UNDP Jobs - 58747- International Electoral Complaints Expert to Assis

International Electoral Complaints Expert to Assist and Advise in Development of Electoral Complaints Mechanisms and Related Processes

Location :

Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

31-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

12-Aug-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

22 effective person days (August 2015 - September 2015)

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

At the request of the Kyrgyz Government, UNDP has developed a project to provide technical assistance aimed at holding democratic and transparent elections. The main objective of the project is to provide necessary support to the Central Election Committee (CEC) as well as to other relevant partners, in conducting the upcoming election cycles in a fair, peaceful and transparent manner, with a widespread adoption and implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT).

The Project aims to assist Kyrgyz citizens to exercise their rights and accomplish their civic duties for the choice of their representatives in national elected offices and in particular to assist and accompany the CEC in implementing the introduction of ICT in all phases of the electoral process.

The project is designed for three years and consists of three components:

Component 1: Promotion of ICT in the electoral process;
Component 2: Institutional communication, education campaigns for civil society and the electorate;
Component 3: Dispute Resolution in the election and training of election security.

The upcoming elections in Kyrgyzstan later this year will be conducted under the new electoral law and one of the key features of these elections will be the introduction of ICT and the use of biometric data for identification of voters. Therefore, it is obvious that due to new technologies to be used during the elections and new legislation, a numerous electoral disputes, complaints and relevant critical processes may occur on ED and afterwards. In order to well organize the work of the responsible national state bodies on EDR, a series of trainings will be carried out for authorities involved, in particular for the law-enforcement, prosecutors, judges, as well as for the Central Election Commission, State Registry Service (which is responsible for identification of citizens).

The project therefore will assist in development of the new electoral dispute resolution mechanisms through provision of technical advice and support to design of the by-laws, regulations, training modules and materials for all members of electoral process, in close cooperation with the national partners: CEC, SRS and donors. Based on the above products, the countrywide trainings will be held by national partners prior and during elections. Given above, it is important to involve an international high-level expert to assist and guide in development of the new EDR mechanism and processes with international electoral dispute adjudication experience, engaging ICT, and with a good knowledge of the regional context

Duties and Responsibilities

Under direct supervision of UNDP National Programme Management Unit Kyrgyz Election Support Project Coordinator and under overall supervision of UNDP Democratic Governance Programme Dimension Chief, the Expert will deliver the following tasks:

Provide policy/expert support to Central Election Commission of the KR and State Registry Service in establishing pre-trial electoral dispute resolution (EDR) system to deal with different types of complaints and appeals at the various levels including support in development of the regulations and guidelines, establishing or strengthening the systems of registering, logging and archiving of electoral complaints and decisions;
Participate and contribute through providing international legal expertise to appropriate capacity building activities: participation in at least one training or capacity building activity in Bishkek, number of participants: 20-25. Main goal is to develop skills of the Central Election Commission, State Registry Service, Law-enforcement, Judiciary and other related national institutions in managing and implementing the complaints process;
Support project staff and national partners in drafting/revising training materials and modules (at least one training material and one module) related to complaints processes issue;
Meet and communicate regularly with key Central Election Commission, State Registry Service and other relevant national partner institutions to assist the timely and legal management of electoral complaints.

The expert will assist and advise the Central Elections Commission, State Registry Service, Judiciary and other relevant partners on the issue of electoral dispute resolution (EDR), provide advice in conducting a series of trainings in relevant fields and for the relevant authorities.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Communication;
Drive for Result;
Working With People.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree in Political Science/International Relations/Law/Public Administration/Public Policy.

Experience:

Minimum 3 years of professional experience in election systems and administration;
Specific experience (at least 1 project) in electoral dispute resolution procedures and training is an asset;
Experience of work (at least 1 project related electoral dispute resolution procedures) with the post-Soviet region is highly preferable

Language:

Fluency in English;
Knowledge of Russian will be an asset.