EXTENDED (ONLY FOR KYRGYZSTAN): Consultant to analyse national trends in human rights violations

RFP Number: EHRA-08-29
RFP Title: Consultant to analyse national trends in human rights violations
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on September 29, 2022
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health, and well-being of people who use psychoactive substances in the CEECA region. This call for proposals is organized within the project “Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”.

Criminalization of drugs drives systemic and widespread violations of virtually all human rights guaranteed by the national constitutions and international human rights treaties. Documenting these violations can serve the purpose of informing human rights treaty bodies about human rights violations falling under their mandates. Human rights treaty bodies are issuing drug policy recommendations concerning EECA countries and these recommendations are the results of human rights documenting and subsequent submissions of documented reports to human rights treaty bodies by civil society groups with the direct engagement of people who use drugs. This work shall continue in order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations on the national level as well as to keep informing constructive dialogues between the human rights treaty bodies and EECA states about the implementation of human rights treaties with respect to people who use drugs.

Aim of the consultancy:

To analyse national trends on human rights violations of people who use drugs in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, based on Matrix for analysing trends in human rights violations against people who use drugs (matrix will be provided by EHRA).

EHRA will select one consultant per country (in total 4 consultants) for this consultancy.

 

Objectives of the consultancy:

  1. Analyse national trends on human rights violations of people who use drugs in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. This objective includes the following tasks: (1) to collect cases of human rights violations of people who use drugs in the country, (2) have an interview with harm reduction service providers and key stakeholders, (3) conduct desk research.
  2. With a support from EHRA international consultant, to prepare national report on national trends on human rights violations against people who use drugs (up to 10 pages).
  3. Together with EHRA international consultant to develop a submission to the UN treaty body.

The total number of consultancy days should not exceed 10 days.

 

Proposed timeline:

All tasks are to be completed by 6 November 2022. A detailed plan will be agreed upon separately once the agreement with the selected consultants has been concluded.

 

Evaluation Criteria

Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation;
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation.

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

 To assess submitted applications, the following technical criteria will be used (80%) (maximum possible number of points is 100):

Evaluation criteria:  Points
Knowledge and experience in analyzing human rights violations 40
Experience in documenting human rights violations 30
Experience in developing national reports, submissions on human rights violations 30
Maximum possible number of points 100

Cost proposal (20%): EHRA will allocate same importance to the provided portfolio and recorded experience as to the cost of the services. The cost proposal will be evaluated in terms of best value-for money to EHRA in EUR, price and other factors considered

Condition

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with:

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  1. CV
  2. Letter of interest with examples of developed national reports, submissions on human rights violations

The CV and letter of interest should clearly state the competencies and experience of the candidate required for the task, the daily rate in euros and the number of days required for each of the tasks.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org. In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number (EHRA-08-29) and your name.  Otherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

General terms

Interested consultants should pay attention to the following conditions:

  • Consultant must speak and write fluently and competently in Russian and/or English.
  • EHRA will sign an agreement with the winners of the competitive selection. The contract will define a detailed work plan and payment terms.
  • EHRA reserves the right (but does not commit itself to obligations) to enter into negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications or additional information, as well as to agree on the timing of work.
  • The winner must confirm his/her daily rate before signing of the agreement.
  • Results will be announced by October 3, 2022. Each candidate will be contacted individually.
  • Any questions regarding this RFP should be sent to eliza@harmreductioneurasia.org till September 28, 2022.

EXTENDED: External consultant to organize and facilitate 2-day Regional Working Forum “Provision of Global Fund-related Technical Assistance for CSOs and communities in the EECA region in 2021 – 2022 – lessons learned and the way forward”

RFP Number EHRA-08-30
RFP Title External consultant to organize and facilitate 2-day Regional Working Forum “Provision of Global Fund-related Technical Assistance for CSOs and communities in the EECA region in 2021 – 2022 – lessons learned and the way forward”
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET 16 September 2022 г.
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) in the scope of the EECA Regional Platform project supported by the Global Fund is aimed to organize a Regional Working Forum to discuss and learn from the results of the implementation of the Global Fund’s Community Engagement (CE) Technical Assistance (TA) Program in EECA region in 2021 – 2022. The Forum is going to take place in Istanbul (Turkey) on 28-29 of November 2022. The working languages of the Regional Forum will be English and Russian.

Objectives of the meeting

The objectives of the Forum are:

  • To learn from the experiences of the Global Fund‘s CE TA providers and recipients of such TA in EECA.
  • To understand the challenges and barriers that CSOs and communities faced while requesting\receiving\providing the CE TA and to discuss how this TA mechanism could be improved in the future.
  • To get a better understanding of the other Global Fund-related TA opportunities that are available in the EECA region for civil society and communities.
  • To contribute to better coordination and harmonization among donors and technical partners in supporting or providing the Global Fund related technical support in the region

Note: Some of the objectives may be revised and adjusted during the process of planning the meeting agenda.

Tasks and the deadlines for the consultants under this ToR:

EHRA is looking for a regional level expert to conceptualize the content of the event and help EHRA with its organization and facilitation.

The expert under this ToR is expected:

  • By 25 of September to review the available draft concept of the Regional Forum, propose and agree with EHRA amendments to it if needed, develop and agree with EHRA the final version of the concept of the event;
  • By 30 of September to develop the draft agenda of the Regional Forum and get the feedback on it from EHRA and other key partners involved into organization of the event if any;
  • By 10 of October to provide EHRA with the final version of the Regional Forum agenda ready for the dissemination among the Regional Forum participants;
  • Help EHRA to identify the participants of the Regional Forum. The final list of participants should be developed by the 10 of October;
  • To help EHRA to identify relevant experts to be invited to participate in the Regional Forum. The list of experts should be developed by 10 of October;
  • Based on the agreed agenda of the event to develop and agree with EHRA the process of its facilitation by 01 of November;
  • By 15 of November – to conduct a survey among CE TA providers and recipients to understand their experiences as well as the priority needs and options for improving the CE TA mechanism and demand for it in EECA.

The survey should include interviews with the selected representatives of TA recipients and providers as well as relevant colleagues from the Global Fund’s Secretariat (no less than 12 interviews altogether). The results of the survey should serve as the base for the discussions at the Regional Forum and should be provided in a separate report.

  • To coordinate the process of development of relevant presentations for the purposes of the event by invited participants and experts: to develop the check list of the presentations; to brief each expert on the expected content, possible structure and timing of the presentation; to collect presentations from experts and participants in advance to the event; to provide a feedback on their content and structure if needed. To participate in planned conference calls with the invited experts;
  • To coordinate the process of the development of the handout materials to be disseminated among the participants of the Regional Forum in advance to the event or distributed during the meeting: to develop the check list of the required handout materials; to collect them in advance to the Regional Forum from the experts or from other relevant sources and make sure that those needed to be printed for the seminar are printed in time;
  • To develop the methodology of the evaluation of the results of the Regional Forum right after the event. Based on this methodology to develop the questionnaire for the participants to fill in right after the event;
  • To participate in a preparatory meeting with EHRA representative and experts the day before the Regional Forum to have the final discussion on its agenda, facilitation processes, roles of key participants and expected results;
  • To facilitate the two-day long Regional Forum on 28-29 of November 2022 in Istanbul (Turkey);
  • To be in contact with the people responsible for the organization of the event’s logistics and timely provide them with all required information regarding the requirements for the Regional Forum auditorium, stationery, etc.;
  • By 15 of December to develop and submit to EHRA the report on the process and results of the Regional Forum. The report should be in English and should not exceed 15 pages. Among other issues the report should include a short overview of the Regional Forum organization process, key discussions which took place during the event, key agreements reached, conclusions as well as recommendations both for Global Fund and participants on the next steps to be done as a follow up to the Regional Forum. In particular the report should include:
    • Recommendations for the GF Secretariat on how to optimize the particular CRG TA mechanism to be more demanded\effective in the EECA region
    • Draft position on what kind of Global Fund related TA civil society may need and how the mechanism of such TA provision should work in most effective and efficient way

EHRA will identify the person from among its staff to supervise the work of the expert under this ToR. Supervisor will be a contact person for the expert on all matters regarding the organization and facilitation of the event and will be the one to conclude on the quality of the work done and report provided.

Payment

The final cost of the contract will be calculated based on the number of working days indicated by the consultant in their application required to complete each stage of the assessment process described in this RFP, as well as the daily rate (in Euros) confirmed and agreed with EHRA. The daily rate must include all taxes to be paid by consultant themselves.

EHRA reserves the right to review and agree on the proposed daily rate based on the submitted documents.

EHRA will cover travel and accommodation expenses required to ensure the expert’s participation in the event if needed. The contract with the selected expert will be signed for the period from 20th of September till 20 of December 2022. In case of change of the dates of the event due to the unexpected circumstances the duration of the contract will be prolonged for the relevant period.

Evaluation criteria / requirements for candidates:

 Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association. A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation (please find the criteria in the table below)
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation. The EHRA will evaluate the proposal regarding the best value for money (price in euros and other factors are taken into account).

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

Criteria: Points
The experience of organization and facilitation of a least five (5) regional level workshops\seminars\trainings in last three years; 25
Good understanding of Global Fund sustainability and transition related processes taking place in EECA region and preferably personal involvement into such processes (should be clear from the Letter of Interest); 25
Good understanding of the situation with availability of HIV\TB related TA for civil society in EECA region. Be familiar with the existing mechanisms of TA provision (CRG TA in particular) and challenges being faced by TA recipients \ providers (should be clear from the Letter of Interest); 25
Good communication skills including experience in conducting surveys, interviewing people, report writing (should be clear from LoI and CV) 25
Maximum possible number of points 100

Mandatory requirement for the candidates: excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and Russian.

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

Based on the evaluation results, the evaluation panel may decide to support several consultants. In this case, the evaluation panel will contact the selected consultants for negotiations.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/ Also, the applicant should support the position of the EHRA on the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/eurasian-harm-reduction-association-condemns-the-russian-war-against-ukraine/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  • CV,
  • Letter of Interest.

The CV and application must reflect the candidate’s competencies required to complete this task. The Letter of Interest should also include the estimated number of working days required to complete each stage of the assessment process and the daily rate in EUR.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number and your nameOtherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

EXTENDED: Consultant to analyse national trends in human rights violations

RFP Number: EHRA-08-29
RFP Title: Consultant to analyse national trends in human rights violations
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on September 11, 2022
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health, and well-being of people who use psychoactive substances in the CEECA region. This call for proposals is organized within the project “Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”.

Criminalization of drugs drives systemic and widespread violations of virtually all human rights guaranteed by the national constitutions and international human rights treaties. Documenting these violations can serve the purpose of informing human rights treaty bodies about human rights violations falling under their mandates. Human rights treaty bodies are issuing drug policy recommendations concerning EECA countries and these recommendations are the results of human rights documenting and subsequent submissions of documented reports to human rights treaty bodies by civil society groups with the direct engagement of people who use drugs. This work shall continue in order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations on the national level as well as to keep informing constructive dialogues between the human rights treaty bodies and EECA states about the implementation of human rights treaties with respect to people who use drugs.

Aim of the consultancy:

To analyse national trends on human rights violations of people who use drugs in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, based on Matrix for analysing trends in human rights violations against people who use drugs (matrix will be provided by EHRA).

EHRA will select one consultant per country (in total 4 consultants) for this consultancy.

 

Objectives of the consultancy:

  1. Analyse national trends on human rights violations of people who use drugs in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. This objective includes the following tasks: (1) to collect cases of human rights violations of people who use drugs in the country, (2) have an interview with harm reduction service providers and key stakeholders, (3) conduct desk research.
  2. With a support from EHRA international consultant, to prepare national report on national trends on human rights violations against people who use drugs (up to 10 pages).
  3. Together with EHRA international consultant to develop a submission to the UN treaty body.

The total number of consultancy days should not exceed 10 days.

 

Proposed timeline:

All tasks are to be completed by 9 October 2022. A detailed plan will be agreed separately once the agreement with the selected consultants has been concluded.

 

Evaluation Criteria

Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation;
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation.

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

 To assess submitted applications, the following technical criteria will be used (80%) (maximum possible number of points is 100):

Evaluation criteria:

 

Points
Knowledge and experience in analyzing human rights violations 40
Experience in documenting human rights violations 30
Experience in developing national reports, submissions on human rights violations 30
Maximum possible number of points 100

 

Cost proposal (20%): EHRA will allocate same importance to the provided portfolio and recorded experience as to the cost of the services. The cost proposal will be evaluated in terms of best value-for money to EHRA in EUR, price and other factors considered

Condition

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with:

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  1. CV
  2. Letter of interest with examples of developed national reports, submissions on human rights violations

The CV and letter of interest should clearly state the competencies and experience of the candidate required for the task, the daily rate in euros and the number of days required for each of the tasks.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org. In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number (EHRA-08-29) and your nameOtherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

General terms

Interested consultants should pay attention to the following conditions:

  • Consultant must speak and write fluently and competently in Russian and/or English.
  • EHRA will sign an agreement with the winners of the competitive selection. The contract will define a detailed work plan and payment terms.
  • EHRA reserves the right (but does not commit itself to obligations) to enter into negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications or additional information, as well as to agree on the timing of work.
  • The winner must confirm his/her daily rate before signing of the agreement.
  • Results will be announced by September 14, 2022. Each candidate will be contacted individually.
  • Any questions regarding this RFP should be sent to eliza@harmreductioneurasia.org till September 7, 2022.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: External consultant in Armenia on advocacy support to conduct tripartite national working meeting in Armenia aim to improve the quality of services of harm reduction programs

RFP Number EHRA-08-31
RFP Title External consultant on advocacy support to conduct tripartite national working meeting in Armenia aim to improve the quality of services of harm reduction programs.
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on September 12, 2022
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

 

Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health.

Being a partner of the Alliance for Public Health, the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH 100% Life and other regional networks in the implementation of the Global Fund funded regional HIV project “Sustainability of services for key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”, EHRA activities, among others, aim to improve the quality of harm reduction services by national authorities and service providers in EECA countries.

Shifting away to national funding of harm reduction services in EECA countries over the next few years will result in the quality of harm reduction services being governed by national standards or guidelines. In this situation, there are certain risks that could lead to the loss of significance of harm reduction services by national authorities and service providers, hence the loss of their holistic and integrated impact on the health and social well-being of people who use drugs, as well as problems in ensuring the quality of harm reduction services.

To minimize these risks, EHRA throughout 2022-2024 is planning to initiate a series of national meetings aiming to build consensus among all key national stakeholders on the current approaches to harm reduction as an element of HIV prevention and the prospects for modernizing approaches based on the current comprehensive aims and objectives of harm reduction. It is expected that such meetings will contribute to the modernization of principles, values and approaches in the work of harm reduction programmes and will help to achieve the following objectives:

  • ensure coordination of national efforts to improve the quality of harm reduction between representatives of the community of people who use drugs, service providers and the customers of harm reduction services (relevant government agencies, international donors);
  • expand the dialogue around the comprehensiveness of harm reduction programmes, avoiding its isolation only in the HIV response, and, consequently, engage stakeholders responsible for implementation of various social assistance programmes at the national and municipal level;
  • ensure the inclusiveness of such a dialogue on complexity of harm reduction programmes, providing equal opportunities on the influence the national plans on quality increasing of the indicated programmes for all three parties, namely the community of people who use drugs, service providers and service users (relevant government agencies, municipalities, international donors working in the country).
  • ensure transparency and accountability in the process of making progress in the implementation of national strategies of the quality improving of harm reduction programmes.

Objectives and key tasks of the national consultants.

EHRA is looking for national consultant in Armenia for advocacy support  of tripartite national working meeting to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders involved in the design, planning and implementation of harm reduction in modernizing national/regional systems that define principles and objectives for harm reduction programs to significantly improve their quality to match the existing best international practices .

This national consultant is expected to carry out the following tasks according to the following timeframe:

  1. Conduct a mapping of the key challenges and barriers in modernizing harm reduction principles, values and approaches in harm reduction programmes functioning at the national level. Formulate a framework for action to modernize harm reduction approaches based on the mapping.
  2. Initiating a dialogue with the key national representatives of stakeholders involved in the establishment, planning and implementation of harm reduction programs regarding the existing approaches to the implementation of harm reduction programs as an element of HIV prevention and the prospects for modernizing the approaches, taking into consideration the existing complexity of goals and objectives of harm reduction programmes. It is expected that, as a result of such communication, the selected consultants will discuss and finalize a framework for action to modernize harm reduction programming approaches.
  3. Coordinate on preparing  and expert participating in tripartite national working meeting to build consensus on a comprehensive understanding of the quality of harm reduction programmes in relation to the needs of the community of people who use drugs.
  4. Ensure coordination of further steps at the national level to ensure the quality of harm reduction programmes, in particular by initiating:
    1. preparation of a national plan/strategy to improve the quality of harm reduction services considering the best international practices that comprehensively meet the needs of people who use drugs.
    2. establishing a working group to modernize the principles, values and approaches of harm reduction programmes.

The tripartite national working meeting are expected to include the following stakeholders:

  • Representatives from state and municipal health and social services, and other state institutions responsible for funding, planning and overseeing harm reduction programs at national and local levels;
  • Individual and organizational representatives of the community of people who use drugs at national and municipal levels;
  • Key representatives of organizations providing harm reduction services in the country at   national and municipal level;
  • Representatives of regional and international organizations that are interested in improving the quality of harm reduction programs (EHRA, international donors funding harm reduction, HIV prevention and other health services, WHO).

Within the framework of this ToR, the selected consultant will use in their communication with the national partners (1) EHRA position on quality of harm reduction services

https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/RU-EHRA-position-on-the-quality-15.01-DM_ed.pdf and (2) the tool “Components, Arguments, Criteria” (CAC) developed by EHRA (https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CAC-and-SF-tool_RU.pdf). EHRA will support the selected consultant in understanding this position.  Upon request, EHRA will provide expert support in understanding of the indicated concept and the principles, values and approaches in modernizing the work of harm reduction programmes.

The consultant should be available for regular calls with designated EHRA staff/experts to discuss the  progress/challenges related with the fulfilment of the task.

 

Expected results:

The following products (in Russian) are to be provided as a result of the work carried out by the consultant in accordance with these ToR:

– Results of the mapping of key challenges and barriers in the modernization of harm reduction principles, values and approaches in the work of harm reduction programs at the national level.

– Framework description of actions on modernizing harm reduction programmes, based on the mapping arranged.

– Program and protocol for the tripartite national consensus dialogue on a comprehensive understanding of the quality of harm reduction programmes, taking into consideration the needs of the community of people who use drugs.

Proposed timeline:

September-October 2022 – to conduct a mapping of key challenges and barriers in modernizing of harm reduction principles, values, and approaches at the national level. Formulate a framework for action to modernize harm reduction approaches based on the mapping.

October 2022 – to initiate the dialogue with key national stakeholders involved in the creation, planning and implementation of harm reduction programmes about established approaches to the implementation of harm reduction programmes as an element of HIV prevention and the prospects for modernising approaches, taking into account the current complexity of harm reduction programme goals and objectives.

November 2022 – expert participation and facilitation of tripartite national dialogues to build consensus on a comprehensive understanding of the quality of harm reduction programmes in relation to the needs of the community of people who use drugs.

December 2022 – to ensure coordination of further steps at national level to provide  the quality of harm reduction programmes

Cost of services and payment procedure

 The cost of services will be calculated on the basis of the fixed number of consultant working days (25) and his/her confirmed daily rate. However, the total contract value of each consultant under this ToR shall not exceed 1,500 euro (including all taxes and related costs).

 Evaluation criteria / requirements for candidates:

 Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation.
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation. The EHRA will evaluate the proposal regarding the best value for money (price in euros and other factors are taken into account).

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

Сriteria: Points
Excellent understanding of the context and processes connected with the  implementation of  harm reduction programmes 50
Experience in the similar advocacy work targeting to key national stakeholders who involved in the creation, planning and implementation of harm reduction programmes 30
Excellent understanding of the structure and experience of working with the range of national stakeholders involved in the creation, planning and implementation of harm reduction programmes 20
Maximum possible number of points 100

 

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

– CV,

– Letter of Interest. The CV and application should clearly reflect the competency of the candidate necessary to complete this task, as well as include the proposed number of working days for each stage, cost and timing of their implementation.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org .

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number and your name.  Otherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

General terms

Interested consultants should pay attention to the following conditions:

EHRA will sign a contract with the 5 winners of the complete selection. The contract will define the detailed work plan and payment terms.

EHRA reserves the right (but does not commit itself to any obligation) to enter into negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications or additional information as well as to agree on the timing of the works. The successful candidate must confirm his/ her daily rate before signing the agreement. The results will be announced by September 26, 2022. Each candidate will be contacted individually.

Any questions regarding participation should be sent to yevheniia@harmreductioneurasia.org by September 05, 2022.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: External consultant to organize and facilitate 2-day Regional Working Forum “Provision of Global Fund-related Technical Assistance for CSOs and communities in the EECA region in 2021 – 2022 – lessons learned and the way forward”

RFP Number EHRA-08-30
RFP Title External consultant to organize and facilitate 2-day Regional Working Forum “Provision of Global Fund-related Technical Assistance for CSOs and communities in the EECA region in 2021 – 2022 – lessons learned and the way forward”
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET 06 September 2022 г.
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) in the scope of the EECA Regional Platform project supported by the Global Fund is aimed to organize a Regional Working Forum to discuss and learn from the results of the implementation of the Global Fund’s Community Engagement (CE) Technical Assistance (TA) Program in EECA region in 2021 – 2022. The Forum is going to take place in Istanbul (Turkey) on 24 – 25 of November 2022. The working languages of the Regional Forum will be English and Russian.

Objectives of the meeting

The objectives of the Forum are:

  • To learn from the experiences of the Global Fund‘s CE TA providers and recipients of such TA in EECA.
  • To understand the challenges and barriers that CSOs and communities faced while requesting\receiving\providing the CE TA and to discuss how this TA mechanism could be improved in the future.
  • To get a better understanding of the other Global Fund-related TA opportunities that are available in the EECA region for civil society and communities.
  • To contribute to better coordination and harmonization among donors and technical partners in supporting or providing the Global Fund related technical support in the region

Note: Some of the objectives may be revised and adjusted during the process of planning the meeting agenda.

Tasks and the deadlines for the consultants under this ToR:

EHRA is looking for a regional level expert to conceptualize the content of the event and help EHRA with its organization and facilitation.

The expert under this ToR is expected:

  • By 15 of September to review the available draft concept of the Regional Forum, propose and agree with EHRA amendments to it if needed, develop and agree with EHRA the final version of the concept of the event;
  • By 23 of September to develop the draft agenda of the Regional Forum and get the feedback on it from EHRA and other key partners involved into organization of the event if any;
  • By 30 of September to provide EHRA with the final version of the Regional Forum agenda ready for the dissemination among the Regional Forum participants;
  • Help EHRA to identify the participants of the Regional Forum. The final list of participants should be developed by the 30 of September;
  • To help EHRA to identify relevant experts to be invited to participate in the Regional Forum. The list of experts should be developed by 10 of October;
  • Based on the agreed agenda of the event to develop and agree with EHRA the process of its facilitation by 01 of November;
  • By 01 of November – to conduct a survey among CE TA providers and recipients to understand their experiences as well as the priority needs and options for improving the CE TA mechanism and demand for it in EECA.

The survey should include interviews with the selected representatives of TA recipients and providers as well as relevant colleagues from the Global Fund’s Secretariat (no less than 12 interviews altogether). The results of the survey should serve as the base for the discussions at the Regional Forum and should be provided in a separate report.

  • To coordinate the process of development of relevant presentations for the purposes of the event by invited participants and experts: to develop the check list of the presentations; to brief each expert on the expected content, possible structure and timing of the presentation; to collect presentations from experts and participants in advance to the event; to provide a feedback on their content and structure if needed. To participate in planned conference calls with the invited experts;
  • To coordinate the process of the development of the handout materials to be disseminated among the participants of the Regional Forum in advance to the event or distributed during the meeting: to develop the check list of the required handout materials; to collect them in advance to the Regional Forum from the experts or from other relevant sources and make sure that those needed to be printed for the seminar are printed in time;
  • To develop the methodology of the evaluation of the results of the Regional Forum right after the event. Based on this methodology to develop the questionnaire for the participants to fill in right after the event;
  • To participate in a preparatory meeting with EHRA representative and experts the day before the Regional Forum to have the final discussion on its agenda, facilitation processes, roles of key participants and expected results;
  • To facilitate the two-day long Regional Forum on 24 – 25 of November 2022 in Istanbul (Turkey);
  • To be in contact with the people responsible for the organization of the event’s logistics and timely provide them with all required information regarding the requirements for the Regional Forum auditorium, stationery, etc.;
  • By 15 of December to develop and submit to EHRA the report on the process and results of the Regional Forum. The report should be in English and should not exceed 15 pages. Among other issues the report should include a short overview of the Regional Forum organization process, key discussions which took place during the event, key agreements reached, conclusions as well as recommendations both for Global Fund and participants on the next steps to be done as a follow up to the Regional Forum. In particular the report should include:
    • Recommendations for the GF Secretariat on how to optimize the particular CRG TA mechanism to be more demanded\effective in the EECA region
    • Draft position on what kind of Global Fund related TA civil society may need and how the mechanism of such TA provision should work in most effective and efficient way

EHRA will identify the person from among its staff to supervise the work of the expert under this ToR. Supervisor will be a contact person for the expert on all matters regarding the organization and facilitation of the event and will be the one to conclude on the quality of the work done and report provided.

Payment

The final cost of the contract will be calculated based on the number of working days indicated by the consultant in their application required to complete each stage of the assessment process described in this RFP, as well as the daily rate (in Euros) confirmed and agreed with EHRA. The daily rate must include all taxes to be paid by consultant themselves.

EHRA reserves the right to review and agree on the proposed daily rate based on the submitted documents.

EHRA will cover travel and accommodation expenses required to ensure the expert’s participation in the event if needed. The contract with the selected expert will be signed for the period from 5th of September till 20 of December 2022. In case of change of the dates of the event due to the unexpected circumstances the duration of the contract will be prolonged for the relevant period.

Evaluation criteria / requirements for candidates:

 Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association. A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation (please find the criteria in the table below)
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation. The EHRA will evaluate the proposal regarding the best value for money (price in euros and other factors are taken into account).

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

[su-table responsive:yes]
Criteria: Points
The experience of organization and facilitation of a least five (5) regional level workshops\seminars\trainings in last three years; 25
Good understanding of Global Fund sustainability and transition related processes taking place in EECA region and preferably personal involvement into such processes (should be clear from the Letter of Interest); 25
Good understanding of the situation with availability of HIV\TB related TA for civil society in EECA region. Be familiar with the existing mechanisms of TA provision (CRG TA in particular) and challenges being faced by TA recipients \ providers (should be clear from the Letter of Interest); 25
Good communication skills including experience in conducting surveys, interviewing people, report writing (should be clear from LoI and CV) 25
Maximum possible number of points 100
[/su_table]

Mandatory requirement for the candidates: excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and Russian.

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

Based on the evaluation results, the evaluation panel may decide to support several consultants. In this case, the evaluation panel will contact the selected consultants for negotiations.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/ Also, the applicant should support the position of the EHRA on the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/eurasian-harm-reduction-association-condemns-the-russian-war-against-ukraine/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  • CV,
  • Letter of Interest.

The CV and application must reflect the candidate’s competencies required to complete this task. The Letter of Interest should also include the estimated number of working days required to complete each stage of the assessment process and the daily rate in EUR.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number and your nameOtherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Consultant to analyse national trends in human rights violations

RFP Number: EHRA-08-29
RFP Title: Consultant to analyse national trends in human rights violations
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on September 4, 2022
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health, and well-being of people who use psychoactive substances in the CEECA region. This call for proposals is organized within the project “Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”.

Criminalization of drugs drives systemic and widespread violations of virtually all human rights guaranteed by the national constitutions and international human rights treaties. Documenting these violations can serve the purpose of informing human rights treaty bodies about human rights violations falling under their mandates. Human rights treaty bodies are issuing drug policy recommendations concerning EECA countries and these recommendations are the results of human rights documenting and subsequent submissions of documented reports to human rights treaty bodies by civil society groups with the direct engagement of people who use drugs. This work shall continue in order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations on the national level as well as to keep informing constructive dialogues between the human rights treaty bodies and EECA states about the implementation of human rights treaties with respect to people who use drugs.

Aim of the consultancy:

To analyse national trends on human rights violations of people who use drugs in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, based on Matrix for analysing trends in human rights violations against people who use drugs (matrix will be provided by EHRA).

EHRA will select one consultant per country (in total 4 consultants) for this consultancy.

 

Objectives of the consultancy:

  1. Analyse national trends on human rights violations of people who use drugs in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. This objective includes the following tasks: (1) to collect cases of human rights violations of people who use drugs in the country, (2) have an interview with harm reduction service providers and key stakeholders, (3) conduct desk research.
  2. With a support from EHRA international consultant, to prepare national report on national trends on human rights violations against people who use drugs (up to 10 pages).
  3. Together with EHRA international consultant to develop a submission to the UN treaty body.

The total number of consultancy days should not exceed 10 days.

 

Proposed timeline:

All tasks are to be completed by 9 October 2022. A detailed plan will be agreed separately once the agreement with the selected consultants has been concluded.

 

Evaluation Criteria

Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation;
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation.

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

 To assess submitted applications, the following technical criteria will be used (80%) (maximum possible number of points is 100):

Evaluation criteria:

 

Points
Knowledge and experience in analyzing human rights violations 40
Experience in documenting human rights violations 30
Experience in developing national reports, submissions on human rights violations 30
Maximum possible number of points 100

 

Cost proposal (20%): EHRA will allocate same importance to the provided portfolio and recorded experience as to the cost of the services. The cost proposal will be evaluated in terms of best value-for money to EHRA in EUR, price and other factors considered

Condition

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with:

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  1. CV
  2. Letter of interest with examples of developed national reports, submissions on human rights violations

The CV and letter of interest should clearly state the competencies and experience of the candidate required for the task, the daily rate in euros and the number of days required for each of the tasks.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org. In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number (EHRA-08-29) and your nameOtherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

General terms

Interested consultants should pay attention to the following conditions:

  • Consultant must speak and write fluently and competently in Russian and/or English.
  • EHRA will sign an agreement with the winners of the competitive selection. The contract will define a detailed work plan and payment terms.
  • EHRA reserves the right (but does not commit itself to obligations) to enter into negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications or additional information, as well as to agree on the timing of work.
  • The winner must confirm his/her daily rate before signing of the agreement.
  • Results will be announced by September 6, 2022. Each candidate will be contacted individually.
  • Any questions regarding this RFP should be sent to eliza@harmreductioneurasia.org till September 2, 2022.

Support. Don’t Punish. 2022

For many years Eurasian Harm Reduction Association has been actively supporting the global initiative and activities of “Support. Don’t punish!” campaign, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The year 2022 became no exception for us. Joining the broad coalition for drug policy reform, decriminalization and community advocacy, which includes over 280 cities from 91 countries, EHRA has supported with small grants[1] 4 harm reduction organizations of activists in Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Montenegro and Tajikistan.

The small funds that EHRA allocated to each organization helped each of them to undertake their own unique activities aimed at community advocacy, drug policy reform, and decriminalization of people who use drugs in these countries.

[1] Small grants are provided by the EHRA  Secretariat as part of the project

‘Ending Inequalities for People who Use Drugs: Strengthening Harm Reduction to Elevate Rights, Health and Capacity” of the International Harm Reduction Consortium.

Kazakhstan

Activists from NGO “Nursemin” located in Karaganda decided to create short video messages from people who use drugs from different cities in Kazakhstan. In these messages, people say based on personal experience that punishment does not work, and that people need support and assistance in accessing medical, social and legal services primarily. Also, the messages from medical professionals and psychologists assisting the campaign were recorded to support these appeals.

The video was shared on the most popular social networks and messengers (VKontakte, Instagram, Twitter Facebook YouTube Telegram, TikTok) as well as on advertising banners over the city.

“We have great faith that the voice of the community has been heard, including the decisions making people,” – hopes Natalia, the action organizer and head of NGO “Nursenim”.

Lithuania

Activists and volunteers from the youth organization “Young Wave” organized public presentation of the film “Breaking the Taboo” in Vilnius. The documentary, made in the UK and Brazil, argues that the common struggle of world states against drugs has failed because, despite the efforts of the UN, the situation has only been getting worse over the past 40 years. Instead of reducing, drugs traffic has been growing over time, and new drugs have become more available and cheaper. After watching the film, the organizers initiated a discussion during which the participants talk about the ideas and conclusions presented in the film. During the discussion it was said that in order to fundamentally solve the issue, there is no need to fight with people, but it is drug policy that needs to be changed towards humanization.

“We were able to involve 20 young people to watch the film, and the particularly useful thing was that these people took part in the discussion around the idea voiced in the film: liberalizing of the drug policy is one of the most effective tools for harm reduction.” said Linas, one of the event organizers.

Montenegro

The community of people who use drugs is traditionally at the centre of events organized by the NGO Juventas in Podgorica. In the memory of Davor Karadzic, a Montenegro harm reduction activist who died from COVID-19 and was one of the initiators of the harm reduction programme in Montenegro, the workers of the harm reduction centre initiated mural creation with his image on the front wall of the Juventas NGO centre in Podgorica. The community was actively involved in preparing this mural. Unfortunately, due to the abnormal heat in Podgorica, work on the mural had to be halted, but very soon people of the city will be able to see the image of Davor, who has become a symbolic figure in the fight against the punitive drug policy in Montenegro.

Also, during the month of June, meetings with the community were organized to discuss how existing legal solutions are affecting the lives of people who use drugs and what changes in drug policy people would like to see.

“During these meetings, people from the community were very keen to give their opinions as well as suggestions on how certain things could be improved, especially those related to legal provisions that either do not exist in Montenegro or should be changed. By involving people from the community, we aim to improve cooperation with the community, to help the community make its voice heard.”, stressed Maria, event coordinator, Juventas Centre officer.

Tajikistan

On June 26, the NGO SPIN Plus held a series of meetings with law enforcement officials in Dushanbe. The events were held under the slogan “Treatment, not punishment!” The meetings were attended by more than 50 people from the district police, the Drug Traffic Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as staff and volunteers from SPIN Plus. During the event the information about the work of Harm Reduction Programme in Tajikistan was presented. Also, a separate session highlighted the work of the opioid agonist therapy programme. There was a session on opioid overdose prevention and treatment.

Information materials in the form of booklets, brochures and posters were handed over to the staff of Firdavsi district police and Drug Traffic Department. Also first aid kits with first aid items specially prepared and procured by UNDP in Tajikistan were handed over. Naloxone 10 ampoules, syringes and condoms were added to the first aid kit.

“The event was held positively. During the discussion, the police officers asked many questions about the work of the harm reduction programme, the use of naloxone, HIV prevention and treatment measures in Tajikistan. All the questions were adequately answered. It was important that we were able to reach an agreement on regular interaction with Drug Traffic Department officers directly and local police officers to conduct informational and awareness-raising activities, as well as to equip them with relevant information and prophylactic materials”. – Pulod, head of the NGO SPIN Plus, shared the results of the event.

EHRA is looking for national consultants in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (one for each country) for advocacy support to conduct tripartite national working meetings on improving the quality of services of harm reduction programmes.

RFP Number EHRA-07-27
RFP Title External consultants on advocacy support to conduct tripartite national working meetings in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (one per each country) aim to improve the quality of services of harm reduction programmes.
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on August 15, 2022
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

 

Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health.

Being a partner of the Alliance for Public Health, the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH 100% Life and other regional networks in the implementation of the Global Fund funded regional HIV project “Sustainability of services for key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”, EHRA activities, among others, aim to improve the quality of harm reduction services by national authorities and service providers in EECA countries.

Shifting away to national funding of harm reduction services in EECA countries over the next few years will result in the quality of harm reduction services being governed by national standards or guidelines. In this situation, there are certain risks that could lead to the loss of significance of harm reduction services by national authorities and service providers, hence the loss of their holistic and integrated impact on the health and social well-being of people who use drugs, as well as problems in ensuring the quality of harm reduction services.

To minimize these risks, EHRA throughout 2022-2024 is planning to initiate a series of national meetings aiming to build consensus among all key national stakeholders on the current approaches to harm reduction as an element of HIV prevention and the prospects for modernizing approaches based on the current comprehensive aims and objectives of harm reduction. It is expected that such meetings will contribute to the modernization of principles, values and approaches in the work of harm reduction programmes and will help to achieve the following objectives:

  • ensure coordination of national efforts to improve the quality of harm reduction between representatives of the community of people who use drugs, service providers and the customers of harm reduction services (relevant government agencies, international donors);
  • expand the dialogue around the comprehensiveness of harm reduction programmes, avoiding its isolation only in the HIV response, and, consequently, engage stakeholders responsible for implementation of various social assistance programmes at the national and municipal level;
  • ensure the inclusiveness of such a dialogue on complexity of harm reduction programmes, providing equal opportunities on the influence the national plans on quality increasing of the indicated programmes for all three parties, namely the community of people who use drugs, service providers and service users (relevant government agencies, municipalities, international donors working in the country).
  • ensure transparency and accountability in the process of making progress in the implementation of national strategies of the quality improving of harm reduction programmes.

Objectives and key tasks of the national consultants.

EHRA is looking for national consultants in five countries: Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (one for each country) for advocacy support  of tripartite national working meetings to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders involved in the design, planning and implementation of harm reduction in modernizing national/regional systems that define principles and objectives for harm reduction programmes to significantly improve their quality to match the existing best international practices.

These national consultants are expected to carry out the following tasks according to the following timeframe:

  1. Conduct a mapping of the key challenges and barriers in modernizing harm reduction principles, values and approaches in harm reduction programmes functioning at the national level. Formulate a framework for action to modernize harm reduction approaches based on the mapping.
  2. Initiating a dialogue with the key national representatives of stakeholders involved in the establishment, planning and implementation of harm reduction programs regarding the existing approaches to the implementation of harm reduction programs as an element of HIV prevention and the prospects for modernizing the approaches, taking into consideration the existing complexity of goals and objectives of harm reduction programmes. It is expected that, as a result of such communication, the selected consultants will discuss and finalize a framework for action to modernize harm reduction programming approaches.
  3. Coordinate on preparing  and expert participating in tripartite national working meetings to build consensus on a comprehensive understanding of the quality of harm reduction programmes in relation to the needs of the community of people who use drugs.
  4. Ensure coordination of further steps at the national level to ensure the quality of harm reduction programmes, in particular by initiating:
    • preparation of a national plan/strategy to improve the quality of harm reduction services considering the best international practices that comprehensively meet the needs of people who use drugs.
    • establishing a working group to modernize the principles, values and approaches of harm reduction programmes.

The tripartite national working meetings are expected to include the following stakeholders:

  • Representatives from state and municipal health and social services, and other state institutions responsible for funding, planning and overseeing harm reduction programs at national and local levels;
  • Individual and organizational representatives of the community of people who use  drugs at    national and municipal levels;
  • Key representatives of organizations providing harm reduction services in the country at   national and municipal level;
  • Representatives of regional and international organizations that are interested in improving the quality of harm reduction programs (EHRA, international donors funding harm reduction, HIV prevention and other health services, WHO).

Within the framework of this ToR, the selected consultants will use in their communication with the national partners (1) EHRA position on quality of harm reduction services  and (2) the tool “Components, Arguments, Criteria” (CAC) developed by EHRA. EHRA will support the selected consultant in understanding this position.  Upon request, EHRA will provide expert support in understanding of the indicated concept and the principles, values and approaches in modernizing the work of harm reduction programmes.

The consultant should be available for regular calls with designated EHRA staff/experts to discuss the  progress/challenges related with the fulfilment of the task.

 

Expected results:

The following products (in Russian) are to be provided as a result of the work carried out by the consultant in accordance with these ToR:

– Results of the mapping of key challenges and barriers in the modernization of harm reduction principles, values and approaches in the work of harm reduction programs at the national level.

– Framework description of actions on modernizing harm reduction programmes, based on the mapping arranged.

– Program and protocol for the tripartite national consensus dialogue on a comprehensive understanding of the quality of harm reduction programmes, taking into consideration the needs of the community of people who use drugs.

 

Proposed timeline:

August 2022 – to conduct a mapping of key challenges and barriers in modernizing of harm reduction principles, values and approaches at the national level. Formulate a framework for action to modernize harm reduction approaches based on the mapping.

September-October 2022 – to initiate the dialogue with key national stakeholders involved in the creation, planning and implementation of harm reduction programmes about established approaches to the implementation of harm reduction programmes as an element of HIV prevention and the prospects for modernising approaches, taking into account the current complexity of harm reduction programme goals and objectives.

November 2022 – expert participation and facilitation of tripartite national dialogues to build consensus on a comprehensive understanding of the quality of harm reduction programmes in relation to the needs of the community of people who use drugs.

November-December 2022 – to ensure coordination of further steps at national level to provide  the quality of harm reduction programmes

 

Cost of services and payment procedure

The cost of services will be calculated on the basis of the fixed number of consultant working days (25) and his/her confirmed daily rate. However, the total contract value of each consultant under this ToR shall not exceed $1,500 (including all taxes and related costs).

 

Evaluation criteria / requirements for candidates:

Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation.
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation. The EHRA will evaluate the proposal regarding the best value for money (price in euros and other factors are taken into account).

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

Сriteria: Points
Excellent understanding of the context and processes connected with the  implementation of  harm reduction programmes 50
Experience in the similar advocacy work targeting to key national stakeholders who involved in the creation, planning and implementation of harm reduction programmes 30
Excellent understanding of the structure and experience of working with the range of national stakeholders involved in the creation, planning and implementation of harm reduction programmes 20
Maximum possible number of points 100

 

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

– CV,

– Letter of Interest. The CV and application should clearly reflect the competency of the candidate necessary to complete this task, as well as include the proposed number of working days for each stage, cost and timing of their implementation.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org .

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number and your name.  Otherwise, the application will not be considered.

 

General terms

Interested consultants should pay attention to the following conditions:

EHRA will sign a contract with the 5 winners of the complete selection. The contract will define the detailed work plan and payment terms.

EHRA  reserves the right (but does not commit itself to any obligation) to enter into negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications or additional information as well as to agree on the timing of the works. The successful candidate must confirm his/ her daily rate before signing the agreement. The results will be announced by August 19, 2022. Each candidate will be contacted individually.

Any questions regarding participation should be sent to yevheniia@harmreductioneurasia.org by August 15,  2022.

SIGN UP FOR FREE ONLINE COURSE «Digital Help: Services For Key Populations»

Sign up for the course HERE before June 30.

Who is this course[1] for and why?

This online course is dedicated for NGOs and public health institutions providing digital or remote services for key populations, as well as for organizations that are just planning to introduce such services. The purpose of the course is to build capacities of outreach workers, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists who are involved in provision of online/remote services, and managers of those programs, for better quality of the services.

This course has been designed to help organizations in providing direct online help for key populations. During the Covid 19 pandemic digital tools turned out to be important means of reaching members of vulnerable groups. The main aim of the course is to provide participants with the basic knowledge on the core elements of providing digital services for key populations.

There is no one tool that fits all needs. There are many specialized tools, and they are constantly being developed, improved, or fixed. A tool used by one organization may not fit the requirements of others. Therefore, the main objective of this course is to show how to properly select digital tools and evaluate their usefulness.

Before details of tool selection, we will show how using Internet based interventions can be an effective approach to evidence-based work with key groups and individuals. We will then look at another important aspect, computer mediated communication. We will also tackle the issue of confidentiality, privacy, and data storage safety, as well as ethics. The Internet can be a wonderful tool, but online safety is a key issue when providing online services.

What topics will be covered?

  • Online communication – specifics of computer mediated communication, rules of netiquette, language in digital services.
  • Planning digital services based on understanding of the target audience using Persona tool
  • Understanding of possible ways of using available digital tools.
  • Online counselling and therapy – framework for practice, structure of effective client session, practicalities of developing online relationship.
  • Secure digital services – privacy, confidentiality, and security guidelines, secure software, and hardware, encrypting sensitive data, tips to protect your online privacy and security.
  • Ethics and dilemmas of running online services and online services as a source of strain and the work-life in balance.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Use online communication effectively for counselling and therapy.
  • Describe what a Persona is and identify why and when to use it.
  • Construct a Persona.
  • Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of various tool categories.
  • Compare and contrast digital tools.
  • Adopt the use of counselling skills in an online context.
  • Protect your online privacy and security.
  • Be aware of ethical issues and dilemmas of running on-line services

How will the course be organised?

The program of the course consists of six modules with learning content, self-check tests, additional tips, and practical exercises. For each module, the lesson text has been prepared for reading online and in PDF format for downloading it. We have also included additional materials such as: questionnaires and surveys, videos, and links to external sources on the Internet.

During the course, we plan four online video meetings with a group of all training participants. During these meetings you will be able to get to know your fellow students better, share your experiences, discuss with everyone important topics and ethical dilemmas you may encounter when working online in connection with the provision of online services, and receive advice from the trainers on the course and feedback on the completed assignments.

The course is available in Russian or English.

When will the course take place?

The full course will take one month to complete, in which you will need to allocate 22 hours of your time to learning. You can choose in which month you want to start training, from July till November.

Certificate

To receive certificate of completion, each participant must complete 80% of all tasks on the platform, take part in the four video calls, complete the final assignment.

You can register for the course HERE before June 30.

We will notify you personally about your enrolment and the start date by e-mail before 27th June.

If you have any questions, please contact Igor Gordon by igor@harmreductioneurasia.org

[1] The course was developed by the Global Public Health Network in partnership with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) with participation of ECOM – Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity and the Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS (EWNA) within the framework of the Eurasian Regional Consortium’s project ‘Thinking outside the box: overcoming challenges in community advocacy for sustainable and high-quality HIV services’ funded by the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks (RCF).

[1] The course was developed by the Global Public Health Network in partnership with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) with participation of ECOM – Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity and the Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS (EWNA) within the framework of the Eurasian Regional Consortium’s project ‘Thinking outside the box: overcoming challenges in community advocacy for sustainable and high-quality HIV services’ funded by the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks (RCF).

EXTENDED: EHRA is looking for the consultancy to revise the methodology and tools of the assessment of the fulfillment of the commitments taken by the governments to ensure the sustainability of HIV response among key populations in the context of transition from the Global Fund’s support

RFP Number EHRA-06-21
RFP Title External consultancy for the revise the methodology and tools of the assessment of the fulfillment of the commitments taken by the governments to ensure the sustainability of HIV response among key populations in the context of transition from the Global Fund’s support
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on June 27, 2022
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

 

Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health.

Being a partner of the Alliance for Public Health, the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH 100% Life and other regional networks in the implementation of the Global Fund funded regional HIV project “Sustainability of services for key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”, EHRA is aimed at the improving the financial sustainability and allocative efficiency of HIV programs in EECA countries.

To contribute to this objective, in 2020 – 2021 EHRA has developed and piloted a methodology and tool for assessing the fulfillment of the commitments taken by the governments to ensure the sustainability of HIV response among key populations in the context of transition to national financing from the donors’ / Global Fund’s support. It is expected that the results of such assessment will help representatives of key affected communities maintain their awareness and engagement in monitoring of the transition related process and advocate for the sustainability of the national response to HIV.

In 2021, while piloting the developed methodology and tool, EHRA conducted nine assessments in such EECA countries as Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Tajikistan.

EHRA is looking for a consultant to help with revising the current version of the methodology and tools based on the results of its piloting in 2021.

 

Goals and objectives

The consultant is expected to review and refine the methodology and tool for assessing the implementation of government commitments to ensure the sustainability of the HIV response among key populations in the context of the transition from Global Fund support based on a pilot project conducted in 9 EECA countries in 2021. Therefore, EHRA proposes that the consultant’s workflow should include (but not be limited to) the following steps:

  1. Acquaintance with the current version of the assessment methodology and tools.
  2. Familiarization with reports on the results of assessments in 9 countries and a list of methodological and technical limitations and problems identified so far (to be provided by EHRA).
  3. Development and agreement with EHRA of a questionnaire for semi-structured interviews on issues related to methodology, preparation and agreement with EHRA of a list of experts for interviews. The total number of interviews should not exceed 12.
  4. Conducting, transcribing and analyzing interviews with selected experts.
  5. Based on the information collected, finalize the methodology and tool for assessing the fulfilment of HIV resilience commitments made by national governments in the context of a country’s transition from Global Fund support to national funding.

The Assessment Guide Benchmarking the Sustainability of the HIV Response in the Context of the Transition from Donor Funding, along with the Transition Monitoring Tool in Excel format, can be found on the EHRA website: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/tmt/. In addition, EHRA will provide the selected consultant with (1) national reports on completed assessments and (2) a list of methodological and technical limitations and problems identified from the results of the pilot, which will need to be taken into account and addressed in the course of work, as well as (3) contacts of experts who conducted national estimates.

EHRA will support the selected consultant in understanding the methodology. Upon request, the EHRA will provide detailed feedback on the intermediate products of the consultant’s work being created. In addition, the consultant is expected to be available for regular calls with assigned EHRA staff/experts to discuss progress/problems related to the implementation of the tasks set under this ToR.

 

Expected work results:

The following products (in English or Russian) should be provided as a result of the work carried out by the consultant following this TOR:

  • Revised and finalized methodology to assess of the fulfillment of the commitments taken by the governments to ensure the sustainability of HIV response among key populations in the context of transition from the Global Fund’s support;
  • Revised and finalized tool(s) required to do such assessment including the instruction for local consultants on how to use them.

 

Proposed timeline:

  • By 08.07.2022 – the consultant should familiarize himself/herself with all the provided by EHRA assessment related documents
  • By 22.07.2022 – to develop the questionnaires for the interviews discussions and agree on the list of key respondents
  • By 31.08.2022 – to conduct all interviews
  • By 22.09.2022 the consultant should provide the assigned EHRA staff/experts with a draft version of the revised and updated documents for review as specified in the section «Expected Results» of this ToR.
  • By 15.10.2022 the consultant must provide to EHRA assigned staff/experts a pre-final version of the revised and updated documents specified in the section «Expected Results».
  • By 31.10.2022 the Consultant must provide to EHRA assigned staff/experts the final version of the documents specified in the section «Expected Results».

Cost of services and payment order

The final cost of the contract will be calculated based on the number of working days indicated in the work plan, the daily rate (in Euros) confirmed and agreed with EHRA. The daily rate must include all taxes paid by the consultant himself. Taking into account the terms of the TOR, it is assumed that the payment under the contract will be divided into two parts:

  • 50% will be paid to the consultant after developing and submitting the first draft of revised and finalized assessment methodology and related TOR documents to EHRA assigned staff/experts.
  • 50% will be paid after revising and finalizing the assessment methodology and related to TOR documents will be reviewed and approved by EHRA assigned staff/experts.

 

Evaluation criteria / requirements for candidates:

Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation.
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation. The EHRA will evaluate the proposal regarding the best value for money (price in euros and other factors are taken into account).

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 80 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

Сriteria: Points
Excellent understanding of the context and processes related to the sustainability and transition of the response to HIV from Global Fund support to national funding taking place in the EECA region 20
Experience in similar work over the past 3 years and commitment to evidence-based approaches (links to examples of relevant documents should be provided in the Motivation Letter) 40
Proven set of skills for interviewing, conducting a literature review, and writing 40
Maximum possible number of points 100

Excellent written and spoken English or Russian is a requirement for all applicants.

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

Based on the evaluation results, the evaluation panel may decide to support several consultants. In this case, the evaluation panel will contact the selected consultants for negotiations.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

– CV,

– Letter of Interest. The CV and application must reflect the candidate’s competencies required to complete this task and also include

  • the estimated number of working days for each stage,
  • the daily rate in euros,
  • the terms of the work plan within this terms of reference.

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org .

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number and your name.  Otherwise, the application will not be considered.