CON 2018/32 - Consultant - Afghanistan IDP Petition System Review - Kabul, Afghanistan*

Position Title Consultant - Afghanistan IDP Petition System Review Duty Station :Kabul, Afghanistan

Classification Consultant, Grade OTHE

Type of Appointment : Consultant, Eight Weeks

Estimated Start Date :As soon as possible Closing Date : 01 July 2018

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. Context:

Nature of the Consultancy:

IOM Afghanistan’s Cross Border Return and Reintegration (CBRR) programme has been in operation since 2008 and provides post-arrival humanitarian assistance to 10,000s of returning undocumented Afghans from Pakistan and Iran each year positioning IOM as the lead agency responding to the undocumented in country. In 2015, IOM’s CBRR programme began implementing a technical capacity building project to enhance the information management capacity of the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR). As of early 2018, the ongoing project, has established the Afghan Returnee Information System (ARIS) on behalf of MoRR in 4 major border crossings with Iran and Pakistan and 8 other provinces in MoRR office to digitally register returning Afghans entering the country and link them to assistance provision. Recently, the Ministry has requested that IOM look into inclusion of conflict affected IDPs into ARIS in order to link them to assistance provision and service delivery at the provincial level through the Provincial Reintegration Committees which presently serve returnees in 12 provinces, scaling up to 17 by autumn 2018.However, in recent years, numerous challenges with the Afghan government-led IDP petition system have emerged to compromise the independence and timeliness with which humanitarian actors can deliver emergency assistance

to populations affected by conflict and natural disaster in Afghanistan. These include:

1. The presence of multiple inclusion and exclusion errors: which range from lack of transparency around names added to the lists and allowing repeat and rejected applications to be resubmitted, to the inaccessibility (physical, geographic or protection related) of the system for those living in rural or opposition-held areas.

2. Non-transparency: limited information about the submission process and IDP entitlements leaves IDPs vulnerable to interference and corruption (e.g. paying to submit a petition/for a literate person to complete their forms).

3. A lengthy and burdensome process – approx. 85% of all petitions do not meet approval criteria. Consequently, vital humanitarian resources (both human and financial) are wasted during both the screening and assessment phases – by having to first sift through ineligible and non-genuine claims and then having to assess them. In some cases, this has delayed the delivery of assistance to IDPs by as much as three months.

The above context, presently precludes the inclusion of IDPs in ARIS, given the high level of fraud and inability to rationalize numbers associated with the petition system. Page 1 / 5As the lead agency in Afghanistan coordinating the humanitarian response to conflict affected IDPs, in recent months, OCHA has led a series of consultations with key stakeholders in the humanitarian community. The proposed solution from humanitarian partners to some of the above concerns is the establishment of a Networked Alert System where an alert is triggered when the focal points of a designated emergency partner report information indicating conflict which results in population displacement. Information would be received from multiple sources e.g. community focal points / centres, government agencies, other humanitarian and development actors, and IDPs themselves through mechanisms such as the inter-agency call centre and cross-checked with other actors before an alert is shared with OCHA/clusters to organise and conduct a joint assessment and response. In order to facilitate identifying and verifying displacement, existing community committees would be strengthened and sensitised on IDP criteria/humanitarian principles so that they are able to raise alerts when new IDPs arrive in their communities.

This consultancy is intended to directly support OCHA and the broader humanitarian community’s engagement on support to IDPs while rationalizing the MoRR request to include IDPs in ARIS through a rapid assessment to determine the present effectiveness of the existing IDP petition in the eastern region of Afghanistan (Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman provinces) where IDP numbers are high, versus possible improvements if the system was revised and moved to alert based initiation as per recent consultations in Kabul across the humanitarian community and in coordination with Government stakeholders. The aim of the consultancy is to demonstrate the best method to carry out IDP verification which is as far as possible free from fraud and therefore allowing for accurate IDP data collection in ARIS which would translate into enhanced assistance provision and extension of services to displaced persons at the provincial level.

IOM Project to which the Consultancy is Contributing:

Technical Capacity Building of the Ministry Of Refugees and Repatriation in Return And Reintegration – Phase II

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

Tasks to be Performed Under this Consultancy:

1. Develop a work plan for the assessment with a timeline and template for the final report in close coordination with OCHA and the ICCT;

2. Conduct a technical review of the IDP petition system as well as newly suggested revisions to the current system, including business processes through site assessments in the target provinces; key informant interviews/FGDs at the provincial and Kabul level and a desktop literature review;

3. Present initial assessment findings at the Kabul level to UN, NGOs and government stakeholders;

4. Develop a final report of the assessment with internal and external recommendations. Tangible and Measurable Output of the Work Assignment:

• A minimum of 20 KIIs with government, UN, NGO and community stakeholders;

• A minimum of 4 Focus Group Discussions with community members;

Page 2 / 5• One final report with recommendations;

• Two presentations of the assessment findings to government and to UN and NGO stakeholders.

Realistic Delivery Dates and Details as to How the Work must be Delivered:

Upon completion of the in-country assessment portion of the consultancy a draft assessment report is to be submitted to IOM Afghanistan’s Programme Support Unit for review. After satisfactory review within 2 weeks the final version of the report with pragmatic recommendations will be submitted to the Chief of Mission and Senior Programme Coordinator for final endorsement and sign off.

Performance Indicators for Evaluation of Results:

• Upon satisfactory submission of initial draft of final assessment report 50% of consultancy fee will be paid to consultant.

• Upon finalization of final report and presentation to key stakeholders the remaining 50% will be released for payment.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Political or Social Sciences, Law, International Relations or a related field from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or • University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience. Experience

• Knowledge of the Afghan conflict and return/displacement dynamics and the impact on the affected population;

• Experience in the fields of migration and protection specific to IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and refugee assistance;

• Experience in emergency operations and liaison with other UN and non-UN humanitarian actors;

• Experience with writing policy documents and strategic analysis;

• Understanding of complex social-political environments;

• Knowledge of the humanitarian architecture, especially in relation to protection (focus on internal displacement, child protection, gender-based violence, identity documentation, etc.); • Working experience in the region is an asset;

Page 3 / 5Languages

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of Dari or Pasto is advantageous. Note

* Duty Station: The selected consultant will be assigned in Kabul, Afghanistan with field duty travel.

• Consultancy work duration will be for 8 weeks (6 weeks in country; 2 weeks report writing). Desirable Competencies:

Behavioral

• Accountability – takes responsibility for action and manages constructive criticisms • Client Orientation – works effectively well with client and stakeholders

• Continuous Learning – promotes continuous learning for self and others

• Communication – listens and communicates clearly, adapting delivery to the audience • Creativity and Initiative – actively seeks new ways of improving programmes or services • Leadership and Negotiation – develops effective partnerships with internal and external stakeholders;

• Performance Management – identify ways and implement actions to improve performance of self and others.

• Planning and Organizing - plans work, anticipates risks, and sets goals within area of responsibility;

• Professionalism - displays mastery of subject matter

• Teamwork – contributes to a collegial team environment; incorporates gender related needs, perspectives, concerns and promotes equal gender participation.

• Technological Awareness - displays awareness of relevant technological solutions; • Resource Mobilization - works with internal and external stakeholders to meet resource needs of IOM.

Other:

Note

• The appointment is subject to funding confirmation.

• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment or visa requirements and security clearances.

• No late applications will be accepted.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications via PRISM, IOM e-Recruitment system, by 01 July 2018 at the latest, referring to this advertisement.

For further information, please refer to:

http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/about-iom-1/recruitment/how-to-apply.html Page 4 / 5In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts online profiles duly completed.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. You can track the progress of your application on your personal application page in the IOM e-recruitment system.

Posting period:

From 18.06.2018 to 01.07.2018

Requisition: CON2018/32- Consultant-Afghanistan IDP Petition System Review-Kabul,Afghanistan (55534454) Released

Posting: Posting NC55534455 (55534455) Released

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