BACKGROUND
The African Men for Sexual Health and Rights [AMSHeR] is a Pan-African coalition of MSM- and LGBT-led organisations working to advance access to quality health service for men who have sex with men [MSM] and lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex [LGBT] persons, and to address discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Africa. AMSHeR works primarily through policy advocacy and strengthening the capacity of local MSM and LGBT organisations, other HIV service and human rights organisations, national agencies, institutions and policymakers on issues of human rights, HIV, sexual orientation and gender identity in Africa.
The last few years have witnessed significant progress and shifts in the HIV and human rights response for men who have sex with men [MSM] and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] individuals globally. The adoption of human rights goals by the Global Fund in 2011 was an important milestone and provided a framework for the participation and protection of key populations and human rights and evidence-based programming. The UNAIDS 2011 – 2015 Strategy – Getting to Zero was developed with Strategic Direction 3: Advance human rights and gender equality for the HIV response. PEPFAR’s ambitious agenda to control the epidemic articulated in PEPFAR 3.0 Controlling the epidemic: Delivering on the Promise of an AIDS-free generation include in its Human Rights Action Agenda success indicators that include 1) expanded access to non-discriminatory HIV prevention, treatment and care for all people, including LGBT persons; 2) increased civil society capacity to advocate for and create enabling environments. It is remains to be seen how these laudable goals have translated into country level programming and improved rights and health access for, specifically, what the experiences of MSM/LGBT communities in this regard have been.
Despite increasingly hostile legal and policy environments, MSM/LGBT organisations have demonstrated resilience and continued to advocate for improved legal and human rights environments to address stigma, discrimination and exclusion faced by their communities. Through efforts at sensitisation of policymakers, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and other stakeholders on issues of human rights, HIV, sexual orientation and gender identity; engagement with processes aimed at holding governments accountable for human rights violations; and direct provision of health, psychosocial and para-legal services, MSM/LGBT groups in African have shown commendable initiative, tenacity and ingenuity in
advancing the rights and health access of their communities. However, although the contribution of community-led initiatives is often acknowledged, the investment in these initiatives by States and global health financing institutions remain insignificant.
AMSHeR is implementing several activities in Africa to strengthen community engagement with national, regional and global policy institutions, health governance and financing organisations and human rights systems through the development of an evidence-base drawn from the expertise and experiences of African MSM/LGBT communities. The activities under this Consultancy will further AMSHeR work on the engagement of MSM/LGBT and other key populations in the country processes of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR, as well as the UNAIDS and OHCHR country and regional offices. The main expected outputs of the project will be one regional report follow up to AMSHeR’s Key Populations’ Experiences Within the Global Fund’s New Funding Model in Sub-Saharan Africa [2015] and two country case studies.
This Consultancy is for 25 working days between 15 May and 15 August 2016 and is home-based with some travel to project countries. AMSHeR will bear the cost of the Consultant’s travel to the project countries.
II. SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION
The Consultant will, among other things, be responsible for:
In conjunction with the AMSHeR HIV and Health Systems Advocacy Team, administering a regional survey, with follow up focus group discussions and key informant interviews
Reviewing relevant documents and producing a regional report on the level of engagement of national key populations networks, organisation and groups in the processes of the Global Fund, PEPFAR and UNAIDS
Supporting AMSHeR member organisations in three countries to reviews key achievements of national relevance impacting positively on policy change, legal decisions and/or improved delivery of health and/or legal services specifically to LGBT persons
III. REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
a. Academic Qualifications:
Advanced Degree (Masters) in Human Rights, Law, Gender, Social Science, Social Policy, Public Health or related fields
b. Years of experience:
Minimum of seven years of national/international professional experience in policy development, human rights, and HIV with specialized expertise in service delivery, access to justice, human rights for MSM/LGBT persons.
Experience working with MSM/LGBT constituencies in sub-Saharan Africa.
c. Competencies:
Believes and promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of AMSHeR
Demonstrates integrity and accountability in working with key populations and LGBT persons and groups
Displays cultural, sex, sexual orientations, gender identity/expression, religion, race, and age sensitivity and adaptability
d. Language and other skills:
Fluency in English and working knowledge of French
Computer skills: full command of Microsoft applications (word, excel, PowerPoint) and common internet applications.
IV. APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested Consultants should submit –
Detailed curriculum vitae with three professional references
Letter of motivation detailing suitability for this assignment with indicative daily rate
Sample of similar work in form of published report, research, documentaries etc
Application documents should be sent to jobs@amsher.org by 10 May 2016 with subject ‘Health Governance Consultancy 2016’
Health Governance Consultancy , African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR)
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