Social Protection, Individual Contract, Boa Vista, Brazil

Contract

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Background & Rationale

Over 260,000 Venezuelan migrants and refugees arrived in Brazil since the onset of the migration crisis10. Some 50,000 (of which 30% estimated children) settled in the Northern States of Roraima, Amazonas, and Para. The majority enter the country via the border in the northern state of Roraima, concentrating in the municipalities of Pacaraima and Boa Vista, where 13 official shelters and triage centers, managed by the Brazilian Army and UNHCR, host 5,536 people (1,562 children <15 years). The rapid surge of migrants has strained the capacity of local municipalities in Roraima, one of the most impoverished and least densely populated states in the country (522,636 inhabitants distributed in 13 municipalities and a per capita income of US$268). The population in Pacaraima, a border municipality with Venezuela, is around 12,375 people, according to the 2017 Census. IOM recorded in June 2020, 1489 Venezuelans living in spontaneous occupations in Pacaraima, 494 of which are children.

The Brazilian Federal Government response, known as Operacao Acolhida (OA), was launched in February 2018 and is managed by Casa Civil at the Federal level, with the Army providing the overall coordination of the response at the field level. The operation is organized around three key pillars: (i) Reception and documentation, (ii) Emergency Assistance (food, shelter, emergency healthcare etc.), and (iii) Federal Voluntary Relocation programme for Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

Since 2018, UNICEF initiated its interventions in Roraima and established an Office in Boa Vista. Building on its development programme to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Brazil, UNICEF's response to children and families' needs in the context of the migration crisis focuses on ensuring access to essential services and programmes. UNICEF aims at strengthening the capacity of actors responsible for providing quality protection, education, health/nutrition, water and sanitation services (including Government, non-governmental, and community organisations), so that they are fully equipped to assist children on the move and their families. UNICEF advocates for the rights and voices of children and women as an integral component of the response.

Since April 2018, the Brazilian government humanitarian response also includes the voluntary relocation of Venezuelans from Roraima to other states in Brazil, where migrants and asylum-seekers would likely find more opportunities to integrate. So far, more than 40,000 Venezuelans have been relocated to other places across the country through this strategy, also known as "interiorization". The states receiving the largest numbers are São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina. With the aim to reduce the migratory pressure in Roraima, the Government of Brazil accelerated the interiorization process between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. However, this process created additional challenges in the receiving states and municipalities, some of which have no tradition in hosting migrants or refugees, and therefore need additional support to carry out specific integration and protection policies.

In close cooperation with federal, state, and municipal authorities, UN agencies, including UNICEF and civil society stakeholders, have been working to build local capacities to better welcome and integrate incoming Venezuelan migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. However, UNICEF's study at the end of 2019 showed that significant bottlenecks existed for their access and use of public services (e.g., health care and education systems) and social protection programmes (e.g., Bolsa Família).

With regard to social protection, more specifically the Bolsa Familia program, the national norm provides that the benefit also covers foreigners, in this case Venezuelan migrants, provided they are within the eligibility criteria and have the requirements, mainly the official national documents.

Nevertheless, many Venezuelan migrant families were and are not receiving this benefit for different reasons. Starting with the lack of information by migrants about this policy, challenges also include both operational and technical aspects in the delivery of services and programmes – for instance, identification of potential beneficiaries and registration of migrants to Cadastro Único may be hindered by the migrants' lack of fixed address and relocation process, as well as by lack of sufficient human and financial resources in the Social Assistance Reference Centers (CRAS).

Building on its development programme to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Brazil, UNICEF has been working to ensure the rights of migrant and refugee children and their families are respected and protected by the national and subnational stakeholders involved in the humanitarian response, and to ensure their access to quality health, education and protection services through the enhancement of relevant social policies and national capacity building to address key gaps in those areas.

Nevertheless, an important area that needs to be supported and strengthened is social assistance in Brazil, particularly at the municipal level, as it is in charge of implementing the main social protection policies, such as Bolsa Familia.

Purpose

Under the general guidance of the Chief Field Office in Boa Vista and the Social Policy Specialist in Brasilia, provide technical support and overall coordination of UNICEF social protection response in Roraima. Main responsibilities:

Technical Support

• Support the development of strategies to strengthen the humanitarian/development nexus in UNICEF's response, in cooperation with other UN agencies, governments, and implementing partners, as to promote migrants and refugees access to social policies;
• Provide technical support to the State of Roraima and municipalities of Boa Vista and Pacaraima to strengthen local management capabilities in the field of Social Protection;
• Support protocols development to adapt basic social assistance benefits and services to Migrants needs in Boa Vista, Pacaraima;
• Provide technical support to municipalities on gathering and systematizing information, analyzing local demands, as for requesting federal co-financing for the implementation of SUAS (Municipal Social Assistance Services), according to the local demands related to the humanitarian response and regularity of cash transfers;
• Provide technical support and capacity building processes for the State of Roraima and Boa Vista and Pacaraima municipalities in the operation of the Single Registry and its local use for Brazil's humanitarian response to the Venezuelan migration crisis;
• Provide technical support to Roraima's state for the enactment of a law that regulates the Social Assistance Policy and SUAS, aiming at improved social services management and quality.

Cash-Based Interventions

• Provide technical support to current and planned UNICEF's Cash-Based Interventions (CBIs) in defining, adjusting, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating, as well as defining target populations, transfers values, and payment mechanisms.

Inter-agency coordination and sub-sector strategy development

• Liaise and engage with key stakeholders in Roraima on social protection issues and concerns. Extend technical support in particular to the Social Assistance Services, and actively contribute to existing coordination mechanisms of Operação Acolhida.
• Ensure close coordination with UN agencies and the "SubComite Federal para a Interiorização" (Interiorization Federal Subcommittee).

Coordination between Federal and State/Municipal Governments

• Liaise and establish coordination mechanisms for integrated work between the federal government (SNAS) and State/Municipal Social Assistance Services (SUAS).
• Participate in the internal weekly UNICEF sectoral working group meetings.

Expected results: (measurable results)

• Improved social policies' protocols and regulations, contributing to migrants' and refugees' access to social policies in Boa Vista and Pacaraima.
• Improved local level UNICEF-led CBIs delivered to migrants and refugees.
• Improved coordination with UN agencies, Governmental and Military authorities on social protection delivery to migrants and refugees.

Deliverables

1st month

Monthly report structured in 2 main parts: 1)main work plan activities, with a dedicated section on identified potential key partners 2) key results, challenges, remedial action and priorities actions for the month ahead

Duration: 30 days

Deadline: 01 month from the date of contract signature

Payment: R$ 10.000

2nd month

Monthly report structured in 2 main parts: 1) update of social protection situation and main technical support provided in Roraima 2) key results, challenges, remedial action and priorities actions for the month ahead

Duration: 30 days

Deadline: 02 months from the date of contract signature

Payment: R$ 10.000

3rd month

Monthly report structured in 3 main parts: 1) update of social protection situation and main technical support provided in Roraima 2) key results, challenges, remedial action and priorities actions for the month ahead 3) protocols/tools designed to support Social Assistance Services.

Duration: 30 days

Deadline: 03 months from the date of contract signature

Payment: R$ 10.000

4th month

Monthly report structured in 3 main parts: 1) update of social protection situation and main technical support provided in Roraima 2) key results, challenges, remedial action and priorities actions for the month ahead 3) protocols/tools designed to support Social Assistance Services.

Duration: 30 days

Deadline: 04 months from the date of contract signature

Payment: R$ 10.000

5th month

Final and concise consultancy report providing an overview of progress under the 3 main areas of responsibilities and key recommendations on priorities up until year end in the areas covered by the consultancy.

Duration: 30 days

Deadline: 05 months from the date of contract signature

Payment: R$ 10.000

Timeframe

05 months from the signature of the contract

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• The monthly reports shall be subject to review and approval by UNICEF after delivery by the Individual Contractor. If needed, revisions and alterations may be requested by UNICEF related to quality and technical depth parameters. Only after final clearance from the UNICEF Brazil, will the payment be processed.
• Activity reports should be submitted with frequency lists of meetings and / or events, minutes of meetings with referrals agreed, photographic record with permission to use image according to UNICEF standard and life histories;
• If the product's delivery date is at the weekend or on a public holiday, it must be delivered on the next following business day;
• UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines.

technical background and experience required

• Advanced university degree in any of the following areas: Social Sciences, Social Work, Political Science, Migration Studies or related fields;
• At least 5 (five) years of proven professional experience working with social assistance and/or social protection programmes and public services;
• Background and familiarity with international human rights and emergency response;
• Fluency in Portuguese and English (verbal and written), working knowledge of Spanish is an asset;
• Experience working with state and municipal governments and civil society organizations;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and proven ability to facilitating interagency processes to achieve a common goal;
• Experience in working with indigenous population is an asset;
• Experience liaising with and building partnerships with multiple stakeholders;
• Experience conducting interviews with multiple stakeholders, including migrants and/or vulnerable populations;
• Ability to work without direct supervision;
• Affinity with UNICEF values and working methods;

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

• Individual contractor will work from Boa Vista (office based), with the possibility of regular travels to Pacaraima;
• Expenses related to travels will be covered by UNICEF and paid to the Individual contractor as per UNICEF travel rules and regulations;
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and individual contractor;
• Individual contractor will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on the UNICEF budget.

financial proposal

The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Restrictions

In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the government​, or unless on leave without pay.

UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.