TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. 1.       Nature of the Consultancy

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (CoM), the direct supervision of the Emergency and Stabilization Coordinator, and overall technical supervision of the Portfolio Specialist (Reconciliation), the Expert will support implementation of activities conducted under the project “Enhancing Successful Reintegration of Veterans from the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine and their Family Members through Socio-Economic Support”, funded by the European Union.

The Expert will be seconded at the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine (the Ministry) and serve as a resource to Ministry on issues pertaining to veterans’ reintegration and community resilience in the context of ongoing joint programme interventions. The Expert will support the daily efforts of the Ministry to consolidate its policy framework on veterans’ affairs by offering global expertise in policy development and on reintegration efforts for veterans. All costs related to the conduct of this consultancy will be borne on IOM.

1. 2.       Background of the Consultancy

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), also the UN Migration Agency, was established in 1951. IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, to promote humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. Since 1996, IOM Mission in Ukraine has assisted over 600,000 migrants, internally displaced persons, victims of trafficking, and other vulnerable groups, directly or through its project partners. According to the data provided by the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine (Ministry), the conflict in the Donbas continues to increase the number of combat veterans of Ukraine, with more than 400,000 (over 19,000 of whom are women) registered as of February 2021. Moreover, according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, among all veteran categories an estimated 141,695 veterans, including persons with conflict-induced disabilities, and 8,901 family members, suffered from difficult life circumstances (e.g., unemployment, disability, and homelessness).

Since January 2021, IOM is implementing the European Union funded project “Enhancing Successful Reintegration of Veterans from the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine and their Family Members through Socio-Economic Support” all over Ukraine. This is the II phase of the project, aimed to contribute to enhancing the Government of Ukraine’s efforts to ensure sustainable reintegration of veterans and their families from the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. In the context of this project, IOM undertakes an approach to comprehensively assist the Ministry in enhancing its service delivery to veterans’ and their families by providing national/international expertise in policy development, support the efforts of the Ministry to develop/enhance its policy framework and contribute to capacity building of the civil society organizations working with veterans to improve the linkages and overall cooperation between them and the Ministry.

1. 3.       Tasks to be performed

With general guidance from IOM and in close coordination with the assigned team within the Ministry, the Expert will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Familiarize himself/herself with the work of the Ministry and all the efforts to advance the existing policy, legislative and administrative frameworks on reintegration of veterans through cooperation between civil society organization (CSOs) of veterans or those working with veterans, the Ministry, regional and local authorities (Authorities);
• To collect international best practices on reintegration of veterans through cooperation between CSOs of veterans and those working with veterans and the Authorities; share the findings with the relevant stakeholders; 
• Study and identify areas where further support is needed to set up and run effective systems on community-based reintegration of veterans, reflecting identified best practices on reintegration of veterans through cooperation between CSOs of veterans and those working with veterans and the Authorities; present the results to the Ministry and IOM jointly;
• Based on consultations with the Ministry, develop a ‘roadmap’ for setting up and running effective systems on reintegration of veterans through cooperation between CSOs of veterans and those working with veterans and the Authorities;
• Provide direct support to the Ministry in taking specific actions to advance policy, legislative and administrative frameworks on reintegration of veterans, while addressing all needs and challenges identified;
• Develop the content, relevant presentation materials (power point slides, narratives), agenda and schedule of the workshops based on the findings of the reviews, studies and ‘roadmap’ mentioned above;
• Conduct up to 4 joint workshops on the best international practices on reintegration of veterans through cooperation between CSOs of veterans and those working with veterans and the Authorities  online for at least 50 Ministry’s staff at national, regional and local levels and for at least 50 representatives of CSOs of veterans and those working with veterans;
• In close cooperation with the Ministry, develop the content, relevant presentation materials (power point slides, narratives), agenda, schedule and conduct up to 10 capacity building trainings on the participation of the veterans in determining the scope and strategies of regional policies and its implementation, for up to 100 representatives of local CSOs of veterans and those working with veterans;
• Provide IOM with monthly reports on the consultancy assignments;

• Upon completion of the tasks provide IOM with final reports on the consultancy assignment and its outcomes, assessing the average knowledge increase and offering observations on the impact of the consultancy.
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

1. 4.       Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment and realistic delivery dates

The consultancy will take place in the period August 2021 – April 2022 subject to the availability of funding. The following will form the deliverables under this consultancy and respective timeline.

1. 5.       Details as to how the work must be delivered

All the deliverables under Section 4 are subject of approval by IOM. The Expert will also deliver to IOM the electronic files of all gathered documents that were used as a source for the consultancy.

Any delay in reaching the deliverables which is not under the control of the Expert will be coordinated with IOM that will undertake corrective actions.

1. 6.       Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Advanced university degree in law, international relations, diplomacy, social science or a closely related field from an accredited academic institution. Relevant PhD degree would be an advantage.

Behavioral

• Takes responsibility and manages constructive criticism;
• Works effectively with all clients and stakeholders;
• Promotes continuous learning;
• Plans work, anticipates risks, and sets goals within area of responsibility;
• Takes initiative and drives high levels of performance management;
• Contributes to a collegial team environment.
• Incorporates gender-related needs, perspectives, and concerns and promotes equal gender participation;
• Is supported and respected by veterans, has extensive partnerships network within veterans’ community.

Experience

• At least five years of professional experience in the area of national and international policy and legal analysis, as well as in drafting regulations, scientific work experience;
• Proven experience in the field of veterans’ affairs (policy, legal, institutional, etc.), drafting of strategic documents, policies on reintegration of veterans;
• Experience in conducting assessments and analyzing their results;
• Experience in liaising with governmental and diplomatic authorities as well as with international institutions;
• Experience of cooperation with veterans in different regions of Ukraine and veterans’ NGOs, experience in implementing joint veterans’ reintegration projects;
• Experience in establishing partnership networks of NGOs from different regions of Ukraine;
• Excellent written and verbal communication and negotiation skills;
• Knowledge of veterans’ reintegration issues will be an advantage;
• Prior work experience and understanding of socio-political dynamics of Ukraine is an advantage.

Languages:

Proficiency in Ukrainian/Russian and working knowledge of English is required.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications (CV and cover letter) to [email protected] by 8 August 2021 at the latest, referring to this advertisement in the subject line of your message.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Private entrepreneurs(PE) cannot be considered as applicable for providing services under this consultancy. 

Posting period:

From 26 July 2021 to 8 August 2021.