Africa Gender Equality Moot Court Competition Coordinator (Consultant) At Equality Now

About the Africa Gender Equality Moot Court Competition (AGEMCC)

• About the Organisers

Equality Now, whose Africa Office serves as the Secretariat for the SOAWR Coalition, is an international human rights organization that works to achieve legal and systemic change that addresses violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world, with a focus on ending sexual violence, harmful practices, sexual exploitation, and achieving legal equality. Combining grassroots activism with international, regional and national legal advocacy, Equality Now’s approach links high-level policy advocacy and global activism with support and legal advice to grassroots partners and networks working on specific cases of women and girls to promote change at all levels.

The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) is a coalition of over 70 national, regional and international civil society organizations working on women’s rights in over 30 countries in Africa. SOAWR was formed with the principal objective of advocating for the ratification, domestication, and implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol).

Strathmore Law School (SLS) is one of the constituent schools of Strathmore University (SU), a leading non-profit private university in Kenya that aims at serving Kenyan society to the best of its ability. SU holds a peerless reputation for quality in academic and professional education as well as personal formation.

• Background and Context

In Africa, efforts have and continue to be made toward ensuring that the rights and protections enshrined in regional and international human rights treaties are accessible to all women and girls. Most African countries are parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (“the Maputo Protocol”), which emphasize the rights of women and girls that are more generally provided for under other international treaties. 43 of the 55 African Countries have ratified the Maputo Protocol, while 12 are yet to accede to it. There exists a wide gap between commitments by states to abide by these international obligations and the reality of implementation and blatant abuses on the ground.

In this regard, Equality Now, in conjunction with the SOAWR Coalition and in partnership with Strathmore University, is convening the Africa Gender Equality Moot Court Competition from August 2022 to January 2023. The competition brings together participants from across Africa and shall be held in French and English (referred to as the Francophone and Anglophone Components).

The Africa Gender Equality Moot Court Competition aims to foster and cultivate interest in the rights of women and girls in Africa and the role continental and international human rights instruments play in the enforcement, promotion and protection of these rights among the next generation of legal practitioners on the continent. Further information about the AGEMCC is available on the Equality Now website: https://www.equalitynow.org/africa-gender-equality-moot-court-competition/

• About the Competition

The competition’s theme is Women’s Economic and Political Rights in the Digital Space. The Africa Gender Equality Moot Court Competition will have a hybrid format, combining virtual and in-person rounds. The competition will strive to include participating teams from countries all over Africa. The working languages of the moot court competition shall be English and French, and teams shall have two agents (representatives) each. Given a large number of participating countries, only one team per country shall be accepted, but this rule may be changed based on the number of participating countries. A total of 8 teams for the Anglophone component and 8 for the Francophone component shall be selected to participate in the AGEMCC, bringing the total number of participating teams to 16.

Terms of Reference for the AGEMCC Coordinator

The AGEMCC Coordinator will lead day-to-day management of all aspects of the competition to ensure a well-coordinated, successful, and impactful competition, in line with the aims of the competition established by the competition organizers.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The AGEMCC Coordinator will be responsible for the following:

• Providing administrative coordination for the AGEMCC, including planning and executing both virtual and in-person aspects of the competition, communicating with competition participants (including competitors, judges, university representatives, and members of the audience), and contributing to and taking responsibility for the logistics of the competition.
• Coordinating planning meetings between the organizers of the AGEMCC and the AGEMCC Administering Committee, note taking, and following up on the execution of action points raised during these meetings.
• Leading the execution of all decisions and directives by the AGEMCC Administering Committee.
• Further developing and refining existing knowledge products, including judges’ briefs, logistical notes, clarification on the hypothetical case and moot court rules, and any other document created to disseminate knowledge to the competition participants.
• Coordinating and facilitating (as a trainer) the virtual information sessions with moot court participants.
• Serving as an information resource and primary and regular contact for all communication with moot court participants (including competitors, judges, university representatives, and audience members on relevant matters such as scheduling of rounds, fiscal support, management of records, and enforcement of moot court rules.
• Support external communications and publicity of the competition, including drafting and editing social media posts, press releases, statements, and other marketing materials.
• Developing and submitting periodic briefs and a comprehensive report at the end of the Competition.

Time Commitment

• The consultancy period shall be five months, from mid-September 2022 to January 31, 2023.
• This consultancy will be part-time. However, the successful applicant will be required to work full time during the virtual competition rounds, the in-person competition rounds, and the award ceremony of the AGEMCC.
• The consultant will be required to lead weekly meetings with the organizers of the AGEMCC to discuss the planning of the competition, provide updates, take meeting notes and follow up on action points identified in these meetings.

Relevant Skills/Experience

• First degree in law, international relations, gender studies, human rights, or the humanities required. Candidates with moot court experience are highly encouraged to apply.
• At least two years of experience coordinating regional or national moot court competitions is required.
• Minimum two years of experience to support human rights, gender equality, or women’s empowerment required.
• Solid legal analysis and writing skills as well as an understanding of the key themes of the AGEMCC, including impeccable knowledge of the Maputo Protocol, the rights of women in Africa, and the intersection of women’s rights with digital and political rights required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and French required. Additionally, the successful candidate must have demonstrable skills and experience in communicating with a wide range of actors, including high-level representatives from national governments and intergovernmental organizations, judicial and quasi-judicial institutions at the national and regional levels, academia, and civil society, as well as with students, university administrators and members of the public.
• Strong dispute resolution skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex problems when they arise.
• Strong organization skills, including the ability to work effectively with minimal supervision, impeccable attention to detail, and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to work across multiple time zones.
• Excellent professionalism, including a commitment to upholding high standards of confidentiality, competence, integrity, accountability, and credibility.

Remuneration

• The total fees for this consultancy shall be seven thousand US dollars (USD 7000), subject to relevant statutory deductions under Kenyan law, which may be payable on a monthly pro-rated basis or based on the fulfilment of the deliverables.