Background:
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
Access to justice for all is a critical litmus test of peaceful, just and inclusive societies and a sine qua non for substantive equality, human rights and sustainable development. Globally, women face barriers to obtaining justice in their capacities as claimants, victims, witnesses or offenders, often driven by institutional, policy and legislative failure to remove discrimination, gender bias, stereotyping, stigma, indifference, corruption and impunity. Women who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are often at the backend of justice service delivery.ย
Justice4Her project aims at improving the performance of the Criminal Justice (CJ) System as a whole, and by so doing, enhance the management of GBV cases including reduction of the existing case backlog. Specific needs of GBV survivors will then advance from this premise, though in a smarter, more purposeful manner, with the intention of having the institutions build required competences for GBV case management. The project that will largely be implemented by the Judiciary also has critical roles that will be played by prosecution, police, Legal Aid Service Providers (LASPs), Probation and Social Welfare Officers. Implementation of the project will require a paradigm shift to embrace a survivor centered approach that reinforces the agency and empowerment of affected women and girls as well as changes in case management processes that will seek to reengineer and standardise processes across the justice chain. It is on this premise that a consultant will be required to work with the justice institutions to support them institutionalise these changes.ย
The National Women's Access to Justice and VAWG Consultant will provide technical support to the Judiciary towards implementation of theย Strengthening Criminal Justice Responses to GBV in Uganda (Justice4Her). The consultant will be working under the overall supervision of UN Women Programme Specialist - Access to Justice and working closely with the Judiciary.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
Phase 1: Desk Review
Review the following documentation: Options Paper for Management of GBV in the Judiciary, Strategy for the Fast Track Mechanism for Effective for Management of GBV cases, Strengthening Criminal Justice Responses to GBV cases in Uganda (Justice 4Her) project document, Service Delivery Standards and Procedures Towards Delivering Quality Integrated Justice Services for Survivors of Violence Against Women and Girls, Navigation Guide of the Criminal Justice System for Survivors/Victims of Gender Based Violence, Evaluation of the Access to Justice Project. Develop a working definition of what would constitute a successful implementation of the fast-track mechanism which should be discussed and agreed upon with the stakeholders during orientation of the stakeholders on the same.Phase 2: Stakeholder Consultations:
Facilitate consultations with the following institutions: Judiciary, UPF, ODPP, JLOS Secretariat, UN agencies (UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF), CSOs (Uganda Law Society (ULS), Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA (U)), Justice Centers Uganda (JCU), Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP), Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET),ย JLOS Development Partnersโ Group to inform the GBV case management standards and victim support and service guidelines. Engage with stakeholders on the working definition of what would constitute a successful implementation of the fast-track mechanism and compare and incorporate for adoption and or amendment with the definition developed by the consultant.ย Hold focus group discussions with survivors of violence and witnesses in GBV cases.Phase 3: Provision of targeted technical support:
Support to set up and work with GBV case management committees in the 3 high court circuits of Gulu, Masaka and Nebbi as well as registry staff to develop a criterion for trial-ready cases. Provide technical support to selected judicial officers in drafting the Practice Direction which will define cases that qualify to be GBV andย detailing the GBV case management standards/ GBV case management service delivery standards for application across the justice system. The procedures may includeย agreed upon process and outcome performance indicators. ย Provide guidance to the Judiciary to develop victim support and service guidelines at circuit level in Gulu, Nebbi and Masaka. The Guidelines should provide standard procedures for effective, coordinated, and survivor-centered support and harmonized multi-sectoral responses across service providers. Guide Judiciary, Uganda Law Society and Law Council to develop performance standards for defense lawyers with a focus on promoting high-quality legal representation in criminal and civil matters, particularly in contexts such as Uganda, where access to justice and legal aid systems play a key role in ensuring fair trials and protection of rights. Conduct stakeholder validation workshops. Work with the Project Secretariat of the project at Judiciary to support project steering committees at both national and circuit levels to document progress on implementation of the Justice 4Her project, identify challenges and mitigating measures, synthesize lessons learnt and good practices for replication.Expected Outcome:
Prepare inception report with: an understanding of the assignmentย workplan a working definition of what would constitute a successful implementation in consultation with the stakeholders Practice direction defining cases that qualify to be GBV andย detailing the GBV case management standards and criterion for trial ready cases Victim support and service guidelines. GBV case management standards Service guidelines and performance standards for defense lawyers.ย Overall report on implementation of Justice 4her programme by the Judiciary.ยConsultantโs Workplace and Official Travel:
This is a home-based full-time consultancy. As part of this assignment, the consultant is expected to travel to all three high court circuits (Masaka, Gulu, Nebbi) to collect data. The consultant will also be required to attend in-person meetings at UN Women Uganda Country Office.ย
Competencies :
Core Values:
Integrity; Professionalism; Respect for Diversity.Core Competencies:
Please visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
knowledge of legal and policy frameworks on ending violence against women and access to justice for women in Africa Ability to easily communicate with stakeholders from all social economic backgrounds. Excellent communication and interpersonal skillsย Ability to work effectively and responsively within a multicultural environment. Ability to build strong relationships with clients; focuses on impact on results for the clients and responds positively to feedback. Ability to manage complexities. Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.Required Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Masterโs (or equivalent) or higher Degree in Criminal Justice, Law, Human Rights, Gender, International Relations, or related field; A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree; A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.Experience:
At least 5 years of experience required in the field of access to justice with a focus on women, justice sector coordination, justice reform. Extensive technical and institutional capacity building experience.ย Experience in sub-Saharan/East Africa would be an asset.ย Experience in conducting consultations with diverse stakeholders to elicit actionable information would be an asset. Experience working with UN agencies would be an assetLanguages:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of any other UN official is an asset.Statements :
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
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