The IAGCI invites tenders to evaluate Home Office Country Information Products on Rwanda
Potential reviewers are invited to submit expressions of interest by the close of Monday, 30 May 2022.
Section 48(2)(j) of the UK Borders Act 2007 provides that the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) shall:
consider and make recommendations about … the content of information about conditions in countries outside the United Kingdom which the Secretary of State compiles and makes available, for purposes connected with immigration and asylum, to immigration officers and other officials.
To assist the Chief Inspector in fulfilling this statutory role, a body of experts sitting as the Independent Advisory Group on Country Information (IAGCI) regularly reviews the Country of Origin Information (COI) products that are issued by the Home Office. The Home Office refers to these products in procedures that assess claims of individuals for refugee status or other forms of international and humanitarian protection. COI is also used in policy formulation.
The IAGCI reviews products to provide assurance to the Chief Inspector that the content is accurate, balanced, objective and up-to-date. COI is contained in:
- Country Policy and Information Notes (CPINs)
- responses to information requests
CPINs are generated on an ongoing basis, generally focusing on countries from which asylum claims are most commonly received. These reports may provide general background information on a country, address aspects of conditions in a country that are relevant to common types of asylum claims, and/or describe the current humanitarian or security situation in a country. CPINs are compiled from material produced by a range of recognised external information sources (news reports, academic literature, independent research reports, fact-finding reports from UK government or from other governments, etc). These documents also contain Home Office policy on the recommended position to be taken with respect to various types of claims, based on the available and accepted country information.
Information Request (IR) responses are prepared to address specific queries from caseworkers or other Home Office officials. These relate to information that is not covered in the CPINs.
Tender Details
IAGCI commissions country experts or experienced researchers to evaluate and report upon the COI contained in Home Office country information products. The IAGCI requires a country expert to review the country information contained in the following CPINs on Rwanda, published in May 2022:
- Country policy and information note: Rwanda, assessment, May 2022 (18 pages)
- Country policy and information note: Rwanda, asylum system, May 2022 (56 pages)
- Country policy and information note: Rwanda, general human rights, May 2022 (101 pages)
- Country policy and information note: Rwanda, interview notes (Annex A), May 2022 (75 pages)
Description of work
Country Policy and Information Notes aim to provide an accurate, balanced and up-to-date summary of the key available sources regarding conditions in the country covered. The purpose and scope of the reports are clearly set out in an introductory section of the document. Reviewers should evaluate the reports in this context and seek to identify any areas where they can be improved. Specifically, the review should entail:
- assessing the extent to which information from source documents has been appropriately and accurately reflected in the CPIN reports
- identifying additional sources detailing relevant aspects of current conditions in the country
- noting and correcting any specific errors or omissions of fact
- making recommendations for general improvements regarding, for example, the structure of the report, its coverage or its overall approach
- ensuring no reference is made to an individual source which could expose them to risk
Reviewers should follow these specific guidelines:
- the review should focus exclusively on the country of origin information contained within the document, and not pass judgment on the policy guidance provided
- the CPIN should be reviewed in the context of its purpose as set out above. It should consider the situation in the country up to the stated ‘cut off’ date for inclusion of information
- when suggesting amendments, rather than ‘tracking changes’ on the original CPIN, a list of suggested changes should be provided as part of a stand-alone review paper, and each report should be reviewed separately. A reporting template will be provided to reviewers (for reference please refer to most recent reviews on the IAGCI webpage for examples of the template)
- any suggestions for additional information (or corrections to information in the document) must be referenced to a source document for the Home Office to be able to use it (preferably open source). The Home Office may use foreign language source documents, but only if the information is considered essential and is not available in English language source
Previous reviews of COI products can be viewed on the ICIBI website.
The selected reviewer will be requested to attend an IAGCI meeting, likely virtual, otherwise at the office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in London, where their review will be considered. This meeting is due to take place in July 2022. Alternative arrangements may be made if attendance is not possible.
Representatives from the Home Office will also attend the meeting to provide responses to comments and recommendations made in the review.
Reviews commissioned by IAGCI will be published and may be used as source documents for future CPIN reports or other Home Office information products.
How to Apply
Researchers interested in conducting this review should submit:
- a one-page letter demonstrating their expertise in human rights and/or asylum issues pertaining to Rwanda
- their c.v.
Payment for this work will be set at £2,000. Expressions of interest should be submitted to IAGCI@icibi.gov.uk by close of Monday, 30 May 2022.
Unfortunately, we are only able to accept expressions of interest from individuals and not from institutions or consultancy groups. Successful bids will be notified by Wednesday, 8 June. Final reviews will be due by the close of Friday, 8 July, and will be discussed at the IAGCI meeting in late July 2022.