Technical Assistance aimed at strengthening of the Justice for Children System in the Republic of North Macedonia

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Justice

UNICEF in the Republic of North Macedonia is devoted to ensuring that child protection mechanisms are in place and functioning well; that children are protected from a full spectrum of risks and that every child lives in a supportive family environment.

In the frame of the ongoing justice sector reforms lead by the Government, UNICEF supports the justice for children system strengthening. A considerable investment in juvenile justice reform was made by the Government and partners over the past decade in the Republic of North Macedonia. The reforms have had a positive impact. In the period 2008-2012, the total number of reported children who committed a crime decreased by 58 per cent. The Juvenile Justice Law which governed only the treatment of children at risk and children who have committed criminal offenses and misdemeanors, was replaced by the Justice for Children Law which also regulates the measures for protection of child victims and witnesses. Juvenile justice professionals from relevant institutions have benefited from comprehensive training and as a result, data collection has improved.

However, although there is a notable progress in adopting strategic documents and changing the legislation, progress in implementation is still limited and without enough budget allocations. Both diversionary (keeping children out of the justice system) and alternative (keeping children out of custody) models need to be further developed. Detention and correctional facilities across the country do not meet international standards. Management and coordination mechanisms should be in place and well-functioning to support children’s equitable access to justice and provide clarity of roles and accountabilities. Access to adequately staffed services, facilities and information should be available to all children. In addition, it should be ensured that procedures and practices in the justice system and related support services adhere to quality national and international standards. Furthermore, the social norms should be conducive to children’s equitable access to justice, while the individual beliefs and practices of both providers and the population should support children’s equitable access to justice.

The justice for children system in the country has strengths and weaknesses, but there is no doubt that further investments are needed to both strengthen the system and improve implementation of the measures in place to ensure all children in conflict or contact with the law are protected. Children in the Republic of North Macedonia should be able to benefit from a fair justice system adapted to the rights of children participating in justice processes and should have knowledge and support to access justice. To achieve this, UNICEF country office aims to increase the support provided to the Government on strengthening the justice for children system, in the frame of the wider Justice system reform.

How can you make a difference?

Under the general guidance and supervision by the Child Protection Officer, the incumbent will be responsible to:

1. assist the processes of revision of the legislative framework pertaining to justice for children, and design of the intersectoral capacity building programmes for the professionals in the justice for children system;
2. assess the needs and support the capacity development of the National Coordination Body for Protection of Children against Abuse and Neglect and the State Council for Prevention of Child Delinquency;
3. support assessing the societal barriers preventing children from accessing justice and creating avenues and mechanisms for equitable access to justice for children.

SPECIFIC TASKS:

1. Support the process of design and implementation of a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey (KAPS) to address the underlying societal barriers preventing children from accessing justice and enjoying their rights in the justice system;
2. Provide technical assistance in the processes of revision of the legislative framework pertaining to justice for children, design of the intersectoral capacity building programmes for the professionals in the justice for children system, by analyzing background documentation and compiling inputs for the international consultants and the national bodies;
3. Support the process of capacity development of the National Coordination Body for Protection of Children against Abuse and Neglect and the State Council for Prevention of Child Delinquency to collect, integrate and generate child protection data related to the children in contact with the law;
4. Support the process of assessing the needs for capacity development of the State Council for Prevention of Child Delinquency;
5. Provide technical assistance in the preparation of the actions related to creating avenues and mechanisms for adolescents to design and develop ideas for equitable access to justice, including “Child rights Champions” roundtables with critical stakeholders, hackathons and national design thinking workshops with children.

DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT: 45 days within the four months contract. The expected start date of the assignment is 01 December 2020, and the expected duration of the assignment is 4 (four) months.

Consultant’s Work Place: The consultant will be required to work from home, and to conduct online and in-person meetings depending on the requirements.

NOTE: To apply for this consultancy please submit your: motivation letter, most recent CV and financial proposal. The financial proposal should be uploaded as a separate document. The financial proposal should consist of the gross daily fee in Macedonian Denars.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Evaluation Criteria

Points

Experience and qualification of the national consultant

*Only consultants which receive a minimum of 49 points will be considered further.

70

Financial evaluation

* The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest financial proposal that is opened and compared among all applicants who obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical component. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

30

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: law, international development, human rights, or another relevant field. Advanced degree is considered as an asset.
• A minimum of one year of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.
• Fluency in English and local language(s) is required.
• Prior experience working with the UN system and/or international development agencies is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.