Terms of Reference for Database Expert

Foreword: the context of the project

Climate and conflicts: Redress and prevention project is a two-year project supported by the Global Campus of Human Rights and Right Livelihood partnership project implemented by two Campuses – Global Campus Caucasus (Yerevan State University) and Global Campus Central Asia (OSCE Academy, Bishkek). It addresses the human rights challenges posed by war, conflicts, poor governance, and environmental degradation in three key regions: Nagorno Karabakh, Transnistria, and the Fergana Valley. The project aims to highlight the missing scientific data and research on climate challenges in these regions, particularly regarding climate change mitigation and poor governance, and to explore how international human rights mechanisms can act locally in de facto states and regions with poor governance.

The project aims to promote a human rights-based approach to climate change and conflict prevention in Transnistria, Nagorno Karabakh, and the Fergana Valley through cross-regional cooperation and academic research. The project consists of three components: mapping, research on strategies for effective policy implementation, and workshops and an international conference. The project’s objectives include identifying and analyzing the current civil society landscape, developing effective strategies for climate change policy implementation, and promoting human rights-based approaches to climate change and conflict prevention in the region.

Pool of experts

The project consists of three components: mapping and needs assessment, research on strategies for effective policy implementation, and workshops along with an international conference. To effectively implement the first two components, the project team aims to recruit a programmer assistant/researcher in Bishkek, three database experts, and three senior researchers.

For the first component, the database experts will conduct a mapping exercise among academic networks, hubs, civil society organizations (CSOs), and experts working on conflict-induced climate change in the Fergana Valley and Armenia. The expected deliverables from these experts include a digital database and an analytical report profiling actors in each country, detailing their roles and functions related to climate change and peacebuilding.

For the second component, senior experts will conduct research on environmental and human rights-based climate policies to develop effective strategies for addressing and preventing climate change-induced conflicts. This research will result in a report with recommendations on these strategies.

The third component involves organizing regional workshops and an international conference to promote human rights-based approaches to climate change in the region. The project’s outcomes will include educational, research, network-building, and advocacy outputs.

 The case of Transnistria will be analyzed using a comparative analysis methodology, comparing it to the cases of Fergana and Nagorno-Karabakh, thus making it a test case. [1]

Expected outcomes and deliverables

The aim of the activity to be carried out by the database experts is to understand the existing resources at the local level, focusing on two areas: a delayed assessment (the Nagorno-Karabakh case) and emerging risks that may arise due to climate-induced conflicts.The existing resources include the mapping of academic networks, hubs, civil society organizations (CSOs), initiative groups, and experts (trainers, young professionals, and researchers) in the Fergana Valley (Batken region) and Armenia, all of whom are working on conflict-induced climate change. Based on a selected methodology, the experts will develop a database of these resources and an analytical report that summarizes the synergies, efforts, gaps, and connections between those stakeholders. The outcomes of the mapping can be later used for an efficient support in mitigating or addressing the existing threats and violations both locally and internationally.

 

Deliverable/Product: 1 digital database, am analytical report.

  • Recruitment of group of experts (3 experts, 2 in Armenia and 1 in Fergana with the support of the project assistant) to develop one methodology for identifying and analyzing the researcher’s landscape in the Fergana Valley (Batken region) and Armenia (Nagorno Karabakh and bordering communities in Armenia), including the approach, tools, and techniques to be used, ethical considerations, and participatory research methods.
  • Run 1 methodological workshop for the experts in charge of the mapping. It involves reviewing digital services and platforms for accessing information, including opportunities for registration and participation in decision-making processes.
  • Conduct the research using the developed methodology to identify the current civil society landscape in countries, including CSOs, communities, and other relevant actors.
  • Create an analytical report based on the collected data including the profile of actors in countries, including an analysis of NGOs, mahallas, and community organizations such as youth, women’s and children’s initiatives, and ethnic associations. The report will reflect the types of interactions between these organizations, their roles and functions in issues related to climate change peacebuilding, positive and negative agendas, actors shaping the discourse and activity agenda, involvement and role in conflicts and resource distribution.
  • Prepare a database of the profiles of actors. The database will be accommodated by an existing Global Campus Caucasus platform.

 The key responsibilities of the Database expert

The key responsibilities of the Database experts are:

  1. Review, contribute and adopt to the national context the draft methodology for identifying and analyzing the resources in the Fergana Valley (Batken region) and Armenia (Nagorno Karabakh and bordering communities in Armenia). This includes defining the approach, tools, techniques, ethical considerations, and participatory research methods.
  2. Participate and contribute to the methodological workshop for the experts in charge of the mapping to review digital services and platforms for accessing information, including opportunities for registration and participation in decision-making processes.
  3. Participate to the preliminarily arranged bilateral and multilateral meetings (mostly online) among experts and the project staff.
  4. Conduct research using the developed methodology to identify the current civil society landscape in the countries, including civil society organizations (CSOs), communities, and other relevant actors. This may also include local ground travel to the regions.
  5. Create an analytical report based on the collected data, including profiles of actors in the countries. The report should analyze NGOs, mahallas, community organizations (such as youth, women’s, and children’s initiatives, and ethnic associations), and reflect the types of interactions between these organizations, their roles and functions in issues related to climate change and peacebuilding, as well as their involvement and role in conflicts and resource distribution.
  6. Develop a database and an analytical report that summarizes the synergies, efforts, gaps, and connections between the stakeholders identified in the Fergana Valley and Armenia, focusing on both the Nagorno-Karabakh case and emerging risks due to climate-induced conflicts in the Fergana Valley. The report will be designed and send for the revision by the database experts.

No preliminarily in office hours are defined. The cost of the task is 350 EU gross monthly. The total duration for the position is 5 months.  The selected candidates would be invited for a brief online interview. The start date for the experts is November 1st.

Requirements

His/her advanced technical skills, knowledge, and practical experience in a methodological background in comparative research, data collection and data analysis will be major criteria to be emphasized during selecting a competent expert for this project. The incumbent is required to have at least 2 years of working experience in similar fields, including human rights, conflict studies, environmental studies or academic research. Good command of English and Russian is required.

Application procedure

In line with this, the candidate is expected to submit an up-to-date CV with relevant testimonials and research examples. The applicants are required to send their documents to m.muradyan@ces.am by October 20. Please mention in the “Database expert” in the subject line.

Organization

The work will be conducted under the close supervision of the MAHRS program director (OSCE Academy) and project coordinator, Center for European Studies (CES), Yerevan State University. You may send your questions concerning the position by October 10 to m.muradyan@ces.am.

 

[1] The text case methodology in political and human rights science involves using case studies to gather evidence and make causal claims about human rights violations and their underlying causes. This approach is particularly useful in understanding complex, context-specific issues that cannot be fully captured by statistical or formal methods alone.