The Bar Council of the Maldives (BCM) is an independent institution established in 2019, with the enactment of the Law No: 5/2019 (Legal Professions Act of the Maldives). It is governed by a 9-member Executive Committee and its primary goal is to regulate the legal profession in the Maldives.

Amongst the key mandates of BCM is the provision to ensure rule of law, access to justice and legal aid. To fulfill these responsibilities, BCM has commenced work on establishing a clearing house, has aims to re-introduce roundtable discussions on legal aid and pro bono work, and has partnered with UNDP, to facilitate legal aid for migrant workers faced with employment issues as a result of COVID-19 crisis. The key objectives of these projects are to improve the access to justice for those seeking legal services, facilitate efficient provision of pro bono legal service, and act as an intermediary between persons and organizations needing legal assistance.

In this regard, UNDP Maldives under its Integrated Governance Programme (IGP) with the Bar Council of Maldives is seeking the support of a local consultant to provide technical and support services to BCM to design and deliver these programmes at BCM. 

Under the guidance of the Bar Council, the consultant will lead the process of designing and delivering the programmes. The tasks to be undertaken by the consultant under the Terms of Reference include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following;

• Coordinate day to day tasks related to the projects assigned;
• Meet with key partners and stakeholders to understand the scope of the projects and assignments;
• Prepare concept notes, TORs, manuals, MOUs, guidelines and other legal and non-legal documentation required for the access to justice and legal aid projects;
• These materials are expected to be developed in both English and Dhivehi language;
• Orient and train BCM staff on the materials developed;
• Organize and conduct consultation meetings with relevant stakeholders and make presentations on the projects and assignments;
• Organize and coordinate key events (roundtable discussion/conferences/webinars etc) of the projects; and
• Submit final versions of all materials produced to the Bar Council of the Maldives, with all supporting files.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

1. Coordinate day to day tasks related to the projects assigned;
2. Develop concept notes, ToRs, MoUs, manuals, guidelines and other legal and non-legal materials required for the legal aid and access to justice projects;
3. Orient and train Bar Council of the Maldives staff on the materials developed;
4. Organize and coordinate roundtable discussions/ conference/ webinars for the legal aid and access to justice projects;
5. Ensure updated documentation on implementation and monitoring of the progress of the legal aid and access to justice projects at BCM. Submit final handover report for the legal aid and access to justice projects handled at BCM.
6. End of Assignment Report to UNDP, highlighting progress, challenges, lessons learned and way forward (proposed activities).

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant is expected to work with BCM and will be accountable to the Secretary General of BCM and the UNDP Programme Officer of Results Area 2. Monthly meetings will be held with Programme Officer of Result Area 2, IGP. A briefing and debriefing meeting will be organized with UNDP at the beginning and end of assignment.

Duration of the Work

The contract is for a period of 6 months (21 working days per month) and is expected to start at immediate availability.

1. Duty Station: Bar Council of the Maldives  

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to conduct research and analysis and strong synthesis skills
• Builds strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and result for the stakeholders and responds positively to critical feedback; consensus-oriented
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
• Regional and National Knowledge is highly desirable
• Ability to write reports particularly for International Funded project
• Demonstrates ability to manage complexities and work under pressure, as well as conflict resolution

Education

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Law

Experience 

• A minimum of 1 year of professional experience in the legal field
• A minimum of 6 months of experience in developing concept notes, manuals, MOUs, and other similar documents

Language requirement

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Dhivehi is required

Application process

Interested individuals must submit the following as proposals in order to demonstrate their qualifications:

• A letter indicating why the candidate considers himself/herself suitable for the required consultancy
• Submission of an updated detailed Personal CV or P11 form which can be downloaded from  http://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc. The CV must capture all past experience from similar projects.
• Details of similar work/proof of work undertaken by the consultant
• At least three to three references from recent previous jobs and three references contact details including phone number and email
• Financial proposal indicating Monthly consultancy fee in Maldivian Rufiyaa.

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