Needs assessment and Inception phase Consultant

IDLO IN MYANMAR

IDLO (www.idlo.int) has been working in Myanmar since 2014, to support justice institutions, lawyers, civil society representatives and communities to strengthen rule of law and access to justice, enhance gender equality and promote peace and development in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16, as part of the complex democratic transition and political changes underway in the country. IDLO’s work in Myanmar has to date mainly focused on institutional capacity development, community empowerment, legal awareness programming, and support to civil society actors in responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
The Needs Assessment and Inception Phase Consultant focuses on understanding the needs and designing project activities to support women, poor and other vulnerable groups in Kachin, Mandalay, Southern Shan and Yangon to understand and claim their legal rights through awareness raising and community outreach activities, while linking those same groups to legal service providers in their communities.
The project will work across three thematic areas: (1) fair trial rights; (2) mediation; and (3) SGBV. It will provide awareness-raising and community outreach activities designed to increase knowledge and understanding around the thematic areas among target groups. It will also implement capacity development activities – including training and peer exchange activities - to legal service providers to strengthen their practice as lawyers and paralegals in their communities.

THE ASSIGNMENT

IDLO is looking for a consultant to support the development of an updated evidence base about the needs for legal awareness raising and community outreach in the project locations during the inception phase of the project.
The assignment will include the following tasks:

1. Information gathering from community members to better understand the communities, identify their problems and priorities, the needs for awareness raising and community outreach, assess resources, and issues around access to justice and equity in each project location;
2. A mapping of lawyers, paralegals and other justice service providers that are used by communities in the target locations, and any existing referral systems in the target locations;
3. Design, lead and oversee the project team to carry out stakeholder consultations in each project location; and
4. Assess the social, political and economic situation on the ground in the project locations to better understand any barriers to project implementation going forward and draft an inception phase report with recommendations.

DDELIVERABLES

Under the supervision of the Country Manager and working closely with the Capacity Development Specialist, the Consultant will perform the following duties and produce the following deliverables:

1.       Produce a detailed work plan that includes:

§  A description of research methodology and approach including the development of key research questions to include, but not limited to, the following:

§  Questions about where and how people in the target locations access information about justice and justice services, including the most vulnerable, and whether this has changed following 1 February and the subsequent Internet and movement restrictions in many places;

§  Questions about existing or potential entry points to connect with communities for legal service provision or awareness raising, including for example through alternative healthcare points or humanitarian aid services;

§  Questions about the main gaps in awareness on national SGBV laws, fair trial rights and mediation;

§  Questions about existing awareness raising tools and products on SGBV, fair trial rights and mediation.

§  The development of specific research instruments/tools (eg. questionnaires and surveys) for data collection;  

§  A realistic data collection implementation plan and timeline; and

§  A risk analysis that includes potential security risks to project members and interviewees, or the timely implementation of inception phase activities. 

2.       Based on the outcomes of data collection, the consultant should develop an inception phase report that details the following:

§  Mapping the needs for legal awareness raising and community outreach in project locations, especially in light of the 1 February coup and the evolving justice needs since then;

§  A mapping of lawyers and paralegals in the target locations, and any existing referral systems in the target locations;

§  An analysis of the communities in project locations, an identification of their problems and priorities, the needs for awareness raising and community outreach, an assessment of existing resources, and issues around access to justice and equity in each project location; and

§  The development of a series of project recommendations to respond to community justice needs and the changed context since 1 February 2021.

§  The Project recommendations should include specific activities, with target number of activities, beneficiaries, and other areas.

§  Revision of the existing M&E Framework and the Workplan in accordance with the findings of the inception phase report. 

Throughout this assignment, it will be necessary to

• Emphasize peer exchange and review, responding collaboratively to feedback and input;

• Deliver written products in English;
• Deliver written products that is of publishable quality and adopts a consistent footnote/endnote citation and reference style; and
• Perform related duties as requested in the context of adaptive/flexible project implementation.

This assignment will be partly home-based and partly field-based, with missions to be carried out if possible and appropriate in Kachin, Mandalay, Southern Shan and Yangon if feasible.  

Ideal Candidate Profile

Education

• Graduate degree in law, social science, or related field;
• Strong knowledge and proven expertise in:

• Access to justice issues in Myanmar
• Justice systems in Myanmar, including traditional and customary justice systems
• Human rights

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Work experience and technical skills

• Minimum of six years of substantial professional experience;
• Knowledge and understanding of the Myanmar political and legal context, including an understanding of the state of the rule of law, access to justice and respect for human rights;
• Previous experience developing research papers, including carrying out justice sector research work and developing policy recommendations;
• Previous experience researching on access to justice issues in Myanmar is a distinct advantage;
• Familiarity with IDLO work in Myanmar is a distinct advantage;
• Proficient use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, data analysis software and internet.

Languages

§  Ability to work and write in English is required and ability to work and write in Myanmar language is a strong asset.

Behavioral competencies

• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills
• Excellent planning and organization skills
• Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines, flexibility and an entrepreneurial spirit;
• Ability to respond to queries and provide feedback in a timely manner;
• Strong sense of ethics, integrity, credibility, respect of diversity, and commitment to IDLO’s mandate;
• Proven ability to see through tasks set and deliver results.
• Ability and willingness to travel within the country, as required.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The successful candidate will be offered a Single Engagement Agreement contract.

HOW TO APPLY
All interested applicants are encouraged to submit their 1) resume, 2) cover letter and 3) budget estimate, inclusive of fees and total costs breakdown, to the attention of the IDLO Myanmar Program Management Support Associate at the following email address: khlaing@idlo.int

IDLO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in all areas of its operations. We welcome and encourage diverse applications.

IDLO will cover the costs of airfares and accommodation for travel within Myanmar. 

DISCLAIMER AND CLOSING DATE

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Contractor assigned to this work. This may not be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities.

The Director-General of IDLO reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities or even to cancel the recruitment to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

Application deadline is 30^th September 2021.

In the interest of making most effective use of resources and time, applications will be review on a rolling basis. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted during the selection process.