NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN GUINEA-BISSAU

Consultant Elections & Governance

Contract

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Background

Human rights defenders (HRDs) play a fundamental role in strengthening democracy, rule of law and sustaining development and peace. In fulfilling the mission of ensuring the respect, promotion and protection of human rights, their actions are not always perceived fairly by duty bearers, which often contributes to the continuity of authoritarian policies, poverty, underdevelopment, conflicts and the unrestrained extraction of natural resources. Human rights defenders often put their lives and physical integrity at risk, as well as those of their families or close ones, as many human rights issues are strongly linked to changing the status quo, social justice and the allocation of resources, and structural changes that can reach privileges, human rights defenders are often persecuted by state agents via threats, rapes, arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, physical assault, torture, forced disappearances and even deaths1 . Aware of the challenges faced by human rights defenders around the world, the United Nations on 09 December 1998, through its General Assembly, passed Resolution No. 53/144 (known as the Declaration of Human Rights Defenders) to reaffirm the importance of realizing one of the objectives and principles ofthe Charter ofthe United Nations, which isthe promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people throughout the world. In the preamble of Resolution No. 53/144, the UN “invites governments throughout the world, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, agencies to intensify efforts to disseminate the Declaration with a view to promoting its universal respect and understanding”. Despite not being legally binding, the Declaration poses an enormous ethical and political burden for Member Sates. Furthermore, it has an emotional effect on human rights defenders, because through it, many States have begun to design policies and legislative measures to protect human rights defenders as a sign of recognition of the importance of their role in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, fundamental freedom, and rule of law. In Guinea-Bissau, human rights defenders had and still have a leading role in building the foundations of democracy and rule of law. Since the 1990s, human rights defenders’ organizations have been pioneers in the fight against the dictatorship (when the country was still in a one-party regime) and for building democracy and rule of law. In this process of struggle, many human rights defenders were detained, beaten or imprisoned. The role of HRDs in Guinea-Bissau is an incessant struggle for people to have the right to freedom against arbitrary arrests and detentions, so that people have the right to education, the right to health, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right to a healthy environment, so that girls are free from early and forced marriage, from female genital mutilation, from forced begging, so that women do not suffer sexual, physical or moral violence, etc., putting themselves at risk. Despite human rights defenders’ fight every day for the promotion and protection of citizens' rights, there are still no mechanism or structure in Guinea-Bissau to protect them when their rights are violated. On 13 December 2017, with the support of the United Nations Integrated Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), the National Network of Human Rights Defenders (RNDDH, in the Portuguese acronym) was created, which brings together 43 organizations that defend human rights. In carrying out its role of promoting and protecting the human rights of its members, the Network has been operating since 2020 in a climate of insecurity and impunity, as its members are threatened, detained, and beaten by security forces and groups of strangers. Hence the need to carry out an assessment of the situation of human rights defendersthroughout the country to establish a protection mechanism against acts that violate their dignity and rights. There is a feeling among the leaderships of human rights organizations that they are weakening, that is, the number of people who abandon social activism and actions in favor of the defense of the most disadvantaged is becoming reduced, if we compare it with previous times, it seems that there is a resignation whose reasons must be known in order to be able to revitalize the actions of protection of human rights defenders. It is in this context, the United Nations, within the framework of the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) Project to improve human rights protection system in Guinea-Bissau, whose activity 1.4 seeks to “increase the capacity of human rights organizations to monitor and denounce human rights violations, including reprisals against human rights defenders, among others,” aims to support the State of Guinea-Bissau in strengthening the human rights protection system that includes human rights defenders. In fact, this support results from the commitment assumed by Guinea-Bissau in the context of its interaction with the United Nations Human Rights Council (Universal Periodic Review) in 2020 and is also part of the fulfillment Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Indeed, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the National Network of Human Rights Defenders (RNDDH), will carry out a study and national mapping with a view to assessing the situation of human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau with the aim of contributing to the strengthening of the human rights protection system in Guinea-Bissau.

Objective :

The purpose of the consultancy is to undertake a study and mapping of human rights defenders across the country to assessthe constraintsthey encounterin the exercise oftheir role and the risks associated with their work. The study and mapping will contribute to the elaboration of a national strategy for the protection of human rights defenders.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the PBF human rights project team, the consultant will:

- Develop a questionnaire on the situation of human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau together with the national consultant.

- Prepare questions to be discussed in focus groupsto validate the content of the questionnaires together with the national consultant.

- Present a proposal to visit 39 Administrative Sectors to carry out the activities.

- Develop a report on the situation of human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau.

- Organize, together with the national consultant, a validation workshop for the report.

- Finalize the report based on inputs from the validation workshop.

- Organize a national workshop to launch a discussion for the elaboration of a national strategy for the protection of human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau.

- Develop a proposal for a national strategy on the protection of the human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau.

Products:

• Methodology, including focal discussion questions for the group discussions.
• Updated map of human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau.
• Report on the situation of human rights defendersin Guinea-Bissau, including a section focused on the situation of women human rights defenders.
• Workshop to validate the report and produce a final report.
• Workshop to launch a discussion for the elaboration of a national strategy for the protection of human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau.
• First draft of a national strategy on the protection of human rights defenders.

Duration of contract:

The consultancy must be completed within 45 working days of signing the contract.

Competencies

Functional

- Professional experience;

- Able to manage conflicting deadlines and priorities;

- Able to coordinate activities such as missions, special events, etc.

- Able to assume full responsibility for activities, ensuring that mission objectives are met in a transparent and inclusive manner;

- Set clear goals and performance standards; perform responsibilities as it should be;

- Self-analysis of performance problems; seeking appropriate guidance and support.

Resource management

- Strong organizational skills;

- Ability to work independently, produce high quality outputs;

- Solid opinion, strategic thinking and ability to manage competing priorities;

- Able to find creative solutions to daily problems, working in an ever-changing work environment.

Communication and advocacy

- Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences and speaking clearly and convincingly;

- Ability to produce high quality professional documents and products under pressure and to defend and negotiate difficult issues and positions for senior and official employees;

- Strong ability to present at meetings with the ability to adapt to different audiences;

- Strong analytical, research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically;

- Strong clear and fast communication skills; - Strong interpersonal skills in negotiation and liaison.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational background:

• Degree in law, social science, international relations, or other subject related to the protection of human rights.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of work experience in the field of protection and/or promotion of human rights.

• Experience in designing consultation processes.

• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection.

• Experience in using Microsoft Office.

• Knowledge of issues related to women's rights and women human rights defenders

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.

Application Guidelines: Required Documents:

• A cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the position.

• A brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the tasks, describing the tools and work plan. The methodology must be relevant to the objectives of the project and aligned with the current results of the project framework (attached to the terms of reference).

• A financial proposal.

• A curriculum vitae including previous experience in similar projects and at least three professional references.

Fixed Value Contract: The financial proposal must specify a total amount and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (ie. whether payments are in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based on production, ie. delivery of the services specified in the TOR. To assist the requesting unit in comparing financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this fixed amount (including travel, food allowances and number of anticipated working days). Travel: All anticipated travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all trips to initiate service/repatriation trips. In general, UNDP/OHCHR should not accept higher travel costs than an economy class ticket. If the Individual Consultant wishes to travel in a higher class, he/she must do so with his/her own resources.

In the event of unforeseen travel, payment of travel expenses, including ticket, accommodation, and terminal expenses, must be agreed between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel, and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation: The individual consultant will be evaluated based on the following methodologies: Comulative Analyses When using this weighted scoring method, the contract award must be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined to be:

- Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

- Have received the highest score from a predetermined set of application-specific weighted technical and financial criteria.

The weight of Technical Criteria – 70 points

The weight of financial criteria – 30 points

Only applicants who obtain a minimum of 70 points should be considered for financial evaluation Evaluation criteria:

- Academic degree – 10 points.

- Experience as defined in the Terms of Reference – 15.

- Competences as defined in the Terms of Reference – 15 points.

- Understanding of the Terms of Reference – 10 points.

- Methodology and overall approach – 30 points.

- Overall quality of the proposal (understanding, structure, language, and clarity) – 20 points.

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org