Result of Service

NA

Work Location

Remotely

Expected duration

20 days

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND

UNRWA provides unconditional cash and food transfers to alleviate poverty and food insecurity of the most vulnerable Palestine Refugee families in the five fields of UNRWA operations. Whereas emergency cash and food transfers are determined by immediate needs triggered by a socio-economic crisis situation and supported through Emergency Appeal funding, interventions under the Social Safety Net Programme are generally determined by long-term support needs.
UNRWA provides four types of social transfers:

1. The Social Safety Net Programme (SSNP) provides a regular unconditional cash transfer to vulnerable families facing chronic hardship and being characterized by a high dependency ratio and long-term support needs.

2. The Emergency Programme (EP) provides emergency cash and/or food transfers in response to immediate needs triggered by a humanitarian crisis and supported through Emergency Appeal funding.

3. Programmes addressing the needs of specific vulnerable groups, which are established in response to a particular donor interest or funding opportunity.

4. Selective Cash Assistance (SCA) to families facing extreme acute hardship in the form of a one-time cash payment.
The effectiveness of social transfers as part of a comprehensive social protection system is enhanced through a referral system, which includes the social services, registration and protection divisions, and other departments, and by ensuring interoperability with other UNRWA programmes (hospitalization, shelter rehabilitation, vocational training etc.) through the alignment of targeting approaches.

Registered Palestine refugees and other registered persons are eligible for social transfers if they meet the targeting criteria of one of UNRWA’s social transfer programmes.

UNRWA uses the following targeting approaches, taking into account socio-economic vulnerability, poverty levels, operating conditions in the field and available resources:

1. Categorical targeting according to vulnerability criteria is the main targeting approach in fields with very high poverty levels, aimed at populations that are income constrained producing high dependency ratios, which are likely to persist independently from improvements in the economic situation of the host environment.

2. Poverty targeting based on proxy means testing, which identifies the poor by correlating household characteristics with welfare levels to proxy family income/expenditure, welfare or need against a certain poverty line.

3. Universal or near-universal targeting by including the entire refugee population, if possible with the exclusion of the most affluent or those having access to a steady source of income, in fields with poverty levels above 80 per cent.

4. Discretionary targeting on a case-by-case basis to administer selective cash assistance against field-level criteria.
The Registered Refugee Information System (RRIS) is the central management information system for administering all cash and food distribution programmes. It consists of modules for refugee registration, the Social Safety Net Programme, the Emergency Assistance Programme and the Selective Cash Assistance Programme.
Due to a major revision of the Relief Services Instructions as well as changes in the targeting methodology, RRIS does not provide anymore the required functionality for effectively administering these programmes. As a result, programme data and processes are partly maintained outside of the system, which creates risks for programme implementation and limits programme monitoring and oversight.

UNRWA’s Relief and Social Services Department therefore considers whether to upgrade RRIS or deploy a new Management Information System for the relief programme, possibly by adapting an existing system of another UN agency.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Director of the Relief and Social Services Department, the consultant will review and recommend options for the deployment of a new Management Information System for the administration of UNRWA’s relief programme.

Specific tasks related to this consultancy are:

• Establish the specifications for a Management Information System to comprehensively, effectively and efficiently administer UNRWA’s cash and food relief programme in line with UNRWA’s Relief Services Instructions and the operating environment of UNRWA’s Field Offices.

• Review the functionality of Management Information Systems for cash and food distribution programmes of other UN agencies, including UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and others, against UNRWA’s requirements.

• Review the performance of these systems, including based on evaluations, audits and user feedback.

• Review the extent and cost of necessary adaptations of these systems to meet UNRWA’s requirements and integrate into UNRWA’s overall information systems architecture, in particular the RRIS refugee registration module.

• Estimate the timeframe and costs for transitioning the administration of UNRWA’s cash and food relief programme to any of these systems, including staff training, additional staff capacity, infrastructure, adjustments to business processes etc.

• Review possibilities and costs for acquiring, licensing, using and maintaining these systems.

• Provide a comparative analysis of and recommendations for deploying any of these systems by UNRWA.

The consultant will review available documentation, in particular the Relief Services Instructions, consult with relevant colleagues in headquarters and field offices and consult with other UN agencies.

Fees: USD6,000 upon submission of final report for the above.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Masters’ or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in computer science, management of information systems or related discipline

Experience:

At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in the implementation and support of large-scale business IT systems/ Management Information Systems for the administration of social transfer programs, including working experience in business analysis, data management and business reporting.

A minimum of two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number

Competencies:

• Ability to collect, validate and analyze data
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills
• Proven writing and analytical skills

Languages

Excellent command of spoken and written English

Additional Information

• The duration of the assignment is 20 days@ P4 Level , starting in November 2023
• The assignment is home-based with the possibility of travel to Amman
• The Consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the Deputy Director of Relief and Social Services and in close collaboration with the RSS teams of the UNRWA Field Offices.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.