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Policy no. 2003-08
Effective Date: December 1, 2003
Policy for Producing Country of Origin National Documentation
Packages
Refugee Protection Division and
Policy, Planning & Research Branch
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Objectives
- 1.1 Basic characteristics
- 1.2 Documentation from Parties
- Selection of Documents
- 2.1 Responsibility
- 2.2 Process
- Production and Distribution
- 3.1 Process
- 3.2 List of documents
- Maintaining and Updating
- Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Objectives1
The harmonization of country of origin national documentation packages
[herein referred to as national documentation package(s)] is an important
step to achieve consistency in decision-making. The consistent use of
the same documentary evidence in similar claims across all Refugee Protection
Division (RPD)
offices is fundamental to the quality of refugee protection decisions.
An inconsistent approach to documentation between regions can raise questions
about the equality of treatment of claimants by the RPD.
The consistent use of documentary evidence is also important for screening
and streamlining claims. Harmonized documentation helps to place each
claim in the appropriate stream. By properly streaming claims, the RPD
better allocates available resources to process each claim, and prepares
and schedules claims more efficiently.
Document harmonization consists of producing a single documentation package
for all regions. Each package begins with a section on general information
and another on human rights and security conditions in a country of origin.
These are followed by one or more sections, which provide information
about types of refugee protection claims.
Where a national documentation package is produced it replaces the equivalent
regional package, which is then archived according to regional archiving
policy. Beyond regular updates, the IRB
may only supplement the national documentation package by disclosing claim-specific
information.
The harmonization process is a concerted effort by all RPD
offices achieved mainly through the expertise provided by National Geographic
Networks (NGN).
1.1 Basic characteristics
The national documentation packages must be manageable in size and quantity
of information. The documentation packages are not exhaustive; they are
a selection of documents. Furthermore, they do not include documents on
claim types that account for small volumes of claims. Individual documents
must be relevant, comprehensive and yet concise with respect to refugee
protection claims. Repetition and overlap is to be avoided. The national
documentation package must be user-friendly for preparing the claim, identifying
the determinative issues of a claim and rendering reasons for decision.
Since the RPD
is an impartial tribunal, the selection of documents must be balanced
and neutral in approach. Therefore, the documents included in each package
represent key aspects of human rights and security conditions in the country
of origin and are considered by the IRB
to be reliable both in the identity of the sources of information and
the content of information they provide.
National documentation packages aim to put the best and most current
evidence before decision-makers. Accordingly, documents generally cover
a recent time frame (6-12 months). Documents older than 12 months may
be included, but only if more recent documents are not available and a
gap of information would exist if the document were not included.
The updating of packages is to be frequent enough to ensure that the
most current information is available to Members and RPOs.
Outdated documents are to be removed from the packages, as new information
is made available in the public domain. All national documentation packages
are to be dated according to when the last update was performed.
1.2 Documentation from Parties
The use of national documentation packages in no way precludes parties
from continuing to submit documentary evidence, which they see as relevant
to a claim. The weight assigned to documentary evidence disclosed by the
parties is a matter for the decision maker(s) to decide.
2. Selection of Documents
2.1 Responsibility
- The Steering Group, comprised of the Deputy DG PPR, the Special Advisor
to Deputy Chair RPD
and the Director of Research, in consultation with NGNs, has final authority
for choosing countries of origin for production of national documentation
packages.
- A Document Selection Committee within each NGN
is tasked with the selection of documents to include in the national
documentation package for a country of origin.
- The Quality Project Officers (QP Officers) are to prepare a list of
countries following consultation with NGNs and recommend it to the Steering
Group. The RPD
Deputy Chair's office will advise NGN
coordinators which countries of origin have been chosen for documentation
harmonization.
- Each Document Selection Committee consists of a Member, an Operations
Service Manager (OSM)
or Refugee Protection Officer (RPO),
one of the QP Officers, and a Research Officer from the Research Directorate.
As far as possible, the RPO
or OSM
should come from a different region than the Member. Document Selection
Committee members are selected from, and by, NGN
participants. The terms are decided by the concerned NGNs.
- The Assistant NGN
coordinator leads each Document Selection Committee.
- The Office of the RPD
Deputy Chair, the Office of the Deputy Director General, Policy Planning
and Research (PPR) and the Director of Research are ex officio
Members of the respective Document Selection Committees.
- Secretariat support is provided by the QP Officers.
2.2 Process
- For those countries of origin identified for document harmonization,
respective NGN
participants are to propose key documents for each claim type within
a country of origin. The resulting list is to be sent to the QP Officer
assigned to the NGN
within 2 weeks of announcement to produce a national documentation package
for a country of origin. Before sending the list, NGN
participants are to consult RPOs,
Streamlining Officers and Members in their respective teams in order
to ensure completeness and representation of their list. The QP Officer
then sends proposed list of documents to the Document Selection Committee.
- For each document submitted for selection, a description is to be
sent to the QP Officers that identifies the document by its author,
date, title, place of publication, publisher, page numbers (if applicable),
the URL
address of the Web document, and a brief statement on the content and
importance of the document. A hard and soft copy of the Web document,
or the electronic version(s) of article(s), is to accompany the note.
Translated documents are to be accompanied by their original versions.
- The Document Selection Committees are to decide, within 1 week of
reception of list, which documents they have selected for the documentation
packages.
- If gaps in documentation are identified, research in the area is to
be initiated.
- The final "List of documents"2 and the hard copy package of documents (if necessary)
are to be presented to NGN
participants who have one week for comments. The Document Selection
Committee then considers comments received and finalizes the package.
- The Document Selection Committee's mandate is to take decisions on
document selection for documentation packages. In the event that its
members cannot come to an agreement on the composition of the package,
the RPD
Deputy Chair's office and the Director of Research are to be the final
arbiters.
3. Production and Distribution
3.1 Process
- Following adoption of documents comprising a national documentation
package, the Quality Project Team sends the List of documents to the
Research Directorate for Intranet production, translation of documents
and distribution of the List of documents.
- Upon completion of this work the List of documents is finalized, dated
and then forwarded to the Regional Directors and District Managers under
cover of a directive issued jointly by the Deputy Chair RPD
and DG PPR. The directive indicates that only claim-specific documents
should be disclosed in addition to the national documentation package.
- A copy is sent to respective OSMs
responsible for monitoring the use of national documentation packages
in regional and district offices.
- Packages should be disclosed to counsel/claimant and/or made accessible
to the public no later than one week following their receipt by a region.
- Each region decides whether to provide the full packages or the List
of documents only to claimants and/or counsel, according to their respective
practices and specific circumstances. Each region also decides best
methods of making accessible the country of origin national documentation
packages to the general public. Cost effectiveness should be a consideration.
3.2 List of documents
- Each reference on the list must refer to a single document. A reference
cannot refer to multiple sources. (e.g.
IRB
Human Rights or contextual package can no longer constitute a single
reference since it contains multiple documents).
- The two first general information and human rights sections should
contain the most comprehensive document(s) from frequently used sources
such as US Department of State Human rights practices, Human Rights
Watch, Amnesty International, IRB
reports, UK reports and UNHCR asylum reports. These sections should
not be exhaustive; they should include only reports from organizations
that provide the most reliable, comprehensive and yet concise information.
Nor should this section be repetitive. While some overlap may be unavoidable
in order to ensure a balanced view, these general sections should not
contain a document that rephrases lengthily the findings of another.
- Clearly placed under appropriate headings, subsequent sections should
be organized according to types of refugee protection claims (e.g.
political organizations and activities, sexual orientation, etc.) and
not to issue type (i.e. state
protection, IFA, discrimination vs. persecution). Documents on issues
such as state protection and IFA would be included in the sections related
to claim types (e.g. state
protection for victims of domestic violence). Sections relating to identity
documents should be relatively limited.
- Headings of sections are to be labelled according to the general information
and claim type designations:
- General Information & Maps
- Human Rights Information
- Identification Documents & Citizenship
- Political Activities & Organizations
- Gender, Domestic Violence & Children
- Sexual Orientation
- Criminality & Corruption
- Military Service Issues
- Judiciary, Legal, Penal Systems
- Police & Security Forces
- Media Freedoms
- Religion
- Nationality, Ethnicity & Race
- Exit/Entry & Freedom of Movement
- Labour, Employment & Unions
- Other (to specify)
- When selecting documents, focus should be placed first on reports
and IRB
response to information requests (RIR).
Newspaper or magazines articles should be inserted only if they provide
an in-depth analysis related to a claim type.
- Every source should be identified according to current international
bibliographic standards and be consistent with Research Directorate
editorial standards and therefore include the following information:
Author, Date, Title, place of publication, publisher (if applicable),
page numbers (if applicable), URL
address and date of access (if applicable).
- Documents prepared by other federal government agencies (e.g.
CIC)
should also be identified according to international bibliographic standards
and be consistent with Research Directorate editorial standards (e.g.
Canada. Department of Citizenship and Immigration. 2002. Report
from Albania: compilation of documents, available at the IRB
Documentation Centre). Such documents are not reproduced in the package
but their public accessibility should be clearly identified.
- The number of pages of a documentation package is variable. Countries
of origin that are experiencing shifting political and human rights
situations and have multiple claim types would normally require a longer
package than the ones that have a simpler situation and fewer claim
types.
- Relevant excerpts (1-10 pages) of lengthy reports can be inserted
in the package. Excerpts should be identified according to current international
bibliographic standards and be consistent with Research Directorate
editorial standards.
- Hard copy or Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF)
versions of the disclosure package should be numbered consistent with
RPD
rule 27(3). The List of documents should refer to page numbers as per
RPD
Rule 27(4). In hard copies, a tab sheet should separate individual documents.
- The List of documents is to be published in both official languages
and conform to the Official Languages Act.
The intranet version is to conform to Treasury Board's recommendations
for Common
Look and Feel Standards for Intranets and Extranets as well.
- Each official version of the package is to include as much as possible
the same documents in the other official language version. Where the
IRB
is prevented from translating documents from one official language to
the other, because the Board does not hold copyright on the document,
efforts should be made to find an equivalent document that addresses
the issues in the official language of the package.
4. Maintaining and Updating
As country conditions change and documents are updated, or new documents
are found, national documentation packages are to be updated.
- In order to both respond quickly to important developments in a country
of origin and to maintain the integrity of national documentation packages,
Document Selection Committees must have the capacity to respond rapidly
to the emergence of new evidence. Between NGN
meetings, when an important document comes to light in relation to a
country or claim type, the document is to be forwarded to Document Selection
Committee members for consideration. If selected, the Document Selection
Committee leader is to forward it to the Research Directorate within
a week of its receipt for inclusion in an updated national documentation
package.
- In addition, each Document Selection Committee is to conduct a regular
review of its respective national documentation packages. More specifically,
every six months, the Document Selection Committee is to reassess priorities
and decide to maintain, remove or add documents to its respective national
documentation packages.
- For countries of origin where document harmonization has been completed,
at every conference call, NGN
participants can suggest the addition of new documents or the removal
of redundant ones. New documents are to be distributed to all participants
ahead of the meeting so the document can be discussed at the meeting.
If the document is to replace an existing document, it is to be specified.
If the document is not being replaced but is simply outdated or has
become redundant, then the proposed reason for removal should be circulated
in advance of the meeting. In case of disagreement between NGN
participants as to inclusion, immediately following the conference call,
the document(s) are to be forwarded to the Document Selection Committee,
which is to decide upon the issue within one week of notification. The
RPD
Deputy Chair's office, with the Director of Research, is the final arbiter
in cases where a decision cannot be reached.
- The Document Selection Committee leader is to forward changes to the
Research Directorate in order to revise the existing package. A copy
of the amended List of documents is to be submitted to the responsible
OSM
in each region. OSMs
then have one week to implement disclosure of the new package and list.
- The Research Directorate shall automatically update documents in the
package that are annual releases (for instance, the US Department of
State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices). A copy of the amended
List of documents is to be submitted to the responsible OSM
in each region. OSM(s)
have one week to implement disclosure of the revised package.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation
The Quality Project Team is to monitor and evaluate the implementation
of the document harmonization process. The following constitute milestones
of the implementation; each milestone is followed by specific criteria
the QP Team should consider for monitoring and evaluation.
Set up the Document Selection Committee in each NGN.
The committee must be representative of those regional or district
offices that deal with large numbers of claims from the specific country
of origin.
Identify key documents.
The documents should cover major and key aspects of general information
about country conditions and claim type, while avoiding duplication
and inclusion of information that is marginally relevant.
Ensure that key documents are the product of RPD-wide
consultation within the NGN.
All major users (Members, RPOs,
and Streamlining/Screening Officers) of the national documentation package
are to be consulted to suggest key documents. Research Officers of the
Research Directorate should also be consulted for key documents and
their advice sought as to the reliability of the sources of the documents.
Documents clearly described and their sources identified.
Ensure that documents that are forwarded for consideration, as components
of a national documentation package, are properly identified and easily
accessible or retrievable. Documents downloaded from Web sites should
be saved and a printout made along with the date the Website was accessed.
Document Selection Committee decides whether the two first
sections are sufficient or specific claim type sections should also
be part of the national documentation package.
Obtain NGN
approval on number and selection of sections.
Finalize the List of documents.
The Steering Committee is expected to examine the List of documents
and page quantity estimate before the QP Team sends it to the Research
Directorate.
Use of the package in disclosure
Regional Directors and District Managers to ensure that claim specific
documents or supplements are not added to the packages. Operation Service
Managers to ensure that the national documentation package is to be
used once they receive the directive to use the package.
Seek feedback from Streamlining/Screening units as to
the usefulness of the package in their streamlining practice.
Streamlining & Screening Officers are to assess whether the selection
of documents of packages helps to place claims in the appropriate streams
more accurately and efficiently.
The Steering Committee will analyse the monitoring results by the QP
Team, recommend changes in process or criteria to the Deputy Chairperson
RPD and
the Director General PPR.
- The Policy on Document
Harmonization in Support of Jurisprudential Guides (2003-03)
sets out the process for amending documentary packages for decisions
identified as jurisprudential guides, which is separate from the processes
outlined in this policy.
- The table of contents of national documentation
packages, known formerly as Index or indices, are
to be identified as List of documents in order
to conform with RPD
Rule 27(4).
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