;
Make an assessment of the NIJ’s capacities to provide comprehensive information services in the field of justice and human rights and to research further possibilities for developing the information services provided by the Centre;

3) Research and advice:

Conduct a study of the existing forms and various types of research and information centres in institutions similar to the NIJ in different countries (magistrate/judicial schools, training centres for judges, prosecutors, representative of other justice related professions and human rights protection institutions, etc.).
Make a research on the possibilities and options for combining the activity of the Centre with the activities of other institutions that carry out various research activities and studies and provide information services in the field of justice and human rights in Moldova and for establishing cooperation relations between them and the Centre;
Produce several options/concepts for further development of the Centre specifying various potential forms and types of activities, research and information services that the Centre would be able to perform and provide (independently or in cooperation with other institutions and organizations). The concepts shall meet the conditions and requirements set forth in regulatory instruments regarding the activity of the NIJ and the Centre, but should vary in directions, forms and methodology of the potential activities;
Produce a detailed and comprehensive report that would include the analysis performed, description of the research on all issues included in the present scope of work, description of various options and concepts for the establishment and further development of the Centre and specify the respective recommendations for each of the options/concepts proposed.

Requirements for experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

Master’s Degree or equivalent (5-year university education) in Social Sciences, Pedagogy, Human Rights, Law or other relevant field;

II. Years and sphere of experience:

At least 7 years of experience of working in specialised professional information or research centres, university research centres, professional training institutions similar to NIJ or other similar institutions in the field of law, human rights, political or social sciences or other related field;
Experience at a managerial level in above research and information institutions, centres and facilities be an asset;
Proven previous experience of managing and/or coordinating various research activities and/or providing information services within one single institution or between several institutions in a justice and human rights related area;
Previous experience of conducting capacity/needs assessments, gap analyses and producing relevant recommendations is an asset;
Previous experience in designing research programmes for professional training institutions is an asset;
Proven experience in working with international or local organizations on similar assignments (e.g., successful experience in working with UN agencies) is an asset;

III. Competencies:

Knowledge of the methodologies of professional research and conducting studies in areas of law, justice, human rights, political or social sciences or other related fields and providing related information services;
Knowledge of the functioning of research and information institutions, centres and facilities;
Familiarity with the activity of professional research and information centres and institutions in areas of law, justice, human rights, political or social sciences or other related fields in various countries;
Proficiency in English language;
Knowledge of Romanian and/or Russian language is an asset;

IV. Personal qualities:

Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular, respecting differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status;
Responsibility, creativity, flexibility and punctuality.

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Technical Proposal:
1. explaining how applicant responds to each of the qualification requirements and why he/she is the most suitable for the work (particularly providing details on the previously implemented similar projects and assignments and previous experience in the fields related to this consultancy as described in the terms of reference);
2. describing a short vision on achievement of tasks;
Personal information (Personal History Form /P11) including records of past experience in similar projects/assignments and concrete outputs obtained with three references;
Financial proposal (in USD, specifying a total lump sum amount)

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR (including the final report submitted to the UNDP Moldova Justice and Human Rights Programme Analyst). Payments will be performed in 2-3 installments upon the delivery of the outputs specified in the TOR.

In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fees and taxes, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

Two (2) working missions are expected for the International consultant as specified in the TOR.

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Disclaimer

In case of discrepancies between the text published on the website and the contents of the supporting documents, the provisions, instructions and conditions included in the supporting documents (published as Adobe Portable Document Format files) shall prevail. In case of discrepancies between the English version and the Romanian and/or Russian versions of text, documents or other content published on this webpage, the English version shall prevail.

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