4. Expected tangible and measurable output(s)/deliverable(s):
1) Partnerships with relevant national authorities, organizations, as well as with civil society, academia and the private sector are effectively supported, in close coordination with UNODC;
2) The regional multistakeholder event is successfully organized, including preparation, facilitation and in-person participation in the event in Tashkent in February, or March 2023 (tbc);
3) The regional chapter on Central Asia and Southern Caucasus supplementing the Organized Crime Strategy Toolkit is developed (including the preparation of a first draft before the multistakeholder event and an advanced draft after the event) and finalized integrating UNODC’s comments;
4) Coordination with relevant institutions/stakeholders is maintained throughout the assignment and UNODC is successfully supported in their strategy development effort.
Home-based, with possibility of travel.
35 working days
1. Background of the assignment:
National and regional strategies and plans of action against transnational organized crime play a key role in the fabric of the global response to organized crime and in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To maximize the efficiency of such strategies and increase their cumulative impact, it is vital to ensure that these documents are comprehensive, inclusive and evidence based.
To this end, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) developed a Strategy Toolkit to support States in the development and implementation of strategies to prevent and combat organized crime. Relying on the provisions of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the Toolkit provides a comprehensive framework and outlines a set of principles and guidelines for the formulation of strategies that are designed to respond to the full range of threats emanating from organized crime. The Toolkit is aimed at establishing a comprehensive, system wide approach encompassing the local, national, (sub-)regional and international levels, with a view to aligning collective efforts to respond to organized crime. In furtherance of the principle of leaving no one behind, the human rights and gender dimensions of the fight against transnational organized crime are mainstreamed in the Toolkit.
The project aims at the targeted dissemination of the Toolkit and the provision of technical assistance to States to strengthen national and (sub-)regional responses to organized crime and develop comprehensive strategies against this phenomenon. To be meaningful and cognizant of different needs and realities, such assistance needs to be tailored to different regions and countries.
The Toolkit, which was developed in the first phase of the project, was subsequently disseminated in the four target regions of Phase II (Eastern and Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South Eastern Europe and West and Central Africa). The third phase of the project will focus on additional regions, including Central Asia and Southern Caucasus. In the first quarter of 2023, UNODC will organize a regional multistakeholder meeting for Central Asia and Southern Caucasus, develop a concise regional chapter supplementing the Toolkit and start offering support to States in the region in the development of their national strategies. This chapter is expected to form part of a series of regional chapters summarising the character of organized crime and formulating considerations relevant to the production of national and regional level frameworks and strategies in the target regions of the project, thus complementing the regional chapters developed during the second phase of the project.
Within this framework, the Conference Support Section (CSS) of the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch (OCB) of UNODC, in collaboration with selected UNODC Field Offices, is looking for an expert consultant to support the implementation of activities to be implemented in Central Asia and Southern Caucasus, including by drafting the relevant regional chapter of the Toolkit.
2. Purpose of the assignment:
The purpose of the assignment is to support the implementation of activities in Central Asia and Southern Caucasus, including the organization of the regional multistakeholder event, drafting of the regional chapter to supplement the Toolkit and follow up with national authorities as required, effectively supporting States in their strategy development effort.
The consultant will work in coordination with the lead consultant. S/he will also maintain close coordination with UNODC field staff, particularly those located in Central Asia and Southern Caucasus.
3. Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant:
1) Produce a draft of the regional chapter of the Organized Crime Strategy Toolkit for Central Asia and Southern Caucasus, with the aim of providing a comprehensive framework and outlining a set of principles and guidelines for the formulation of strategies at the regional level that are designed to respond to the full range of organized crime threats;
2) Support the organization, participate in and facilitate the regional multistakeholder event focused on peer-to-peer exchanges around best practices for the development, monitoring and evaluation of strategies against organized crime. The multistakeholder event will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in February, or March 2023 (TBC);
3) Support interested countries in the region in the development of strategies against organized crime, including by maintaining communication and establishing coordination with national authorities, as well as conducting country visits as required;
4) Finalize the regional chapter of the Organized Crime Strategy Toolkit for Central Asia and Southern Caucasus, integrating best practices and relevant considerations shared during the multistakeholder event, ensuring consistency with the other regional chapters.
• An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in international law, criminal law, international relations or related field is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in strategy development and/or implementation, preferably in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice, including against organized crime, is required;
• Knowledge of organized crime is required;
• Knowledge of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime is desirable;
• Experience working on organized crime related issues in Central Asia and/or Southern Caucasus is desirable;
• Experience in drafting strategies at the national or regional level is desirable;
• Experience working for the United Nations or other international organizations is desirable.
• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and Russian (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is an advantage.
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