Author: Nadirian Emma

SARGSYAN’S ADDRESS TO GUL IS A DOCUMENT FOR DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION: SAFARYAN

Tert.am
22:12 ~U 09.02.10

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is trying to show that he does
not have problems in the Armenian-Turkish normalization process and
that he is interested in the ratification of the Protocols, head of
Heritage Party’s parliamentary faction, Stepan Safaryan, said at a
press conference today, referring to Sargsyan’s letter to Turkish
President Abdullah Gul.

According to Safaryan, regardless of how hard the authorities try to
show that they are moving forward, there is, in fact, an atmosphere
of retreat.

"This statement of Sargsyan’s, as they [the governing authorities]
would say, is a document for domestic consumption aimed at showing the
Armenian public how self-confident our authorities are," said Safaryan.

In his opinion, the official statement cannot have a serious role as
it is clear for all, even without this statement, that at this point
Armenia in no way hinders the normalization of relations.

ARMENIA’S ARMY BETTER PREPARED THAN AZERBAIJAN’S: ALEXANDER GOLTZ

Tert.am
16:39 ~U 09.02.10

A war beginning between the South Caucasus states in the near future
is unlikely, said Alexander Goltz, a leading military expert who writes
for online journal Ejednevni Jurnal in Moscow, reports Russian-language
Caucasusian Knot.

"The reasons are several. I will name only two of them: first,
Armenia is a Collective Security Treaty Organization member, and
may God never let it happen, but if a war unfolds, a lot of serious
problems will emerge. Secondly, the Armenian army’s officer corps
are better prepared," Goltz was reported as saying.

"It is common knowledge that Azerbaijan has, in recent years,
accumulated a great quantity of weapons. But a weapon is only iron. In
many experts’ opinions, the Armenian army’s fighting ability is
higher," said Goltz, adding that Russia has an interest in no conflicts
take hold in the region, and in that regard, Russia will do its best.

SERZH SARGSYAN CALLS ABDULLAH GUL TO BE RESOLUTE

Aysor
Feb 9 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has sent a message to his Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul, a spokesperson to Presidential Administration
said.

"Flying over Turkey, I send my greetings to Abdullah Gul and
neighboring Turkey’s people.

"Our initiative to normalise relations between Armenia and
Turkey is the focus of international communities. The moment is
really historical, and both we and the world realize this. We are
highlighting the efforts that the countries, involved in the process
of reconciliation, have been making. I believe that it would be
difficult to success without their mediation. At the same time, I think
that however the friendly countries are interested in the positive
resolutions to the process they cannot do that what our peoples can.

"Mr. President, I think, you’ll agree that in the process of
establishing trust and stereotype-free relations between the Armenian
and Turkish peoples, the governments mostly play an especial role. We
can success only believing in our work; and only standing resolutely
and in principles. Otherwise, in case of a gap between words and
doings, the uncertainty and mistrust appear letting the opposing
against the process forces come through. So we must recognize that in
this case time does not assist, but makes little sense for the process.

"As we turn out well in developing the bilateral relations up to the
level of visible and sensible future of the natural relations between
our countries, it’s time to demonstrate the determination to take a
great step forward, and to create a stable and secure region for our
next generations," said President Sargsyan in his message.

It’s worth mentioning, that President Serzh Sargsyan is on the way
to Great Britain, according to spokesperson’s report.

The News International, Pakistan
Feb 7 2010

Grey Wolf – Mustafa Kemal Pasha

Sunday, February 07, 2010

A banker by profession, Salim Ansar has a passion for history and
historic books. His personal library already boasts a treasure trove
of over 7,000 rare and unique books. Every week, we shall take a leaf
from one such book and treat you to a little taste of history.

BOOK NAME: Grey Wolf – Mustafa Kemal Pasha
AUTHOR: H. C. Armstrong
PUBLISHER: Arthur Barker Ltd – London
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1936

The following excerpt has been taken from Page: 241 – 242

`In the thirteenth century after Christ there came the Great L
Drought. From the Wall of China throughout all Central Asia the land
was cracked and parched for want of rain, and the tribes were on the
move searching for new pastures for their flocks. Among them were the
Osmanli Turks, whose chief, Sulyman Shah, carried on his banner the
head of the Grey Wolf.

`They were cruel and primitive, these Osmanli Turks, animal-strong
with slit eyes in flat Mongol faces. They were as brutal and
relentless as the grey wolves which hunted over the wide steppes of
the fierce countries of Central Asia. Yet they were disciplined, by
the dangers and risks of their nomad life, to rigid obedience under
their leaders.

`For centuries they had pitched their black horse-hair tents in the
Plains of Sungaria on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Forced by lack of
water and grass, Sulyman Shah led out his people and made westward.
Finding the Hordes of Tartars to his north and pressing in behind him,
he turned south, and so came, through Armenia into Asia Minor, into
Modern History.

Sulyman died and Ertoghrul reigned in his stead, and after him came
Emir Othman and Sultan Orchans, and from father to son ten generations
of sultans followed each other. Often brutal and vicious, often unjust
and bestial, they were rulers, leaders men, and generals.

`They found in front of them a world of dying empires, the decayed
Seljuk, the worn-out Arab Empire of Baghdad and of the Caliphs, and
the corrupted Byzantine. These they smashed and conquered.

`Within three hundred years of the death of Sulyman Shah, his tenth
descendant. Sultan Sulyman the Magnificent, the Law Giver, ruled with
justice and strength an immense empire which stretched from Albania on
the Adriatic coast to the Persian frontier, from Egypt to the
Caucasus. Hungary and the Crimea were his vassals. The sovereigns of
Europe came with presents asking his help in their quarrels. His
armies stood across the road to the East. His fleet sailed supreme in
all the Mediterranean. North Africa acknowledged his suzerainty.
Constantinople was his. He made one great bid for World domination. In
1580 he hammered on the gates of Vienna and seized Christendom by the
throat.

`He failed, and after him came corruption. His heir was Selim the Sot.
It was said that the royal blood changed and that Selim was a bastard
by an Armenian servant. After him, with but one exception, came
twenty-seven sultans each more degenerate than the last. The palace
harem, the pimps and eunuchs took control. Without leaders the Turks
went the way of all flesh. The steel fibre went out of them. Their
energy, hardiness and vitality disappeared. They became corrupt in
blood and morals. Their subject people revolted against them. Greece,
Serbia, Bulgaria declared their independence.

`Within three hundred years of the greatness of Sulyman the
Magnificent the Ottoman Empire lay bankrupt, decrepit and rotting.

`Convinced that it must break up, the Christian Powers pressed in
eager to grab and annex where they dared. Russia seized the Crimea and
the Caucasus, and laid claims to Constantinople and the road through
the Dardanelles into the Mediterranean. France laid hands on Syria and
Tunis. England occupied Egypt and Cyprus. The new and expanding
Germany championed the Sultan, Abdul Hamid, against the rest of
Europe, planning to annex as soon as the other rivals had been beaten
off. All the nations claimed special rights and economic privileges.

`As greedy for their meal as vultures, the Christian Powers sat
waiting for the end. Afraid of each other, preparing for the
stupendous catastrophe of the World War, they watched each other
jealously. No one Power dared rush in. And so the dying Ottoman Empire
lived on, while the Red Sultan, Abdul Hamid, from his palace on the
Bosphorus, cunningly played the nations one against the other.

`In 1877 Russia decided to make an end of all this, declared war and
advanced to within ten miles of Constantinople. Led by Disraeli at the
Congress of Berlin, the rest of Europe warned her back: the integrity
of the Ottoman Empire must be maintained.

`Four years later there was born in the town of Salonika at the head
of the Aegean Sea, of a Turk called Ali Riza and of Zubeida his wife,
a boy whom they named Mustafa.’

EXTRACT

`Mustafa Kemal had his hands almost on the absolute power at which he
aimed. In every town and village the People’s Party, his political
weapon, was getting a hold. The army was under his direct orders. His
grip was on all the machinery of state. But his real fight was still
ahead.

`To his friends he had always made it clear that he would root out
religion from Turkey. When he talked of religion, he became eloquent
and violent. Religion was for him the cold, clogging lava that held
down below its crust the naming soul of the nation. He would tear that
crust aside and release the volcanic energy of the people. It was a
poison that had rotted the body politic. He would purge the State of
that poison. Until religion was gone, he could not make of Turkey a
vigorous modern nation.

“For five hundred years these rules and theories of an Arab sheik,’
he said, `and the interpretations of generations of lazy,
good-for-nothing priests have decided the civil and the criminal law
of Turkey.’

“They had decided the form of the constitution, the details of the
lives of each Turk, his food, his hours of rising and sleeping, the
shape of his clothes, the routine of the midwife who produced his
children, what he learnt in his schools, his customs, his thoughts,
even his most intimate habits.

“Islam, this theology of an immoral Arab, is a dead thing.’ Possibly
it might have suited tribes of nomads in the desert. It was no good
for a modern progressive State.

“God’s revelation!’ There was no God. That was one of the chains by
which the priests and bad rulers bound the people down.

“A ruler who needs religion to help him rule is a weakling. No
weakling should rule.’

`And the priests! How he hated them. The lazy, unproductive priests
who ate up the sustenance of the people. He would chase them out of
their mosques and monasteries to work like men.

`Religion! He would tear religion from Turkey as one might tear the
throttling ivy away to save a young tree.

`These were his views, held with the passion and hatred of the
revolutionary. How far he could carry them out he was doubtful.

`The Turks, villagers and townsmen alike, still clung to their
religion. Religious and conservative, they disliked all change. If
roused by the priests, they became fanatical. Religion was the woof
and warp of the texture of their lives. To tear it out was to destroy
the whole fabric. If their religion was touched, would they quietly
acquiesce or would they resist?

`Mustafa Kemal was not sure. He must move with caution. When a
journalist asked him if the new Republic would have a religion, he
avoided a definite reply. In his outline of the policy of his People’s
Party he made no mention of religion. He made no public pronouncement
on the subject. He had decided that he must bide his time, hoping to
wean the people from their old allegiance.

l.asp?id=222972

Interfax, Russia
Feb 4 2010

High-ranking U.S. diplomats to meet with Armenian president

YEREVAN Feb 4

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Assistant Secretary
Philip Gordon are expected to arrive in Armenia on Thursday, the U.S.
embassy in Armenia told Interfax.

Steinberg and Gordon are expected to meet with Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, the embassy
said.

>From Armenia the high-ranking U.S. diplomats will travel to Georgia.

Media reports on Wednesday quoted U.S. National Intelligence Director
Admiral Denis Blair as saying that a war could break out between
Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

Despite progress seen last year in rapprochement between Armenia and
Turkey, this process had an impact on fragile relations between
Armenia and Azerbaijan and increased the risk of a renewed conflict
around Nagorno-Karabakh, Blair was quoted as saying.

NKR NA REGULAR ELECTIONS TO HE HELD ON MAY 23

Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2010

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 5, NKR President
Bako Sahakian signed a decree on fixing NKR NA regular elections for
May 23 2010.

According to NKR President’s Press Office, by B. Sahakian’s another
decree, for efficient and conscientious work and on the occasion of
the 50th birth anniversary, NKR Permanent Representative to RF Albert
Andrian was awarded the Gratitude medal.

AZERI EXPERTS UNIMPRESSED BY SOCHI TALKS ON KARABAKH CONFLICT

Turan News Agency
Jan 26 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku, 26 January: Experts in Azerbaijan are cautious in their
assessments of the results of the meeting in Sochi between the
presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia for resolving the
Karabakh conflict. "The organizers of the meeting had to disclose
its results. Since this never happened, they [results] do not exist,"
Eldar Namazov, head of the For Azerbaijan public forum, told Turan.

Namazov described as "suprising and strange" the statement by Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the sides set to prepare their
proposals in a few weeks’ time. "This is a purely technical question
that is a function of the OSCE Minsk Group," Namazov said.

He believes that if the president of a major country like Russia
discusses at the meeting not agreements, but recommendations and the
preamble of basic principles, then this is a duplication of the work
of the Minsk Group or a lack of results. "If that is the way it is,
it makes little sense to have this meeting," Namazov said.

He also recalled Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan’s remarks
that there will be no progress in settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict in 2010.

Arastun Oruclu, leader of the Sarg-Qarb [East-West] research centre,
also believes that the meeting was fruitless.

"This was clear before the meeting started. The last four meetings
organized by Russia yielded no results. Moscow’s objective is to
demonstrate that it is impossible to tackle the issue without it,
rather than to resolve the problem," Oruclu said.

He reckons that a partial solution to the problem suits neither
Armenia, nor Azerbaijan and therefore it is not worth expecting a
breakthrough from a meeting in this format.

The existence of the conflicts guarantees Russia’s presence in the
Caucasus. Russia will miss opportunities for preserving its influence
after the conflicts are settled. Hence, it is interested in the
continuation of conflicts, he said.

By holding such meetings Russia also strives to shrink the format of
negotiations to the "trilateral" one, according to Oruclu.

DO YOU WANT TO ELIMINATE THE PEOPLE?

A1Plus.am
04/02/10

"What type of draft law are you bringing to parliament? That’s what
I would ask, if I were part of the opposition," said today head of
the parliamentary faction Galust Sahakyan in regard to the package
of taxing reforms presented by a first reading yesterday.

He was not complaining about the fact that the government is proposing
8 new types of taxes, but that the draft law was criticized by the
coalition and not the opposition.

Galust Sahakyan accused his coalition partners of making attempts
to look "democratic". "I am sure that if you put the draft law up
for a vote, it will pass. But may these 15 days make you literate,"
said the head of the faction, accusing the deputies of illiteracy.

Let us remind that the RA Government has presented the RA National
Assembly with the legislative package that envisages changes and
additions in the RA laws on "Taxes", "RA Budgetary System" and "Local
self-government". The package proposes to set the list of types of
local taxes.

Along with the current state taxes for property and land, the
government is proposing 8 new local taxes for hotels, sale, incomplete
construction (or real estate that is not kept in good conditions),
taxes for uncultivated lands of agricultural significance, tax
for not using construction areas for its purposes, tax for placing
advertisements on buildings that are considered as the district’s
property, a tax for parking and one for occupying public territories.

According to the draft law, each district must enforce the land and
property tax, while the enforcement and rate of other local taxes
must be set by each district’s council of elders and presented to
the head of the district.

Galust Sahakyan stated that the deputies and the presses are confused
because there is no increase in taxes. The local self-government
bodies must decide how much tax they impose.

According to deputies against the draft law, this could lead to
emigration. "If the villager doesn’t have lands (and if a tax is
imposed, he will be forced to give up his piece of land), he will
leave the country," said "Heritage" faction deputy Armen Martirosyan.

"This is like stealing," added Stepan Safaryan.

Victor Dallakyan continued the topic and said that when the ministers
of the coalition vote for the presented draft law, the deputies of
the same political party show that they care and are against the
draft law to the media and the people.

"People don’t have money for bread. Do you want to eliminate the
people?" asked Dallakyan.

The legislative package will be put for a vote in 15 days, that is,
the next four-day session. Until then, the package will be drafted.

IRAN BOASTS OF NEW APACHE-KILLER WEAPON AS TENSIONS RISE WITH U.S.

RIA Novosti
February 3, 2010
Moscow

Iran has developed a new weapon to shoot down U.S. Apache attack
helicopters, the Iranian Fars news agency has reported.

"Our enemies should not imagine that if their Apache choppers have
shown a mighty and desirable performance in Iraq and Afghanistan,
they can show the same might and power in any possible aggression
against Iran. We will certainly put an end to the power of their
Apaches through our measures," Fars quoted Col. Nasser Arab-Beigi of
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

The official did not specify the type of the weapon Iran is
manufacturing to shoot down Apache helicopters.

The United States and Israel have refused to rule out military action
against Iran if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute over Tehran’s
nuclear program.

In a further rise in tensions, Iran hit out on Tuesday at U.S. plans
to boost Gulf defenses.

Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani called the move to deploy ships
with missile-targeting abilities off Iran’s coast and anti-missile
systems in the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United
Arab Emirates "a new political trick to pave the way for its presence
at others’ expense."

Iran launched a domestic arms development program after a U.S. weapons
embargo was imposed during its 1980-88 war with Iraq. Since 1992,
the Islamic Republic has reportedly produced its own Saeqeh and
Azarakhsh jet fighters, stealth-capable Ghadir submarine, missile
boats, torpedoes, tanks and armored carrier vehicles.

Iranian officials said last year that Tehran had achieved
self-sufficiency in manufacturing combat missiles of various
modifications.

Iran frequently holds military drills and shows off modern weaponry
in an effort to demonstrate its readiness to thwart any attack on
its territory.

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
T +995 32 75 19 03/04
F +995 32 75 19 05
<mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
<;

CARE International in the Caucasus

Job Announcement

CARE International in the Caucasus serves disempowered people so they
can overcome poverty with dignity. CARE models the principles of
transparency, accountability, participation, equity and continuous
learning.

Job Title: Evaluation Consultant (for conducting participatory
Baseline study)

Organization: CARE-International in the Caucasus

Place of Assignment: `Strengthening Women’s Capacity for
Peace-building in the South Caucasus region’

Band: International hire

Reports to: The contractor reports directly to the designated CARE
Caucasus Project Director

Duration: max 50 working days between March and May 2010

Start Date: ca. 8 March 2010

SUMMARY

CARE International is looking for an international expert to
conceptualise and conduct a base line study for a multi-year regional
project in the South Caucasus aimed at strengthening women’s capacity
for peace-building in the region. The project is funded by the
European Commission and the Austrian Development Cooperation.

The consultant shall, in max. 50 working days, be responsible for:

– design, undertaking and completion of the project’s base line study,
involving partners for information collection;

– proposing recommendations on how to adapt indicators of success to
current regional/local contexts and base line findings;

– proposing, based on consultation with CARE staff and partners,
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the project

BACKGROUND

The Caucasus wars in the early 90ies caused more than a million
refugees and IDPs across the region. After ceasefire agreements
stopped hostilities (between 1992-94), failing progress of peace talks
kept the regions in a no-war, no-peace situation, maintaining
war-affected population in extreme poverty, preventing sustainable
rehabilitation of refugees and IDPs, hindering the development of
equitable, pluralistic societies, and perpetuating a climate of
insecurity, hostility and fear. The brief 2008 war over South Ossetia
has caused more displacement and damage to communities, and changed
the political environment for peace processes significantly.

Women and men make different experiences during conflict and take on
different roles in conflict and postconflict situations. Women’s equal
and full participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts,
in post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building is an important
precondition for the sustainability of peace processes. This has been
stated by a number of international standard setting policy documents
such as the Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women,
peace and security and UNSCR 1820 on sexual and gender-based violence
in times of conflict. However, the peace efforts/post-conflict
rehabilitation processes in the Caucasus are far from living up to the
aspirations of these standards.

The project therefore aims at strengthening women’s role in
peace-building in the South Caucasus in line with these policy
commitments. This vision encompasses peace processes where there are
consultation mechanisms between political leaderships and women’s
rights groups; women’s specific human security needs are assessed and
addressed; women’s rights are protected; post-conflict reconstruction
and rehabilitation programmes are gender-sensitive rather than
gender-blind; the importance of women’s contributions to
peace-building at community levels is recognised and their peace
initiatives supported; the conflict and peace processes are used as an
opportunity to address historical gender inequalities and
discrimination; international interventions (peacekeeping,
programming, policy dialogues) are gender mainstreamed and women
participate as decision-makers in high-level peace talks.

The project’s specific objective is to Support partner NGOs from
across the South Caucasus to create an enabling environment where
marginalized women from conflict-affected communities can protect
their rights and take active part in decision-making.

The specific objective is a twofold empowerment objective. Firstly,
the project aims to further empower partner NGOs from different sides
in conflict to contribute to the creation of an enabling environment
for gender equality, women’s participation and women’s rights in the
Caucasian peace efforts. Partners will be supported to challenge,
through advocacy, capacity-building and cooperation across
conflict-divides, social and cultural, political and legal forces that
hinder women in developing their full potential and role in peace
processes. Secondly, the project aims to strengthen the voices of
directly conflict-affected, marginalised women and to build their
capacity to (a) protect and defend their rights and (b) contribute to
peace and security through community-based activism. The project
intends to achieve tangible improvements in all three core dimensions
of women’s empowerment identified by CARE: agency, relations and
structures. By the end of the project, partner NGOs shall have
strengthened their organisational sustainability and self-reliance
through enhanced skills, resources, contacts and networks, advocacy
experience, access to information and funding opportunities. There
will be examples where decision-makers have acted upon/responded to
recommendations generated by the project. Partner NGOs’ peace-building
and network initiatives will have greater visibility and recognition
in media and broader society.

The project focuses on the two following target groups:

Target group 1: Six local partners – one from each South Caucasus
`entity’: civil society organisations with long-standing engagement in
peace-building and women empowerment. All have branches or a network
stretching across their country/region.

Target group 2: Marginalised women that have been directly affected by
conflict: including minority women, IDPs/refugees, returnees, widows,
relatives of injured or missing persons, war invalids, ex-combatants,
& socially vulnerable women in areas that might be affected by renewed
conflict. A core group of 80-100 women from marginalised
conflict-affected communities will have started to act as leaders for
initiatives aimed at improving women’s situation in conflict areas,
using rights-based approaches. More beneficiary women at the grass
roots will have gained confidence, knowledge and skills enabling them
to take active part in community-based or broader social
initiatives. Some male leaders will have been mobilised in each region
to actively support a strengthened role for women and gender
sensitivity in peace-building. There will be some improved legal
and/or policy guarantees for women’s equality, women’s rights and
women’s participation (e.g. National Action Plans for the
implementation of UNSCR 1325/1820 or related strategies).

The Project estimates to achieve the following results through
capacity-building of partners, women leaders, community mobilisation,
local/regional/cross-border networking, engaging with male leaders,
research on implementation of key aspects of UNSCR 1325/1820,
local/international advocacy:

1. Partner organizations have developed sustainable capacity to
empower marginalised women from conflict-affected communities so their
rights are better protected, and their confidence and skills to engage
actively in society and decision-making are increased;

2. 1500-2000 women from marginalised/conflict-affected target
communities have built skills to better analyse and articulate key
human security concerns, forming the basis for advocacy activities
towards decision-makers;

3. Lessons learned of women activists and beneficiaries are made
available and exchanged at national, regional and international
levels;

4. Engage with national, regional and international actors on key
aspects as regards the realisation of UNSCR 1325’s objectives in the
South Caucasus and advocate for improved realisation.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY:

CARE-International in the Caucasus is currently seeking the services
of a qualified international consultant to carry out a participatory
baseline study for this project, against which impact can be measured
within 33 months.

1) Design a participatory methodology for a base line study

Indicators contained in the approved Logical Framework at the Specific
Objective and Expected Results levels should be used as a guideline
for the type of information to be collected. Indicators currently
being developed at a global level for monitoring UNSCR1325/1820 should
also be looked at for guidance. (Information on these can be provided
by CARE, if necessary.) The base line study should include:

* An assessment of 6 partners’ capacity-building needs and

* A survey of vital UNSCR 1325 / 1820-related needs of women in
selected 30-35 target communities in Abkhazia, Georgia, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh – suitable to inform also the
conceptualisation of a piece of research for advocacy purposes.

CARE and its partners will select the target communities and provide a
list of these to the consultant before the start of the
consultancy. Criteria for the selection of target communities include:

– Communities whose population is suffering consequences of conflict

– Interest from a critical number of people in the project

– Needs and issues present in the community that this project is
suitable to work on

– Some existing potential/capacity for community-based activism
(e.g. informal leaders, past experiences)

Partner organisations should be involved for information gathering
among target communities. Some key areas of interest for this exercise
include:

– Capacity gaps of local women and women’s initiatives

– Areas of insufficient protection of women’s human rights (incl.
gender based violence)

– State of consultation processes between decision-makers/duty bearers
and conflict affected women/women’s initiatives

– State of women’s representation in institutions deciding on
rehabilitation / reconstruction

– programmes

The assessment will be used as a basis for selecting specific key
issues the project’s community-based empowerment activities shall be
focusing on, as well as to refine the indicators of the logical
framework and design the monitoring and evaluation plan.(as stated
below).

The assessment should be based on good standards of `gender analysis’
(and take into account, as relevant, CARE Österreich’s Gender Analysis
Guidelines to be found at:
_GenderAnalysisGuidelines.pdf)
..

2) Manage the information gathering and produce a base line report

The consultant is responsible for supervising the information
collection by partners, analysing the information gathered, and
compiling a base line report.

The report should include specific recommendations on how to
revise/refine/concretise the indicators of success for the project.
Indicator revisions shall be guided by identified local needs,
realism, as well as taking into account, where suitable, global
peace-building/women empowerment indicators currently under
development. (Information on these will be provided to the consultant
by CARE.)

3) Provide recommendations to CARE for the implementation strategy

The consultant is also expected to provide recommendations and
suggestions to CARE for the project’s implementation strategy,
including on what kind of communication and media actions will be most
relevant and fruitful for targeted communities and the purpose of the
project.

4) Propose monitoring, evaluation & learning mechanisms for the project

In consultation with local partners, CARE Caucasus, CARE International
Eastern Europe Coordinator, CARE Austria gender expert and CARE UK
conflict adviser, the consultant shall propose monitoring, evaluation
& learning mechanisms for the project. The monitoring should cover
both quantitative and qualitative components, disaggregated by gender,
and shall be based on the revised indicators of success mentioned
above.

5) Present findings and discuss their implications for the project at
a first regional meeting in Istanbul

It is suggested that the consultant attends a regional meeting of CARE
staff and partner organisations in late May 2010 (probably in
Istanbul) to present the base line data, discuss revised indicators of
success, and agree the roles of each project participant in
monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Methodology

The consultant is expected to make one visit each to Abkhazia,
Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh in the course of the
base line study. South Ossetia is currently not being
assessed. Partner organisations should be used as appropriate for
information gathering among target communities.

Deliverables / time frame:

– Visits to target areas between ca. 15 March and 18 April (partly in
company of the CARE Project Director)

– Submission of report: 1st draft end of April / 2nd draft mid-May

– Participation/presentation at regional workshop: tentative dates for
workshop: week starting 24 May

The baseline study should be completed in not more than 50 working
days. The detailed plan of the study will be agreed upon with CARE
during the first week of the consultant’s work. The consultant will be
expected to spend ca. 50% of time in the target regions (1 visit each
to 5 regions). He/she will receive adequate support from CARE’s
program staff. Travel to/from and within the target regions and
accommodation costs will be reimbursed upon the study’s
completion/borne by CARE.

Qualifications required:

The consultant should possess:

– Experience in base line research and needs assessment

– Expertise in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

– Good Russian (reading, communicating and writing)

– Excellent English writing skills

– Good understanding of the South Caucasus region, in particular
conflict dynamics

– Technical expertise in gender/peace-building

– Good understanding of the UN SCRs on `Women, Peace and Security
(1325, 1880, 1882 and 1889)

REMUNERATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Service fee will be commensurate to knowledge
and experience of the applicant.

Interested applicants should submit a resume/CV with a cover letter
and a proposal (a comprehensive plan of the activities as related to
the terms of reference, a proposal should indicate sound
implementation methodology, anticipated levels of effort, timeframe,
output format and presentation, no longer than 10 pages) to the
following address: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] with subject
heading `1325 project baseline survey’.

Short listed candidates will be called for interview and presentation.
For logistical reasons, non-shortlisted candidates will not be
contacted.

Deadline for submission of the documents is February 22, 2010, 13.00
hrs Tbilisi time.

CARE International is an Equal Opportunity Employer.