Consultant to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat within the Coordination Commission for Migration and Asylum Activities

Centru de Drept al Avocatilor hires a consultant to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat within the Coordination Commission for Migration and Asylum

TERMS OF REFERENCE

BACKGROUND

The Coordination Commission for Migration and Asylum Activities is a permanent advisory body established by Government Decision 947/2018, without legal personality, created to monitor and coordinate activities in the fields of migration, asylum, statelessness, and the integration of foreigners in the Republic of Moldova, as well as to ensure the coherent application of relevant government policies in this area.

The uncertain security situation in Ukraine, which maintains the likelihood of increased flows of people to the Republic of Moldova, requires state authorities to take necessary measures to properly manage the flow of refugees and third-country nationals from Ukraine.

By approving the government decision on granting temporary protection to displaced persons from Ukraine, the Government of the Republic of Moldova, led by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, along with humanitarian and development partners, committed to ensuring the legal status of displaced persons from Ukraine in the context of the regional war and guaranteeing their fundamental rights through the implementation of the temporary protection mechanism regulated by the Asylum Law of the Republic of Moldova (Law 270/2008).

The effective implementation of the "temporary protection" mechanism requires joint efforts at all governmental levels and cooperation with the Refugee Coordination Forum.

Point 19 of the Regulation on the activity of the Coordination Commission for Migration and Asylum Activities, established by GD no.947/2018, stipulates that the Secretariat of the Commission organizes and ensures the smooth conduct of the Commission's meetings, specialized working groups, ensures the exchange of information between them, supports the Commission in analyzing trends and new situations in migration processes to ensure the development of well-documented recommendations, ensures communication between the Commission and its working bodies with central and local public authorities, civil society, and international organizations in the field, and proposes the inclusion of experts in specialized working groups, etc.

Since the Secretariat's work is carried out by specialists from the Directorate of Policies in the Field of Integrated State Border Management, Migration, and Asylum within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is challenging to provide the necessary support to the Commission in analyzing migration trends and monitoring the implementation of Government Decision no. 21/2023 on temporary protection.

Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the resilience of the Commission's Secretariat in monitoring the implementation of migration and asylum policies, including temporary protection.

For this purpose, with the financial and technical support of UNHCR, the Directorate of Migration and Asylum Policies in the Field of Integrated State Border Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will increase the Secretariat's staff by hiring and training 5 additional people.

The staff hired and trained with UNHCR support will be qualified personnel tasked with supporting national authorities in conducting a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the Program for Managing Migration Flows, Asylum, and Foreigners' Integration (approved by GD 808/2022), including the activities planned in GD no.21/2023, assisting in overcoming existing barriers in the national implementation process, formulating proposals to mitigate risks and improve the situation, and collaborating with the Refugee Coordination Forum to develop a transition plan emphasizing the country's leadership in coordinating a comprehensive response for refugees in Moldova, while ensuring alignment with international obligations and considering national policies and priorities.

Responsibilities

• To achieve this goal, the Secretariat performs the following duties: acts as a group of experts forming a platform for coordinating and evaluating migration and asylum policies (GD 808/2022) and the implementation of temporary protection (GD 21/2023), identifying existing challenges and obstacles, ensuring that all relevant actors are included in the process and all challenges and needs are discussed and considered;
• Provides technical support to the Commission's chair, the relevant Directorate, and institutional working groups;
• Coordinates the activity of responsible inter-institutional working groups;
• Establishes connections with the working groups of implementing institutions and ensures proper interaction and information flow between responsible public institutions, civil society organizations, external donors, humanitarian and development partners, especially UNHCR, considering its mandate for refugee protection, which includes providing technical support to states on asylum issues and any other relevant implementers who have complementary activities in the same area of intervention, to avoid duplication of efforts and resources and ensure maximum efficiency;
• Requests and analyzes information on the preparedness level of institutions responsible for implementing temporary protection (available and qualified human resources, material and financial means allocated for this purpose, etc.) and their realization;
• Coordinates with the Refugee Coordination Forum the development and periodic updating of Interinstitutional Emergency Plans as a Response for Refugees, ensuring that the support provided by humanitarian organizations to the Government of the Republic of Moldova is indeed aligned with government plans;
• Synthesizes information received from responsible institutions, assesses the situation, and identifies needs for the proper implementation of the Action Plans. Based on the presented information, periodically (twice a month) prepares Reports/Informative Notes and presents them to the Commission's Chair/relevant Directorate;
• Monitors the implementation of the normative acts for which it exercises competence, identifies actions requiring additional financial means or human resources, and makes proposals for identifying potential donors and development partners to attract the necessary assistance and strengthen the implementation capacity of GD 808/2022 and GD 21/2023 provisions and their implementation plans;
• Proposes topics that require public debates within the limits of its competence; facilitates broad civil society participation in discussing public interest issues falling under its competence;
• Provides technical support to the Secretariat in preparing and organizing all meetings or ad hoc reunions conducted within the temporary protection coordination mechanism provided by this Regulation, including meetings with donors and humanitarian and development partners, civil society representatives, and intersectoral meetings (between representatives of multiple Working Groups and other subjects, etc.), except for those of the Commission, unless expressly requested by the Commission Secretariat;
• Coordinates with the Commission Secretariat, prepares the Concept and the draft agenda of regular meetings, and ensures prior notification of all members and other relevant persons at least ten days before the meeting;
• Ensures the transmission of necessary documents to members and invited persons both in the context of adequate preparation for the meeting and directly during it;
• Provides support in presenting public reports at thematic conferences and other relevant public events in the field;
• Coordinates with the Refugee Coordination Forum regarding the development of the Refugee Response Plan, ensuring coherence and complementarity with the country's priorities and policies;
• Collaborates with UNHCR and the Refugee Coordination Forum to formulate a transition plan that recognizes the country's leadership in coordinating a comprehensive response for refugees in Moldova and aligns with the Global Compact on Refugees;
• Prepares draft decisions and recommendations as needed;
• Draws up the minutes of meetings.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• An advanced university degree (master’s level or above) in law, human resources, political studies, public administration,
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience
• Working experience with a central public authority is preferred.
• Working experience in EU legislation transposing is preferred.
• Good knowledge of the context of EU integration.
• Good knowledge of computer skills.
• Excellent analytical skills/expertise and experience in drafting normative acts.
• Advanced level of English with a strong ability to speak and write reports is required.

Performance indicators

1. Quality of work
2. Flexibility in responding to requests
3. Informative note.
4. Comparative table
5. Concordance tables elaborated
6. Synthesis of proposals

Competencies

• Flexibility, solutions-oriented, good negotiation skills.
• Good organizational and managerial skills.
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a diverse and multi-sectoral team.
• Ability to keep calm under pressure when interacting with external counterparts, as well as a
• member of a team.
• Good understanding and compliance to supervisory and reporting lines.
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relations with relevant Government and NonGovernmental counterparts and international organizations.

CDA is committed to ensuring the diversity of the workforce. Women and men, people with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, people living with HIV, LGBTQI+, as well as refugees and other people who have the legal right to work in the Republic of Moldova are encouraged to apply.

Please provide details in your CV of previous employment and two references.

Please send a cover letter and CV to law-center@cda.md, indicating the position applied for. Selected applicants will be contacted by email.