Consultant on Free Legal Aid at Albania

Added Date: Monday, 04 August 2025

Tags: Human Rights Law
Organization: UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
Country: Albania
City: Tirana
Post Level: Unspecified

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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 Date2025-08-18

Deadline for ApplicationsAugust 11, 2025

Terms of ReferenceTerms of Reference

Consultancy on reviewing and enhancing Albania's legal framework to expand
free legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees, including secondary legal services and legal representation before national courts.

Organisation: UNHCR

Location: Tirana, Albania

Type of Contract: National Consultancy (Individual Contract)

Duration of contract: 30 days in a timeframe of 3 months

Tentative starting date: 18/08/2025

Title: Consultancy focused on reviewing and enhancing Albania's legal framework to expand free legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees, including secondary legal services and legal representation before national courts.

1. Overview
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1950 to provide protection and support to people forced to flee persecution, conflict, and violence. UNHCR’s core mandate is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and others in need of international protection.
In Albania, UNHCR works closely with government institutions, civil society, and international partners to ensure access to fair and efficient asylum procedures and the full enjoyment of rights by people of concern. A key component of this protection work is ensuring access to justice through free legal aid, particularly for asylum seekers and refugees who face systemic and financial barriers to legal representation.
Expanding legal aid—especially secondary legal services and representation before national courts—is critical for upholding due process, preventing refoulement, and enabling individuals to fully exercise their rights. Through this consultancy, UNHCR aims to strengthen Albania's legal and institutional framework to ensure that all persons of concern can access effective legal remedies and fair judicial outcomes.
For further information on UNHCR, its mandate, and operations, please see https://www.unhcr.org/

2. Project relevance
This consultancy will be developed under the EU4Migration project, which aims to support Albania in establishing effective, efficient, and EU-aligned border and migration management systems. A key focus of the project is the implementation of the National Strategy on Migration (2024–2030) and its Action Plan (2024–2026), both of which align with Albania’s EU integration objectives. The consultancy contributes to the broader goal of strengthening migration governance to address current challenges and harness the positive impact of migration on development. Particular attention is given to the rights and needs of asylum seekers and persons with specific needs, ensuring that human rights standards and legal guarantees are respected and upheld throughout the migration process, in line with international and EU norms.
Albania has made significant strides in aligning its asylum and legal aid frameworks with international standards. The 2017 Law on Free Legal Aid explicitly includes refugees and individuals granted subsidiary protection as beneficiaries. Additionally, the 2021 Law on Asylum affirms the right of asylum seekers to free legal representation by a lawyer or expert on refugee matters.
Despite these advancements, the following challenges persist:
• While primary legal aid is more readily available, secondary legal aid, such as legal representation in court proceedings, remains limited for asylum seekers and refugees.
• A discrepancy exists between the legal provisions and their practical application, resulting in inconsistent access to legal aid services.
• Both potential beneficiaries and legal aid providers may lack adequate awareness and training regarding the rights and services available.
• Limited financial and human resources hinder the effective delivery of comprehensive legal aid services.
These gaps can impede the ability of asylum seekers and refugees to effectively navigate the legal system, potentially compromising their rights and access to protection as guaranteed by national laws and international safeguards.

3. Purpose of the consultancy
The consultancy aims to:
• Assess the current legal and institutional framework governing free legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees in Albania.
• Identify legal and practical gaps and challenges in the provision of free legal aid, including barriers to accessing secondary legal aid and legal representation before national courts.
• Develop actionable recommendations to enhance the legal aid system, ensuring the inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees in the free legal aid services and aligning it with international standards and best practices.

4. Scope of work
Under the supervision of the designated UNHCR Senior Protection Associate (Project Coordinator) and in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the consultant will:
1. Conduct Legal and Policy Review. Analyse existing laws, regulations, and policies related to legal aid for persons in need of international protection, asylum seekers and refugees. Examine the implementation of these laws in practice, identifying discrepancies and barriers.
2. Stakeholder Consultations. Engage with government agencies, legal aid providers, NGOs, and beneficiaries to gather insights and perspectives on the free legal aid, and its implementation vis-à-vis individuals which UNHCR works with and for.
3. Stakeholder Mapping: Map the roles and responsibilities of key institutional stakeholders, including state agencies, Ministry of Interior and Justice, asylum authorities and civil society actors.
4. Comparative Analysis. Review best practices from other jurisdictions with similar legal and social contexts to inform recommendations.
5. Recommendations Development. Propose legal and policy recommendations, including proposals for by-law drafts to expand and strengthen access to secondary legal aid including court representation. Suggest capacity-building initiatives for legal aid providers and awareness-raising strategies for beneficiaries.
6. Reporting. Prepare a comprehensive report detailing findings, analyses, and recommendations on sustainable solutions.

5. Expected Timetable
This consultancy duration is 30 working days and is expected to last up to 3 (Three) months.

6. Supervision/Reporting line
The consultant will report directly to the Senior Protection Associate (Project Coordinator)

7. Consultancy Deliverables
 Inception Report: Outlining methodology, work plan, and initial findings.
 Draft Report: Presenting preliminary analyses and recommendations for stakeholder feedback.
 Final Report: Incorporating feedback and providing detailed recommendations, proposed solutions, including proposed legal amendments and implementation strategies.
 Presentation: Summarising key findings and recommendations to UNHCR and relevant stakeholders.

8. ToRs Amendment
UNHCR and the consultant may amend certain parts of the present Terms of Reference (ToRs) to ensure deliverables that better align with the context. The final report will reflect the amendments agreed. The amendments must be signed by both parties at the beginning of the consultancy.

9. Proposed Timeframe
18/08/2025 – 17/11/2025

10. Payment milestones
Payment will be made as per the proposed working plan and deliverables, and will be specified upon contracting

11. Qualifications
The interested consultants should meet the following criteria:
• Advanced degree in Law, with specialisation in International Refugee Law, Human Rights Law, Constitutional Law or related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise in legal analysis, policy development, and legislative reform.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Familiarity with Albania's legal system, human rights, international legislation on free legal aid, and the Acquis Communautaire.

Professional Experience:
• Have a minimum of 5 years of experience working expertise in legal analysis, legislative review, and the development of legal and policy tools aimed at enhancing access to justice. This includes proven work on expanding legal aid services and legal representation for marginalised and underserved groups, such as asylum seekers and refugees.
• Excellent knowledge of the national and international legal framework.
• Experience in analysing training needs, developing and implementing in-person and online individual and group training and coaching sessions.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills.

Language: Fluency in English; proficiency in Albanian.

12. Pre-selected candidates
UNHCR Albania will pre-select between 3 to 5 candidates. Interested candidates should present the following:
• 2 References from previous collaborators
• Detailed proposal with the budget and the work-plan for this consultancy (make sure to include breakdown of the consultancy costs).

Interested external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) should visit https://www.unhcr.org/careers and create a new account (“Sign In” on the top left corner >> Create account). Once successfully registered, you can start filling in your data and apply for vacancies. Sort out by location (Albania). In the event of technical difficulties during the application process, external applicants (non-current UNHCR workforce members) can contact the Global Service Desk at hqussd@unhcr.org.