Result of Service

Timely delivery of highquality outputs.

• Compliance with international standards for evidence management and digital preservation.
• Positive feedback from stakeholder consultations.
• Acceptance of documentation by relevant ICT governance body.

Work Location

New York or remote

Expected duration

8 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The Archives and Records Management Section (ARMS), which is in the Department of Operational Support manages and preserves UN historical archives. It provides access to the records and archives in its custody to Member States, UN staff and the public, both online through its website and onsite in its research room. ARMS also provides records and information management advisory services to all Secretariat entities, including peacekeeping operations and other field missions. The United Nations increasingly receives or generates digital evidence of serious crimes, including attacks against UN peacekeepers and personnel, in the course of peacekeeping operations and related investigations. After mission closure, these materials are transferred to the Department of Operational Supports Archives and Records Management Section (ARMS), which is responsible for their long-term preservation and availability. Currently, the UN lacks standardized procedures, metadata requirements, and a unified digital repository capable of ensuring evidentiary integrity, chain of custody, authenticity, accessibility, and longterm preservation. This gap has hampered cooperation with Member States and international tribunals, particularly in support of accountability processes related to attacks on peacekeepers as defined under Security Council Resolution 2589. To address this, ARMS is implementing a project to design the procedures, governance, and technical requirements necessary to establish an evidence management framework and a secure digital repository for digital evidence. A consultant is required to support ARMS in designing these processes and systems. Duties and responsibilities: A. Evidence Management Procedures 1. Develop comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidance for UN field missions on: – Handling and preservation of digital evidence – Chain of custody requirements – Metadata capture – Secure transfer to ARMS during mission transition or closure 2. Develop SOPs for ARMS for longterm preservation, integrity, access control, and lifecycle management of digital evidence. B. Governance Framework 1. Define roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders across the evidence lifecycle, including field missions, ARMS, OICT, DPO, OLA, OHCHR, and liquidating entities. 2. Draft the project governance package for submission to the relevant ICT governance body. C. Metadata, Tagging, and Searchability 1. Develop standard metadata requirements for evidence, including: – Identification of crimes against peacekeepers (UNSCR 2589) – Genderbased violence (GBV) indicators – Forensic and investigative attributes 2. Develop guidelines on searching, locating, and retrieving relevant evidence within the system. D. Secure Sharing and EDiscovery 1. Produce technical guidance for secure sharing with Member States and international judicial authorities. 2. Recommend ediscovery, review, and redaction tools suitable for UN use. E. Digital Repository Requirements 1. Develop system requirements and architecture for a secure digital evidence repository hosted in UN data centres. 2. Provide cost projections for software, hosting, and any required equipment. 3. Participate in consultations with OICT, UNGSC, and other stakeholders to ensure feasibility and alignment with UN ICT governance processes. F. Stakeholder Engagement 1. Facilitate consultations and validation workshops with missions, accountability focal points, investigative mechanisms, and relevant Secretariat offices. 2. Incorporate feedback and produce final documentation for approval. Deliverables 1 Evidence Management SOPs for field missions 2 Evidence Transfer SOPs and chainofcustody templates 3 ARMS Evidence Preservation and Access SOPs 4 Evidence Lifecycle Governance Framework 5 Metadata standards including UNSCR 2589 and GBV tags 6 Guidelines for evidence search, retrieval, and secure sharing 7 System architecture and technical requirements for digital repository 8 Costing projections with multiple options for ediscovery and repository software 9 Project documentation to be used for ICT governance approval Schedule for the provision of deliverables to be agreed between consultant and ARMS upon commencement of the contract.

Qualifications/special skills

Education

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in archives and records management, information management, digital forensics, law, criminal justice, or related field.
• A first-level degree with additional qualifying experience may be accepted. Experience
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in at least one of the following: -Digital evidence management -Records and archives management in complex institutions -Chainofcustody and forensic documentation -Criminal investigations or accountability mechanisms -Design and implementation of secure digital repositories
• Experience in UN peacekeeping, rule of law, or international justice mechanisms strongly desirable.
• Experience developing SOPs, metadata standards, and system requirements essential. Skills
• Knowledge of international standards for evidence handling and digital preservation.
• Ability to translate complex requirements into implementable procedures.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and consultation skills.
• Excellent drafting skills in English. Do you have experience in the management of digital evidence? Please explain.

Languages

Not available.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS BANK ACCOUNTS.