TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to
provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its
mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve
their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services
encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement,
microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with
more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
CONSULTANTS (2 member team)
PROTECTION BASELINE STUDY OF PALESTINE REFUGEES
BACKGROUND
In 2016, UNRWA will start its next Medium Term Strategy (MTS) 2016-21. Strategic outcome 1 of the
MTS is entitled ‘Refugees’ rights under international law are protected and promoted’. UNRWA currently
does not have a comprehensive assessment of the protection threats and risks confronting Palestine
refugees across its five fields of operations, namely, Syria, Lebanon, West Bank, Jordan and Gaza. While
significant analysis of protection issues exists in the Agency, this tends to be dispersed and there is not a
consolidated assessment or an overall system for conducting protection risk assessments on a regular
basis. The MTS, and the Strategic Plans (RPs) that are being developed to implement it at the field level,
do include an overview of protection needs, however, this is quite cursory.
UNRWA, therefore, intends to commission a ‘Protection Baseline Study of Palestine Refugees’ before
the start of the next MTS. The study is part of a protection project funded by the Swiss Development
Cooperation (SDC). It will be used as a reference point to measure progress towards the implementation
of the MTS and the changing external operating environment in which the Agency works. A follow-up
study would be undertaken in 2021 in order to assess the change in the protection analysis documented
and to monitor in a more systematic way patterns in protection issues. The study will complement a
Human Development Study on Palestine refugees being produced by UNRWA in 2015. Generating
quality data and its analysis will also help enhance UNRWA’s protection response by promoting
evidence-based programming. UNRWA frequently refers to the unsustainability of the situation of
Palestine refugee and the study would provide an opportunity to track trends in this regard.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the study will be to collate, synthesize and analyse information on the protection issues
affecting Palestine refugees across UNRWA’s fields of operation that will be used as a baseline
assessment to measure progress in the implementation of the Agency’s MTS 2016-21 and inform future
programming and advocacy.
In addition to this overall purpose of the study, there will be a number of secondary objectives including:
 Providing key facts and figures that can be used in UNRWA’s protection advocacy;
 Establishing a framework for UNRWA to conduct regular protection assessments in its field
operations.
 Providing a reference document on key protection issues for the purposes of developing specific
and evidence-based interventions and programmes.
The principal audience of the final report will be UNRWA programme directors and field directors, as well
as UNRWA protection staff.
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OUTPUTS
The expected outputs of the study that will be produced by the consultant (s) will be as follows:
 A research proposal/inception report (4-6 pages) setting out the research approach and
methodology.
 Final report (40-60 pages) detailing the main findings of the study per protection issue and fields
of operations.
 Recommendations for how UNRWA can more systematically conduct protection risk
assessments.
The study is expected to take place in the second half of 2015. The exact timetable of activities will be
agreed with the consultants.
SCOPE
The potential scope of the study is significant given the range of protection issues and contexts involved.
It will be important that the parameters of the study are clear and achievable in order to arrive at a
meaningful analysis. The precise scope of the study will therefore include:
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All UNRWA fields of operation, namely, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza.
Protection issues within development and humanitarian contexts, in coordination with the
development of the UNRWA Human Development Study.
A focus on the situation in 2015, with brief reference to trends from previous years.
Key metrics and analysis rather than specific case studies.
A brief overview of the legal framework of each of the issues will be provided.
Perceptions of Palestine refugees are not expected to be part of the assessment, but secondary
source information should be drawn upon.
UNRWA response to the protection issues should not be addressed.
KEY ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
A detailed research plan will be developed by the selected consultants, however, it is expected that the
study will address the following key issues:
What are the main protection threats and vulnerabilities faced by Palestine refugees in the following
broad categories? What have been the main trends and patterns?
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Protection concerns linked to armed conflict and violence
o Physical violence, including civilian casualties
o Displacement
o Attacks on and access to schools and hospitals
o Destruction of property
o Sexual violence in conflict
o Effects of armed conflict on children, women and other vulnerable groups.
o Under-age recruitment and children in military detention
o Protection situation of Palestine Refugees from Syria
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Protection concerns in the context of occupation (in the case of West Bank and Gaza)
o Impact of security operations
o Freedom of movement
o Housing, land and property issues
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Legal status and international protection of Palestine refugees
o Lack of access to social services
o Employment and property
o Civil documentation
o Refoulement
o Married to non-Refugees (MNR)
o Restriction on movements
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Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of at-risk groups including women, children, youth,
elderly, persons with disabilities, etc.
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Gender-based violence (GBV)
Child protection concerns
Protection challenges within UNRWA programme service delivery
o Accessibility of service
o Registration
o Existence of community-based protection mechanisms
What are the threats specific to each of UNRWA’s five fields of operation including Syria, Lebanon,
Jordan, West Bank and Gaza?
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Agency-wide versus context-specific protection issues
Reasons for variation between different contexts
Are there available metrics, data and statistics for each of the protection threats and what are the
main gaps?
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Presentation of available facts and figures for 2015 and comparison to previous years where
possible
How do the laws, legislation and policies of host countries and the occupying power in the case of
West Bank and Gaza impact on the protection issues identified? What are the issues related to
working with the host government to respond to protection concerns?
What are the main causes of the protection issues identified and what is the assessment of these?
How should UNRWA frame the typology of protection issues faced by Palestine refugees and what
would be a suitable framework to monitor trends of these issues in the coming years?
METHODOLOGY
A detailed methodology will be proposed by the selected consultants to conduct the study, however, it is
envisaged that it will comprise primarily of a desk review of relevant documents and interviews with key
UNRWA staff and other key actors/partners in the region. The following main elements would be
included:
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A review of relevant secondary source external reports (UN, NGO, civil society, research institute,
etc.)
Analysis of relevant UNRWA planning documents – MTS, field and HQ plans, project proposals,
evaluations, etc.
Review of information on UNRWA’s existing protection indicators
Review of UNRWA’s submissions to the international human rights system (treaty bodies,
Universal Periodic Review, Special Procedures, etc.)
Reference to UNRWA’s advocacy documents.
Consultation workshops with UNRWA headquarters in Amman and Jerusalem, with UNRWA staff
and external partners.
Semi-structured interviews with key UNRWA staff at headquarters and selected field offices
Establish and consult with research institutes and experts working on Palestine refugee
protection issues in the region
It is not expected that the study will involve wide field-based research and assessments in specific field
locations.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
UNRWA is looking to commission a team of two consultants with prior experience of undertaking
protection assessments in humanitarian and development contexts. The team of consultants should
include one senior consultant with at least 8 years relevant experience and a second with at least 5 years
relevant experience.
CONSULTANT 1
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Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in human rights,
international development, or other related field;
At least 8 years of experience in conflict and post conflict humanitarian protection and human
rights experience
Prior experience of carrying out protection assessments and studies.
Protection programming experience in complex emergencies and post conflict settings
Solid research and analysis experience;
Ability to synthesize significant amounts of information on protection issues.
Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills including experience in drafting reports
Experience in liaising with different counterparts, facilitating consultations, meetings and
workshops.
CONSULTANT 2
 Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in human rights,
international development, or other related field;
 At least 5 years of experience in conflict and post conflict humanitarian protection and human
rights experience
 Prior experience of carrying out protection assessments and studies.
 Protection programming experience in complex emergencies and post conflict settings
 Solid research and analysis experience;
 Ability to synthesize significant amounts of information on protection issues.
 Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills including experience in drafting reports
Experience in liaising with different counterparts, facilitating consultations, meetings and
workshops.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Senior Protection Coordinator will be overall responsible within UNRWA for coordinating and
managing the production of the study. To help guide the process a Steering Group will be established
including the Department of Planning, Department of Legal Affairs, Gender Unit, Spokesperson and the
Field Protection Coordinators from each field office. The Steering Group will be involved in the selection
of the experts to conduct the study, the consultation process within the Agency and the review of the draft
document.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
The study is expected to take 40-50 working days (for each consultant) and take place in the second half
of 2015. The exact timetable of activities will be agreed with the consultants. The consultants will be
expected to work from their current location with travel to UNRWA headquarters and offices as required.
The remuneration for this consultancy will be fixed depending on the qualifications and experience of the
candidate.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The team of consultants should submit their application demonstrating clearly the knowledge and
experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.org clearly
indicating the title of this consultancy ‘Protection Baseline Study’ in the subject line of the message. The
deadline for the submission of applications is 31/07/2015 (late applications will not be considered). The
joint application should include:
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Cover letter including a brief outline of the methodology and work plan for conducting the study;
CVs demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy
requirements;
Indication of availability
Proposed budget and fees
Please do not send individual applications.
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men.
UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Due to a large
number of applications, only qualified applicants under serious consideration will be contacted. UNRWA
is a non-smoking environment.
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