UNDP Jobs - 72406- SLE/IC/2017/017 Individual National Consultant

SLE/IC/2017/017 Individual National Consultant - Support to The Legal Aid Board (LAB) to Conduct a Mapping of Legal Aid Service Providers Nationwide And Organize a Workshop with Legal Aid Stakeholders

Location :

Freetown, SIERRA LEONE

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

07-Aug-2017

Application Deadline :

01-Jun-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

45 working days

Languages Required :

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

The Provision of legal aid services is central to the promotion of rule of law and access to justice and the support to those who cannot afford the cost of legal services (the vulnerable, indigents and adamant poor, women). This forms one of the focus areas under the UNDP Rule of Law Project. Particularly, the project seeks to enhance the institutional capacity of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board (LAB) and Civil Society to strengthen legal aid services provision in a holistic and participatory manner and support access to justice for vulnerable persons especially women and girls.

The LAB as the principal legal aid provider in the execution of its statutory mandate as articulated by the Legal Aid Act, 2012, shall among other things coordinate and cooperate with key stakeholders such as the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), legal practitioners, civil society, university law clinics and other minded development partners and stakeholders. Currently, the LAB in an effort to bring services closer to Sierra Leoneans, has opened offices in all the regional headquarter towns of Kenema, Bo and Makeni. In addition, the LAB has established Community Advisory Bureaux (CAB) that are contributing to the resolution of disputes community levels.

Despite these efforts from the LAB, there is need for additional support to this institution to undertake an overall mapping of the key legal aid service providers to determine their physical location and the nature of services provided to the populace. In addition, the exercise is essential in ensuring that key legal aid service providers are engaged in a strategic way to develop a common understanding on their support in the area of legal aid service delivery in the country. To complement the efforts of the LAB in this drive, the UNDP Rule of Law Project will support the Board to undertake a nationwide mapping of all key legal aid service providers and to organize a workshop for legal aid service providers to develop and agree on a strategy for service provision nationwide.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support the LAB to undertake a nationwide mapping of all key legal aid service providers: Working closely with the LAB management, the local consultant will undertake the mapping of all key legal aid service providers in the country. The exercise will be sequenced as follows:

Conduct a desk review/research exercise focusing on the Legal Aid Act of 2012. The review will also extend to assessing literature on key legal aid service providers. In addition to the 2012 Act, the consultant will analyze all relevant existing literature related to legal aid service provision in Sierra Leone. The desk review will provide the consultant with ample information and guidance into the mapping exercise;
Hold consultation meetings with key stakeholders and existing partners of the LAB as well as relevant national and international development partners working in the sector to have their insights on the whole exercise;
Develop a detailed field plan for the mapping of legal aid service providers: the plan will include travels to all 14 district headquarter towns to identify service providers and the nature of services rendered and potential costs involved (funded or voluntary services). The local consultant or firm will develop a questionnaire to cover relevant issues to be covered during field work in collaboration with the LAB and building on the mandate of the LAB as per the 2012 Legal Aid Act.
Conduct a field mapping of all key legal aid service providers nationwide. The mapping will include university law clinics, international and national non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and other local structures providing related services to the people. The consultant will administer questionnaires developed in collaboration with the LAB.
Carry out a Gap analysis to identify existing obstacles in the provision of services by legal aid entities.

Develop a comprehensive report on the entire mapping including recommendations to for the improvement of legal aid services by service providers and the LAB.

Support the LAB and the local consultant to organize a legal aid service provider stakeholders’ engagement to develop a common understanding on legal aid service delivery nationwide: together with the LAB, the consultant will organize a stakeholder engagement workshop for the achievement of the following:

Conduct a validation workshop with legal aid service providers to ensure findings of the mapping reflect the views of service providers. This workshop will pave way for discussion on the development of a strategy for engagement within the sector on legal aid service provision and operation.
Organize a workshop with key legal aid service providers to develop a common understanding on new requirements for the dispensation of legal aid services and to develop a common strategy for engagement in the sector in Sierra Leone. The local consultant will work closely with the LAB senior management to ensure that the findings are in line with the dispositions of the Legal Aid Act, 2012 and also taking into account the recommendations proffered by the consultant in the mapping report. The LAB and the consultant will constitute the key resource persons together with any other facilitator that will be identified for the workshop.
Develop a succinct report from the workshop including the strategy for engagement arrived at by the LAB and legal aid service providers.

Competencies

Highly motivated, with drive and commitment;
Professionalism and integrity;
Promotes knowledge sharing and learning;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Builds strong relationships with partners, focus on impact and results for the partner and responds positively to feedback;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Ability to work with recipient counterparts in building individual and institutional capacity.
Demonstrated knowledge and experience in conducting mapping exercises or working with legal aid service providers;
Extensive knowledge of the concept of legal aid service provision within the common-law jurisdiction and relevant regional and international experience will be an added advantage;
Conversant with the Sierra Leone justice system;

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced degree in Law, Criminology, Human Rights or any other relevant discipline

Experience:

Minimum 7 years of professional experience as a development practitioner, legal practitioner or as a law lecturer/professor.
At least 5-7 years of prior work experience in provision of legal services;

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English.

for further details visit:http://procurement-notices.undp.org/ NOTE: Proposals that do not comply fully with TOR will not be accepted(Technical and Financial Proposals must be attached.)