Antecedentes

Nigeria has continued to experience multidimensional conflict and escalating security challenges across the six geopolitical zones resulting to daily records of human rights violations including deaths, injuries, displacements, and loss of properties with the government showing a limited capacity to deal with the conflicts. While violent incidents relating to banditry is the most reported peace and security challenge, farmer-herder conflicts and violent extremism are the second and third most reported conflicts. The mix of the three are evident in the North-West zone of Nigeria especially Kaduna and Katsina States. The North-West zone has become an epicenter of violence as organized communal violence and banditry attacks tripled from 2020 to the second quarter of 2021. The rising insecurity has led to the collapse of local peace agreements contributing to the displacements and violations of the human rights of tens of thousands of people. An IOM report assessment mission to the region identified a combined number of 193 hotspot communities in Kaduna and 194 communities in Katsina States. 

The design of this project has benefitted immensely from the broad consultations with key stakeholders at federal, state and local community levels and is jointly implemented with the other UN entities including UNDP, IOM and UN Women in Nigeria. To support the UNCT efforts  to strengthen local peace architectures and improve the conflict situation in the northwest, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) seeks to procure the services of consultants who will work closely with two focal states in 2023 (Kaduna and Katsina) to conduct robust human rights monitoring and reporting of abuses and violations in the context of conflict and peacebuilding and promote a rights-based and gender-sensitive approach to Early Warning and Early Response System (EWERS) and conflict resolutions efforts/challenges.

Selected consultants for project will work with other implementing partners in each of the focal states as part of a team.

Deberes y responsabilidades

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the project include:

1. Improve the effectiveness of the security response in the context of conflict and peacebuilding through strengthened human rights monitoring and accountability.
2. Promote a gender-sensitive Early Warning and Early Response System (EWERS) and community-based platforms for dialogue and consensus building.
3. Provide through a systematic monitoring and reporting, an impartial and evidence-based narrative to help mobilize a broader response.
4. Catalyze key partnerships within the states and revive local peace processes, widen representations, and increase the participation of young men and women in peace processes,
5. Strengthen prevention capacities including the protection of women and girls from violence and initiate a roadmap towards a gender-sensitive peace and security infrastructure for resilience and sustainable peace in Kaduna and Katsina states.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultancy assignment will be undertaken at the state level and will be coordinated by OHCHR Nigeria with inputs from Project Coordination Committee (PCC) and the Project Steering Committee (PSC) at the federal and state level. During the assignment, the consultants will work very closely with other implementing UN entities (UNDP, IOM and UN Women) in capacity building initiatives of key stakeholders and community members, joint advocacy and awareness campaigns on peace building and prevention responses to conflict risks in the focal states.

The consultants will undertake monthly monitoring visits to affected communities in the focal states and report identified human rights violations as well as strengthen referral pathways. The consultants shall work with the Local Governance Peace Committees, CSOs, women led organizations and youth representatives, and other Project partners to address the human rights impacts of conflict and its consequences on livelihoods and social cohesion, and also promote gender considerations, and sustainable mitigation strategies to enhance protection.

The consultants will draft reports, reviews and other types of communications in compliance with established standards and in particular with respect to the human rights situation in communities in the focal states. The consultants will further work with INGOs, LNGOs, CSOs, Academic Experts and other relevant stakeholders focused on human rights architectures, conflict resolution and peacebuilding to build off experience and achieve tangible peace dividends for affected states and communities.    

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANTS

The following are the key activities and deliverables expected from the consultants for the period of the assignment:

• Assists in monitoring and reporting of abuses and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the context of conflict and peacebuilding.
• Assists in research, collection, verification and analyses of information relevant to the observance of international human rights and humanitarian law in the mission area.
• Integrating human rights in joint-capacity building initiatives of key stakeholders and community members, joint advocacy and awareness campaigns on peace building and prevention responses to conflict risks.
• Strengthening linkages between early warning and early response.
• Assists in supporting UN and humanitarian actors in mission area on protection activities and compliance with human rights, and where appropriate, relevant authorities, including on the implementation of outcomes of UN human rights mechanisms.
• Assists in drafting reports, reviews and other types of communications in compliance with established standards and in particular with respect to reporting on human rights situation.
• Liaises with other UN actors present in the mission area for the collection and verification of information on the human rights situation and informs on human rights considerations that should be taken into account by other actors, including those delivering humanitarian response or coordinating emergency preparedness and response activities, as well as by the UN mission in respect of future operations.
• Assists in advocating with relevant authorities and other influential actors to stop or prevent human rights violations and provide redress to victims.
• Assists in integration of gender perspectives/considerations and specific women/girls’ rights issues in all activities.

DURATION OF THE WORK

The expected duration of this assignment is 12 Months

EXPECTED OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES

The following expected deliverables applies though the project duration: 

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT

The selected consultants shall work under the over all leadership/over sight of OHCHR, also in a close working relationship with the other UN entities including UNDP, IOM and UN Women in Nigeria and other project partners. The point of contact is the Senior Human Rights Advisor/RCO Nigeria

DUTY STATION

The selected consultants will be located at the two project focal states in the North-West (Kaduna and Katsina) with travel to Abuja, FCT as appropriate

Language

• Excellent written and spoken English.

Payment Schedule:

Monthly payments will be made throughout the duration of the project.

Competencias

Technical Competencies

Development Planning: proven knowledge and experience on development planning approaches, practices and tools, national development co-operation, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, programme/project evaluation, impact assessment; gender equality and social services.

Alignment and integration: proven knowledge of and experience with monitoring of abuses and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the context of conflict and peacebuilding.

Professionalism: familiar with HRBA to monitoring and reporting, HRBA to data collection and, strong synergy with key stakeholders to strengthen existing infrastructures for sustainable peace.

Sustainable Development: proven knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the LNOB principle and the principle of integration, and the ability to develop practical solutions for their mainstreaming in monitoring to engender peace and enhance responses to conflict risks.

Results-Based Management (RBM): proven knowledge of the RBM approach, concepts and principles and ability to apply these concepts for practical solutions.

Functional Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrate analytical, communication and technical report writing skills.
• Strong working knowledge of the UN and its mandate in Nigeria, and more specifically the work of OHCHR in support of government and civil society in Nigeria.
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Planning and Organizing
• Inclusive Collaboration with all project partners.
• Stakeholder Engagement at federal and state levels.

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Professionalism

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Educational Experience

• Qualified consultants are expected to have a master’s degree in law, Political Science, International Relations, Social Sciences or in a related areas.
• Specialization in Human Rights, conflict prevention & peacebuilding, governance, development planning, or other relevant fields.

   Professional Experience

• Qualified consultants are expected to have 3 years’ work experience in conflict situations in the area of human rights and humanitarian response, including in the monitoring and resolution of human rights violations and programme management.
• Experience in the use of computer and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Power Point etc).

Selection Criteria

1. Educational Qualifications (20 Marks)
2. Professional Qualifications and Certifications (20 Marks)
3. Proven experience/satisfactorily implementation of similar assignment in the past in Nigeria and/or elsewhere (60 Marks).

ndividual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:
Cumulative analysis

 When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
 
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
 
* Technical Criteria weight; (70% of weight)

* Financial Criteria weight; (30% of weight)
 
Only those candidates who obtained a total technical score of 49 and above (i.e., 70% of total score) will be considered as technically qualified.