1. Context:
Most major Libyan cities and large expanses of rural land across the country are contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) from World War Two and later wars in the 1970’s and 80’s, and intermittent armed conflict since 2011 when the regime of Muammar Gadhafi was toppled following a popular uprising.
Whilst progress was made in clearing contamination from the most critical, populated areas in the years following Gadhafi’s defeat, in 2014 nationwide conflict erupted again centered in Tripoli, the Nafusa Mountains and other coastal cities in the West, Benghazi and Derna in the East and Sabha in the South. The wide scale contamination is a daily threat to the security of displaced and returning populations; with some cities experiencing non-stop conflict for the last three years, whilst others have seen violent, armed outbursts adding to the layers of explosive contamination.
The liberation of cities such as Benghazi, Sirte and Sabratha from non-state armed groups, and the recent signing of multiple peace agreements have led to an increasing number of spontaneous returns of internally displaced persons (IDPs), eager to inspect and re-inhabit their homes, only to find high levels of ERW and booby traps in residential areas and affecting transit routes; subsequently hindering significant population movements, the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the resumption of socio-economic activity in these retaken areas.
Whilst nationwide casualties from these explosive hazards go largely unreported, in Benghazi alone more than five casualties per week have been recorded since the city’s liberation was declared in July. At the same time, since 2014 there has been limited capacity for deploying clearance teams with only a small number of actors working in the sector, despite these high and urgent needs in all areas of recent conflict.
Handicap International (HI) has been operational continuously in Libya since 2011, and up until the end of 2014 delivered a large-scale Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) programme from bases in Tripoli, Misrata and Sirte. During that period, HI teams protected countless civilians from the risk of death and injury due to explosive hazards through the clearance of over 30 square kilometres of land, including schools, agricultural land, beaches and residential areas; removing and destroying over 112,000 mines and ERW in the process. More than 1,000 people were trained to deliver mine/ERW/small arms and light weapons (SALW) Risk Education including teachers, scouts and imams from cities in east and western Libya. In addition, HI Risk Education teams reached more than 110,000 at-risk civilians, including children and IDPs with messaging on keeping safe until all explosive hazards could be removed and destroyed.
Due to the relocation of international staff in 2014 to Tunisia, HI’s clearance activities were suspended and in keeping with its Mine Action strategy in Libya, a Victim Assistance intervention was developed; implemented today through a team of twenty-four national staff in Tripoli and Misrata. Six outreach teams provide specialized services to vulnerable IDPs and non-displaced with disabilities and injuries, including the provision of physical rehabilitation, psychosocial support, provision and fitting of appropriate and enabling assistive devices, and referrals to other external services when needed. HI is also in the process of applying for registration to operate in Benghazi and is planning to open a new base in the last quarter of 2017.
HI currently has three offices for Libya:
- Tunis coordination office
- Tripoli field coordination and operations office
- Misrata operations office
HI’s planned activities in the mine action sector include:
- Land release and Risk Education in support of the return process for displaced populations.
2. Objective:
The Technical Advisor (TA) reports hierarchically to the Head of Mission and under the technical supervision of the Global Chief Technical Advisor (Arms Safety Management and Disposal). The TA will support the development of HI’s 2018 HMA strategy in Libya, including assessing potential areas of operation, defining the methodology and operational set up and identifying and sourcing the required resources to implement the strategy.
3. Responsibilities:
3.1) Support to the development of HI’s HMA operational strategy
- Ensure HI’s positioning towards relevant national authorities for the development of HMA activities;
- Along with the Head of Mission, represent HI at HMA forums;
- Work in close coordination with the national mine action centre to identify priority areas for deployment of survey and clearance teams;
- Conduct needs and risk assessments of priority areas, including data collection and analysis of new and existing contamination data;
- Develop a draft 2018 operational strategy, endorsed by the national mine action authorities;
- Support donor meetings for sourcing the required resources for executing the strategy.
3.2) Development of draft Operational Procedures
- Ensuring compliance with national and international standards, draft the Standard Operating Procedures for the planned HMA intervention.
3.3) Ensure required resources and assets are identified and sourced
- Support the logistics team in the identification, sourcing and positioning of required equipment;
- Ensure proper storage of equipment;
- Design the recruitment and training plan for the required Human Resources.
3.5) Transversal responsibility
- Undertake other relevant tasks as required by the Head of Mission or Global Chief Technical Advisor.
4. Collaboration and reporting:
The consultant will work in collaboration with the Head of Mission, programme Security Advisor and remotely with the Global Chief Technical Advisor. The consultant will take care to apply the following directives in terms of reports and progress reports:
4.1 Compile daily/weekly/monthly reports, as required by the Head of Mission.
4.2 Ensure operational reporting internally, to authorities and donors as required.
4.3 A final report, at the end of the mission is to be submitted to the Head of Mission, Desk Officer and Global Chief Technical Advisor.
Those directives have the goal to insure a good collaboration between the consultant and HI.
5. Specific conditions:
Duration of the contract: 1st November 2017 – 31st January 2018 (3 months)
Start date: 1st November 2017
Affectation base: Tunis, Tunisia, with travel to Tripoli and Misrata and potentially other locations in Libya.
Leaves:9 days
Fees: Between 6,000 and 7,500 EURO per month depending on experience
Accommodation: Provided by HI in country, shared guest houses in both Tunis and Libya.
6. Consultant´s Profile:
Qualifications/training:
- Minimum of 5 years of military experience as a Commissioned Officer or 7 years as a Non-Commissioned Officer, or equivalent experience in the commercial or humanitarian sectors;
- Minimum technical qualification to IMAS EOD level 3; EOD 3+/ IEDD qualification a strong asset;
- Proven experience in Quality Management Systems.
Experience:
- At least 5 years in Humanitarian Mine Action with an international NGO;
- Experience in making a significant contribution to country business plans or operational strategies in a HMA environment;
- Knowledge of safe weapons storage and management preferred;
- Knowledge of host country requirements and culture preferred.
Competencies:
- Fluency in English, written and spoken;
- Ability to impartially represent the organisation to local and international stakeholders including national authorities;
- Excellent computer skills (Office Word, Excel, and Power Point);
- Competent in GIS and information management;
- Arabic language skills are an advantage.
Personal qualities:
- Strong leadership and team building skills;
- Excellent inter-personnel skills, cultural awareness, good sense of humor and team spirit;
- Flexible, pro-active and skilled to identify adapted solutions to complex tasks;
- Demonstrated positive and self-motivated attitude;
- Willingness to work and live in hostile and arduous environment
How to apply:
Send a CV and cover letter with the reference LIB/201710 in object to :
More Information
- Job City Tunis