Consultant on Discrimination in Accessing Legal Aid

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Result of Service

• Draft research outline and methodology for information gathering submitted to UNDOC for comment, and list of potential additional experts to be approached submitted to UNODC; • Desk research completed, expert input collected; • Draft report completed and submitted to UNODC for comment; • Final report based on comments submitted to UNODC; • Draft overview paper and list of suggested resource countries submitted to UNDOC for comment; • Final overview paper completed and submitted to UNODC and presented at focus group discussion(s); • Document with entry points of technical assistance submitted to UNODC.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

66 days

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of the assignment is to support the Access to Justice Team in developing a study of current practices and challenges, and, based on the findings, suggested recommendations for technical assistance regarding 1) addressing the needs of victims of hate crimes motivated by factors such as their race or minority group membership (or perceived membership) through legal aid services; 2) inclusion of the needs of persons facing racial discrimination, or discrimination based on their minority group (or perceived) membership, in legal aid provision; and 3) the experiences of legal aid providers from diverse backgrounds regarding both their education, training, and career development, as well as their treatment by peers and clients and their experiences of discrimination based on their background. In all of this, it is encouraged to look into factors of intersectionality, for instance, in connection to gender, age, or disability status. The Consultant will provide their knowledge and expertise as outlined below and will be working home-based. Applicants with lived experience in this area are strongly encouraged to apply. Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Team Leader, Access to Justice Team, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section, Division for Treaty Affairs of UNODC, and direct supervision of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer acting as HQ focal point for legal aid, the Consultant will be undertaking the following activities: • Carry out in-depth desk research of existing literature or legal precedents, and collect data and input from legal aid providers across regions, victim organisations, and, where appropriate and possible without risk of secondary victimization, client experiences, to produce a report on trends and practices, as well as legal or policy approaches, and lived experiences in: • Addressing the needs of victims of hate crimes motivated by factors such as their race or minority group (real or perceived) membership through legal aid services. • Ensuring inclusion of the needs of persons facing racial discrimination, or discrimination based on their minority group (real or perceived) membership, in the provision of legal aid. • Strengthening and/or building capacity for legal aid providers from diverse backgrounds and other justice system actors to identify, acknowledge, address, and overcome behaviours and actions fueled by bias or discrimination in the course of their work, with respect to education, training, career development, as well as their treatment by peers and clients; and identify instances, trends, or patterns in experiences of discrimination based on their background (including whether acknowledgment or redress by employers or other relevant stakeholders is systematised). • In order to carry out the research, develop a draft outline of topics to be covered and a methodology for gathering information (including a questionnaire/survey/other type of tool or document for written inputs, as well as means to retrieve information through interviews and other potential types and modalities, to be discussed and agreed with UNODC), to be shared with legal aid practitioners, as well as various stakeholders from governments, academia, and civil society, such as victims support networks and minority rights groups, and, to supplement the list of expert names provided by UNODC, identify and suggest additional experts to be approached for information gathering and to be approached for their feedback. • Draft a final report incorporating findings from the research, as well as analysis of questionnaire responses, providing a well-rounded and in-depth exploration of the research subject for possible presentation at an expert group meeting/side-event of the CCPCJ, including recommendations for action by different stakeholders, including with and by UNODC, based on research outcomes. Findings and outcomes of analysis would include, but are not limited to, areas mentioned by experts as priorities for interventions by stakeholders; lessons learned in addressing challenges though policies or concrete, standalone or integrated projects led by government or other sectors; ongoing initiatives identified across countries and regions; statistics and graphs prepared based on data received which clearly demonstrate trends; recommendations by victims organizations or other stakeholders. • In order to strengthen UNODC’s technical assistance programming in this area, produce an overview paper covering a summary of lived experiences, promising practices addressing challenges and gaps in legal aid reform, organization and delivery to victims of abovementioned crimes, and identify key countries who may be able to share expertise in these areas (ideally, e.g., one or two countries each from the Americas, WEOG, Asia and North Africa). Based on this, UNODC would convene (a) focus group discussion(s) , where the Consultant would present and discuss the overview with experts. Based on outcomes of the discussion, suggest entry points for future UNODC technical assistance, either proposing new standalone project activities, or activities that may be added to existing programming.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law or criminology, social or policitcal science, with adequate focus on international law, criminal law or criminal justice is required. A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in criminal law and/or human rights and/or victims’ rights and services is required. Work experience in the area of legal aid, and/or discrimination in the criminal justice system, and/or knowledge of the rights of racial and other minorities and challenges people are facing in accessing legal services is required. Work experience in conducting legal and social research and drafting of research reports is required. Work experience with an international organization in the areas of criminal justice reform and/or access to justice, including access to legal aid, is desirable. Knowledge of legal and social aspects of enhancing access to justice, including for victims of crime and/or of challenges faced by legal aid providers from diverse backgrounds, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English, with excellent drafting and communication skills, is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.