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Syria Protection Cluster (Turkey)

Terms of Reference for the Syria Protection Cluster supported by cross-border operations from Turkey. Drafted April 2018, and endorsed in July 2018.

Terms of Reference

Table of ContentsTable of Contents........................................................................................................................................1

BACKGROUND.........................................................................................................................................2

SCOPE OF WORK......................................................................................................................................2

GUIDING PRINCIPLES...............................................................................................................................3

OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................................................................3

CORE FUNCTIONS OF THE PROTECTION CLUSTER...................................................................................4

MEMBERSHIP..........................................................................................................................................4

PROTECTION CLUSTER MEETINGS...........................................................................................................5

TASK FORCES AND WORKING GROUPS....................................................................................................6

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PROTECTION CLUSTER LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION ARRAGEMENTS........................................................................................................................................6

REVIEW AND AMENDMENT OF THE TERMS OF REFERENCE....................................................................8

CHILD PROTECTION SUB-CLUSTER TORS.................................................................................................9

GBV SUB-CLUSTER TORS........................................................................................................................14

MINE ACTION SUB CLUSTER TORS.........................................................................................................18

ANNEX A – PROTECTION CLUSTER STRUCTURE.....................................................................................22

ANNEX B – CLUSTER MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS..................................................................23

ANNEX C – NEW MEMBER COMMITTEE TORS.......................................................................................26

ANNEX D – PROTECTION CLUSTER INFORMATION SHARING PROTOCOL..............................................28

ANNEX E – PROTECTION MONITORING TASK FORCE TORS...................................................................37

ANNEX F – GENDER FOCAL POINT TORS................................................................................................40

ANNEX G – PROTECTION CORE GROUP TORS........................................................................................42

ANNEX H – HOUSING, LAND AND PROPERTY TORS...............................................................................44

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BACKGROUNDIn 2005, under the global leadership of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), the Inter-Agency Standing committee (IASC) adopted the ‘Cluster Approach’1 to address the gaps and increase the effectiveness of humanitarian response in situations of internal displacement, complex emergencies and natural disaster. The aim of the Cluster Approach at the global level is to strengthen system-wide preparedness and coordination by ensuring predictable leadership and accountability in all main sectors or areas of humanitarian response. Globally, UNHCR is the designated lead agency for the Protection Cluster.

In January 2014, a Protection Task Force (PTF) for the humanitarian response in Syria was established by members of the Southern Turkey Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) in order to strengthen and coordinate the broader protection response for persons affected by the conflict in Syria. The CPWG existed since March 2013 as part of the NGO coordination structure based in Southern Turkey for the humanitarian response for Syria. The structure and the leadership of the CPWG and the PTF evolved over time, and the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Protection Working Group (PWG) and its two sub-working groups - the Child Protection Sub-Working Group (CP SWG) and the Gender-Based Violence Sub-Working Group (GBV SWG) - were formalized in August 2014.In January 2015 at the request of the ERC, the Turkey cross-border coordination structures were formalized by Cluster activation. The PTF became the Protection Cluster, with Child Protection and GBV SWGs formalized into Sub-Clusters. In mid-2015, the Mine Action Sub-Cluster was also activated. The three Sub-Clusters, as well as other working groups report to, and are encompassed in the umbrella of the Protection Cluster, per the IASC model. The inter-agency humanitarian response coordination structure in Southern Turkey for Syria cross-border draws upon the respective expertise of UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs in all clusters. The Protection Cluster is Co-led by UNHCR and an INGO/NGO. The International Rescue Committee is the current co-lead. The Sub-Cluster for Child Protection is led by UNICEF and an NGO Co-lead (currently World Vision), the Sub-Cluster for GBV is led by UNFPA and an NGO Co-lead (currently Global Communities) and the Mine Action Sub-Cluster is led by UNMAS. The Cluster’s structure can be found in Annex A and Terms of References for the Sub-Clusters can be found on pages 8-26 of this document.

SCOPE OF WORKThe purpose of the Protection Cluster and its Sub-Clusters is to strengthen and coordinate the humanitarian protection response in Syria. The programmatic interventions of the Clusters’ partners aim to mitigate and alleviate the protection consequences of the conflict inside Syria. The Protection Cluster adheres to the IASC definition of protection to guide its activities. As such, the Protection Cluster defines

1 IASC Guidance Note on Using the Cluster Approach to Strengthen Humanitarian Response, available here.

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protection as: “all activities aimed at ensuring full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and spirit of the relevant bodies of law (i.e. human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee laws).”2

The Protection Cluster acknowledges that affected communities themselves contribute to the creation of a protective environment and should be engaged through a participatory approach that takes into consideration age, gender and diversity and that all humanitarian agencies have a role to play in ensuring that positive coping mechanisms are supported and enhanced at local levels.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES The Protection Cluster’s work is guided by the protection minimum standards in humanitarian action3 as well as the following guiding principles:

Respect the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, independence, and do no harm.

Place the perspective of the affected populations at the center, requiring their meaningful participation in assessments, strategic design and evaluation.

Ensure the integration of specific needs related to age, gender and diversity in all stages of protection activities and interventions.

Establish accountability to affected populations through the creation of appropriate mechanisms by which affected populations can measure the quality of interventions, and address concerns and complaints.

Empower affected populations through the development of self-protection capacities and facilitating obtaining the knowledge, resources, and capacities necessary to claim their rights.

Support the Human Rights Up Front Initiative by actively recording, analyzing and reporting on serious and large-scale violations of human rights and humanitarian law and bring such violations to the attention of national authorities and appropriate UN bodies.

OBJECTIVESThe Protection Cluster aims to uphold and promote the rights of women, men, girls and boys affected by the Syrian conflict, and ensures that persons in need affected by the conflict have access to safe and dignified services that mitigate and respond to rights violations. The Cluster’s work is underpinned by its annual strategy and needs identified in the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview4 and the 2018 Protection Needs Overview5,

2 IASC IDP Protection Policy 1999. The definition was originally adopted by a 1999 Workshop of the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Protection. Available here.3 “Protection Principles” in The Sphere Project, Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response,

2011, available here.4 The 2018 HNO is available in English and Arabic.5 The 2018 Protection HNO is available here.

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The Protection Cluster priorities for 2018 are as follows:• The protection of population affected by the conflict is improved through

community-based and individually-targeted protection interventions, as well as through advocacy with duty bearers

• The capacity of humanitarian actors and duty bearers at national and community level is strengthened to assess, analyze, prevent and address protection risks and needs.

CORE FUNCTIONS OF THE PROTECTION CLUSTERThe Protection Cluster’s strategic priorities will be achieved through the following nine core functions6:

Meet the protection needs of affected populations through timely and coordinated action, with particular attention to those persons identified as having specific needs, based on a clear and regularly-updated work plan7;

Provide a clear and consistent understanding of the protection needs of affected populations, through assessments, monitoring and analysis;

Promote understanding and respect of protection policies and standards, both in terms of all protection activities of Protection Cluster partners, and through the mainstreaming of protection in the activities of the other clusters;

Establish and maintain a relevant and robust coordination mechanism, including information management, with Protection Cluster members and relevant counterparts;

Inform and advise the DRHC and HLG regularly on critical protection issues and analysis to facilitate their strategic decision making and prioritization, as well as enable collective leadership in pursuing shared goals in relation to protection;

Enhance local capacity of both NGOs and local authorities in the delivery of protection to affected populations8;

Monitor the performance and impact of Cluster partners’ activities, measuring progress against the cluster strategy and recommending corrective action where necessary;

Identify core advocacy concerns related to protection and contribute key messages to the broader advocacy initiatives of the DRHC, the Cluster Lead Agency and other relevant actors;

Mobilize resources, provide leadership and strategic direction in the assessment and prioritization of project proposals and common funding criteria for inclusion Humanitarian Fund requests and other inter-agency funding appeals.

6 Core functions adapted from the IASC Reference Module Cluster Coordination at the Country-level, available here.7 The Protection Cluster’s workplan is annexed to the Cluster’s strategy.8 The Protection Cluster’s training calendar can be found here, and the training plan for 2018 is annexed to the Cluster’s

strategy.

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MEMBERSHIP Membership is free and open to all humanitarian organizations implementing protection activities and services in Syria, with the shared goal of enhancing the humanitarian protection response. This includes UN agencies, international and national NGOs (Syrian and Turkish), and international organizations with existing protection programming. Organizations should be as represented as feasible, by staff with technical protection expertise in the Cluster meetings.For the Protection Cluster, there is an application process for new organizations interested in joining the Protection Cluster. Details of this process are available in Annex B. A New Member Committee, comprised of the Cluster and Sub-Cluster Coordinators and Cluster members will meet every 4 weeks to review the new member applications. Terms of reference for the New Member Committee can be found in Annex C.

Protection Cluster and Sub-Cluster members commit to the following: Attend and actively participate in Protection Cluster meetings on a regular

basis through discussion, presentations, etc., and follow up on meetings minutes and action points when required;

Share information on Protection Cluster operational priorities, activities, concerns, and constraints to contribute to ongoing protection situation and response monitoring (including gap and coverage analysis), and to inform protection sector reporting requirements at inter-sectoral coordination levels (e.g. through completing 4Ws; sharing relevant information from protection assessments/monitoring conducted by individual agencies; exchanging information on the evolving situation in respective areas of operation);

Actively participate in protection coordination including, development and implementation of the Protection Cluster work plan and strategy;

Participate and engage in Protection Cluster response planning and implementation, including relevant task forces and operational working groups, according to area of expertise, mandate and operation;

Provide inputs to inter-agency tools and resources produced by the Protection Cluster, according to area of expertise, mandate and interests;

Uphold, use and actively promote Protection Cluster agreed principles, standards and tools with staff and partners.

PROTECTION CLUSTER MEETINGSProtection Cluster meetings will be held twice a month, chaired by the Cluster Coordinator and NGO Co-lead. Regular meetings may be postponed for other Cluster events, such as workshops, retreats or trainings. Chatham House Rules9 apply to the Cluster meetings, meaning that information shared may be used, but

9 Definition of Chatham House Rules can be found here.

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should not be attributed to the speaker or the source. The Cluster will draft and circulate previous meeting minutes to all members in advance of the next meeting. There shall be no limit to the number of members of the Protection Cluster but for logistical purposes, the number of representatives of each agency present at Cluster meetings may be limited by the Protection Cluster leadership.Non-members, including donors, may be invited to attend Protection Cluster meetings to present specific agenda items and/or as observers, on an ad hoc basis upon invitation by the leadership. Members will be consulted prior to such attendance and in accordance with the Cluster’s information sharing protocol. Information and reports produced by the Protection Cluster (dashboards, reports, advocacy messages, etc.) may be shared with non-members with an interest in protection, in accordance with the Information Sharing Protocol, which can be found in Annex D.

TASK FORCES AND WORKING GROUPSIn addition to standard Protection Cluster meetings, the Co-Leads may at times form specific task forces to focus on thematic, technical areas or hold operational group meetings for certain geographic areas in Syria, as needed. In addition to a Housing, Land and Property and civil documentation working group planned for 2017, the Protection Cluster currently has the following task forces and operational groups:Protection Monitoring Task Force (PMTF): June 2016 - presentIn June 2016 the Protection Cluster agreed to enhance protection monitoring efforts in order to enable collation of accurate information about protection risks and concerns, to generate actionable recommendations for humanitarian stakeholders, and to strengthen identification and referrals of persons in need of protection interventions. In order to move this process forward, the Protection Cluster established a Protection Monitoring Task Force (PMTF), with reporting lines to the Protection Cluster. The ToRs for the PMTF can be found in Annex E.Protection Core GroupIn April 2018, the Protection Cluster leadership established the Protection Core Group, a small body of Cluster members that contribute to its strategic direction. The core group is not a decision-making body, but rather an advisory group that aims to: develop and adjust the sector’s strategic framework, priorities and workplan; steer medium- and long-term planning for Cluster meeting content; and develop and review Cluster documents, such as guidance notes, ToRs, or key messages. The group is chaired by the Protection Cluster Coordinator and/or the Cluster Co-Lead. The ToRs for the Core Group can be found in Annex G.Housing, Land and Property Technical Working GroupThe Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) Technical Working Group was formed in Gaziantep in May 2017.  The overall objective of the HLP Technical Working Group is

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to facilitate a more systematic approach to identifying, understanding and addressing HLP issues affecting persons of concern and directly impacting the work of the clusters. The TWG is co-led by the Norwegian Refugee Council and UNHCR, and membership includes UN Agencies, international and national non-governmental and humanitarian organizations and representatives of relevant clusters operating in Northern Syria. Meetings are held every two months, and attendance is expected to be at the senior technical level.

Operational Working GroupsThe Protection Cluster leadership may form operational working groups to improve coordination and response in specific geographic locations. Operational working group meetings will be called on an ad-hoc basis by the Co-Leads. Participation in the operational working groups is limited to Protection Cluster partners with existing programming in the identified locations. Invitations to attend operational working groups will initially be sent based on 4W data. Partners who work in the specific locations but do not report to the 4Ws should write to the Cluster Co-Leads and commit to regularly reporting in order to attend operational working group meetings. Partners who miss three consecutive operational working group meetings will be removed from the distribution list.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PROTECTION CLUSTER LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION ARRAGEMENTS The Protection Cluster is led by the Cluster Lead Agency (UNHCR) and one NGO. In the period covered by this ToR (January- December 2017), the Protection Cluster is represented by UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The Coordinators and Co-Leads of the Protection Cluster and its Sub-Clusters have the following responsibilities towards the membership of the cluster10:

Lead and oversee the coordination and management of the protection response;

Promote standards, guidelines and good practices and enforce field compliance with protection policies, standards, and procedures;

Develop inter-agency protection strategies, mobilize resources and inform-strategic decision making;

Improve the representation of protection partners, and represent them at the inter-cluster working group (ICCG), Humanitarian Liaison Group (HLG) and Whole of Syria (WoS) fora;

Reinforce the accountability of the humanitarian response towards and advocate on behalf of affected populations;

10 Detailed information regarding the responsibilities of the Protection Cluster Coordinator and Co-Coordinator can be found in their respective Terms of Reference.

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Maintain critical information management through monitoring and reporting Train and enhance capacity for Protection Cluster partners and other

humanitarian actors on protection; Coordinate, facilitate and support the work of protection partners; Promote interagency/inter-sectoral protection needs assessments

The Protection Cluster participates in of the Whole of Syria coordination mechanism. The Protection Cluster Coordinator and Co-Lead represent Cluster members at the Whole of Syria Level.

The Protection Cluster is represented at the Intercluster Coordination Group (ICCG) by the Protection Cluster Coordinator and Co-Lead. The Protection Cluster is represented at the Humanitarian Liaison Group (HLG) by UNHCR. If neither of the coordinating agencies of the GBV SC are represented at the HLG, the protection coordinating agencies will represent the SC.

The inter-agency humanitarian response coordination structure in Turkey for Syria draws upon the respective expertise of UN agencies and NGOs to provide leadership to clusters, as well as the global leadership structure for the clusters.

Requirements for appointment as the Protection Cluster Co‐Lead Coordinating Agency are: Recognized technical expertise in the sector; Significant operational capacity; and Capacity to commit time and resources to carrying out the responsibilities of

the Cluster Co‐Leadership.

A new Co-Lead may be elected by the Protection Cluster by agreement of its members, and rotation of NGO co-chairs is encouraged on a yearly basis. As funding allows, the Cluster will include support staff as needed.

REVIEW AND AMENDMENT OF THE TERMS OF REFERENCEThe Protection Cluster Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually by active Cluster members. In addition, ad-hoc revisions will be included in accordance with the evolving situation in Syria. Any revisions will be endorsed by the members during the regular meeting of the Protection Cluster.

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CHILD PROTECTION SUB-CLUSTER TORS

1. SCOPE OF WORK

The Southern Turkey Child Protection Sub-Cluster (CPSC) is the forum for coordination and collaboration on child protection in emergencies, in North Syria. The CPSC defines child protection in emergencies as “The prevention of and response to abuse, neglect, exploitation of and violence against children in emergencies”. In practice, child protection work includes specific programs run by child protection specialists, as well as actions integrated into all other humanitarian sectors.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE CP SUB-CLUSTER:

The objective of the Child Protection Sub-Cluster in Southern Turkey is to protect and promote the rights of children affected by the conflict in North Syria and ensure they have access to remedies and are provided with timely, effective and comprehensive needs-based care and assistance. In line with the Child Protection Sub-Cluster Strategy, CPSC Work-plan and the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

The Child Protection Sub-Cluster commits to: Strengthen outreach and promote children and families’ participation and

resilience through community-based approaches; Prevent and respond to increased child protection risks including child labor,

children without appropriate care, associated with armed forces and groups (CAAFAG), child marriage, sexual and psychical violence through the provision of multi-sectors, specialized protection services, including the support of alternative care mechanisms

Provide immediate access to protection and specialized response services to the most vulnerable children, particularly those who are unaccompanied and separated and those who are newly displaced;

Strengthen child protection systems and promote sustainability and quality through consolidated and coordinated approaches in capacity building, especially in case management and family tracing and reunification (FTR);

Promote children’s rights and increase accountability of duty-bearers through advocacy11

3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES

11 Relevant link can be found in footnote 3.

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Northern Syria Child Protection Sub-Cluster

The work of the CP Sub-Cluster is guided by the child protection minimum standards in humanitarian settings12; humanitarian and protection principles of neutrality, humanity, impartiality, independence, and ‘do no harm’. The Child Protection Sub-Cluster commits to uphold and respect the general principles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child13 guiding principles in the leadership, coordination and implementation of its child protection intervention:• Survival and Development• Non-discrimination and access to equitably distributed assistance• Child Participation• Best-interests of the child• Do-no-harm

The following approaches form the basis and the foundation of child protection and its modalities in protection and service delivery:

• Indiscriminate and needs-based access and provision of services: services are accessible to all children from IDPs and host communities regardless of status and belonging to a particular social, religious or ethnic group. Modalities of assistance might differ because of status;

• Focus on quality, sustainability and the strengthening of child protection systems and local capacities;

• Focus on the family-unit over the individual child and ensure an integrated approach to the child protection;

• Promote area-based approaches to ensure modalities remain flexible and adaptable to the local contexts, operational environments and evolving needs;

• Ensure protection and assistance remains principled, needs-based and humanitarian in character.

4. CORE FUNCTIONS OF THE CP SUB-CLUSTER14

Support service delivery Provide a platform to ensure that service delivery is well-coordinated and

driven by agreed strategic priorities, as indicated in the HRP and the Protection Cluster Strategy

Collect and analyze primary and secondary information relevant to the CP situation & CP response to identify priority CP concerns and inform program development and implementation

Based on analysis of available information, prioritize populations and locations most in need of CP interventions

Develop service directories and referral mechanisms for responding to the needs of identified vulnerable children in Syria in collaboration with the Protection Cluster, GBV Sub-Cluster and other sectors.

Develop and maintain appropriate links with the range of international, regional, national and local humanitarian agencies and other stakeholders involved in child protection response.

12 Child protection minimum standards in humanitarian settings, available here. 13 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC), available here. 14 As with the Protection Cluster’s core functions, these are in-line with the IASC Reference Module Cluster Coordination at

the Country-level.

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Respond to grave violations of child rights by reporting through appropriate channels, making referrals as appropriate, and developing harmonized interventions to respond

Promote application and contextualization of existing CP standards and guidelines in prevention and response interventions

Planning and Strategy Development Develop and regularly update a CP Sub-Cluster work-plan identifying priority

areas of collaborative work (such as; establishing technical working groups & information management processes; improve collective monitoring and analysis of CP needs, response and capacities; build capacity of CP staff/workforce; develop service directories and SOPs etc. with a view to strengthening the CP response), key activities, time frames and identification of lead agencies to take specific activities forward.

Develop and regularly update a CP Sub-Cluster strategy under the overall framework of the Protection Strategy, including objectives and indicators for CP response that are aligned with and support realization of the strategic priorities set out by the DRHC and the Humanitarian Country Team or its equivalent for the overarching humanitarian response, the Child Protection Minimum Standards, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Inform strategic decision-making of the DRHC and the Humanitarian Country Team or its equivalent for the humanitarian response

Determine CP sector funding requirements, prioritization, and CPSC contributions to overall humanitarian funding processes/appeals led by the DRHC

Ensure that child protection concerns and standards are appropriately reflected in inter-cluster humanitarian coordination for a

Ensure that CP interventions pursued as part of the emergency response also integrate early recovery considerations - where feasible, work with local CP actors to identify entry points for strengthening national child protection systems including formal and informal community-based systems

Information-collection, Monitoring and Reporting In collaboration with the Protection Cluster, develop, use and update tools for

the collection, analysis and management of child protection information (e.g. 4Ws template, desk review, CP monitoring tool etc.)

Develop joint initiatives to increase the evidence base for child protection programming and advocacy including through:

o Targeted researcho Secondary data analysis (e.g. existing CP assessment, situation and

response monitoring reports)o Conducting and contributing to needs assessments and response gap

analysis (across sectors and within the sector)o Producing regular CP ‘snapshots’ (overview of the CP situation in Syria)

and CP monitoring reports highlighting key concerns/trends and priority programmatic and advocacy interventions

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o Ensure that key CP concerns are reflected in joint inter-agency, multi-sectoral assessments, and individual sector assessments where appropriate

Identify response gaps (including geographic coverage and programmatic scope) and work with regional and global-level CP partners, donors, the NGO Forum, sector leads and the Humanitarian Country Team or its equivalent to seek solutions to fill prioritized gaps

Share regular updates on interventions with members, the Protection Cluster, the NGO Forum and Humanitarian Country Team or its equivalent, and explore inter-agency program complementarities

Ensure periodic review of agency and inter-agency response and report on progress against the CP Sub-Cluster work-plan and CP sector strategy

Promote information sharing with other clusters and with external actors (with the approval of CP Sub-Cluster members) to draw attention to child protection issues and advocate for appropriate assistance and support

Contingency planning/preparedness Contribute to contingency planning where required as part of the overall

humanitarian response planning Monitor and report CP trends and ensure emergency preparedness planning

is undertaken to anticipate new risks

Training and Capacity-building Develop an inter-agency CPiE capacity building plan that identifies and

prioritizes inter-agency training and capacity building needs of CP staff and partners (international, national, local) to enhance CP coordination, advocacy and program implementation

Facilitate the sharing of appropriate technical CP materials and resources Promote and support the application and contextualization of the inter-

agency Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action by all CP actors

Promote appropriate use of participatory and community-based approaches throughout the program cycle, and in line with the best interests of the child.

Develop and disseminate common CP messages that promote the protection of children

Advocacy Identify CP advocacy priorities and contribute key messages promote the

protection of children to broader humanitarian advocacy/messaging Develop common advocacy messages for key CP concerns and undertake

advocacy activities to support prevention and response Maintain the profile of child protection within inter-cluster coordination group

and explore ways to mainstream child protection into the work of other humanitarian sectors.

Actively seek to engage humanitarian partners able and willing to contribute expertise, knowledge and/or resources relevant to CPiE issues

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Advocate for, and facilitate the sourcing and provision of appropriate technical assistance to respond to identified inter-agency training and capacity-building needs

Promote and support the application and contextualization of the inter-agency Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action by all CP actors

Promote appropriate use of participatory and community-based approaches throughout the program cycle, and in line with the best interests of the child.

Develop and disseminate child protection mainstreaming tools including checklists, messages and guidelines

Resource Mobilization Engage in collaborative resource mobilization (human and financial

resources) initiatives at sectorial and inter-cluster levels Determine CP sub-cluster funding requirements in collaboration with the

Protection cluster to input to inter-cluster response planning documents Allocate funding under jointly agreed criteria and prioritization

5. CP SUB-CLUSTER MEETINGS

The Child Protection Sub-Cluster meetings are held in concurrent with the Protection Cluster meetings on a monthly basis to address strategic and policy-related issues relevant to the Sub-Cluster members as a whole. The Child Protection Sub-Cluster Coordinators will chair all sub-cluster meetings. The Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) meets regularly but without a fixed schedule. Thematic focused technical working groups meet regularly and chaired by the respective lead agency. The Sub-Cluster Coordinators may call for emergency meetings as necessary and convenient.

6. SUB-CLUSTER LEADERSHIP & RESPONSIBILITIES 15

The Child Protection Sub-Cluster is currently led by UNICEF and Co-Led by World Vision International. The Coordinators responsibilities include the following16:• Lead and oversee the coordination and management of child protection

operations;• Promote standards, guidelines and good practices and enforce field compliance

with child protection policies, standards, and procedures;• Develop inter-agency child protection strategies, mobilize resources and inform-

strategic decision making;• Improve the representation of CP partners, and represent the Sub-Cluster at the

Protection Cluster, the inter-cluster working group (ICCG) and Humanitarian Liaison Group (HLG);

15 In line with the core responsibilities outlined in the roles and responsibilities of the Protection Cluster leadership and coordination arrangements.

16 Detailed information regarding the responsibilities of the Child Protection Sub-Cluster Coordinator and Co-Coordinator can be found in their respective Terms of Reference.

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• Reinforce the accountability of the humanitarian response towards children and advocate on behalf of affected populations and members of the CP sub-cluster on issues related to the child protection;

• Monitoring, reporting and information management• Training & capacity- building on CPiE for CPSC

members & other humanitarian responders• Coordinating, facilitating and supporting the work of

child protection partners• Promote interagency/inter-sectoral CP needs assessments• Provide CP updates and reports to the Protection Cluster meetings as and when

required

7. CONFIDENTIALITY

The CP Sub-Cluster is not a forum for discussion of individual cases. In the event that individual cases of abuse, exploitation or violence against children are discussed, the cases must be treated in a confidential manner and with the respective agency. No detailed documentation related to such cases should be shared within these forums or with others. Further details about information sharing protocols can be found in Annex C.GBV SUB-CLUSTER TORS

1. Purpose and Scope

The GBV SC is a coordinating body with the objective to reduce risks and mitigate consequences of GBV experienced by women, girls, boys and men in Syria. It works to facilitate multi-sectoral, inter-agency action aimed to prevent GBV, and to ensure a principled approach to the provision of accessible, prompt, and survivor-centered services to survivors of GBV. The GBV SC focuses on populations affected by the armed conflict in Syria reachable though cross-border operations from Turkey.

The GBV SC develops and implements the GBV components of the broader protection strategy as reflected in the Whole of Syria Response Plan (HRP), and ensures, in coordination with the Protection Cluster (PC), and Whole of Syria GBV AoR, the integration of GBV prevention, mitigation and response in the multi-sectoral humanitarian response.

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2. Key responsibilities of the Sub-Cluster17

Developing information systems for coordination

Enhance accountable, predictable, timely and effective GBV prevention and response activities and programs in accordance with the priorities and principles identified in the HRP and Protection Strategy;

Work in partnership to ensure that all persons of concern have access to high quality GBV services

Mapping and ongoing monitoring of the 4Ws in all of the key areas related to GBV prevention and response activities in accordance with the information sharing protocol of the Protection Custer and reporting requirements of the WoS

Coordinate GBV-sub cluster members’ inputs for reporting under the Whole of Syria HRP and other processes;

Ensure regular communications flow to/from the GBV SC and other cluster coordination mechanisms;

Ensure regular monthly coordination meetings are held, minute and all minutes are shared in a timely fashion.

Maintain updated information and tool sharing in SC box or other shared folders and on the humanitarian response website

Identify and document new trends, and engage with GBV members on challenges and new developments, with a view to: - advocating with relevant authorities for remedial action and solutions; - tailoring capacity building initiatives aimed at preventing and response to GBV but also to strengthen women's empowerment activities; - coordinating with agencies to respond to identified gaps; guiding prioritization of resources where necessary, including the coordination of needs assessments;

Identification of gaps in programming; Developing/updating agreed GBV response strategies and action plans and

ensuring that these are adequately reflected in the HRP, and the brother Protection strategy;

Making appeals for GBV funding

Engage in collaborative resource mobilization initiatives at cluster and inter-cluster levels and WoS GBV AoR

Advocate with and mobilize donors to fund GBV and women's empowerment initiatives;

Determine GBV sector funding requirements to input to inter-sectoral response planning documents, including the HRP.

Facilitating the collection of information about ongoing and proposed projects amongst GBV coordination partners.

Providing necessary information to GBV partners about funding requirements and the selection process.

17 As with the Protection Cluster’s core functions, these are in-line with the IASC Reference Module Cluster Coordination at the Country-level.

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Conducting Advocacy

Identify and establish consensus on GBV SC advocacy priorities and contribute key messages to broader humanitarian advocacy/messaging initiatives;

Develop common advocacy messages for key GBV concerns and undertake advocacy activities to support prevention and response;

Feed into WoS Protection advocacy messages Work with other sectors to ensure that GBV risks prevention considerations,

including cross-cutting issues, guide all aspects of the humanitarian response operations for Syria from Southern Turkey;

The GBV SC report to the PC who will ensure that the DRHC is kept abreast of GBV and protection issues and concerns through standard and ad hoc reporting on major protection concerns in Syria.

Working with media

GBV SC will Provide journalists with accurate information about GBV during an emergency as well as guidance to reference materials on ethical reporting

Mainstreaming GBV into other sectors

Regularly participate in Protection Cluster meetings and raise relevant GBV concerns that can be raised at the inter-sector level and/or with the Humanitarian Liaison Team (HLG) and/or its equivalent;

Promote dissemination of SOPs to non-specialized actors and promote dissemination of GBV Guidelines and action plans for mitigate GBV risks in other sectors’ intervention;

Work to ensure that service providers prioritize GBV prevention; recommending changes as appropriate.

Support development and dissemination of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Develop, implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all actors involved in GBV response in collaboration with Protection Cluster and CP Sub Cluster;

Conduct mapping of services and support mechanisms for survivors of GBV; Develop, implement and monitor the referral pathway per area to reinforce

the referral system’s focus on providing prompt and appropriate services to GBV survivors.

Building capacity of GBV partners

Conduct trainings and workshops on GBV prevention and response activities for members of the GBV SC;

Support the capacity building of relevant stakeholders and service providers especially health services providers;

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Support capacity building in preparedness and contingency planning; Identify good practices, guidelines and tools, including monitoring and

evaluation indicators, and ensure timely dissemination among the members; Work with partners to develop and/or revise resources and materials

according to best practices and local context and implement relevant joint training sessions;

Working individually with partners on key issues, including having them ‘shadow’ experts where learning opportunities exist,

Developing information, education and communication materials Support the development of shared information, education, and

communication materials.

Conducting assessments, data collection and monitoring

Contribute to WoS GBV indicators to monitor in 2018 and promote the information collection in a safe way on those indicators to ensure a harmonized approached to data collection

Promote ethical data collection and best practices for GBV in emergencies; Lead yearly data collection on trends in view on the Humanitarian Needs

Overview, as part of the WOS GBV system Review and consolidate existing assessments on the GBV/protection situation

and/or work with relevant humanitarian agencies, IDP and host communities to conduct participatory assessments on GBV/protection;

Promote assessment and roll out of information management systems at service level ex. GBV IMS

Mindful that GBV-related data may be sensitive, disseminate reports to stakeholders regarding the GBV situation and the response in accordance with the information sharing protocol as detailed in GBV SOPs).

3. Leadership and coordination arrangements The GBV SC is co-chaired by one UN agency and one NGO. In the period covered by this ToR (January- December 2018), the GBV SC is represented by UNFPA and Global Communities.

Requirements for appointment as GBV Sector Co‐Lead Coordinating Agency are: Recognized technical expertise in the sector; Significant operational capacity; and

Capacity to commit time and resources to carrying out the responsibilities of the Sector Co‐Leadership.

A new co-chair may be elected by the GBV SC by agreement of its members, and rotation of NGO co-chairs is encouraged on a yearly basis. As funding allows the Sub-Cluster will have support function hired and consultants as needed. The GBV SC will consider the creation of sub working groups, SAGs, or taskforces who will operate under the umbrella of this ToRs if necessary. In the period covered by this ToR (January- December 2018) a Prevention/Risk Mitigation Taskforce, established in 2017, will continue to be operational.

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4. Principles:

GBV SC members agree to be guided by the 2007 Principles of Partnership18, and they shall be guided by the Protection Principles contained in the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response19 as mentioned earlier.

In addition, the work of the GBV SC is guided by the following principles:

Confidentiality: ensuring that survivors, witnesses and information sources are protected. No identifying information will be revealed in data resources, nor during discussions in coordination and other meetings, when reference is made to specific GBV cases.

Safety: all actors will prioritize the safety of the survivor, family, witnesses and service providers at all times.

Respect: actions and responses of all actors will be guided by respect for the choices, wishes, rights and the dignity of the survivor (the survivor-centered approach).

Impartiality & non-discrimination: non-discrimination on the basis of nationality, race, religion, political views, sexual orientation, social or other status.

Neutrality: a non-partisan approach in providing services to survivors. Independence: working without influence of states, government bodies,

parties to a conflict or other political entities. Participative approach: ensuring to the extent possible, consultation with all

members of the community (women, girls, boys and men) in GBV activities/ programs.

MINE ACTION SUB CLUSTER TORSDEFINITION OF “MINE ACTION”

Mine action refers to activities that aim to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of landmines, ERW and other explosive hazards that threaten the lives of civilians, such as IEDs. Mine action is not just about removing landmines; it is also about assisting people and societies and looking at ways in which the victims’ different needs can be addressed in an age and gender sensitive manner. Mine action comprises five complementary groups of activities: a) Risk Education (RE); b) humanitarian explosive hazard clearance, i.e. mine and ERW survey, mapping, marking and clearance; c) victim assistance, including rehabilitation and reintegration; d) stockpile destruction; and e) advocacy for the full implementation and universalization of international frameworks and instruments. A number of other enabling activities are required to support these five components of mine action, including: national capacity building, information 18 Relevant link can be found in footnote 10.19 Relevant link can be found in footnote 3.

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management, human skills development and management training, quality management and the application of effective and appropriate safety standards.Not all the elements and components of mine action, as defined in the previous paragraph, may be applicable to Syria Response.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

The overall objective of the Syria Response MA SC is to ensure coordination of operational activities aimed at reducing and if possible eliminating the threats posed by the use and presence of explosive hazards to civilians, including displaced persons, humanitarian workers and other relevant aid and development partners, through the conduct of Mine Action activities. The MA SC will work under the Syria Response Protection Cluster, and shall be a forum through which organizations with Mine Action programs in support of Syrian population, including programs for refugees in neighboring countries, coordinate interventions, seek consensus on issues, create partnerships and linkages for better prioritization of available resources and commitment to minimum standards of response with an overall goal of reducing the risk of explosive hazard to civilians. The MA SC will seek to facilitate a more predictable, inclusive, accountable and effective mine action response; and will support cohesive, inter-agency and inter-organization mine action responses. MA SC SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1) To support effective coordination of mine action activities responding to the identified key concerns in the Syria Response context, and strive to reduce duplication of humanitarian action by partners;

2) To ensure inclusive planning and strategy development to identify priority Mine Action concerns and design programs to meet the most pressing needs; develop appropriate protection sensitive response strategies and plans of action that are current and relevant, taking into consideration innovative technology and methodology and the priorities of the Protection Cluster;

3) To support policy and advocacy initiatives to enhance protection of civilians initiatives within the context of mine action;

4) To facilitate monitoring and reporting to show progress towards national and international goals as well as share information with relevant stakeholders;

5) To support resource mobilization initiatives for the MA SC in order to secure resource and international support required to implement activities efficiently and effectively; and

6) To undertake training and capacity building and of national partners. THEMATIC AREAS OF FOCUS

The MA SC will focus operational implementation on two main thematic areas in 2015 and 2016 and then re-evaluate in 2017 to ensure alignment with the overall OCHA Humanitarian Programme Cycle including the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

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1. Risk Education (relating to all explosive hazard, including safety briefing) 2. Clearance (relating to survey, mapping, marking and clearance of explosive hazard)

CORE FUNCTIONS

As part of the Syria Response Protection Cluster, and in line with the objectives above, the Syria Response MA SC serves as the responsibly body for humanitarian coordination, provision of explosive hazards-related technical advice and oversight of MA response activities for Syrian population. The purpose of coordination is to reduce duplication, address gaps and solve problems. The MA SC shall: Coordination

Support effective coordination and collaboration of explosive hazards-related activities among humanitarian and other relevant partners. This includes among others, securing commitment of humanitarian partners to respond to identified needs, fill gaps, ensure an appropriate distribution of responsibilities and complementarities of different actors actions, and promote responses to urgent protection concerns.

Provide technical guidance and information to Protection cluster members and other cluster members as needed regarding the explosive threat in Syria and options for awareness training.

Through close liaison with UNMAS and partner networks and regular communication with field based offices, maintain an overview of the explosive threat situation as well as issues that require attention at federal levels in Syria.

Share information on MA programmatic responses with particular focus on issues that will affect Protection cluster members

Maintain the profile of explosive hazards management within the broader protection structure

Maintain a close link with the GPC Mine Action AoR though its Coordinator (UNMAS Geneva office), including for seeking technical and political advice when appropriate

Planning and Strategy Development

Coordinate the inclusion of Mine Action aspects in the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, which includes the Humanitarian Needs Overview and Humanitarian Response Plan.

To assist in building an effective and comprehensive protection response, the MA SC will develop and implement an annual work plan which will be incorporated into the overall Syria Response PC work plan and overarching thematic strategy.

The work plan will include prioritized activities and outputs in line with the MA

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SC thematic focus areas and specific timeframes and responsibilities of collaborating organizations.

Ensuring community-based approaches, including capacity development and livelihood opportunities related to MA mitigation.

Policy and Advocacy

Ensure all MA SC members adhere to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs).

Expand the socio-economic impact of explosive hazard management by promoting the employment of Syrian men and women.

MA SC will strive to follow the Gender Guidelines for Mine Action Programmes to mainstream gender considerations and strive for gender balance in the planning, implementation and evaluation of UN mine action programmes.

Monitoring and Reporting

Establish and maintain monitoring and reporting mechanisms on explosive hazards

Prepare and distribute regular and consistent reports about the nature and extent of the explosive threat and casualties in Syria.

Provide data towards the strategic objectives of the Strategy of the United Nations on Mine Action 2013-18 and into the UNMAS managed Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA).

Monitor trends of newly emerging technology (such as IEDs) and ensure cluster members are aware.

Resource Mobilization

Advocate to donors through the 2016 Mine Action Portfolio which encompasses all explosive hazards management programmes for Syrian population. The Portfolio of Mine Action Projects is a resource tool and reference document for donors, policy-makers, advocates, and national and international mine action implementers.

Advocate to donors to provide funding to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action. This trust fund was established by the Secretary-General on 30 November 1994 to provide special resources for mine-action programmes and projects, including surveys, mine-clearance, mine-risk education, and victim assistance and advocacy activities, in situations where other funding is not immediately available.

Coordinate with the Protection cluster to ensure explosive hazards management is included and appropriately reflected in the Humanitarian Programme Cycle processes and within the HNO and HRP.

All MA SC members will be encouraged to mobilize their own resources in addition to the above.

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Provide information to MA SC members about funding opportunities, requirements and processes and actively build relationships with donors to cover gaps.

Training and Capacity Building

Promote and support training to cluster members and all INGO and LNGO partners working in Syria on the topic of landmine and ERW awareness. Smart phone applications are also available.

Ensure that humanitarian actors working in explosive hazards management for Syrian population build on and support relevant local capacities and develop and maintain appropriate links with national and local authorities, state institutions, civil society organizations and other stakeholders that are involved in explosive hazard management.

FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS

The MA SC will determine the frequency of the meetings based on the need for coordination and implementation. Meetings will be organized with sufficient time for partners to make travel arrangements from various regions. Meetings will take place in Gaziantep.

FOLLOW-UP

Nothing in these Terms of Reference should be interpreted in any way to limit the actions of the SC in a particular context where the need to fill gaps in mine action have been identified or requested.

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ANNEX A – PROTECTION CLUSTER STRUCTURE

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ANNEX B – CLUSTER MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS

Protection Cluster Scope of WorkThe purpose of the Protection Cluster and its Sub-Clusters is to strengthen and coordinate the humanitarian protection response in Syria. The programmatic interventions of the Clusters’ partners aim to mitigate and alleviate the protection consequences of the conflict inside Syria. The Protection Cluster adheres to the IASC definition of protection to guide its activities. As such, the Protection Cluster defines protection as: “all activities aimed at ensuring full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and spirit of the relevant bodies of law (i.e. human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee laws).”20

Cluster Membership Membership is free and open to all humanitarian organizations implementing protection activities and services in Syria, with the shared goal of enhancing the humanitarian protection response. This includes UN agencies, international and national NGOs (Syrian and Turkish), and international organizations with existing protection programming.Categories and Associated Definitions Active Member: an organization that is: (1) humanitarian in nature; (2) is

operational in terms of providing protection prevention or response services inside Syria; (3) reports to Cluster when requested and provides 4Ws on a monthly basis; (4) attends cluster meetings regularly, or if not organizationally present in Gaziantep participates in cluster work and tasks; and (5) participates in the Humanitarian Program Cycle process.

Inactive Member: an organization that is: (1) adherent to humanitarian principles; (2) is operational on the ground; (3) does not meet the reporting and meeting attendance requirements of an active member, detailed below.

Non-Operational Member: an Organisation that is: (1) adherent to humanitarian principles; (2) may/may not be operational on the ground; and (3) provides regular information to the cluster that contributes to strengthening the humanitarian response.

Observer: an entity that may or may not be humanitarian and is invited at the discretion of the cluster coordinators. The degree of participation, if any, is at the discretion of the cluster coordinators and should be based on strengthening operational coordination.

While observers and non-operational members can be invited to attend a meeting and provide technical inputs, they are not part of the formal cluster decision making process. An observer/non-operational/inactive member cannot sit on any technical review committees, or the Strategic Advisory Group established by the cluster, but may be invited for specific reasons and at the discretion of the cluster coordinators.

Benefits of an Organisation being “active”:

20 IASC IDP Protection Policy 1999. The definition was originally adopted by a 1999 Workshop of the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Protection. Available here.

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Because a distinction between “active” and “observer” members is being made, there needs to be a mechanism for organizations to be in either of those categories. An active member receives: (1) access to Cluster-specific trainings; (2) access to trainings requiring a coordinator’s recommendation; (3) eligibility to apply for HF capacity assessment or to apply for HF funding; and (4) eligibility to submit project(s) to the Humanitarian Response Plan.

Sanctions for not being “active”:Active membership comes to an end (termination/ removed) if:1. The organization does not participate in two (2) consecutive meetings and the

coordinators have not been informed of their absence; or2. The organization does not provide information to the 4Ws over two consecutive

months. Should an organization inform the coordinators / IM officer that they are not reporting because no activities took place in that month, it will be deemed as having reported.

Principles for Cluster Meetings1. Appropriate representation: all participants should be in the “active” or “inactive” category. Coordinators should determine the degree of inclusivity that will allow for participants to feel that the meeting is a safe space to discuss humanitarian issues. Issues that are best discussed with “active” or “inactive” members should be considered in a “closed” session of the meeting. 2. Personal attendance: an organization should send a technical representative21 to the meeting. Participation via electronic means (e.g. phone, Skype, WebEx), should not be permitted unless there are special circumstances. Discretion to allow electronic participation rests with the cluster coordinators. 3. The “observer” category can be used to allow for representatives from entities to participate at cluster meetings that ordinarily are not considered humanitarian because of their inherent links to authorities or donor/member states.

Application Process

For the Protection Cluster, there is an application process for new organizations interested in joining the Cluster. Interested organizations should send a written request to Ms. Hala Khaled (khaledh@unhcr.org) detailing the following:

Brief explanation of their current protection programing in Syria22 (including types of services and locations);

Their reason for wishing to join the Cluster; and Express their commitment to:

o Regularly attending and actively participating in Cluster meetings; o Completing the monthly 4Ws and other reporting requirements;

21 For the Protection Cluster and Sub-Clusters, this means a protection staff. If technical staff is not available from time to time, the recommendation is to send regrets, in an effort to ensure presence in meetings is functional and efficient.

22 Examples of protection programming, both prevention and response services, both in terms of activities and their definitions are annexed to this document. Existing protection programming is a requirement for Cluster membership.

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o Sharing responsibility for Protection Sector activities; o Respecting and adhering to agreed principles, policies, priorities and

standards (including the Principles of Partnership23 and the Protection Principles contained in the Humanitarian Charter); and

o Participate and engage in Protection Cluster response planning and implementation, including relevant task forces and operational working groups, according to area of expertise, mandate and operation

A New Member Committee24, comprised of the Cluster and Sub-Cluster Coordinators and Cluster members will meet every 4 weeks to review the new member applications. Applicant organizations will receive feedback three working days after the New Member Committee meeting.NB: Organization should be part of/registered in OCHA Platform in order for them to apply for membership in the Protection Cluster.Rejected applicationsOrganizations who do not meet the membership criteria will not be accepted into the Cluster. Organizations who wish to reapply must wait three months before resubmitting an application.

NB: Both rejected and new organizations are also referred to “Centrality of Protection session” to understand Protection in general.

Upcoming/planned protection programmingOrganizations who have upcoming/planned protection programming (with funds secured) are advised to contact the relevant Cluster/Sub-Cluster Coordinators and schedule a meeting.

Protection Programming in TurkeyOrganizations who are providing protection services as part of the response in Turkey will be referred to Protection Working Group for South-East Turkey.

23 Principle of Partnership: A statement of commitment endorsed by the Global Humanitarian Platform 12 th July 2017, available here.

24 Terms of reference for the New Member Committee are available upon request.27

ANNEX C – NEW MEMBER COMMITTEE TORSCompositionThe New Membership Committee composition is restricted to a maximum of 10 members in order to facilitate reaching a quorum during meetings. The Committee is composed of a minimum of one coordinator from each of the Protection Cluster and its current Sub-Clusters, as well as a minimum of two NGO Protection Cluster members from NGOs (Syrian or international) that meet the following qualification:

Actively involved (directly or indirectly) in implementing protection programming in Syria.

This composition is subject to review and amendment by the Committee as necessary in consultation with the Cluster membership. The Protection Cluster Associate shall be the chair of the New Membership Committee and may appoint an alternate chair as required.The membership of the committee will be annually elected.Purpose To ensure that:

Organisations seeking to join the Protection Cluster are provided with comprehensive information on the criteria for joining the Cluster, the application requirements, and the responsibilities and benefits of membership; and

Applications to join the Protection Cluster are reviewed in a thorough, fair and transparent manner.

To this end, the New Membership Committee is responsible for the following: 1. Distributing information on the Protection Cluster, the criteria for joining and the

requirements and benefits of membership;2. Reviewing completed application forms against the criteria outlined in the

Protection Cluster Terms of Reference and follow up with potential members as required;

3. Advising the Protection Cluster membership on the development of induction materials for potential and new Protection Cluster members;

4. Implementing changes to membership criteria as decided by the Protection Cluster;

5. Partnering with other Protection Cluster and Sub-Cluster committees or working groups as appropriate on matters of common interest; and

6. Reporting to the Protection Cluster at least quarterly or more often as required on New Membership Committee activities.

Meetings Meetings will be convened on a monthly basis in order to ensure a smooth flow of the applications. There may not be a gap longer than 6 weeks between committee meetings. Meetings must be held in person. Governance Recommendations and decisions of the New Membership Committee shall be made by consensus.

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Applicants shall be informed of the New Membership Committee’s decision within one week of the Committee meeting.The New Membership Committee shall report to the Protection Cluster. Record-Keeping of Decisions The Chair shall ensure that a record of all decisions and recommendations of the Membership Committee is maintained. The Chair may appoint a recording secretary as appropriate.

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ANNEX D – PROTECTION CLUSTER INFORMATION SHARING PROTOCOL25

Overview:According to IASC guidelines, cluster/sub-cluster coordinators “are responsible for generating up-to-date cluster specific information (e.g. contact lists, meeting minutes, standard forms, policy or technical guidance, datasets, needs/gap analysis, etc.) and sharing it with OCHA in order to support inter-sector/cluster data sharing”. In addition, where needed, cluster/sub-cluster coordinators are responsible for “establishing a data confidentiality and privacy policy within their sector/cluster, which ensures that sensitive, personally identifiable datasets are suitably anonymized.” 26

This protocol has been developed in accordance with IASC guidelines.Purpose:The Protection Cluster, which includes the Child Protection Sub-Cluster and the Gender Based Violence Sub-Cluster – referred in this protocol as the Protection Cluster unless otherwise specified - strives to inform all relevant humanitarian stakeholders about protection needs, gaps, trends and response in Syria. Due to the complex security and operational environment for cross-border actors providing services from Turkey, and in line with the Sphere Protection Principle of ‘do not harm,’27 the information sharing protocol prioritizes the safety and security of those who may be identifiable from the information (affected populations, Protection Cluster members, their staff and partners).In order to achieve a more informed protection analysis and response, the Protection Cluster encourages its members to be proactive in sharing all relevant information with the Cluster Coordinators to enable regular, credible protection situation/coverage analysis and response monitoring and analysis and recommendations. This is essential to inform both development and implementation of the Protection Cluster strategy. This approach will make sure to address the partners’ implementation needs and risks to other sector/clusters when needed respecting the information confidentiality agreed through this document. The aim is to ensure inter-cluster response planning and implementation processes at the Turkey operations level, as well as for the broader humanitarian response i.e. Whole of Syria. To guarantee the safe delivery of protection programs, the overall approach to dealing with information entrusted to, or originating from, the Protection Cluster is based on the understanding that the work of the Protection Cluster should be open and transparent, except if the nature of the information concerned is deemed confidential28.The Protection Sector/Cluster recognises the benefits of information sharing, including:

Better triangulation of information and corroboration of evidence Better informed decision making

25 This protocol will be subject to an annual review and the first review will be conducted through 201726 IASC Operational Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sector Leads and OCHA in Information Management27 The Sphere Project – Protection Principles - http://www.spherehandbook.org/en/protection-principle-1-avoid-exposing-people-

to-further-harm-as-a-result-of-your-actions/ 28 This information sharing protocol does not include specifications for sharing individual case-related data. Information sharing

related to individual cases will be elaborated in SOPs and other relevant documents specified to the sector/cluster/sub-sector/clusters.

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Improved inter-agency collaboration Increased access to information on needs and gaps More effective intervention, support and targeting of resources Improved protection of individuals at risk Conducting joint analysis Building a common understanding of the protection situation Better access to resources and lessons learnt

Application:This policy applies to all Protection Cluster partners: Protection Cluster, CP Sub-Cluster, GBV Sub-Cluster and Mine Action Sub-Cluster Coordinators, Information Management Officers, support staff and all Protection Cluster members.Agreed principles and commitments:

The Protection Cluster will abide by IASC guidelines29 on information management, sharing and confidentiality, and operate on the principle that humanitarian information/data should be made accessible to all humanitarian actors, unless sharing the data threatens the humanitarian space and safety of the organization, its staff, partners and beneficiaries.

The Protection Cluster agrees that information management and exchange should be based on collaboration, partnership and sharing with a high degree of participation and joint ownership

The Protection Cluster members agree to share information/data related to assessment and monitoring of protection issues, situation and response with the Protection Cluster Coordinators for anonymization, consolidation, cluster-specific analysis and preparation of regular information products on behalf of the Protection Cluster as well as for sharing with Protection Cluster members and other relevant humanitarian stakeholders.

The Protection Cluster Coordinators agree to store information and data shared by Protection Cluster members in a secure manner that is clearly articulated to the Protection Cluster members.

The Protection Cluster Coordinators and members agree to utilise/share information in a manner that recognises the sensitivities associated with this humanitarian response and respects the need for confidentiality, anonymization and approval of Protection Cluster members prior to further sharing of information provided by Protection Cluster members.

o Given the contextual and operational concerns of Protection Cluster members operating cross-border, all identifiable information (organization name and location beyond the sub-district level), which is not utilised for Cluster (internal) operational planning and field-level coordination30 will be kept with the Protection Cluster Coordinators and

29IASC Operational Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sector Leads and OCHA in Information Management30 At present, Cluster members are sharing identifiable (organizations’ names, focal points) and detailed geographic information

(below sub-district) for dignity kit distributions, emergency response planning and referral pathway development. The cluster 31

IMOs at the Turkey operational level to minimize the risk regarding safety of Protection Cluster members, their staff and partners.

When sharing sensitive information with Protection /Cluster Coordinators, Protection Cluster members are responsible for classifying the information shared to indicate whether it can be shared and with whom (based on the table at the end of this policy) to ensure that the Protection Cluster coordinators adopt suitable security measures to prevent the information from being compromised or inappropriately disclosed. This applies when sharing information outside of standard information exchanges (e.g. 4W or contact details). See table in annex to this Protocol for the classification of standard information types.

Protection Cluster Coordinators are responsible for extracting and protecting information which cannot be shared, prior to sharing cluster information with relevant humanitarian stakeholders (e.g. OCHA, donors, etc.).

Protection Cluster Coordinators and members have the responsibility to:o Ensure that the identity of individuals and organizations involved in the

Protection Cluster will be protected as requested/required by Protection Cluster members, and shared only with the approval of Protection Cluster members

Breaches to the protocol31

Should there be a breach by any of participating members (including Protection Cluster Coordinators and IMOs) to this information sharing protocol, a meeting will be called for all members within ten days to discuss the breach and develop a resolution.If a meeting is not possible within ten days or if a resolution cannot be reached, senior management from Protection Cluster participants of coordination agencies should hold a meeting to determine the course of action. If needed, an external interlocutor from one of the inter-sector coordination fora or from the Global Protection Cluster may be approached to facilitate the discussion and resolution.Protection Cluster members may stop sharing data if the protocol is breached and will inform Protection Cluster Coordinators in writing with the reasons for stopping the flow of data. While the matter is being resolved, and if Protection Cluster Coordinators are not involved in the breach, it is recommended that Protection Cluster members continue to share data to inform field level response. The Protection Sector/Cluster consolidated information will not be shared externally until the breach is resolved.The resolution of a breach or suspected breach must be agreed to by all members of the Protection Cluster.

coordinators anticipate additional operational scenarios, tools and documents, which will practically require de-anonymization and detailed geographic information.

31 Adapted from the GBVIMS Inter-Agency Information Sharing Protocol, http://www.gbvims.com/gbvims-tools/isp/32

Information Type Information Sharing Category Level of Anonymization Disclosure Protocol

4W data monthly inputs

Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

N/A – Protection Cluster members do not anonymize data information

Limited – not circulated by IMOs until anonymized and data aggregated per the information sharing category. Only shared with active members of the Protection Sector/Cluster who share 4W data

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Non-identifiable (coded) organizations; all activity info visible; sub-district level location; disaggregated population figures

Restricted – Protection Cluster members do not circulate 4W data of the cluster.

External – UNOCHA IMOs in Gaziantep and/or Amman

Non-identifiable (coded) organizations; all activity info visible; sub-district level location; disaggregated population figures

Limited – OCHA at the Gaziantep level will compile all data received and share with IMOs in Amman for WoS consolidation

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Non-identifiable (coded) organizations; all activity info visible; sub-district level location; disaggregated population figures

Limited – WoS Protection Sector focal points will compile and circulate to hub Protection Sector Coordinators as well as with the WoS Inter-Cluster/Sector Coordination Group.

External - Public Not shared publically Restricted - Not sharedProtection dashboard Internal – Protection Cluster

Coordinators/IMOsNon-identifiable; cluster and sub- cluster population figures are aggregated and presented at the sub-district level, broad activity information presented as percentages in the drafting

Public – Protection Sector Coordinators may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Non-identifiable; cluster and sub-cluster population figures are aggregated and presented at the sub-district level, broad activity information presented as

Public – Protection Sector/Cluster members may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

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percentagesExternal – UNOCHA in Gaziantep Non-identifiable; cluster and sub-

cluster population figures are aggregated and presented at the sub-district level, broad activity information presented as percentages

Public – OCHA Gaziantep may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Non-identifiable; sector/cluster and sub-sector/cluster population figures are aggregated and presented at the sub-district level, broad activity information presented as percentages

Public – WoS Protection Sector focal points may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

External - Public Non-identifiable; sector/cluster and sub-sector/cluster population figures are aggregated and presented at the sub-district level, broad activity information presented as percentages

Public – Protection Sector Coordinators may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

Meeting minutes

Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

Non-identifiable organizations (in the drafting of the minutes)

Limited – active members of the Protection Cluster who attend meetings and share 4W data

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Non-identifiable organizations unless otherwise prior approval from organization

Limited – member organizations may circulate internally to appropriate persons within their respective organizations

External – UNOCHA IMOs in Gaziantep and/or Amman

Not shared with UNOCHA IMOs Restricted – not shared

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Non-identifiable organizations unless otherwise prior approval from organization

Restricted – WoS Focal Points may not circulate minutes any further.

External - Public Not shared publically Restricted – not sharedTraining requests and/or invitations

Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

Not anonymized

NB: This refers to trainings

Limited – organizations may circulate internally and request more information from

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conducted by the Sector Coordinators or IMOs

the coordinators

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Not anonymized

NB: This refers to trainings conducted, planned and needed by Cluster members

Limited – organizations may circulate internally and request more information from the providing organization

External – OCHA, NGO Forum, Partnership Initiative or other bodies/organizations

Not anonymized

NB: This refers to trainings conducted by OCHA, NGO Forum, etc.

Limited – organizations may circulate internally

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Not anonymized

NB: This refers to trainings conducted by or through the WoS

Limited – organizations may circulate internally

External - Public Not anonymized

NB: This refers to trainings conducted by or through external actors

Limited – organizations may circulate internally

Protection Cluster member contact information

Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

N/A – Protection Cluster members provide Protection Cluster Coordinators and IMOs with appropriate contact information

Restricted – not shared

Internal – Protection Cluster members for field level coordination32

Not anonymized - Organizations’ names and the areas/scope of their work will be shared; geographically at the appropriate level; organizational/service focal points contact information will also be shared

Limited – shared with operationally relevant Cluster members, not to be shared further beyond the Cluster members per the contact list

32 Field-level coordination refers to the operational planning and execution of Protection Cluster activities/services i.e. dignity kit distributions, emergency or contingency planning and response, referrals, etc. to facilitate timely and effective response.

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Internal – Protection Cluster members

Not shared without the consent of the organization – Protection Cluster members may request to be put in touch with specific cluster members. Protection Cluster Coordinators or IMOs would first confirm with the organization before facilitating the connection

Restricted – not shared without consent

External – Inter-Cluster Coordinators

Not anonymized - Organizations’ names, a focal point (contact info) can be shared with relevant cluster coordinators to address non-protection-related issues33

Limited – Protection Cluster Coordinators will only share with other Cluster Coordinators as needed.

External – UNOCHA IMOs in Gaziantep and/or Amman

Not shared without the consent of the organization - OCHA may request to be put in touch with specific sector/cluster members. Protection Cluster Coordinators or IMOs would first confirm with the organization before linking the two

Restricted – not shared without consent

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Not shared Restricted – not shared

External - Public Not shared Restricted – not sharedAssessments34 and reports

Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

Not anonymized unless member sharing provides an anonymized version

Limited – circulated to Protection Cluster members and uploaded to the Protection Cluster dropbox

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Not anonymized unless member sharing provides an anonymized version

Limited – organizations may circulate internally

33 Example: if a Protection Cluster members identifies a gap with NFIs in a specific location, the Protection Cluster Coordinators will directly link that member with the NFI/Shelter Coordinators without first seeking permission from the reporting Cluster member.

34 Assessments refers to assessments/surveys carried about by individual Protection Cluster members or a small group of Protection Cluster members, Large-scale, multi-agency and multi-sectoral assessments may be bound by different sharing standards.

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External – UNOCHA IMOs in Gaziantep and/or Amman

Not anonymized unless member sharing provides an anonymized version

Restricted – not shared without consent from organization(s)

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Not anonymized unless member sharing provides an anonymized version

Restricted – not shared without consent from organization(s)

External - Public Not anonymized unless member sharing provides an anonymized version

Restricted – not shared without consent from organization(s)

Email communication Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

Not anonymized – communication between the Protection Cluster Coordinators or bilaterally with individual members is not blind copied.

Restricted – not shared beyond the sector/cluster coordinators

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Non-identifiable organizations – Protection Cluster Coordinators blind close copy (bcc) all communication to the Protection Sector/Cluster; disclosed emails may be permitted exceptionally in such cases as thematic follow-up discussions, task forces, working groups or committees, or action points agreed upon by specific members

Limited – organizations may circulate internally

Internal – Protection Cluster members for planning or field-level coordination

Not blind close copy – email addresses of relevant Protection Cluster members will be visible to all Protection Cluster members in copy

Restricted – Protection Cluster members do not circulate the non-blind correspondence further.

External – Inter-Cluster Coordination for planning for field-level coordination35

Not blind close copy – email addresses of relevant Protection Cluster members will be visible to all Cluster Coordinators and respective members in copy

Limited – Protection Cluster Coordinators will only share with other Cluster Coordinators as needed.

External – OCHA, NGO Forum, Partnership Initiative or other

Not anonymized Limited, organizations may circulate internally

35 Examples of this include the GBV-Health Strategy Task Force, the Protection-CCCM Reference Group, Mine Action Reference Group and the Family Tracing Task Force.

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bodies/organizationsExternal – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Not anonymized Limited, organizations may circulate internally

External – Public Not anonymized Public, may be widely shared

Sector strategy paper

Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

Non-identifiable - broad activity / strategic information presented. Geographic detail at District level.

Public – Protection Cluster Coordinators may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Non-identifiable - broad activity / strategic information presented. Geographic detail at District level.

Public – Protection Cluster members may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

External – OCHA, NGO Forum, Partnership Initiative or other bodies/organizations

Non-identifiable - broad activity / strategic information presented. Geographic detail at District level.

Public – OCHA Gaziantep may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Non-identifiable - broad activity / strategic information presented. Geographic detail at District level.

Public – WoS Protection Sector focal points may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

External – Public Non-identifiable - broad activity / strategic information presented. Geographic detail at District level.

Public – Protection Cluster Coordinators may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

Sector work-plans Internal – Protection Cluster Coordinators/IMOs

Not anonymized – Protection Sector/Cluster focal points/members responsible for certain processes will be named.

Limited – circulated to Protection Cluster members and uploaded to the Protection Cluster dropbox

Internal – Protection Cluster members

Not anonymized – Protection Sector/Cluster focal points/members responsible for certain processes will be named.

Limited – organizations may circulate internally

External – UNOCHA IMOs in Gaziantep and/or Amman

Non-identifiable organizations (in the drafting of workplans)

Public – OCHA Gaziantep may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

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External – WoS Protection Sector focal points

Non-identifiable organizations (in the drafting of workplans)

Public – WoS Protection Sector focal points may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

External – Public Non-identifiable organizations (in the drafting of work plans)

Public – Protection Sector Coordinators may share with the humanitarian community, donors, OCHA, etc.

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ANNEX E – PROTECTION MONITORING TASK FORCE TORs

Rationale & BackgroundAs the Syrian conflict continues, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. An estimated 13.5 million people, including 6.6 million IDPs, are in need of humanitarian assistance. There is a continuation of widespread and systematic breaches of human rights and international humanitarian law by parties to the conflict. The UNSC Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 authorized delivery of relief “across conflict lines.” While this increased the scope for protection activities and services in northern Syria, humanitarian access remains the single greatest constraint facing humanitarian actors. Not only does it hamper the immediate delivery of protection and assistance, but it also limits humanitarian actors’ knowledge of the local context. Current protection monitoring activities enable a partial protection analysis of the gap between needed and available assistance and services. They highlight the necessity to improve accessibility of services to vulnerable populations and increase the efficiency and reach of service providers. In addition, they are a vital source of evidence-based information for advocacy efforts. Given the scope and scale of protection risk and threats, however, there is an evident need for inter-agency protection monitoring guidance, procedures, and forms, as well as for increased awareness among humanitarian actors about the importance and utility of protection monitoring for their ongoing program and advocacy responses.Against this backdrop, the Syria Protection Cluster (Turkey) has agreed to step up protection monitoring efforts in order to enable collation of accurate information about protection risks and concerns, to generate actionable recommendations for humanitarian stakeholders, and to strengthen identification and referrals of persons in need of protection interventions. In order to move this process forward, the Protection Cluster is establishing a Protection Monitoring Task Force (PMTF), with an initial mandate of 12 months, as of June 2016 which will report to the Protection Cluster. The PMTF is co-led by UNHCR and IRC.DefinitionsThere is no universally accepted definition of protection monitoring. Drawing on the description of protection monitoring provided by the Global Protection Cluster,36 the Protection Cluster agrees that:

36 Global Protection Cluster (GPC), Handbook for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons, June 2010, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4790cbc02.html [accessed 1 April 2016]

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Protection monitoring during internal displacement involves collecting, verifying, and analyzing information in order to identify protection risks encountered by IDPs and other affected populations. Protection monitoring generally takes place over an extended period of time and should be coordinated and undertaken by agencies with a specific mandate and expertise to do so, in cooperation with UN agencies and members of civil society, particularly those directly affected: internally displaced persons and others.

Key Objectives of Protection Monitoring in Northern Syria The Protection Cluster agrees that the main objectives of protection monitoring in northern Syria are to:

Support the collection of protection data from inside of Syria in order to reinforce, through advocacy, the responsibility of State and non-State actors to protect IDPs and other affected populations in line with human rights law and international humanitarian law;

Collate, analyze and present information to guide and inform international and national actors in taking action, such as undertaking specific interventions on behalf of individuals and groups, and planning and implementing humanitarian assistance operations;

Increase access of affected populations to existing services and raise their awareness thereof; and

Support the creation of referrals systems which ensure safety and confidentiality in accordance with international best practice for services and protection interventions37.

Objectives of the Protection Monitoring Task ForceThe main objectives of the PMTF are to:

Provide guidance on the collection of protection data in line with international standards;

Standardize common data points across sectors in order to facilitate treatment of data for common information products;

Develop templates for regular reporting; Set standards to ensure reliability and scope of data collected (number of

primary/secondary sources, etc.); Agree on data sharing protocols and coordination; Create an online data-sharing platform to host reports on trends and

individual incidentsIn particular, the PMTF aims to increase, through the capacity-building process, the number of assessments conducted and shared by national humanitarian actors, as well as the number of analysis/information products developed. As such, the

37 As agreed in the first workshop.

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activities of the PMTF will fall under protection Objective 2 of the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan, namely to: Strengthen the capacity of national and community-based actors to assess, analyze and respond to protection needs.

The PMTF will report to the Protection Cluster and other participating clusters as needed, ensuring that all substantive outcomes and products are approved by the Protection Cluster and ensuring exchange of information, amplification of messaging, and support. All PMTF activities will be aligned with the IASC guidance on information management and in coordination with Cluster IM focal points.

Membership The PMTF is composed of representation from national and international NGOs/CBOs and relevant UN agencies from the protection cluster and other interested clusters. Priority for membership will be given to organizations that are undertaking or planning protection monitoring and/or outreach activities, as well as to organizations that have recognized technical expertise in this area. Focal points for elected member organizations are requested to remain consistent where possible to ensure continuity and consistency with assigned tasks.The PMTF is an inclusive body and its meetings are open to all partners and donors, as observers. The PMTF is co-chaired by IRC and UNHCR. IRC will fulfill the role of PMTF secretariat, including taking and circulating meeting minutes. All members of the PMTF accept the ICRC code of conduct and international humanitarian principles in all action undertaken as part of the PMTF.Activities and OutputsThe PMTF will meet as necessary and it will regularly report on progress to the Protection Cluster.Within one month of the adoption of these TORs, a PMTF work plan will be shared with the Protection Cluster for endorsement. The work plan will specify the timings of PMTF activities, including below key deliverables. The following are the key deliverables of the PMTF:

Manual and SOPs - A manual with standard operating procedures (SOPs) for protection monitoring in northern Syria, for endorsement by the Protection Cluster has been developed.

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Monitoring and referral forms - A set of key indicators and a series of questions have been developed for the northern Syria context, Forms will be updated on a semi regularly basis for endorsement by the Protection Cluster. The IRC will support members of the PMTF to undertake referrals through a capacity building initiative including trainings and ongoing support.

A common data-sharing platform will be developed for sharing the information collected through protection monitoring in northern Syria.

Workshops –Workshops will be held, and could cover the following topics: Review of the protection monitoring tools including key Indicators and a referrals mechanism and procedures, Information management best practices, and SOPs for data protection and security; Best practice

ANNEX F – GENDER FOCAL POINT TORSIn order to enhance gender equality throughout the humanitarian response, a network of Cluster Gender Focal Points was set up, established within the active IASC clusters. The aim is for each cluster to have 2-3 gender champions who can support cluster coordinators and cluster partners to make sure that women, girls, boys and men of all ages, abilities and backgrounds have access to humanitarian and protection services that cater to their distinct needs and experiences. GENCAP will establish selection criteria and share them with cluster coordinators.Aligned with the 2015-2016 minimum commitments on gender equality endorsed by the HLG and the clusters in July 2015, the main tasks of the cluster gender focal points are: 1. Gender mainstreaming:Participate in the development of all cluster strategic documents (HNO, SRP, M&E, cluster plans, etc.) to ensure gender is mainstreamed. This will include ensuring that:

Needs assessments identify specific gender- and age-related needs, supported by sex- and age-disaggregated data.

Activities and outcomes provide the target proportion of male/females benefitting to meet the needs of each group.

Indicators are disaggregated by sex and age to inform implementation and monitoring.

Minimum standards for GBV interventions are addressed in cluster programmes in consultation with the GBV Sub-cluster coordinators for technical support to address specific issues.

2. Capacity development:

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Support cluster partners in properly coding their projects using the IASC Gender Marker (GMS, HF, and HRP etc.) and provide feedback to project designers when needed to ensure a maximum of 2a or 2b projects.

Support the roll-out of the Gender Marker training for cluster members and partners including sharing of tools and resources on gender (Cluster tip sheets, ADAPT and ACT framework, gender e-learning, gender handbook, guidelines for GBV interventions etc.)

3. Technical support within cluster meetings including: Advocate the equal representation and participation of men and women

in cluster activities, including workshops, training, decision-making spaces and strategic forums.

Advocate the inclusion of female staff in all assessments and M&E teams, and for the consultation of affected men and women of different ages in all assessments and M&E activities.

Advocate the collection and analysis of sex- and age-disaggregated data, and ensure that this data informs programming, policies and strategies.

Provide technical guidance on gender analysis profile for cluster and for agencies as required

4. Knowledge management Participate in cluster gender focal point network (monthly), to share

information and experiences on gender issues. The network will be chaired by the Inter-agency gender advisor.

Undertake training on line and in presence as offered Collect best practices and promote diffusion of lessons learnt among cluster

partnersSpecial Considerations for the Protection Cluster

As the Protection Cluster also includes the GBV, Child Protection, and Mine Action sub-clusters, the number of the gender focal points consider the different support needs of sub cluster. Each area of responsibility will have two gender focal points; All GP of the Protection Cluster are part of the same team, and in case of need they should be prepared to support a different AOR;

Whether or not the relevant processes require the participation of each gender focal point, it is up to the discretion of the Cluster/Sub-Cluster Coordinators. For example, the two GFPs will alternate for participation in processes such as the technical review committees for HF proposals and vetting of HRP projects. GFP will not review projects of their own organization

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The Gender focal points are selected among the members of the Protection Cluster who expressed interest at the beginning of each year following the following criteria:

o Active participation in the Cluster/Sub-Cluster to which the nominee indicated interest – e.g., if you put forward your name for GBV, you should regularly participate in their meetings and ongoing initiatives. This first criteria takes precedence over all others.

o One Syrian NGO and one international NGO GFP per Cluster/Sub-Cluster.

o One male and one female GFP per Cluster/Sub-Cluster.o Maximum one GFP per organization.o If there are multiple nominations who meet the above criteria, the

representative who responded first will be selected.At the end of the year, the selected GFP will be invited to confirm interest in continue to act in the function, if they can prove active role in the position. Vacant spots will be covered with calls of expression of interest.

GFP are invited to support work of the sub cluster working groups and taskforces as capacity allow

According to the nature of Protection programming GFP are required to obey to humanitarian principles and guiding principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. The principle of confidentiality is also central to this role. Breaches in any of the aforementioned principles will cause termination of the GFP role.

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ANNEX G – PROTECTION CORE GROUP TORS

OverviewThe Protection Core Group is a small body of Syria Protection Cluster (Turkey) members that contribute to its strategic direction. The core group is not a decision-making body, but rather an advisory group that aims to: develop and adjust the sector’s strategic framework, priorities and work plan; steer medium- and long-term planning for Cluster meeting content; and develop and review Cluster documents, such as guidance notes, TORs, or key messages.

Roles and responsibilities The core group is responsible to address a number of issues, including: Provide strategic oversight on internal integration of programming and planning

among the Protection Cluster and CP, GBV, and MA Sub-Clusters; integration of cooperation with other clusters; and inclusion of cross-cutting issues, including disability, youth, and gender into Protection Cluster activities;

Agree on benchmarks and indicators for the annual Protection Cluster work plan; Support additional capacity development initiatives for the Cluster members, as

needed; Ensure that context-relevant technical standards and guidance are developed,

agreed upon and consistently applied; Provide support to Cluster members submitting projects to the HRP, donors or

government through technical support, as requested; and Maintain relationships and represent the Cluster in relevant working groups and

task forces, as needed.

Accountability Accountable to the Syria Protection Cluster (Turkey); Accountable through the Cluster to the Inter cluster Coordination Group (ICCG).

Profile and minimum commitments The meetings are called by the Cluster Coordinator and will be held monthly after the second Cluster meeting of each month. Ad hoc meetings may be called according to need or upon request from one of the members. Meetings are held according to ‘Chatham House Rules;’ i.e., comments are incorporated into the minutes, but are not attributable to any particular individual or organization. The minutes will be shared with all Cluster members through the Weekly Round-Up.

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ChairThis group is chaired by the Protection Cluster Coordinator and/or the Cluster Co-Lead.

MembershipThe protection core group has nine member seats. Membership is on the basis of the organization, not the individual, and organizations must be able to ensure a consistent backup in case of the designated staff member’s absence or departure from the operation. Failure to have representation in two consecutive meetings will result in forfeiture of the seat. Four seats are permanent members representing Cluster and Sub-Clusters: UNHCR, representing protection; the GBV Sub-Cluster, representing GBV; the Child Protection Sub-Cluster, representing child protection; and the Mine Action Sub-Cluster, representing Mine Action. The CP, GBV and MA seats are held by the Sub-Cluster Coordinator or Co-Coordinator, or a representative of a Sub-Cluster taskforce, respectively. The UNHCR seat is held by the Protection Officer for Cross-Border Operations in Gaziantep. The remaining five seats are held by Cluster members according to self-nomination, followed by a transparent voting process by Cluster members. The seat is held on an annual basis. One of the seven seats is reserved for a Cluster member with legal technical expertise. Nomination and voting for the five rotational seats is guided by the candidates’:

Operational relevance in the emergency Technical expertise related to Cluster priorities, e.g. civil status

documentation; housing, land and property; or community-based protection Demonstrated capacity to contribute strategically and to provide practical

support Commitment to contribute consistently

Others Cluster members or representatives from other Clusters and coordination fora may be invited to join the core group meeting as needed or according to the subject under discussion.

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ANNEX H – HOUSING, LAND AND PROPERTY TORS

Scope of the HLP Technical Working Group Given the emerging prominence of housing, land and property (HLP) issues throughout Syria, the North Syria Protection, Shelter/NFI, CCCM, Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) and other Clusters realised the need to establish an HLP Technical Working Group. With its activation, it has been agreed by involved actors (UN agencies and inter/national NGOs) that the working group shall focus primarily on HLP issues that are emerging as critical challenges for the immediate realization of programs and projects under the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). Given the changing dynamics in various parts of the country, and in the spirit of coordination, through the expertise of some of its actors, the group will also have a forward-looking perspective into the resilience building phase of the Syrian crisis as envisaged under the UN Syria Strategic Framework. Reflective of the cross-cutting nature of HLP issues, the HLP Technical Working Group will provide an advisory role and technical expertise to the Protection Cluster and – as requested – to the CCCM, Shelter/NFI, WASH, Early Recovery, FSL Clusters and any other UN and NGO coordination structures.

Mission StatementTo facilitate and provide technical support on HLP rights, issues and concerns of immediate relevance to the realization of current humanitarian programming in Syria, enabling a more informed, predictable, accountable and efficient humanitarian and resilience-building response to HLP issues, arising in the context of the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Overall ObjectiveThe overall objective of the HLP Technical Working Group is to facilitate a more systematic approach to identifying, understanding and addressing HLP issues affecting persons of concern and directly impacting the work of the clusters, primarily along strategies and interventions identified in the Humanitarian Response Plan and in a more forward-looking perspective with aspects included in the programming of other recovery actors.

This will be done by promoting collaboration and complementarity of efforts amongst agencies undertaking HLP activities and by addressing identified gaps in technical areas.

Participation and Principles of PartnershipThe HLP Technical Working Group is a technical and participatory forum which is comprised of UN Agencies, international and national non-governmental and humanitarian organizations and representatives of relevant clusters operating in Northern Syria. Attendance is expected to be at the senior technical level. Each

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member nominates one regular representative and one alternate representative that will attend at the HLP Technical Working Group’s regular meetings. By participating in the HLP Technical Working Group, each member commits to work towards the realisation of its objectives and to make time and human resources available to carry out tasks agreed by the participants.

For membership roles, the voting threshold to confirm participation of new members is 51% of all votes received during the relevant meeting. The contact list is considered the list of members and their representatives in the HLP Technical Working Group.

FunctionsThe work of the HLP Technical Working Group will be guided by relevant national laws, policy guidelines in the field of HLP (such as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the IASC Framework for Durable Solutions for IDPs, and the Pinheiro Principles), relevant technical standards, as well as other principles of international law (international human rights law and– where applicable – International Humanitarian Law).

The HLP Technical Working Group will facilitate effective preventive, responsive and remedial action on HLP matters through:

a) Contributing to the identification and to the resolution of HLP issues in Northern Syria, with initial particular reference to those issues stemming directly from the implementation of projects under the HRP;

b) Providing technical guidance and expert advice on HLP matters to national and international actors in Northern Syria; and,

c) Enhancing accountability, predictability and effectiveness of HLP-related activities.

Specifically, the HLP Technical Working Group shall endorse a yearly work plan as an integral part of the Terms of Reference.

HLP Technical Working Group Co-chair ResponsibilitiesThe co-chairs of the HLP Technical Working Group will:

Convene the meeting (venue, contact with participants, obtaining suggestions and preparing the agenda).

Ensure adequate preparation and dissemination of material and information. Ensure the follow-up and tracking of relevant actions under the work plan. Compile the minutes of meetings and follow up on agreed action points.

The HLP Technical Working Group will be co-chaired by UNHCR and NRC.

Frequency of MeetingsThe HLP TWG shall be convened on a bi-monthly basis (i.e. every two months).

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Revision of Terms of Reference and Work Plan of the HLP Technical Working GroupThe Terms of Reference and work plan of the HLP Technical Working Group may be reviewed on an annual basis or as requested by the majority (51%) of the members of the HLP Technical Working Group.

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