Text Box: SUPPORT TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA


CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR THE ROLE OF SHORT-TERM NATIONAL CONSULTANT

(open to natural and legal persons)

Assignment:                             To act as a short-term national consultant for the Project “Support to the Criminal Justice Reforms in the Republic of Moldova”  funded by the Government of Denmark (hereinafter- the Project)[1]

Place of execution of the

services:                                  Republic of Moldova; short-term missions within Moldova might be required.

Organisation:                           Council of Europe, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG I), Directorate of Human Rights, Human Rights Policy and Cooperation Department, Human Rights National Implementation Division, Project “Support to the Criminal Justice Reform in the Republic of Moldova”

Duration of contracts:               Short-term and output-based contract(s) will be awarded in the period between September 2016 and December 2016, with the possibility of extension (up to 50 service days).

Call issued:                              9 August 2016

Deadline for applications:        29 August 2016

The Council of Europe is looking for candidates with extensive professional experience in the field of public relations, communication and media in view of their involvement as national Council of Europe short-term consultants in cooperation activities between the Council of Europe and the authorities of the Republic of Moldova under the Project “Support to the Criminal Justice Reforms in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Government of Denmark.

REQUIRED EXPERTISE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

The Council of Europe is looking for a short-term national consultant(s) to provide assistance, in the period between September 2016 and December 2016, in public relations, communication and media, with a specific focus on visibility and awareness raising of the Project activities and criminal justice reforms in the Republic of Moldova in line with the Project objectives.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The Council of Europe will select a consultant, who will meet the requirements of the present call. More than one consultant can be selected for the same purposes.   

Bidders are informed that consultants will be requested to provide deliverables on an “as needed basis”.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

The consultant is expected to be able to provide the following deliverables:

Deliverable 1: To prepare communication and visibility action plans for the Project objectives and/or activities

The consultant will be expected to prepare short and mid-term communication and visibility action plans on given Project objectives and/or activities aimed at enhancing the Project activities’ media coverage, and perception of Project’s contribution towards the implementation of the reforms by the beneficiaries and public in general. Also he/she will be expected to review the concept for the Project’s web-page, with respect to its design, layout, revise general posted information pertaining to the Project general information and to provide proposals as to its improvement.       

Requests to prepare communication and visibility action plans will be submitted to the consultant by the Council of Europe upon a need to be defined by the Project. The deadline to submit a visibility action plan will be indicated each time a service is requested by the Council of Europe. The length of the visibility action plans (from 2 pages to more than 10 pages) may vary from one request to another, depending on the volume or complexity of the task. Each service order will clearly specify the expectations of the Council of Europe. 

Deliverable 2: To organise visibility and awareness raising activities pertaining to the Project objectives and/or activities

The consultant will be expected to organise different visibility and awareness raising activities related to certain activities of the Project and/or its beneficiaries, in consultation with the Project team and/or representatives of the Project’s beneficiaries.

The consultant will be expected to contribute to the preparation of different visibility items/materials pertaining to the Project objectives and activities, i.e. news articles, interviews (including photographing), leaflets, brochures, posters, newsletters and other materials.

With a view to preparation of the abovementioned visibility items, in close cooperation with the Project team and/or Project’s beneficiaries, the consultant can be requested by the Project: 1) to participate in the Project’s activities where necessary and to prepare news articles based on the provided materials and to disseminate those via media; 2) to provide his/her professional expertise in form of stylistic, editorial reviews, as to the draft texts to be reflected in visibility materials, as well as to suggest methods for their dissemination.

The consultant will be expected to organise different awareness raising activities such as press briefings and/or conferences, flesh mobs, media campaigns and others, upon the request of the Project.    

Deliverable 3: To organise a workshop for the Project team on enhancing communication technics

The consultant will be expected to organise at least one 1-day workshop for the Project team in the CoE office in Chisinau on enhancing communication skills and technics, provide best example (success stories) on communication/cooperation with media for promotion of different activities related to justice and human rights. 

General Note

Requests for each assignment/service order will be submitted to the consultant by the Council of Europe, on a need basis, at least 5 days in advance of the expected output, depending on the complexity of the task. Each service order will clearly specify the expectations of the Council of Europe. The deadline to submit the output will be indicated each time a service is requested.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The candidates must meet the following criteria:

FEES, STATUS AND RULES ON AWARD OF CONTRACTS

The selection procedure consists of shortlisting on the basis of assessment of the candidates’ education, relevant experience and skills in terms of their compliance with the qualification criteria. Interviews of shortlisted candidates may be conducted. Following this selection, a list of successful candidates will be established.

The candidates placed on the list will be offered short-term consultancy contracts, upon the Project needs and in line with the Rule No. 1333 of 29 June 2011 on the procurement procedures of the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Instruction No. 59 of 21 December 2007 on consultants’ contracts.

The choice of candidates from the list is to be made according to the requirements of the nature of services to be undertaken and the qualifications of the candidates. Placement on a list does not give candidates the right to be awarded a contract by the Council of Europe.

The fees will be established depending on the complexity of the output sought and the time needed for producing this output by a qualified consultant. For indicative purposes, the level of fees corresponds to –approximately €200 per day of providing services, depending on the nature of services and the qualification / experience of the consultant, following budget limitations of the Project. Contractual engagement/s will not exceed the amount of €5000 per consultant per duration of the Project. Any task-related travel will be reimbursed and subsistence expenses paid according to the Council of Europe’s Rules for the reimbursement of persons travelling at the charge of Council of Europe budgets.

The selected candidate/s will have to make his/her own arrangements for health and social insurance during the entire period of work under such contracts. Their task-related travel and stay will be covered by a travel insurance policy taken out by the Council of Europe. The consultants employed by the Council of Europe have to declare all fees received from the Council of Europe for tax purposes as required in their country of fiscal residence.

APPLICATIONS

Candidates must submit the following documents in English:

Ø  A motivation letter (up to 1 pages maximum),

Ø  A detailed CV (up to 5 pages maximum), in English,

Ø  3 (three) relevant references, from previous employers or clients (name, surname, phone number or e-mail).

Applications should be submitted by email to the following address: [email protected] with a copy to [email protected] , indicating “CJR MD_Project short-term consultant application” in the subject field. Please do not send any other documents and in particular large attachments.

NOTE

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted by the Council of Europe Secretariat through an email.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Council of Europe Project “Support to the Criminal Justice Reform in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Government of Denmark, is aimed at improving the effectiveness of criminal justice system in Moldova in line with European standards.

Duration of the Project: January, 2015 - December, 2017.

Its overall objective is to support the Republic of Moldova for the purpose of fulfilling its outstanding statutory and accession commitments towards the Council of Europe in the field of criminal justice.

The specific objectives of the Project are:

1.     To enhance capacity among key stakeholders to ensure the compliance of the criminal justice sector legislation with European standards and to provide support to the institutional reform of the Public Prosecution Service.

2.     To develop institutional capacity to implement the mandates of the Ombudsman and the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) in accordance with international standards recognised in the UN Paris Principles and the UN/CoE conventions against torture.

3.     To develop institutional capacity for adopting regulatory guarantees, implementing strategies and action plans as well as monitoring functions aimed at preventing and ensuring remedial action in cases of ill-treatment developed.

 

Partners of the Project are: Public Prosecution Office, Ministry of Justice, Office of the Peoples Advocate, National Institute of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Department of Penitentiary Institutions, human rights NGOs.

 

The main expected results of the Project are:

Under specific objective 1

 

·         The Public Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Justice are advised by the CoE/Venice Commission in relation to the reform process and in line with needs assessments and capacity development plans; important legislative acts and initiatives related to criminal justice system are assessed on their compliance with European standards; support for implementation of the CoE opinions/recommendations is granted.

·         The PPS is trained and advised by the CoE/Venice Commission in the adoption and implementation of the internal regulatory instruments; the reform of the PPS is supported and the capacities of the General Prosecutors’ Office and the Superior Council of Prosecutors are enhanced with a view to ensuring the institutional independence, as well as the impartiality and professionalism of prosecutors; a corruption risk assessment report for the PPS is drawn up and an action plan to uproot this phenomenon is adopted and implementation started through a dialogue with the GRECO.

·           The National Institute of Justice is supported through training of trainers, development of training materials, input to methodology, etc., for training of prosecutors primarily, in the administration of justice and management, evaluation of effect and impact, integrity and ethics, prevention of corruption in line with needs assessments and capacity development plans.

Under specific objective 2

·           The national authorities are advised on implementation of the new law on the Ombudsman institution in a manner consistent with CoE/UN recommendations. 

·           The Ombudsman and middle level staff is trained or advised by CoE experts on i) developing and implementing strategic plans, internal regulations and guidelines for its functions, ii) how to carry out the functions in accordance with work plans, guidelines and job descriptions; and iii) how to draft an annual report to be submitted to the Parliament in accordance with the new law on the Ombudsman.

·           National authorities are advised on organising, financing and functioning of the NPM under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in line with the best European practices. The NPM is supported by CoE in: i) adopting plans and procedures for implementing its mandate, including guidelines for carrying out the monitoring visits and plan of action for visiting the places of deprivation of liberty; ii) appropriate and timely follow-up on requests for visits to detentions and closed institutions; iii) drafting the specialized reports and the chapter to the Annual Report of the Ombudsman that (according to the legislation) shall document ill-treatment in detentions and closed institutions and how to follow up to such reporting;

Under specific objective 3

·         CoE provides ongoing expert input to the Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions with the aim of adjusting the legal and sub-regulatory framework for the prevention and protection against ill-treatment in line with the strategies or actions plans. The national regulatory framework is continuously developed to incorporate modern material and procedural guarantees against ill-treatment, the sanctioning policy for acts of ill-treatment streamlined and complaints and investigation systems that meet international standards supported.

·         Capacity of the public prosecution service is enhanced in view to improving the effectiveness of investigations of allegations of ill-treatment to be in conformity with the ECHR criteria of independence, adequacy, promptness, exposure to public scrutiny and victims’ involvement.

·         Police and prison staff is trained, and support for the strengthened implementation of codes of ethics and disciplinary measures provided, to contribute towards increased respect for human rights in detention facilities.

·         Enabling conditions for professional medical expertise to ensure that health care of detainees is improved (supporting enhanced standards of medical examination and medical care of detainees, an appropriate professional status and training of medical staff etc.)

·         The NPM and the framework of civilian monitoring of detention facilities is enhanced with a view to ensuring better control and prevention of serious human rights abuses. Operations evaluated in view of identifying the achievements and drawbacks.

·         A research into prisoners’ subculture and the ways of counteracting this negative phenomenon is conducted and recommendations presented to policymakers in the justice sector.


[1] The background information on the Project is provided below.