ANNEX A: CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST-ANNOUNCED BY UNHCR
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTERESTThe purpose of the Call for Expression of Interest is for UNHCR to solicit the interest from prospective or existing partners (NGOs, Government and other non-profit entities) that wish to participate in a UNHCR-led operation and contribute complementary resources (human resources, knowledge funds, in-kind, and/or equipment) for achieving common and agreed objectives by undertaking a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA).
A Concept Note can be submitted for one or more sector activities as well as for one or multiple locations.
UNHCR reserves the right to accept a proposal in whole or in part. Conclusion of a PPA with UNHCR is subject to availability of funds. The selection of a partner through this Call for Expression of Interest does not constitute an obligation for UNHCR to conclude a PPA with the selected partner.
In addition to submitting their Concept Notes, interested organizations are required to register on the UNHCR’s Partner Portal, at partner.unhcr.org, which is a pre-requisite for conclusion of a PPA with UNHCR.
Concept Notes should be submitted by e-mail to: by the submission deadline indicated in this Call.
Project title and Identification / Project Locations*
2017/22121/22122/22123/PB/PF
Assistance and protection to Persons of Concern in Greece
/ 1. Location – Mainland: urban locations where the temporary accommodation solutions have been established to host asylum seekers and refugees
2. Location – Islands
* Locations are indicated in the section Objectives and expected outcomes and activities, below.
Brief background of the Project
From 2015 until today, over 1 million asylum seekers, the majority of whom have escaped war and persecution in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, have reached Greece in an effort to find safety in Europe. This has led to one of the most complex humanitarian challenges of the last decades on the European continent. Following the closure of the northern borders in March 2016, over 50,000 remained in Greece and were in urgent need of accommodation, assistance and access to legal pathways to rebuild their lives. Since March 2016, the daily arrivals decreased significantly. The increase through new arrivals after March 2016 and the decrease through departures in 2016 (most of which on relocation or family reunification in other EU Member States), it is estimated that the number of asylum seekers in Greece remained roughly the same 50,000. Most of them are eligible for relocation or family reunification to another EU Member State, while some are expected to remain in Greece as refugees.
The relocation scheme is implemented by the Greek Government in cooperation with the European Commission and the participating EU Member States. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 asylum seekers will be relocated from Greece to other EU countries.
In response to the Greek Government’s request and the dramatic need to enhance the reception capacities, UNHCR committed to establish 20,000 accommodation places (non-camp) in support of the relocation process. UNHCR’s contribution complements the efforts of the Government of Greece to increase the reception capacity by 30,000 places both on the mainland and on the islands (formal and informal sites and other open facilities), yielding to a total of 50,000 reception places.
In addition to its contribution through the non-camp accommodation scheme, UNHCR actively supports the Greek Government for improvement of the living conditions in some 40 formal and informal sites and other open facilities throughout Greece, through site planning, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, core relief items, protection interventions with a focus on persons with specific needs, health care, information and counselling of asylum seekers and potential relocation candidates.
UNHCR started the Accommodation for Relocation project in November 2015 by using its own funds. In January 2016, UNHCR received funding from the European Union to continue the project throughout 2016 in order to gradually establish the 20,000 places. The project focuses on relocation candidates however, it also benefits persons seeking asylum in Greece, prioritizing the most vulnerable.
UNHCR’s Accommodation for Relocation project includes the creation of accommodation places in private apartments, hotels/other buildings, host families and, to a lesser extent, in designated sites; as well as provision of basic assistance to the accommodated asylum seekers and relocation candidates including food (cooked meals or food vouchers/cash), hygiene items, interpretation, accompaniment services and transportation, referral to medical facilities, limited psychosocial and legal assistance. Small-scale projects promoting peaceful co-existence with the host communities are also implemented. In addition, small-scale livelihoods projects are planned for 2017, to promote the self-reliance of refugees and asylum seekers during their stay in Greece.
As of early December 2016, UNHCR has established 20,000 accommodation places for asylum seekers and relocation candidates throughout Greece, reaching its commitment target, through partnership agreements concluded with national and international NGOs and with three municipalities: Athens, Thessaloniki and Livadia. While gradually phasing out from hotel accommodation, alternative, more cost-effective options in private apartments and building blocks are being sought.
Objectives, expected outcomes and main activities
1. Objective 1: Temporary accommodation in apartments/ block buildings/ collective centers located in urban/ semi-urban areas, for refugees in the pipeline for relocation and for vulnerable persons applying for asylum in Greece, including maintenance, transportation, interpretation services, accompaniment, legal and psychosocial services, referral to medical assistance and schools
1.1 Reinforcement of urban accommodation solutions through establishment of additional accommodation places in buildings and private apartments, including maintenance;
1.2 Individual and family counselling on the use of cash assistance received from UNHCR or other humanitarian agencies, monitoring of the use of such cash assistance based on methodology provided by UNHCR;
1.3 Provision of legal and psychosocial support to individuals and families in need;
1.4 Referral to public health facilities and other specialized services;
1.5 Support for refugees’ access to education and children enrollment in schools;
1.6 Direct assistance to persons with specific needs (PWSN) and SGBV survivors and/ or their referral to existing specialized services;
1.7 Small-scale activities (below 5,000 Euro) promoting peaceful co-existence with the neighbors and the host communities;
Locations: Urban locations on mainland Greece and/or on the islands, where the local communities are supportive of the presence of asylum seekers.
2. Objective 2: Provision of health care services to asylum seekers and relocation candidates
2.1 Medical consultations, screening the patients according to vulnerability criteria (children, pregnant women, women with children, urgent cases, persons with chronic diseases, survivors of SGBV);
2.2 Provision of primary health care through diagnostic, management and treatment activities;
2.3 Establishment of mobile health teams, to cover remote locations where facilities for hosting asylum seekers currently exist;
2.4 Provision of health care for chronic diseases;
2.5 Case management of people with special medical needs through screening and referral to third medical facilities;
2.6 Provision of cultural mediation and interpretation services, to be deployed to assist the medical teams in their communication with the asylum seekers.
Locations:
- Lagadikia and Agia Eleni accommodation sites;
- Thessaloniki (base) reaching communities in Northern Greece, where asylum seekers are accommodated in hotels/ other collective buildings;
- Athens (base), reaching communities in Attica, where asylum seekers are accommodated in hotels/ other collective buildings
- Ioannina/ Larissa (base), reaching communities in Central Greece where asylum seekers are accommodated in hotels/ other collective buildings.
3. Objective 3: Transitional solutions to improve the livelihoods of asylum seekers and refugees in Greece
This component includes small-scale (below 35,000 Euro), pilot projects targeting refugees and asylum seekers in Greece, including refugees hosted in the accomodation scheme, aiming at their peaceful co-existence with the Greek host communities, self-reliance and gradual exit from accommodation facilities. Close cooperation with local authorities is required, during project preparation, implementation and evaluation; as well as is involvement of relevant public services in project implementation. The proposed project may include, but should not be limited to:
3.1 Support for registration with fiscal authorities, issuance of fiscal registration number ( ΑΦΜ-Αριθμος Φορολογικου Μητρωου) , and submission of annual income declarations as per legislation in force;
3.2 Support for registration with the social security system and issuance of medical care card (ΚΥΠΑ-Καρτα Υγειονομικης Περιθαλψης Αλλοδαπού) or social security number ( ΑΜΚΑ-Αριθμός Μητρώου Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης ) as per legislation in force;
3.3 Preparing/empowering the refugees for access to legal employment through cultural orientation, language course, vocational training, networking with employers, and/ or other active employment measures;
3.4 Providing legal assistance to refugees who face difficulties in exercising their rights;
3.5 Comprehensive case management by qualified social workers to prepare the refugees for exiting the accommodation scheme provided by UNHCR;
3.6 Implementing an accommodation scheme for unaccompanied children who reach the age of 18, special counselling to support them in their first steps to adulthood and facilitating their access to services, in particular to education, vocational training and employment.
Locations: Urban and semi-urban locations on mainland Greece and/or on the islands, where the local communities are supportive of the presence of asylum seekers.
4. Objective 4: SGBV prevention and response using the 3 essential approaches: the human rights-based approach, the survivor-centered approach, and the community-based approach
4.1 Establishment of an individual case management system for SGBV survivors and referral mechanisms to medical, psychosocial, legal and security services in all the sites;
4.2 Organization of awareness-raising on SGBV and information provision on available services for survivors;
4.3 Organization and sustainment of the community participation in SGBV prevention and response by setting up relevant SGBV groups within the communities, organizing regular community consultations;
4.4 Capacity building of SGBV actors: training and coaching of Government and NGO personnel, and the refugees and asylum seekers themselves.
Locations: Urban locations, as well as formal and informal sites and other open facilities, on mainland Greece and/or on the islands
Intended population group/persons of concern
Current population presence in the country
The map below provides an overview of the current population and capacity of all sites countrywide.
Updated information and data may be found in http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean
Project Period: Estimated start and end dates of project
This call for expression of interest covers activities to be implemented in 2017. Continued implementation in 2018 will be subject to availability of funds and successful implementation in 2017. UNHCR Project Partnership Agreements will be signed according to the UNHCR annual project implementation cycle, which starts on 01 January and ends on 31 December of each operational year. Activities may start on 01 January or at a later date during the operational year.
Submission deadline (date open, date closed) / Date results to be communicated to applicants
Date Open: 08 December 2016
Date Closed: 28 December 2016 (inclusive) / UNHCR will contact the selected applicants to initiate partnerships, as per the operational priorities, following a review of the applications and decision by the Office.
All applicants will receive a reply to their application by 31 January 2017.
Selection criteria
Criteria Description
Sector expertise and experience (25%): The required specific skills, sector (s) specialists, knowledge and human resources available with the organization in the project area. Innovative interventions that include collaboration with voluntary associations and in line with national system will be prioritized.
Project management (25%): Ability to deliver the project outcomes, accountability mechanisms and sound financial management and coordination with agencies working under the same sector. In addition the agency should have the capacity to deliver quality reporting and adhere to UNHCR reporting requirements.
Local experience and presence (20%):
- Concept notes should clearly indicate which geographic area the NGO is planning to intervene in;
- Ongoing programme in the area of operation;
- Engaging refugees and persons of concern;
- Trust from local communities, self-organized groups of persons of concern is an asset;
- Presence and/or established network and coordination mechanism with other actors in the area of operation;
- Previous experience relevant to the proposed activities.
Contribution of resources (5%): Contribution of resources to the Project in cash or in-kind (e.g. human resources, supplies or equipment) to supplement UNHCR resources.
Cost effectiveness (5%): Administrative and financial burden imposed on the Project in relation to project deliverables:
- Total costs
- Proportion of budgets Programme/Admin/HR
- Contribution of organization and/or other donors
Partner’s capacity to undertake procurement (10%): ability to undertake large scale procurement, prior procurement experiences and value of procurement. Functioning procurement unit in Greece. Established effective internal-controls and pre-qualification (PQP) status by UNHCR (when procurement is expected to be equivalent of US$100K and above).
Experience working with UNHCR (5%): Knowledge of UNHCR policies, practices and programmes.
Legal status in Greece (5%):
- Legally registered at the location of the NGO’s Headquarters;
- Authority to operate in Greece, if registered in another country;
- Authority to operate a bank account in Greece.
Issuing UNHCR Office: / UNHCR Representation in Greece
Contact Address: / Michalakopoulou 91, Athina 115 28
Full name and title, Head of Office: / Mr. Philippe Leclerc, Representative
Name of UNHCR Office: / UNHCR Representation in Greece
Date: / 07/12/2016
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