Individual Consultancy: Technical support to the Ministry of Indigenous People (MPI) on the development of the National Strategy of Indigenous Refugees and Migrants

Deadline for ApplicationsSeptember 3, 2025

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)A (least hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONS Local

Target Start Date2025-09-15

Terms of ReferenceTitle of project: Technical support to the Ministry of Indigenous People (MPI) on the development of the National Strategy of Indigenous Refugees and Migrants

Contract Type: Individual consultancy

Engagement type: lump-sum

Purpose of project (summary): The individual consultant will provide technical support to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, under the Department for the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ Policies, on initiatives on the development of the National Strategy of Indigenous Refugees and Migrants.

Duration and dates of the contract:
From: 15 September 2025 To: 14 March 2026 (6 months)

Position Location (duty station): Brasília – DF

General Background:
Since 2014, the economic, political, and social crisis in Venezuela — marked by shortages of basic goods, hyperinflation, and rising violence — has led thousands of Venezuelans to seek international protection. These population movements include significant numbers of Indigenous peoples, who have also moved to neighboring countries such as Colombia, Guyana, and Brazil.

By December 2024, Brazil had received approximately 655,961 Venezuelans in need of international protection, including 141,296 recognized refugees, 21,194 asylum-seekers, and 493,471 holders of residence permits. Among them, more than ten thousand are Indigenous individuals from the Warao, Pemon Taurepang, E’ñepa, Kariña, and Wayuu ethnic groups — over half of whom are asylum-seekers.

Indigenous refugees and migrants, mostly from the Warao people, are currently present in almost all Brazilian states, with higher concentrations in Roraima, Amazonas, and Pará. Internal movements within Brazil occur for reasons such as family reunification, community conflicts, tensions with institutions, access to traditional medical treatment, and livelihood opportunities — and more recently, as a result of climate-related disasters.

The vulnerability of these communities is also reflected in their need for access to social protection. By June 2025, 8,637 Indigenous refugees and migrants had been registered in the Unified Registry for Social Programmes (CadÚnico), underscoring the importance of ensuring the continuity and adequacy of public responses. Many rely on institutional shelters as a temporary housing solution, which highlights the urgency of culturally appropriate public policies that address both their rights and their socio-territorial and cultural specificities.

These dynamics present complex challenges for public authorities and civil society, requiring intersectoral, locally adapted, and culturally sensitive responses. In this context, UNHCR is supporting the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI) to collect evidence and inputs for the development of the National Strategy for Indigenous Refugees and Migrants, which will provide coordinated guidance to inform public policies at federal, state, and municipal levels, strengthening the protection of these communities through active consultation and recognition of their socio-cultural diversity.

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations
To view occupational safety and health considerations for specific duty stations, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Purpose and Scope of Assignment:
The individual consultant will provide technical support to the Ministry of Indigenous People (MPI) on the development of the National Strategy for Indigenous Refugees and Migrants, focusing on information systematization, stakeholder engagement, evidence gathering, and the formulation of proposals to guide intersectoral and culturally sensitive public policies. In particular, he/she will have the following responsibilities:

Activity

1) Conducting a desk review on public policies, Indigenous rights, and forced displacement; Work plan, timeline and desk view report (15 October 2025)

2) Systematizing available secondary data on Indigenous refugees and migrants in Brazil; Data systematization report, with territorial overview (01 December 2025)

3) Mapping good practices, case studies, and territorial experiences, with emphasis on public and community-led initiatives; Report on good practices mapping and case studies in the Legal Amazon (01 January 2026)

4) Facilitate and support the organization of consultations and participatory workshops involving Indigenous refugee and migrant leaders, government representatives, and civil society organizations, with the objective of ensuring free, prior, and informed consent and collecting substantive inputs to inform the development of the Strategy; Consolidated report of consultations and workshops, with systematized inputs (25 February 2026)

5) Producing technical reports containing strategic inputs and recommendations; Participating in technical meetings and validating deliverables with UNHCR and MPI teams; Draft National Strategy for Indigenous Refugees and Migrants, including guidelines, strategic pillars and operational recommendations (14 March 2026)

The Consultant has dual reporting lines and is accountable to the Ministry of Indigenous People through the Department for the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ Policies and to UNHCR’s Protection Unit for administrative and financial issues.

Required qualifications, language(s) and work experience:

* Degree: Bachelor's degree in Anthropology, Social Sciences, International Relations, Law, Public Policy or a related field from an accredited academic institution.

* Minimum years of work experience:
- Minimum of three (03) years of professional experience in activities related to Indigenous People, migration, refugees, protection, asylum, statelessness or other relevant programmes.

- Desirable experience:
• Experience in working with Indigenous People.
• Experience in public policy design and /or strategic planning.
• Knowledge of social protection systems, indigenous rights and relevant legislation.
• Strong technical writing skills and ability to produce strategic documents.
• Previous working experience with indigenous refugees and migrants an advantage.

* Language requirements:
- Required: Portuguese (C2) and English (B2)
- Desirable: Spanish (B2)

Monitoring and Progress Controls
(Measures put in place to ensure the quality of work the individual contract holder delivers, e.g. report requirements, periodicity, format, deadlines, performance indicators, milestone discussions, survey completed, data collected, workshop conducted, research documents produced specify etc.)
The individual consultant will provide technical support to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), under the Department for the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ Policies. Deliverables will be reviewed and approved jointly by both institutions, MPI and UNHCR, which may also agree on adjustments to the work plan as needed. All reports and the draft of the National Strategy for Indigenous Refugees and Migrants shall follow the format and structure agreed with MPI and UNHCR and must be submitted in Portuguese.

Required skills:
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent planning and prioritization skills.
• Excellent analytical and drafting skills.
• Excellent reporting skills.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages Portuguese

,English

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance

RemoteNo