International Consultant to support Turkmenistan Government in development of the Roadmap for UPR recommendations (2018)

Background

In 2018 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a joint project with the Institute of Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan entitled “Assistance in implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2016-2020”.  The project is focused on engaging the Government of Turkmenistan on its duty and capacity to comply with its international human rights obligations and implementing recommendations of human rights treaty bodies, including the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan (TNIDHR) is the main implementing partner of the project and coordinating agency for the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP).

TNIDHR chairs the work of the Interdepartmental Commission for Treaty Bodies and International Humanitarian Law (IC) that was established on the basis of a Presidential Decree in 2007. The mandate of the Interdepartmental Commission (IC), that includes the representatives of 20 national ministries and agencies, is to coordinate the Government’s efforts aimed at implementing international legal obligations of Turkmenistan in the area of human rights, including implementation, monitoring and reporting under any international human rights instrument signed by Turkmenistan.

The country is a State Party to thirteen core human rights treaties and their optional protocols and is yet to ratify several other important UN treaties and optional protocols.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism of the United Nations which started in April 2008 and consisting of the review of the human rights practices of all States in the world, once every four years. However, the follow-up of the UPR recommendations is the most critical and important phase of the whole UPR process as it is the one leading to the realization of the UPR objectives to bring about positive changes, both in law and in practice, that strengthen the national protection system and benefit people, especially the most vulnerable groups.

Turkmenistan underwent its second review in 2013 and accepted 183 recommendations. Government of Turkmenistan took serious initiatives on effective implementation of received recommendations of the second UPR cycle, adopting a National Action Plan on the Protection of Human Rights in Turkmenistan for the period of 2016-2020. The National Plan of Action is the result of collaboration between the Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In May 2018, Turkmenistan participated in the UPR of the third cycle. As a result of the constructive dialogue that was held, Turkmenistan received 191 recommendations, out of which accepted 172 of the recommendations and rejected 19. The main areas of accepted recommendations are:

• women’s rights and domestic violence;
• optional protocol to UNCAT;
• free trial and fair judicial system;
• SDGs implementation;
• freedom of speech (mainly with respect to the media);
• rights of people with disabilities;

UNDP is planning to provide methodological support to the Government of Turkmenistan in preparation of Roadmap for effective implementation of the recently received UPR recommendations of the third cycle. Therefore, UNDP is looking for a consultant with the hands-on experience on UPR reporting and implementation process. An international expert shall design a Roadmap of actions for UPR recommendations 2018 and carry out a three-day mission to Turkmenistan to facilitate a two-day workshop to provide methodological support and advise to the national counterparts on effective participatory process of the UPR implementation and follow up procedure.

Duties and Responsibilities

In accordance with the above-mentioned objective of the assignment and under the supervision of the Project Manager, the International Consultant (IC) will have the objective to conduct a two-day workshop and develop a Roadmap for implementation of the UPR recommendations. To achieve the objective, he or she will work to produce the following:

• Conduct an in-depth desk review of the UPR concluding recommendations received in 2018; based on the review cluster the recommendations thematically;
• Review the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2016-2020, National Action Plan on Gender (2015-2019), the National Action Plan on the Rights of the Child for 2018-2020 and a draft of the National Action Plan to counter trafficking in persons for 2019-2022 and take stock of the recommendations that relate to activities in the Action Plans;
• Develop a draft matrix of the recommendations and follow up actions. The matrix will be further discussed and filled out during the technical workshop for the members of the Working Group;
• Prepare a detailed agenda for a 2-day workshop for the Working Group on UPR-follow-up process and development of the Roadmap. The Roadmap should be in line with UPR methodology and the guidelines for inclusive and participatory implementation process and include public awareness component about the UPR outcomes and engagement of all stakeholders, including CSOs engagement;
• Collect data around implementation of the UPR recommendations in other countries and present them in the course of technical workshop;
• Conduct a two-day workshop for the members of the Working Group to development functional Roadmap for the UPR recommendations for follow-up process based on available good practices from the CIS and other regions.  
• Facilitate a debriefing session with the UN Country Team;
• Submit final version of the Roadmap taking into consideration the comments and inputs made during the two-day workshop. The Roadmap should include recommendations on strategies for sensitization on the implementation of the recommendations of the UPR 2018 into national ministerial plans.

Prepare and submit to UNDP the final consultancy report that will cover the results of the mission and the recommendations/suggestions for strengthening capacity of Turkmen national counterparts on UPR implementation process.

Deliverables and timeframe:

Deliverable 1:

• Draft of the matrix and agenda of the workshop;
• Three-day mission to Turkmenistan;
• Conducted workshop and technical consultations with TNIDHR;

Location: Home based, 3-day mission to Turkmenistan. Number of days: 8 days.

Deliverable 2:

• Roadmap for UPR implementation;
• Final Consultancy report with results of the mission with recommendations;

Location: homebased. Number of days: 4 day.

Payment Conditions:

This is a lump sum contract that should include all costs required to produce the above deliverables. The payment shall be released via a bank transfer in one installment. 100% upon submission and UNDP formal acceptance of the deliverables 1 and 2 mentioned above.

Competencies

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:

• Knowledge of and extensive experience working with UN human rights mechanisms;
• Excellent presentation, facilitation and communication skills;
• Excellent writing skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts and recommendations, in a clear style tailored to match the audience;
• Proven interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Diplomatic skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in law, human rights, political science, international relations.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of working experience in capacity and institution building in the area of human rights, UN treaty body reporting mechanisms;
• Excellent knowledge of UPR, Treaty bodies and experience in their implementation;
• Knowledge of the UN human rights system and its method of operations;

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English; fluency in Russian is desirable.

Submission of applications:

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

All experts applying for this position are required to provide:

• Brief (1-2 pages) description of the methodology for the assignment with desciption on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
• Cover Letter which contains a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment(maximum 1 page);
• A summary of experience in similar assignments;
• Financial Proposal with the references to (1) the daily rate for the assignment and within the timing scale indicated in the present TOR, and (2) any other expenses (including transportation costs, accommodation costs, the possibility of vaccination and etc.). Template of the form can be found at http://www.tm.undp.org/content/turkmenistan/en/home/procurement.html. The UNDP will enter into an Individual Contract based on a lump sum amount. The financial proposal shall represent a detailed, justified and “all inclusive” amount.  In order to assist UNDP in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount, including: a daily fee for the tasks and an estimated duration as specified in this announcement, travel (to and from the missions), per diems, any other possible costs (including vaccinations, dwelling, communication etc.);
• Personal CV form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees.

Evaluation of proposals:

Individual Consultants will be evaluated based on the combined scoring methodology. When using this method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant and
• having received the highest score – out of 100 points

Out of the maximum score, the score for technical criteria equals 70% - maximum 70 points, and for financial criteria 30%.

The technical evaluation will take into account the following as per the scoring provided:

• Master’s degree in law, human rights, political science, international relations – 15 pts;
• At least 7 years of working experience in capacity and institution building in the area of human rights, UN treaty body reporting mechanisms – 15 pts;
• Experience in capacity and institution building in the area of human rights, in particular in relation to UPR and its reporting procedures – 10 pts;
• Methodology – 15 pt;
• Interview – 15 pt;
• Knowledge of the UN human rights system and its method of operations – 10 pts;
• Fluency in English – 10 pts;
• Fluency in Russian – 10 pts;

Financial proposal – 30% of total evaluation.

Additional requirements for recommended contractor:

Recommended contractors aged 65 and older, and if the travel is required, shall undergo a full medical examination including x-ray, and obtain medical clearance from the UN-approved doctor prior to taking up their assignment. The medical examination is to be cleared by the UN physicians, and shall be paid by the consultant.