RSD Expert

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship)

Family

CONS International

2024-06-17

June 4, 2024

Terms of Reference for Individual Contracts
(Individual Contractors, Consultants and Fellows)
(This work assignment description forms an integral part of the individual contract)

1. Requesting Office (hiring entity): MCO Almaty
2. Project details (or ABOD details):
Title of project: 2024 Refugee Status Determination Distance Learning Programme [RSD DLP]
Purpose of project: The capacity-building initiative of the UNHCR Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Central Asia, targeting state officials, members of the national Refugee Status Determination Commissions, judges and staff of relevant organizations, which provide legal assistance and support to asylum seekers and refugees in Central Asia. The Programme is focused on the acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills by the practitioners, and promotes the further development of refugee status determination procedures in the region.

3. Duration and dates of the assignment:
From: 17 June 2024 To: 13 December 2024
Work 100% (fulltime) during above-mentioned period: Yes ☐No ☒ (if no specify)
Working Hours [check one]: ☐Applicable ☒ Not Applicable
Total amount of days/weeks/months to be worked: 4-5 months.
4. Location(s) (specify if working from home): Remote mode for self- study phase. The location of the residential workshop will be determined later.
5. Assignment and/or Mission travel applicable Yes ☐No ☐
If yes, specify destination(s) and period(s): The location of the workshop is not yet determined, tentatively – Almaty, Kazakhstan.
6. Suggested fee (daily/weekly/monthly/lump sum) and currency:
Total budgetary amount allocated for individual contract (incl. travel and DSA etc.): Applicants are requested to send their financial proposals, including the contractor’s fee, travel expenses (for conducting the offline workshop) and payment schedule, to the email address – [email protected]. Please indicate “Financial Proposal for Facilitation of the 2024 RSD DLP” in the subject line.

7. General Background of Project or Assignment:
The Refugee Status Determination Distance Learning Programme (RSD DLP) is a capacity-building initiative of the UNHCR Representation to Central Asia, which aims to improve the quality of refugee status determination procedures across Central Asia. It is designed for State officials, members of the national Refugee Status Determination Commissions, judges, staff of the Ombudsperson Office, General Prosecutor’s Office and other relevant organizations providing legal assistance and support to asylum seekers and refugees in Central Asia.
The RSD DLP has been administered by the UNHCR Representation to Central Asia in Almaty from 2016 and is the only regional training opportunity on Refugee Status Determination in Russian in Central Asia.
In 2024, UNHCR has revised the format of the RSD DLP and updated the training topics following a comprehensive evaluation of previous programmes. The new edition will focus on topics such as specific caseloads of interest in the RSD procedures, interviewing techniques, credibility assessments, standards of proof, exclusion triggers, correlation of exclusion with extradition, interrelation with human rights obligations, country of origin information, and tools used by practitioners to manage national security concerns.
The 2024 RSD DLP consists of two phases: a 12-week distance learning phase followed by a 4-day residential workshop. Both phases will be conducted in Russian. The participants will be supported via E-mail by a tutor who will give feedback on each participant’s completed work during the distance learning phase.
Since the language of instruction is Russian, the tutor should be a Russian-speaking expert specializing in refugee status determination procedures and standards. MCO Almaty requires the assistance of a Russian-speaking RSD trainer to make required adjustments to training materials, offer necessary support and tutoring to participants during the self-study phase, deliver thematic webinars, guide on, and assess submitted written assignments, coordinate and lead the residential workshop in Russian, and conduct the final evaluation of the learning program.
8. Occupational Safety and Health Considerations
To view occupational safety and health considerations for specific duty stations, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
Specific Occupational Safety and Health Considerations to this assignment (if applicable):
n/a
9. Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment:
Concise and detailed description of activities, including measurable outputs and delivery dates, impact indicators (what qualitative and quantitative results would be achieved upon completion of individual contract), performance indicators (timelines, value of the service rendered in relation to the cost, timeliness) and work plan:

The 2024 RSD DLP consists of two phases: a 12-week distance learning phase followed by a 4-day residential workshop. Both phases will be conducted in Russian. Phase 1 is structured around 6 major units, each delivered through a blend of thematic webinars, self-study periods, and tutor-guided exercises.

Phase 1: Distance-learning stage [from mid-July to mid-October 2024, TBC]

By July 15, 2024, the RSD DLP facilitator is tasked with revising the learning materials and instructional program for the upcoming RSD DLP 2024 edition, drawing from existing materials and evaluating the 2024 edition.

Thematic webinars

Six thematic webinars will be held every other week throughout the 12-week distance learning stage. The RSD DLP facilitator will maintain regular communication with enrolled participants through the following activities

• Conduct Thematic Webinars: Lead and facilitate thematic webinars covering the procedural aspects of refugee status determination process.
• Content Preparation: Collaborate with UNHCR MCO Protection to develop and refine webinar content, ensuring alignment with learning objectives and participant needs.
• Interactive Engagement: Foster interactive engagement and participation among participants during webinars, encouraging questions, discussions, and knowledge sharing.
• Resource Sharing: Timely share relevant supplementary resources, readings, and materials to complement webinar content and enrich participant learning experiences.
• Language Proficiency: Demonstrate proficiency in the Russian language to effectively deliver webinars in the program’s designated language.
• Adherence to Schedule: Ensure adherence to the webinar schedule, maintaining consistency in session timing and duration.
• Assessment of assignments: Timely review exercises submitted by participants and provide detailed/clear feedback.
• Progress monitoring of participants: Timely inform the Supervisor, and UNHCR coordinators in National Offices regarding participants that fail to submit completed exercises in time.
• Provide a list of participants that successfully complete the distance-distance stage of the RSD DLP 2024.
• Reporting: Timely fill in and submit a progress report to the Supervisor/UNHCR MCO Programme Coordinator (on a bi-weekly basis).

Phase 2: 4-day residential workshop [mid-November 2024, TBC]
For RSD DLP facilitator, to prepare and facilitate a four day-day residential workshop in November 2024 including the following activities:

• In coordination with UNHCR MCO for Central Asia and co-facilitators, develop and review the instructional design of the workshop, agenda, training delivery materials, handout materials and evaluation forms; inform UNHCR MCO for Central Asia on the materials that need to be printed, published and available at the workshop location.
• In coordination with UNHCR MCO for Central Asia, select co-facilitators of the workshop; with the assistance of the Supervisor/UNHCR MCO Programme Coordinator arrange joint teleconferences with co-facilitators team for preparation for the workshop.
• Coordinate with UNHCR MCO for Central Asia on stationery (type and amount) that needs to be purchased and be available at the workshop location.
• In coordination with UNHCR MCO for Central Asia, arrange with the workshop hotel appropriate room set-up and conference facilities such as availability of projector, flipcharts, timing and content of coffee breaks, lunches (special dietary needs of participants), etc.;
• In coordination with the Supervisor/UNHCR MCO Programme coordinator, liaise with the UNHCR MCO for Central Asia to provide UNHCR visibility materials for the workshop.
• Perform other functions agreed upon with the Supervisor/UNHCR MCO Programme coordinator.
• Collect evaluation forms of the participants.

Phase 3: Post-workshop follow-up:

• Prepare a summary of participants’ evaluation forms.
• Prepare a final report of the 2024 RSD DLP including overall evaluation of the distance learning phase and the residential workshop. The evaluation should include lessons learned, gaps identified during long distance and workshop phases with recommendations for future RSD DLP.

10. Required level, qualifications, and work experience:
Level of responsibilities required (mark as appropriate) for individual contractors and fellows:
0 Entry Level Support 0 Mid-Level Support 0 Senior Level Support 0 Local Professional Level 0 Junior Level Professional 0 Senior Level Professional
OR
☒The assignment is for an Individual Consultant
Qualification and experience required (degree required, years of work experience, field of expertise, language required):
Education/knowledge:
• University degree in law, political science, international relations, or another related field.
• Fluency in oral and written Russian and English.
• Knowledge of the international legal framework governing refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and stateless persons and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.
• Applied knowledge and experience in Refugee Status Determination (RSD) adjudication and procedures is necessary. The Trainer needs to be conversant with the latest UNHCR policies and guidelines on RSD and COI on Afghanistan, Syria, Turkiye, Ukraine, Belarus, Russian Federation and the relationship between asylum and State’s national security concerns.
• Awareness of age, gender, and diversity issues and how to apply these considerations to the RSD work.
• Capacity to provide written feedback in a constructive manner and skills to facilitate interactive participation during in-person activities.
 

Experience/demonstrable skills:

• Minimum four years of relevant work experience, preferably working in a legal or protection capacity in the field of human rights, RSD.
• Knowledge of and experience in the international legal framework regarding RSD.
• Excellent skills related to facilitation of online activities (webinars).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills (e.g., conflict resolution) and ability to work effectively independently and in teams in a multi-cultural environment; and
• Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) awareness.

11. Monitoring and Progress Controls (report requirements, periodicity, format, deadlines):
a. The final product (e.g. survey completed, data collected, workshop conducted, research documents produced specify):
• Instructional design materials including agenda and programme of two phases of the RSD DLP 2024 produced and compiled.
• Learning programme in Russian (self-study phase and residential phase) delivered to participants.
• Evaluation methodology produced and compiled.
• Evaluation report of the learning programme produced (in English).

b. Work on the basis of time employed: Yes ☐ No ☒

c. If it is to result in a written product specify:
a. Number of pages:
b. Language(s):
c. Number of copies:

12. Supervisor of Project/Individual Contract (Name and title): Hanifa Karimi, Protection Officer
13. Name, title, and signature of Hiring Manager (project owner and/or supervisor):

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

English

,

Russian

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Communication, Facilitation, Interpersonal Communication, Law, Legal Practices, Written Communication

Education

Certifications

Other information

Desk review will be conducted for identification of the best candidateThis position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No