Background

BACKGROUND

UNODC supports countries in strengthening fair, effective and humane criminal justice systems that incorporate a gender perspective and provide access to justice for all. Key areas of UNODC expertise and technical assistance include access to legal aid, criminal justice responses to violence against women and the protection of victims and witnesses, in line with international conventions, standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice.

Access to legal aid

Legal aid is an essential element of a fair, humane and efficient criminal justice system that is based on the rule of law and a foundation for the enjoyment of other rights, including the right to a fair trial. In 2012, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems, developed under the auspices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). As the first international instrument dedicated to the right to legal aid, the UN Principles and Guidelines, are drawn from international standards and recognized good practices, aim to provide guidance to States on the fundamental principles on which a legal aid system in criminal justice should be based, and declares the significance of the provision of legal aid to the protection of human rights. In the Resolution, in paragraphs 6 and 7, UNODC is called upon to continue to provide advisory services and technical assistance to Member States.

Complementing ongoing efforts to improve access to legal aid in the region, the UN Development Account-funded project ‘1819U – Improving Access to Legal Aid for Women in Western Africa’, a collaboration between UNODC and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and in coordination with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), aims at enhancing access to justice for women, targeting Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. It builds on the findings of the 2016 UNODC-UNDP Global Study on Legal Aid, which highlighted the limited availability of specialized and targeted legal aid provision for women and revealed that lack of awareness of the availability of legal aid services at little or no cost was the most significant obstacle poor and vulnerable groups are facing in responding countries from Sub-Saharan Africa. The project focuses on promoting and implementing gender-responsive legislation and policies, enhancing the capacity of legal aid providers and legal empowerment of women, including through training of women leaders and through partnerships with organizations to improve legal education and access to legal information and services. With a human rights-based approach and gender equality consideration, and in close cooperation with national and local authorities and other stakeholders, the project ultimately seeks to promote the availability and delivery of sustainable specialized legal aid services for women, including through targeted capacity building, as well as training of trainers to ensure effective knowledge management and local ownership, through enhancing the role and capacity of all relevant stakeholders to deliver gender responsive and rights-based services, with a view to taking into account an intersectional approach to the situation of women requesting these services.

During the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, there are two groups that are particularly at risk: i) prisoners and detainees are at particular risk of being infected with the virus, and ii) women and girls are at increased risk of victimization through domestic violence and at the same time have less access to legal aid and other essential services due to quarantine or social distancing measures. Building on the partnerships that were developed with local stakeholders, and the successful capacity building and legal empowerment successes that have been achieved in the first 2 years of project implementation, the project activities have recently been re-programmed to respond to the changing circumstances in light of the pandemic and the increased need to protect female detainees (suspects, accused) and female victims of violence, and support them in upholding their human rights.

Violence Against Women

UNODC supports member countries in adopting effective crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women, including gender-related killing, by offering legislative assistance and support; enhancing the capacity of police, prosecutors,judges and other criminal justice professionals to respond effectively to this form of violence; and assists countries in eliminating secondary victimization and improving support services to victims and their families.

Violence against women is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. It can include physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, and it cuts across boundaries of age, race, culture, wealth and geography. UNODC's efforts in the area of violence against women contribute to the respect and protection of the rights of victims and their access to effective remedies, and are based on the updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (A/Res/65/228, annex).

Protection of victims and witnesses

The impact of crime on the people affected by it can be profound. Victims may suffer from physical, mental, emotional and financial harm, from which some may never recover. Injuries may be threatened or inflicted upon victims, witnesses or their families, and threats may even be made against lives. States have a responsibility to respect the fundamental rights of victims, assist them in accordance with their special needs, and protect them from further harm. In addition to the human rights obligations and incentives for assisting and protecting people who have fallen victim to or witnessed serious crimes, there are criminal justice incentives for doing so - the cooperation of victims and witnesses is crucial to achieving successful prosecutions of criminal offenders and dismantling organized criminal groups.

The provisions envisaged to ensure protection of victims and witnesses have a prominent position in the context of the United Nations instruments against transnational organized crime and corruption ( UNTOC and UNCAC).

To support Member States in assisting and protecting victims and witnesses, UNODC provides technical assistance in reviewing and strengthening legislative frameworks for victim and witness protection and assistance. It also assists States to protect victims and witnesses in accordance with the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, and other good practices.

WACAP

The Network of West African Central Authorities and Prosecutors against Organized Crime, hereinafter referred to as WACAP,  is an informal network of central authorities and prosecutors operating under the framework of the Regional Programme for West Africa (2010-2014) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the implementation of a Drug Control and Organized Crime Strategy for West Africa. It takes place in the context of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Political Declaration and Regional Action Plan to Address the Growing Problem of Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in West Africa (2008-2011) and the successor to this Regional Action Plan.

The Network is also established under the UNODC Global Programme to Strengthen the Capacities of Member States to Prevent and Combat Serious and Organized Crime (GPTOC) that has as an objective the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) in 2010 and 2012,  in particular, to foster regional and international cooperation to fight organized crime. Through regular meetings and training programmes, the Network provides for opportunities among its members to facilitate such cooperation.UNODC provides coordination and technical direction to the Network.

The national project Officer will support the implementation of the joint project on access to legal aid for women in Western Africa and play a key role towards the of GPTOC.

Duties and Responsibilities

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Justice Section & Senior Regional Legal Adviser in the UNODC Regional Office for Western Africa, and in consultation with the responsible officers at UNODC Headquarters (i.e. the responsible Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officers at the Justice Section, Division for Operation and the Coordinator of West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors against organized crime, Organized Crime Branch, Division for Treaty Affairs), the Project Officer will undertake the following duties:

• Provide technical and logistical support for the implementation of the relevant programme activities;
• Assist member states in efforts to strengthen gender mainstreaming in national criminal justice systems.
• Maintain regular contact with national partners to support programme implementation, expansion and fundraising;
• Coordinate regular monitoring of implementing partner activities;

Specific duties and responsibilities relating to GPTOC:

• Synthesize quarterly, bi-annual and annual reports for activities.
• Support the preparation of the Access to Justice for Women narrative and financial donor reports;
• Participate in strategic dialogue and events relating to women’s access to justice and witness protection;
• Identify training needs, prepare and facilitate training sessions;
• Support effective knowledge management of internal and external evidence, data and knowledge products relevant to UNODC’s work on access to justice, including collating examples of global good practice;
• Support the implementation of the WACAP activities;
• Participate in programming and delivery of technical assistance activities of the WACAP at the national, sub-regional and regional level;
• Assist in the design of proposals for funding of the network;
• Draft reports on the activities and finances of the Network;
• Participate in the organization of meetings of members of the network, as well as seminars plenaries and workshops;
• Contribute to the development of policies and institutions that will address the country level problems and needs in collaboration with the Government(s) and other strategic partners;
• Support the capacity building process for national governmental and non-governmental institutions in the criminal justice area; and
• Conduct legal research and analysis as directed;

Specific duties and responsibilities relating to the joint project on access to legal aid for women in Western Africa:

1. Support the development and roll-out of public information and advocacy materials and documents, tailored to the specific national contexts, such as posters, audio-visual and other information materials through traditional and/or social media, in close collaboration with national counterparts and governments, focusing on priority measures to be implemented as it relates to the state of emergency, release of prisoners, gender-based violence and ensuring legal aid for women is considered and included in governmental response measures.
2. Support the substantive development of an e-learning tool in English, and oversee its localization (French version) for Senegal, building on the training tool that was piloted in trainings-of-trainers workshops held in 2019, and in close coordination with national stakeholders, UN Women and other partners.
3. Oversee and support the implementation of the training tool in Senegal, Sierra Leone and Liberia through distance-learning options, including a blended learning course (e-learning and webinars for locations with stable internet connection) and off-line training solutions (for locations with insufficiently stable access to internet). Distance-learning workshops should be organized on a country-specific basis, as well as in mixed groups and/or at broader regional level to support experience sharing and South-South cooperation. Each distance-learning workshop should include a pre- and post-workshop assessment of knowledge and evaluation of satisfaction, the results of which should be documented in a report for monitoring and evaluation purposes.
4. Collect evidence about impact of COVID-19 and related measures on women in need of legal aid services, levels and trends of violence, women in prison, through appropriate means, such as a survey of women victims in courts, communities, prisons and various police stations to assess their current challenges. Explore the most appropriate ways to do so (e.g. electronic surveys, interviews and virtual focus group discussions with relevant justice professionals and strong collaboration with CSOs). Use the initial assessment conducted by the project and other existing baseline information.
5. Engage in continuous monitoring of the impact of COVID-19 and related measures on women’s access to legal aid, taking into account information collected through surveys or other appropriate means, as well as feedback from participants in distance-learning workshops.
6. Conduct analysis of information collected and liaise with national counterpart institutions, CSOs and policy makers. Prepare general and country-specific recommendations for evidence-based planning and allocation of human and financial resources and to responding to capacity building needs on responses during COVID-19 and to address its longer-term impact on the legal aid and justice system.
7. Support the independent project evaluation, including by providing information and logistical support to the evaluator(s).
8. Perform other related duties as required

Competencies

Competencies:

• Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to crime, drug and/or terrorism control and prevention issues. Knowledge of policies and practices in international drug control, as well as the mandates of the United Nations Office on Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Knowledge of and specialization in substantive and functional areas with very good research and analytical skills. Ability to identify and contribute to the solution of problems/issues. Knowledge of various research methodologies and sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• Communication:  Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Teamwork:  Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Other Required Skills

Excellent document drafting and research skills are required. Up-to-date knowledge and practical experience of United Nations programme policies, guidelines and procedures is considered an asset; Strong presentation skills are also an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Required degree level: Advanced university degree in law or equivalent in Political Science, criminology, international relations, human rights or other related academic background.

Required experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in designing, implementing, monitoring and reporting on projects in the field of gender and human rights of women is required. At least one year of experience in the area of legal aid is desirable. Experience in project coordination and implementation, including administrative and financial backstopping, monitoring, and programme delivery, is an asset.

Desirable knowledge, experience & skills:

• Knowledge of the interface between civil, criminal, informal and quasi justice will be a strong advantage;
• Relevant working experience in developing country context is an advantage;
• Work experience in Western Africa, particularly in Senegal, Sierra Leone and/or Liberia is desirable.  
• Experience in inter-agency or inter organization collaboration an asset
• Experience in organizing and facilitating of training for justice professionals and the development of related training materials would be an asset;
• Knowledge of international cooperation in criminal matters;
• Familiarity with Civil and Common Law Systems and ability to work in both.

Language skills

Fluency in English and French is required. The knowledge of Portuguese is an asset;