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 funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff.
Consultancy – Support to UNRWA West Bank Field Office and Gaza Field Office for the
Consolidated and Emergency Appeals Processes
BACKGROUND
UNRWA is a major contributor to the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) in the occupied Palestinian
territory (oPt) and issues its own Emergency Appeal for emergency response programmes implemented
by the West Bank Field Office (WBFO) and Gaza Field Office (GFO) shortly after the launch of the CAP
by the international community. In 2013, GFO submitted eight project sheets valued at $138.7 million and
WBFO submitted six project sheets valued at $28.9 million. The total Agency appeal through the CAP,
including Emergency Coordination and Management was $180 million.
UNRWA also issues an Emergency Appeal of its own shortly after the CAP is launched. The Appeal
includes projects undertaken by the Agency in the service of Palestine Refugees in oPt which are
included in the CAP, but also programmes and activities beyond the Agency CAP contribution as well. In
2013, the Emergency Appeal was launched in February and the Appeal value was slightly over $300
million dollars.
In previous years, coordination of the development of UNRWA’s CAP project sheets and associated
budgets, including liaison work with other actors, most notably OCHA, was led by a full time member of
UNRWA staff who was also responsible to working with the two respective Fields (West Bank and Gaza)
in the development and writing of the Emergency Appeal. This year, UNRWA is electing to support this
development and coordination work by hiring a consultant.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Working in close collaboration with Emergency Focal Points, Programme Chiefs, and Field management
in both WBFO and GFO – as well as key UNRWA Headquarters departments including External
Relations and Communications Department (ERCD), Finance, and Relief and Social Services (RSS)
external interlocutors, most notably OCHA and Cluster Leads – the Consultant will lead and coordinate
the process that results in UNRWA’s final contribution of project sheets to the 2014 Consolidated Appeal
Process. The Consultant shall also work collaboratively with the Fields in the development and writing of
the Emergency Appeal.
The Consultant will carry out the following functions:
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Provide leadership and coordination to assure all relevant UNRWA stakeholders are aware of the
schedule for the 2014 CAP and meeting deadlines in the project sheet development and submission
process in a timely manner and with a high degree of submission quality;
Attend all CAP and Cluster meetings as required and in coordination with the respective Fields;
Ensures that all UNRWA CAP projects are vetted by the clusters and formulated in line with OCHA's
guidelines and criteria for inclusion in the CAP;
Support WBFO and GFO with guidance and advice on development and refinement of UNRWA’s
CAP project sheet submissions to assure high quality projects included in the CAP;
Working with Director/RSS and management of the respective Fields, design UNRWA project sheet
review criteria and coordinate the internal review of all proposed projects;
Provide expert advice and guidance on project budgets to assure completeness and conformity to
CAP standards;
Support the fields with guidance on the use of OCHA's CAP projects database (OPS) and the
Financial Tracking Service (FTS), and checks all uploaded projects for consistency in budget and
beneficiary numbers;
Coordinate with Fields, ERCD, RSS, Finance and UNRWA Executive Office to plan and map the
Emergency Appeal;
Write the Emergency Appeal document in collaboration and coordination with the Fields and ensure
that the narrative is fully coherent with the information captured in the project sheets.
ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
 Advanced university degree in social or behavioural science, development studies, peace studies,
public or business administration or a related field;
 A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian environment,
preferably oPt or the Middle East;
 Demonstrated familiarity with and competency in the CAP process;
 Demonstrated ability to lead through facilitation and collaboration;
 Demonstrated excellent English writing skills;
 Familiarity with project budgeting, particular in the context of the CAP;
 Excellent command of written and spoken English.
COMPETENCIES
 Ability to develop clear goals, and identify priority activities and assignments;
 Proven ability to exercise initiative and work with minimal supervision;
 Ability to produce clear and concise documents; excellent writing/drafting skills;
 Demonstrated critical thinking, creativity, innovative and analytical skills;
 Proficiency in computer applications including internet, word processing, statistical analysis,
spreadsheets and database;
 Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others in team environment and
with people of diverse backgrounds, culture and nationalities.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
 Familiarity with oPt.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 The Consultant will be based in Jerusalem and will be required to travel frequently to Gaza.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
 The duration of this assignment is for 5 months, starting as soon as possible preferably by the end of
July 2013;
 Remuneration: The contract will be processed and negotiated in accordance with UNRWA standard
procedures for consultancy contracts and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the
expert.
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APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested applicants are requested to submit a résumé and cover letter (maximum one and a half page)
explaining how she/he meets the above-listed via consultancy@unrwa.org clearly indicating the title of
this consultancy “Support for the Consolidated and Emergency Appeals Processes” in the subject
line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 17 July 2013 (late applications will
not be considered).
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men.
UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those
applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.
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