Consultancy for Establishment and Development of a Humanitarian Centre in Armenia At International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies

Background and Purpose

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is presently operating its Country Cluster Delegation in Tbilisi, Georgia with the aim of extending its regional support to the three National Societies in the South Caucasus region, including the Armenia Red Cross Society (ARCS). The IFRC provides financial and technical support to the ARCS towards the ARCS’ key strategic priorities such as National Society Development, Branch and Volunteer Development, Resource Mobilization and Disaster Management, including preparedness and response. IFRC works actively with the ARCS through its DREF and Emergency Appeal response mechanisms to support the ARCS in responding and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable communities across Armenia, and most recently those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the NK conflict escalation in 2020. In 2021, the IFRC reactivated its country office in Armenia to strengthen its technical support to the ARCS.

Within the framework of the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal, the IFRC is supporting the ARCS in developing its institutional preparedness and resilience as part of the ARCS National Society Development Plan. A fundamental pillar of the institutional preparedness and resilience process is the establishment of a humanitarian centre in Ijevan, Tavush Region.

In 2020, the National Security Strategy for RA “Resilient Armenian in changing world” was adopted by the public authorities in Armenia. With the aim of supporting the National Security Strategy, the Armenia Red Cross Society (ARCS) together with its public authorities identified the need to establish a humanitarian centre in line with the institutional preparedness of the ARCS. One major milestone that has already materialized is securing the premises for the centre, which was made available to the ARCS by the public authorities. Currently, the IFRC has allocated funds to carry out the renovation of the building and where the Services and Tavush branch will be hosted. The renovation has already started and is scheduled to be finalized in December 2021.

Against this background, IFRC is seeking a technical expert to support and facilitate the development of the humanitarian centre. The expert is expected to develop a strategic framework including a business model and a plan with the ARCS to establish and operate the centre as a well-functioning and self-sustainable centre formed around community and institutional resilience, including NSD and Branch Development, with thematic emphasis on Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Preparedness and Effective Response, Climate Change and Public Awareness, First Aid, MHPSS, Resource Mobilization and supplementary services for income generation for the ARCS.

Objectives and Tasks

The key objective of the consultancy is to support the ARCS in developing and establishing a well-functioning and self-sustainable humanitarian centre by developing a strategic framework for the centre and a community-based approach to enhancing the resilience of the communities in the Tavush region.

Tasks

· As primary area of responsibility, to develop a strategic framework for the Centre to accommodate and facilitate institutional and community resilience in Armenia.

· Design and lead a community-based assessment conducted through the ARCS Staff and volunteers, informing and identifying community-based programming and core services that the Humanitarian Centre operations will introduce.

· Lead and coordinate the development of a business plan for the centre’s self-sustainability and functionality. The Business plan should be designed around potential areas for income generation activities and cost estimation for the centre’s short- and long-term operation.

· Develop an action work-plan with timelines and coordinate with IFRC and ARCS for the implementation of the plan.

· Support the ARCS in concluding the renovation of the building for the centre and design the setup of the centre to accommodate the ARCS Tavush Branch, and all relevant functionalities within the centre that will enable service delivery to communities.

Outputs

· A workplan including a timeline with a clear division of roles and responsibilities

· A Strategic Framework for the Centre focusing on the thematic areas outlined above, and including a business model and plan for short- and long-term operation of the Centre.

· Visual map of the Centre’s set-up and organigram including the Tavush Branch.

· Staff and volunteers trained to operate the Centre beyond the timeframe of the consultancy.

Person’s Specifications

· Technical experience from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in particular working with National Societies for at least five years

· Proven experience working with community-based centres, including capacity development, administration and management.

· Proven experience in business administration.

· Proven experience of programme planning and management, in particular in the areas of Disaster Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, MHPSS and First Aid, and Resource Mobilization.

· Proven experience in conducting community-based assessment and analysis that will feed to programme development.

· Good knowledge and experience in thematic areas of Community Engagement & Accountability (CEA) and Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI)

· Strong reporting and information management skills.

· Experience in conducting needs assessment and development of relevant reports

Method of delivery and reasons for selecting that method

This assignment will be delivered in-person over the course of maximum 2 months and to be concluded by the end of December 2021. The expert is expected to do desk-based work, which can be carried out remotely; however, most of the work is expected to take place in Armenia in close cooperation with ARCS, the IFRC, and other relevant stakeholders, and with frequent field visits to the Tavush branch and other ARCS’ regional branches as deemed necessary.

The expert will work closely with ARCS Project Manager of the Centre and the staff and volunteers of the Tavush branch.

The method of delivery is deemed necessary to ensure smooth cooperation with relevant stakeholders throughout the process.