Consultant on a Human Rights for the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration Expected Duration: the consultancy will be deliverables-based, however the anticipated duration is 72 working days (8 days per month over 9 months) with a possibility of an extension subject to the availability of funding and work requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities BACKGROUND

The United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CTTP) is an initiative of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and is implemented through an ‘All-of-UN’ approach in partnership with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).

The CTTP seeks to assist Member States to build their capacities to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute terrorist offences and other serious crimes, including their related travel, by collecting and analysing passenger data, both API and PNR, making better use of existing international databases and enhancing information exchange, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), 2482 (2019), ICAO Annex 9 SARPs and other international law obligations.

The Programme was launched on 7 May 2019 in New York in the presence of the United Nations Secretary-General, following the transfer of an analytical software system to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism by the Government of the Netherlands at the margins of the High-Level Segment of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly, on 26 September 2018. Since the launch, CTTP has been supporting Member States using the following methodology. After determining a State’s existing level of implementation, the Programme produces a “roadmap” for the Member State that identifies subsequent steps for implementation across four pillars: 1. Pillar I - involves the provision of legislative assistance to establish a legal or regulatory framework on the collection and use of passenger data or revise existing legislation or regulations, including those governing the Passenger Information Unit (PIU). 2. Pillar II - involves institutional set-up of Passenger Information Units (PIU) and capacity-building support, including training, drafting standard operating procedures, and sharing expertise among countries on the use of travel data to stem the flow of FTFs and serious criminals. 3. Pillar III - involves supporting beneficiary member states in setting up carrier engagement and connectivity, by actively coordinating with the airlines in beneficiary countries. 4. Pillar IV - involves the provision of technical support and expertise, in the deployment, installation, enhancement and maintenance support of ‘goTravel’, as an effective software solution for countries to collect and process API/PNR data.

The consultant will work with the UNOCT CTTP management team, under the supervision of the Chief of the Programme and in close collaboration with the Human Rights and Gender Advisers within UNOCT, as well as CTTP partners and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

RATIONALE Ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights are key components of counter-terrorism efforts.

Within the programme framework, CTTP has adopted a five-step process aimed at ensuring that human rights and gender related considerations are incorporated from initial engagement with a beneficiary Member State and continuing throughout the phased implementation process, as follows:

1. Human rights and gender considerations are an integral part of the overall deep-dive assessment, which provides the modus for assessing and identifying the technical assistance needs of beneficiary Member States.

2. Following the deep-dive assessment, an implementation “roadmap" is developed for the beneficiary Member State, providing a table of assessments with recommendations for next steps to implement an API and PNR system that is fully compliant with international human rights standards. When the roadmap is transmitted to a beneficiary Member State, written confirmation of their commitment to implement the recommendations, once again of which were formulated in line with human rights and gender equality standards, is required and included in an MoU jointly signed by UNOCT and the beneficiary Member State. This MoU also aims to provide a formal basis for cooperation and implementation of the CTTP in the country.

3. Under Pillar I (legal) of the Programme, human rights safeguards are integrated in the provision of legal advice and legislative assistance. In particular, these are incorporated into the ‘recommended legal provisions on the collection, processing, use, transfer, retention and protection of API and PNR data’ developed by UNODC, in close collaboration with ICAO and other programme partners, to support Member States’ efforts to regulate API and PNR in accordance with international human rights standards.

4. The checks and balances embedded within the national roadmaps, normative frameworks, institution-building support and capacity-building training activities and the phased approach towards implementation all work to ensure that human rights and gender safeguards are in place before the Programme’s software solution, “goTravel” may be transferred to beneficiary Member States.

5. Finally, the Programme’s technical solution, “goTravel,” is compliant with human rights, privacy and data protection principles by design. It includes, inter alia, technical safeguards for data retention, deletion, depersonalization and re-personalization of personal data; functions requiring supervisor authorisation prior to data access and sharing; user activity monitoring; and claims and provisions solely with designated competent authorities. Under Pillar IV (technical) of the Programme, these functionalities are configured and customized jointly by the CTTP team and the local technical task force of IT and substantive experts in line with national legal provisions and international requirements on privacy and data protection. Moreover, the Programme foresees regular assessments following the initial Information Security Management Service (ISMS) process and deployment of the software to ensure that the information security and cybersecurity controls are updated with appropriate human rights technical safeguards. The ISMS employed by CTTP is based on ISO/IEC 27001. The Programme is currently in the process of exploring how to institute additional monitoring of the human rights situation in a country once the software has been deployed.

CTTP is committed to following the requirements contained in the United Nations Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (UN HRDDP) on United Nations Support to Non-United Nations Security Forces and is seeking to further apply the UN HRDDP throughout the entire implementation process of the CTTP, including through the use of the UN Guidance on implementation of the HRDDP.

Therefore, CTTP is seeking an expert on further integration of human rights and gender considerations into its programmatic activities and implementation of the UN HRDDP into CTTP.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

OVERALL PROGRAMMATIC WORK 1. To assess the CT Travel Programme activities, methodology, and human rights and gender safeguards, and review its alignment with international human rights standards and the HRDDP. 2. To advise on technical aspects and make recommendations on how the CTTP can further integrate human rights and gender considerations and the HRDDP into its Programme across its four pillars. 3. To develop guidelines for an obligatory human rights due diligence risk assessment for each new beneficiary Member State supported under the Programme, including a section on recommended practices. HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER RISK ASSESSMENT 1. To survey the existing CTTP assessment methodology - which involves the development of country files, questionnaires, meetings with national authorities, and a table of assessment – in relation to the human rights and gender risk assessment guidelines in the HRDDP. 2. To advise on technical aspects and make recommendations on how the CTTP can further enhance its human rights and gender risk assessment in Member States. This shall include development of human rights risk due diligence risk assessment matrix in relation to specific beneficiary Member States, with analysis of human rights risks and identification of potential reputational risks for the United Nations resulting from the provision of support to relevant institutions.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER MITIGATION MEASURES 1. To study the existing human rights and gender mitigation measures as outlined in the five-step process above, across all four pillars of the Programme. 2. To advise on technical aspects and make recommendations on how the CTTP can further enhance the mitigation measures in the five-step process in order for it to align with the HRDDP. This shall include drafting specific mitigation measures that can diminish both reputational risks to the United Nations as well as and potential inherent operational human rights risks within the support being provided under the Programme. 3. Coordinate the development of a monitoring mechanism to ensure that mitigation mechanisms are effective.

MONITORING AND INTERVENTION 1. To review the existing human rights and gender monitoring framework within CTTP once technical assistance has been provided, in particular the deployment of the goTravel software solution and related systems for the transfer, analysis and use of passenger data. 2. To examine what interventions CTTP can take in case of human rights and/or gender violations, including after handover of the goTravel software. 3. To advise on technical aspects and make recommendations on how CTTP can enhance its human rights and gender monitoring framework, whether internally, externally and/or by linking with other forms of human rights and gender monitoring processes. 4. To advise on technical aspects and make recommendations on how CTTP could/should intervene in cases of human rights and gender violations, including after handover of the goTravel software.

COORDINATION / COMMUNICATION 1. To examine how and recommend ways to enhance the CTTP coordinates with international human rights and gender agencies/organisations (in particular UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy) as well as regional and national human rights bodies. 2. To explore how the CTTP’s approach to human rights and gender is communicated publicly and also directly to beneficiary States and civil society organizations. 3. To advise on technical aspects an make recommendations on how to further align CTTP coordination and communication with UN HRDDP.

Qualifications/special skills Competency: - Professionalism: demonstrates excellent knowledge of policy, legal, operational and technical matters in relation to gender and human rights.

• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

• Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. Academic Qualifications: Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) from a university / military academy/ law enforcement institution / security institution, with a specialization in human rights and/or gender equality and/or law. A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience: A minimum 8 years of work experience in the human rights and gender field, with a focus on implementation of the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy is required. Proven experience in the analysis of capacity-building projects/programmes and drafting policy papers and action-oriented recommendations is desirable. Demonstrated experience in conducting gender analysis is also desirable. Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in oral and written English is required.

  Additional Information Please apply to Job Opening by 10 November 2021.

  No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.