Democratic Lawmaking Expert / Trainer and Facilitator (Roster, SSAs)

Background:

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) assists OSCE participating States, upon request, in strengthening their legislative frameworks and lawmaking processes. This assistance aims to promote compliance with OSCE human dimension commitments, international human rights standards and rule of law principles. Within ODIHR, Unit for Legislative Assistance and Rule of Lawof the Democratization Department provides legislative assistance through legal reviews of draft and existing legislation, comprehensive assessments of lawmaking systems, comparative legal research, technical advice, capacity-building and the development of practical guidance and methodologies.

ODIHR's work is based on the understanding that good-quality legislation depends not only on the substance of laws but also on the quality of the lawmaking process. Accordingly, ODIHR promotes democratic lawmaking throughout the entire legislative cycle, from legislative planning and policymaking to legal drafting, impact assessment, public consultation, parliamentary scrutiny, adoption, implementation and ex post evaluation. The objective is to support participating States in developing legislation that is human rights-compliant, clear, effective and responsive to societal needs through legislative processes that are transparent, accountable, evidence-based and inclusive.

The ODIHR Guidelines on Democratic Lawmaking for Better Laws provide the overarching framework for this work. Drawing on ODIHR's extensive legislative assistance across the OSCE region, the Guidelines set out practical recommendations for improving the quality of legislation and strengthening democratic lawmaking throughout the legislative cycle.

Within its mandate, ODIHR will continue supporting participating States in strengthening both the legal framework governing lawmaking and its practical implementation. Assistance may include legal reviews, comprehensive assessments of lawmaking systems, comparative studies, technical advice, development of methodologies and practical tools, as well as training and capacity-building for parliaments, governments, independent institutions and civil society.

Future activities may include, but are not limited to:

• conducting comprehensive assessments of national lawmaking systems and practices;

preparing legal opinions, comparative notes and thematic studies in the area of democratic lawmaking;

• supporting legislative and institutional reforms related to democratic lawmaking, including strengthening legislative planning and evidence-based policymaking, promoting effective regulatory impact assessment and ex post legislative evaluation, improving public consultation mechanisms and stakeholder participation, supporting parliamentary scrutiny and oversight throughout the legislative cycle, promoting gender-responsive and diversity-sensitive lawmaking, supporting legislative approximation with international standards and, where relevant, the EU acquis, as well as strengthening the resilience of lawmaking processes during emergencies and crises;;

• developing practical guidance, methodologies and toolkits; and

• designing and delivering training programmes, workshops and peer-learning activities.

Objective of Assignment: 

ODIHR is recruiting international experts for a roster to support the implementation of its Democratic Lawmaking portfolio. Depending on programme needs and the requirements of individual assignments, experts may be engaged to provide legal, policy and technical expertise, conduct legislative reviews and comparative analyses, contribute to comprehensive assessments, develop practical methodologies and training materials, and deliver advisory and capacity-building activities aimed at strengthening democratic lawmaking across the OSCE region.

Duration of Assignment:

To be confirmed

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Task 1: Legislative Assistance on issues related to democratic lawmaking

• Provide legal and policy expertise to support ODIHR's legislative assistance activities related to democratic lawmaking, including legal reviews of draft and existing legislation governing lawmaking process, comprehensive assessments of lawmaking systems and practices, comparative notes and thematic studies.

• Assignments may relate to any stage of the legislative cycle, including legislative planning, evidence-based policymaking, legislative drafting, public consultations, parliamentary procedures, regulatory oversight, implementation and ex post evaluation of legislation.

• Experts may also contribute to work on emerging areas of democratic lawmaking, including digitalisation of legislative processes, the use of new technologies and artificial intelligence in lawmaking, lawmaking in times of emergency and crisis, legislative resilience and other emerging areas, as needed.

Task 2: Development of Methodologies, Publications and Practical Tools

• Support the development of ODIHR methodologies, publications and practical guidance on democratic lawmaking. This may include drafting guidance documents, handbooks, guidelines, toolkits, model methodologies and training resources covering areas such as legislative planning, regulatory impact assessment, human rights, gender and diversity impact assessment, public participation and consultation, parliamentary scrutiny, legislative quality, legislative accessibility, implementation, post-legislative scrutiny and other emerging aspects of democratic lawmaking.

Task 3: Capacity Building, Facilitation and Technical Advisory Support

• Design, adapt and deliver high-quality capacity-building activities on democratic lawmaking for parliamentarians, parliamentary administrations, government officials, legal drafters, independent institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders. This includes developing learner-centred curricula, practical exercises and resource materials tailored to different institutional contexts and levels of expertise.

• Deliver interactive training programmes, workshops, peer-learning events using participatory adult learning methodologies that encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and practical application of knowledge. Depending on the assignment, experts may be expected to facilitate simulations, legislative drafting exercises, case studies, group work, peer reviews, scenario-based learning, moderated discussions and other experiential learning techniques.

• Adapt ODIHR training methodologies and materials to country-specific legal frameworks/context, reform priorities and target audiences, while integrating comparative experiences, emerging developments in democratic lawmaking, and cross-cutting human rights, gender equality and diversity considerations.

• Provide technical advice and mentoring to national counterparts during and after capacity-building activities, facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue and peer exchange, and contribute to the design of follow-up activities and practical action plans that support the application of knowledge and promote sustainable institutional reform.

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1:

One or more high-quality analytical products, as specified in the individual assignment, which may include legal reviews or opinions, comprehensive assessments, comparative notes, thematic studies, research papers, written technical advice, comments or recommendations concerning legislative frameworks, lawmaking processes or practices. Outputs shall be prepared in the format agreed with ODIHR, reflect relevant international standards and OSCE commitments, and incorporate ODIHR comments and feedback as appropriate.

Deliverable2:

One or more draft and/or final methodological or practical products, as specified in the individual assignment, which may include guidelines, handbooks, methodologies, toolkits, checklists, templates, analytical frameworks, training resources or other practical materials supporting democratic lawmaking. Products shall be tailored to the intended users and institutional context and finalized taking into account ODIHR comments and feedback.

Deliverable 3:

Design and/or delivery of capacity-building, facilitation or technical advisory support, as specified in the individual assignment. Outputs may include curricula, agendas, presentations, practical exercises, case studies and other training materials; delivery or facilitation of workshops, training programmes, peer-learning or consultation activities; and, where requested, concise activity reports, recommendations, action points or follow-up technical advice.

Necessary Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in law, constitutional law, administrative law, or public policy, governance or related discipline directly relevant to democratic lawmaking.

• At least 10 years of professional experience in legislative reform, democratic governance or parliamentary development, including demonstrated expertise in at least two of the following areas:

  -parliamentary procedure and legislative processes;

  -evidence-based policymaking, legislative planning and regulatory quality;

  -comparative legal and policy analysis in the field of democratic lawmaking;

  -development of practical methodologies, guidance materials and analytical publications in the field of democratic lawmaking;

  -parliamentary oversight and institutional accountability;

  -public participation, stakeholder engagement and inclusive lawmaking;

  -emerging issues in democratic lawmaking, including digitalisation, new technologies and artificial intelligence.

• Strong preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated experience in designing and delivering capacity-building programmes on democratic lawmaking, including the use of participatory adult-learning methodologies, practical exercises and interactive facilitation techniques for parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, government officials and other stakeholders.

• Demonstrated experience preparing high-quality legal analysis, comparative studies, assessment reports, guidance documents or other analytical materials.

• Sound knowledge of international human rights standards, democratic governance principles and OSCE commitments relevant to democratic lawmaking.

• Familiarity with democratic lawmaking, parliamentary strengthening and legislative reform initiatives in the OSCE region, particularly in Eastern Partnership countries, would be an asset.

• Experience working with international organizations, public institutions, parliaments, governments would be an asset;

• Excellent command of written and spoken English;

• Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines with minimal supervision.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. 

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.