Consultancy - Technical support to the Working Group on Forced Displacement and Migration of the Statistical Conference of the Americas (SCA), of United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship)FamilyCONS International2024-05-01March 31, 2024This is a home-based consultancy within any country in Latin America.

Despite the growing magnitude of displacement, however, few countries have the necessary data to inform the formulation of national and regional policies that can support with addressing the root causes of displacement or providing the specific services needed by displaced persons in their territories.
To improve the availability and quality of data on forced displacement, the United Nations Statistical Commission endorsed a proposal for the creation of an Expert Group on Refugee, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS) in 2016 with a mandate to develop recommendations, standards, and international guidelines to improve statistics on forced displacement and statelessness. Its first phase of work included the development of the International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics (IRRS), formally adopted in 2018. Following this, the second phase of EGRISS's work produced the International Recommendation on Internally Displaced Persons Statistics (IRIS) adopted in 2020. The endorsement of IRIS and the publication of the Compiler's Manual introduced the third and current phase of EGRISS's mandate, which focuses on the implementation of both sets of recommendations: on refugee and internally displaced persons statistics, including the development of International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics (IROSS), approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2023.
As part of the regional activities to support implementation of the EGRISS recommendations in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNCHR has been working since 2021 with SICA/CENTROESTAD, JIPS and IOM to raise awareness of the EGRISS recommendation and strengthen capacity of the National Statistical Offices in Central America and with an initial focus on internal displacement. In 2023 a Working Group on Forced Displacement and Migration Statistics was created within the framework of the 2024-2025 Programme Biennium of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)’s Statistical Conference for the Americas (SCA). The Working Group is led by the National Statistical Office of Honduras (INE Honduras, by its Spanish acronym), with UNHCR, IOM, and ECLAC’s Statistical Division serving jointly as Technical Secretariat. As of March 2023, representatives of 12 SCA member states were part of the group.
Despite the growing magnitude of displacement, however, few countries have the necessary data to inform the formulation of national and regional policies that can support with addressing the root causes of displacement or providing the specific services needed by displaced persons in their territories.
To improve the availability and quality of data on forced displacement, the United Nations Statistical Commission endorsed a proposal for the creation of an Expert Group on Refugee, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS) in 2016 with a mandate to develop recommendations, standards, and international guidelines to improve statistics on forced displacement and statelessness. Its first phase of work included the development of the International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics (IRRS), formally adopted in 2018. Following this, the second phase of EGRISS's work produced the International Recommendation on Internally Displaced Persons Statistics (IRIS) adopted in 2020. The endorsement of IRIS and the publication of the Compiler's Manual introduced the third and current phase of EGRISS's mandate, which focuses on the implementation of both sets of recommendations: on refugee and internally displaced persons statistics, including the development of International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics (IROSS), approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2023.
As part of the regional activities to support implementation of the EGRISS recommendations in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNCHR has been working since 2021 with SICA/CENTROESTAD, JIPS and IOM to raise awareness of the EGRISS recommendation and strengthen capacity of the National Statistical Offices in Central America and with an initial focus on internal displacement. In 2023 a Working Group on Forced Displacement and Migration Statistics was created within the framework of the 2024-2025 Programme Biennium of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)’s Statistical Conference for the Americas (SCA). The Working Group is led by the National Statistical Office of Honduras (INE Honduras, by its Spanish acronym), with UNHCR, IOM, and ECLAC’s Statistical Division serving jointly as Technical Secretariat. As of March 2023, representatives of 12 SCA member states were part of the group.



The selected consultant will support INE Honduras and the Technical Secretariat with the coordination of the group's activities and the execution of its work plan. For more information, see:

Guidelines for the formation and functioning of the working groups of the Statistical Conference of the Americas (2022-2023 biennium): https://cea.cepal.org/12/en/documents/guidelines-formation­and-functioning-working-groups-statistical-conference-americas-2022

• Draft biennial programme of regional and international cooperation activities, 2024-2025, of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of ECLAC: https://cea.cepal.org/12/en/documents/draft­biennial-programme-regional-and-international-cooperation-activities-2024-2025
• Practical guide for production of harmonized statistics on forced displacement and migration: https://rtc-cea.cepal.org/en/working-group/practical-guide-production-harmonized-statistics-forced-displacement-and-migration

Particularly, the consultant will support the following activities of the Working Group:

1. Preparing a comparative analysis of the information needs and statistical indicators relevant for monitoring implementation of the Global Compact on Migration, the Global Compact on Refugees, and the Secretary General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement as they relate to the global vision of Agenda 2030 and its ambitious Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Conducting an assessment of the production of prioritized indicators by members of the Working Group, the availability of data disaggregated by displacement and/or migration status, and the main challenges and opportunities for producing this data.

3. Design and preparatory activities for the construction of an inventory of data sources that are or can be used to compile data on forcibly displaced populations.

Main activities:

• Documentary review and consultations with key actors to compile guidelines, recommendations, directives, and existing regional and international instruments about migration, internal displacement, refuge, and statelessness.
• Systematization of the documentary information and preparation of the comparative document.
• Presentation of the document containing a comparative analysis of international recommendations and instruments to the working group.
• Design of a collection instrument directed at the NSOs to obtain detailed information on the processes carried out for the implementation of recommendations and other practices in the field of statistics production on IDPs, refugees, and stateless persons, complementing advances in internal migration and transit statistics.
• Application of the data collection instrument, in close coordination with the National Institute of Statistics of Honduras, leading the SCA/ECLAC Group on Forced Displacement and Migration.
• Conducting virtual consultations/focus groups with representatives of the member states to gather information on innovative practices in the field of official statistics production, based on the application of international instruments.
• Processing and analysis of the collected quantitative and qualitative information.
• Support to the INE of Honduras in coordinating the planned activities and in delivering the agreed products.


Academic Qualification
• Advanced (i.e., Master’s or higher degree in statistics, demographics, social sciences, or related fields is required. A first level university degree with two years of qualifying experience can be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
Professional Experience
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in national, regional, or international institutions that produce official statistics.
• Knowledge and experience in the production of official statistics on displacement and migration.
• Experience in inter-institutional coordination and project management.
• Proven experience in carrying out independent research, systematization of information, and report drafting.
Knowledge and Skills
• Oral and written communication skills in Spanish and English are essential.
• Solid knowledge in the field of statistics. Familiarity with the EGRISS recommendations highly desirable.
• Knowledge of international policy instruments government displacement and migration.
• Ability to coordinate with governmental entities.
• Knowledge in social research methodologies and analysis of social indicators.
• Solid understanding of the Latin American and Caribbean context.
• Organizational and self-learning skills.
• Research and bibliographic review skills.
• Teamwork capability.
• Efficient and effective planning and organizational skills

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

English

,

Spanish

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Home-Based

Yes