Национален консултант за изготвяне на процедурни гаранции за децата в Пакта за миграция на ЕС

National Consultant to support the drafting of procedural guarantees for children in line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum

UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, and quality basic education for all boys and girls, including the most vulnerable like the asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children and works with Governments and other stakeholders to strengthen child and social protection systems.

In July 2024, the European Commission adopted comprehensive legislation on asylum and migration, urging EU Member States to develop national implementation plans by late 2024. The National Implementation Plan of Bulgaria was submitted in December 2024 and UNICEF as a member of the cross-sectoral working group on legal issues provided comments for the exemption of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) from detention, best interests’ assessments at all stages, and restructuring the guardianship mechanism. As part of the next steps for implementation of the Pact, the national authorities, namely the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) has assembled an Inter-departmental working group for drafting a new law in the field of asylum that began its work in drafting the new law in March 2025.  

Additionally, UNICEF has strengthened its partnership with SAR by building on the existing MoU between the two organizations with a concrete Work Plan, which envisages support for the efforts of the State Agency in developing procedural guarantees for children in line with the Pact.

The main purpose and objectives of the consultancy are to support the development and drafting, of procedural guarantees for children in line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum that will support the drafting of the new legislation on asylum in Bulgaria. This consultancy will be engaged in the implementation of specific technical assignments of the MOU between UNICEF and SAR. The key deliverables of the consultancy will be the following:   

• Support SAR in to draft/propose legislative texts for procedural guarantees for children in line with Article 22 and Article 23 of the Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 establishing a common procedure for international protection in the Union and repealing Directive 2013/32/EU to ensure that children’s rights are upheld and are in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC). 
• Conduct assessment of the existing policy options for applying alternatives to detention of children including unaccompanied children, in line with the Article 13(2) of the Directive (EU) 2024/1346 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection. 
• Conduct analysis of relevant mechanisms and procedures to propose policy options to promote the specific needs and rights of children to be in line with Articles 5, 13 and 16 of Directive (EU) 2024/1346 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection. 
• Support SAR in drafting legal text for regulating mechanisms and procedures that are most appropriate for the national context to ensure that the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration when implementing the provisions of Directive (EU) 2024/1346 so that a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development in line with Article 26 of the Directive. 
• Support SAR to propose text for relevant mechanisms and procedures to ensure that unaccompanied children are appointed representatives as soon as possible and that they are provided appropriate placement, including  access to alternative care. 
• Support SAR to draft procedural safeguards for children and their implementation in line with the specific needs and rights of children as stipulated in the Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 establishing a common procedure for international protection in the Union and repealing Directive 2013/32/EU. 

Assignment Overview:

Qualification Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s degree in one of the following areas: law, international law, international relations, human rights, refugee and migration studies, child rights and child protection studies;
• At least five years of relevant professional experience in law/children’s rights/asylum and migration/human rights;
• Experience in drafting procedural/legislative comments;
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the national context and legislation on asylum, migration, guardianship, child protection, social services; knowledge and understanding of the specific needs of children in migration/asylum, incl. unaccompanied children;
• Excellent analytical and written skills;
• Good planning and organizational skills;
• Respect for cultural diversity and human rights;
• Intermediate level of English.

The assignment is envisaged to take place between 10 April– 31 December 2025.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications by 7 April 2025 to the following e-mail [email protected], indicating they are applying for “National Consultant to support the drafting of procedural guarantees for children in line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum”. The applicants should provide a CV in English, a proposed daily fee in Bulgarian leva, as well as any additional supporting documents relevant to the application. Only short-listed applications will be moved to the next stage.