Call for EOIs: Protection and Economic Inclusion of Refugees & Asylum-Seekers in Israel

Deadline: 14-Sep-23

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Israel invites all non-governmental organizations or other non-profit entities, interested in qualifying to supply critical services related to protection and economic inclusion of refugees and asylum-seekers in Israel to apply.

The purpose of the Call for Expression of Interest is to solicit interest from prospective and/or existing non-governmental organizations (NG0s) or other non-profit entities that wish to work in partnership with UNHCR and pursue one or more of the outcomes and associated outputs/activities.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a humanitarian and non-political organization mandated by the United Nations to protect refugees and stateless persons and help them find lasting solutions to their problems.

UNHCR works with States, civil society organizations, the legal community, the media, and other actors to ensure effective protection and promote long-term solutions through a mix of capacity-building, refugee law promotion, advocacy, and public awareness activities.

Areas

• In Israel. UNHCR’s work presently focuses on the following broad areas:
  • Promoting an accessible and just asylum procedure, respect for refugee rights and quality of treatment of asylum-seekers in accordance with established international standards.
  • Advocacy for access to and inclusion in essential services including health, education, child protection and welfare, with particular focus on persons with specific needs.
  • Multi-stakeholder engagement for the prevention of and response to gender-based violence, and support for victims of trafficking, torture, or other degrading treatment.
  • Advocacy and support for child and youth protection and care, including access to mainstream education at all levels.
  • Promoting economic inclusion and participation through support for skills development, community outreach, awareness-raising activities, and partnerships.

Partnership Period

• 1 January-31 December 2024

Expected Outcome or Output and Main Activities

• Prospective partners may choose to express their interest in some or all the areas listed:
  • Outcome: Law and policy developed or strengthened and public attitude towards refugees and asylum-seekers improved.
    • Output: Advocacy and capacity-building conducted, and public support mobilized.
  • Outcome: Refugees and asylum-seekers have access to public primary health care, mental health and reproductive health services.
    • Output: Advocacy interventions and capacity-building conducted to ensure access to national health insurance scheme and support to complementary NGO services provided.
  • Outcome: Risk of GBV is reduced and survivors have timely access to the support they need.
    • Output: Advocacy and support to the inclusion of refugees and asylum-seekers in national GBV prevention and response programming and through targeted interventions.
  • Outcome: Protection of children strengthened, and children have access to primary, secondary and tertiary education.
    • Output: The care and protection needs of children with specific needs met and access to primary and secondary education ensured.
  • Outcome: Community self-reliance and economic inclusion are enhanced.
    • Output: Access to learning opportunities, decent work and resilience programmes ensured.

Intended Population Coverage

• Asylum-seekers and refugees in Israel

Selection Criteria

• Sector expertise and experience: the required specific skills, sector specialists, performance, knowledge, material and human resources. Knowledge of relevant protection, humanitarian principles and the approach to Age, Gender, Diversity (AGDM). Understanding of the Participatory approach for refugees and asylum-seekers in the Programme Cycle.
• Project management: ability to effectively deliver project objectives with robust management systems/processes, and meet the expectations of all stakeholders, as well as provide accountability mechanisms and sound financial management, taking into account the audit results of the previous UNHCR-funded projects, past performance and the external audit of partners’ financial statements and pending open audit recommendations (accounts receivables and internal control related recommendations) where applicable.
• Local experience and presence: ongoing programme in the area of operation; local knowledge; participation in inter-agency coordination fora, engaging refugees and other persons of concern in the programme cycle; trust from local communities; local presence, including presence outside Tel Aviv; partner policy on community relations; feedback and complaint mechanisms for persons of concern; self-organized groups of persons of concern; and other factors that would facilitate access to and better understanding of the persons of concern and that would reduce administrative difficulties.
• Contribution of resources: evidenced and documented contribution of resources to the Project in cash or in-kind (e.g. human resources, supplies and/or equipment) by the partner that are presently available (or potentially mobilized by the partner) in order to supplement UNHCR resources.
• Cost effectiveness: Evidence of a methodology for allocation of shared costs to project activities. Evidence of procedures/systems that ensure maximum resources are directed to project outcomes while also ensuring that resources are also directed to activities that ensure project risks are being appropriately managed.
• Environmental Sustainability: Environmental sustainability must be taken into account when designing the project. All activities must be respectful of environmental considerations and aligned to the objectives of UNHCR’s Strategic Framework for Climate Action.

For more information, visit UNHCR.