Human Rights Experts - African Union Support

Position Title: Human Rights Experts – African Union Support

Starting Date: provisional start date of 1 November 2016

Duration: 36 months from start date

Location:

Key Expert 1: Arusha, Tanzania

Key Experts 2 & 3: Banjul, Gambia

Key Expert 4: Midrand, South Africa

Background:

Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. Democracy Reporting International promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide.

DRI is currently recruiting four full-time human rights experts to support the project Technical Assistance to the "Strengthening the African Human Rights System" Programme, for which DRI is part of a consortium that has been shortlisted by the EU to submit a full application.

The overall scope of work is to provide technical assistance through both key and non-key experts to support the four AU partner institutions outlined below along four areas of support. This technical assistance must be understood in the context of direct grant awards to the support to the AU organs / partner institutions and therefore constitutes a mix of institutional support to enhance their capabilities to fulfil their mandate and target support to human rights priorities and focus on EU-AU human rights priorities in line with the JAES roadmap. The overall focus is on the coordination between the AU organs (in the framework of the AGA) and access of African citizens to these bodies.

The four overall key areas of support:

1. Capacity building, including financing specific staff to reinforce the secretariats of the human rights organs and provide support to the work of special mechanisms with a sustainability perspective in dialogue with the AU.
2. Support to the implementation of the strategic plans of the ACHPR, Court, PAP and Child Committee in order to fulfil their mandates in the core business of protection of human rights in Africa.
3. Support to the capabilities of the relevant special mechanisms of the ACHPR to allow for better access of the citizens to the ACHPR and the Court.
4. Coordination activities within the AGA and with the African Peace Security Architecture.

Key expert 1 for the AfCHPR (African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights):

Duties and responsibilities:

The technical assistance (including one key expert) that will inter alia support the following areas:

• Core Business of human rights cases (enhanced transparency by timely communication of sessions, cases, decisions, state reports, including on the website, enhanced capacity to monitoring the implementation of Court decisions, Legal Aid Fund);
• Advocacy and knowledge management activities: sensitisation visits to AUMS which have not ratified the African Protocol to the African Charter on Human And Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and made the special Declaration (not the Malabo Protocol), promotion and launching of the Pan-African Human Rights Institute, publications;
• Enhanced Networking with the European Court of Human Rights (and other regional mechanisms, for example the Inter-American) and the national African judiciaries.
• Reinforcement of Legal Division, Communications/Public Relations (PR) Unit and programming/ monitoring

Qualifications required:

· University education to at least at Master Degree level in Law, Human Rights Law or equivalent.

· A specialisation in public administration would be an asset

Skills:

· Proficient in both English and French;

· Good presentation, writing and communication skills;

· Good computer skills;

· Good management, negotiation and facilitation skills to take processes forward;

· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in multi-cultural environments.

General professional experience:

· Preferably 10 years plus professional experience in the field of human rights law, of which at least 5 in an African context; including litigation and case management experience and related technological support.

Specific professional experience:

· Proven project management experience as a team leader or key expert in related or similar projects such as institutional building, human rights and justice programmes.

· Regional experience is required, and experience involving the AU or AU Member States would be an asset;

· Equivalent experience in other regions would be an asset

· Experience in fragile or conflict affected contexts would be an asset.

Key Expert 2 for the ACHPR (African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights)

Duties and responsibilities:

The technical assistance support (including two key experts with different profiles and division of labour) to will support inter alia the following areas:

4.2.2.1 Legal expertise with communications handling and litigation

• Reinforce special mechanisms with legal staff who prepare good quality litigation for the ACHPR sessions and especially to prepare good quality cases for sending to the Court;
• Institutionalize a dedicated capacity to litigate with the Court including the capacity to make good quality background research;
• Reduction of backlog of cases and improve complaints handling procedure to make it more effective and transparent;
• Enhance capacity to monitoring the implementation of ACHPR decisions, state reports recommendations and human rights statements;

4.2.2.2 Legal expert with administrative, publications, communications & media expertise

• Enhance transparency by timely communication of sessions, cases, decisions, state reports, including on the website;
• Enhance public relations and communications capacity including through the development of a communications and media strategy and expertise for elaborating targeted communications strategy
• Regional human rights initiatives linked with the EU-AU priorities defined in the EU-AU Human Right Dialogue in coordination with the special mechanisms (i.e. business and human rights, freedom of association and assembly, abolition of death penalty, women's rights, etc). Consequently, this support will build on synergies created under the ongoing EIDHR civil society programmes addressing AU human rights bodies.
• Gender initiatives will be supported in line with the follow up of the African Union Year 2015 dedicated to women's empowerment through possibly a support to the ACHPR special rapporteur on joint mainstreaming actions of the different AU organs (outreach and sensitization activities).

Qualifications required:

· University education at Master Degree level in Law, Human Rights Law other related disciplines, or equivalent.

Skills:

· Proficient knowledge of English and French.

· Excellent presentation, writing and communication skills;

· Good computer skills;

· Good management and negotiation skills;

· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in multi-cultural environments.

General professional experience:

· Professional experience (preferably 10 years plus) in the field of Human Rights at regional level (particularly in the areas of enhancing effective implementation and follow up of decisions, the development and implementation of communications and media strategy

Specific professional experience:

· Proven project management experience as a key expert or team leader in similar or related projects, preferably in the AU or African Union Member States.

· Specific experience in the field of developing tools and mechanisms for effective implementation and follow up.

· Specific experience in public relations and communications as well as media and human rights.

Key Expert 3 is to be based in the ACHPR (African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights). This expert will have a mandate which includes a significant focus on support to the ACERWC (Child Committee in Addis Ababa)

Duties and responsibilities:

(In addition to some of the responsibilities laid out under Key Expert 2)

The technical assistance to the "Child Committee" will be from short-term missions from non-key experts and from short-term missions from one of the (two) key experts based in the ACHPR (in Banjul) and will support inter aliathe following areas:

• Support to ACERWC's plight to amend the African Protocol to the African Charter on Human And Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in a way which would allow the Child Committee to refer cases to it;
• Capacity to dispatch child rights monitoring missions to AUMS, communicate about the mission before, write good quality reports and publish those reports as quickly as possible;
• Capacity to take grave child rights violations to AU PSC;
• Studies;
• Enhance capacity to monitor the implementation of Child Committee decisions, state reports recommendations and human rights statements;
• Sensitisation visits to AUMS to ratify the African Charter on Rights and Welfare of the Child, submit state reports
• Reinforcement of technical expertise and communication (and possible capacity of litigation towards the AfCHPR in the future);

Qualifications required:

· University education at Master Degree level in Law, Human Rights Law other related disciplines, or equivalent.

Skills:

· Proficient knowledge of English and French;

· Excellent presentation, writing and communication skills;

· Excellent computer skills;

· Good management and negotiation skills;

· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in multi-cultural environments.

General professional experience:

· Professional experience (preferably 10 years plus) in the field of Human Rights at regional level, preferably in an African context.

Specific Professional Experience

· Professional experience in the field of communication, referrals, case preparation and litigation.

· Experience in planning and implementing effective collaborative interaction between various human rights institutions and actors

· Active participation as a key expert or technical advisor in related or similar projects in the AU or African Union Member States

· Familiarity and/or some experience with and adequate knowledge of the African human rights system

· Experience with the linkages and joint HR and Peace & Stability activities and actions within APSA and AGA frameworks, would be an asset

Key expert 4 for the PAP

Duties and responsibilities:

The technical assistance support (including one key expert) that will inter alia cover the following:

• Sensitisation and advocacy towards AUMS on human rights instruments.
• Reinforcement of future capacity in the context of the recent protocol (possible legislative power) with possible support of the European Parliament (peer to peer review);
• Institution building including organisational development towards an effective and efficient PAP.

Qualifications required:

· University education at Master Degree level either in Law, Political Science or Economic other related disciplines, or equivalent.

· A relevant specialisation in Public Administration would be an asset.

Skills:

· Full working knowledge of English, good working knowledge of French an advantage;

· Excellent presentation, writing and communication skills;

· Good computer skills;

· Good management and negotiation skills;

· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in multi-cultural environments.

General professional experience:

· Proven professional experience (preferably 10 years plus) in the field of institution building or organisational development including restructuring, preferably in an African context.

Specific professional experience:

· Active participation as key expert or key Expert or Team Leader in related or similar projects in the AU or AU Member States.

· Specific experience in working with Legislatures or Assemblies (national or regional) would be preferred.

HOW TO APPLY:

For interested applicants, please send your application (cover letter and CV) to cv@democracy-reporting.org. Please include in the subject line “Human Rights Experts – African Union Support – [plus the specific Key Expert position you are applying for; KE1, KE2, KE3, or KE4].

If interested in more than one Key Expert position, send a separate application for each. In the email, refer to the source where you have found this opportunity and attach supporting documents in the following format: SURNAME_FIRSTNAME_DOCUMENTNAME.

This position is subject to funding.

Closing date for a pplications: extended deadline of 22 July 2016. The position may be filled before the end of the deadline, so early applications are encouraged.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.