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National Consultant on the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (OP CRPD).

Vacancy Number: Pr14/00723

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	13 Nov 2014, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	21 Nov 2014
Reference to the project:	Joint UNCT for Human Rights Promotion and Protection Project
Expected Duration of Assignment:	November 2014 – May 2015 (up to 35 working days)
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Now" button no later than 13 November 2014. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: natalia.voronova@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: Terms of Reference Procurement Notice Personal History Form (P11) UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Background

On 13 December 2006 the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Optional Protocol to the Convention (OP CRPD)[1] which provides the Committee with competence to receive and consider communications, including individual complaints in relation to the scope of the Convention. The Optional Protocol entered into force on 3 May 2008. As of November 2014 there are 92 signatories to the Optional Protocol and it has been ratified by 85 states.[2]

During the first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Republic of Moldova in 2011, the following OP CRPD related recommendations were made:

76.2. Ratify or accede to, as appropriate, the Optional Protocol to ICESCR, CED, ICRMW, and the Optional Protocol to CRPD (Uruguay);

76.3. Sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to ICESCR and CRPD; and ratify CED (Spain).

In December 2012 the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted a revised National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) 2011-2014, aiming to incorporate Moldova’s UPR recommendations into the Plan. The revised NHRAP includes, as an action, completion of a feasibility study on possibilities to ratify the Optional Protocol to the CRPD during 2014. The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Informational Technologies and Communication, Ministry of Regional Development and Construction, Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Interethnic Relations, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration are listed as responsible parties for this action. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have made commitments to support this work.

The Strengthening Rule of Law and Human Rights Protection in Moldova Project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, co-funded and implemented by the UNDP Moldova in cooperation with the OHCHR.

Scope of work

The scope of work includes:

• Perform a desk research and consultation to identify risks and opportunities for ratification of the Optional Protocol, as well as the identification of any legal or practical impediments to the ratification, as well as proposals to overcome or mitigate any such impediments;
• To study experiences of countries regarding the ratification of the Optional Protocol;
• Draft a clear, accessible and usable report on the findings of the study, including proposals for needed adjustments, evaluation of financial implications of the ratification, and the recommendations for ways forward;
• Present the final results of the study at a roundtable workshop and advocate for the implementation of the recommendations of the study.

• Hold consultations with the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family Republic of Moldova (MLSPF), other relevant State bodies and civil society on the draft study and integrate their feedback into the report;
• Submit the draft study to the MLSPF, UNDP and OHCHR, factor in feedback, and present and validate the respective study in a multi‐stakeholder technical meeting of the public bodies and civil society in view of gathering participants’ feedback and advocating for the implementation of the study recommendations;
• Factor in the feedback collected during the validation meeting into a Final version of the Study and submitting it to the MLSPF, UNDP and OHCHR. 

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 – Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

1. Academic Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent (5-year university education) in Law, Human Rights, International Public Law, International Relations or other relevant field;

2. Years and sphere of experience:

• At least 3 years of proven professional experience in a legal area, legal analysis or other relevant field;

3. Competencies:

• Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations; in particular, is respectful of differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status;
• Demonstrable extensive knowledge of international human rights law, in particular as concerns rights of people with disabilities;
• Extensive demonstrated experience in drafting human rights-related studies and reports;
• Effective demonstrable communication and strong analytical skills;
• Excellent demonstrable public speaking and presentation skills;
• Previous successful experience of working with UN agencies is an advantage; 
• Knowledge of English, Romanian, Russian languages for the purposes of the assignment;
• Knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language is an asset;

4. Personal qualities: responsibility, creativity, flexibility and punctuality.

The United Nations Country Team in the Republic of Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information in Russian, Romanian or English to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Personal information (as a detailed CV or as a Personal History Form /P11) including records on past experience in similar projects/assignments and concrete outputs obtained, including 3 names of reference persons and their contacts;
2. Cover letter, which should include:
• A list of analytical studies, reports, analysis documents, or other task related assignments/documents the candidate has elaborated or contributed to, as well as experience working for or with relevant institutions and organizations;
• Financial proposal (in USD, specifying a total lump sum amount taking into account anticipated number of working days).

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.  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 travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).  

Payment will be made upon acceptance of deliverables by the UNDP Moldova Justice and Human Rights Programme Analyst.

Travel

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.

No travel costs are envisaged under this assignment.