Call for consultancy – Mid-term evaluation of the project Improving access to justice in the Great Lakes region, “Uhaki bila mipaka” At International Alert

International Alert is looking for an external consultant or consulting firm to work remotely and in the DRC Congo.

CONTEXT

The current context in the Great Lakes region is generally dominated by socio-economic cross-border exchanges between the populations of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The two borders constitute, on the one hand, opportunities to strengthen cohesion between the two nations and, on the other hand, places where border-user populations face major challenges in accessing justice in the context of their daily activities.

The results of the multiple consultations with the populations, border users show that cross-border populations in search of survival are exposed to various forms of cross-border crime, in particular the illicit management and trafficking of natural resources, human rights violations, including migrant trafficking, etc.

Poor access to justice for victims of certain damages is the basis of several consequences including the crisis of confidence between litigants and justice actors, the recourse to criminal solutions (such as private revenge) whose effects are truly harmful to the promotion of peace and the development of the Great Lakes region.

Since December 2022, a consortium of three organizations, International Alert (lead), Pole Institute and iPeace, has been implementing the project “Improving Access to Justice in the Great Lakes Region” , which aims to contribute to improving access to justice to reduce tensions and strengthen stability in the Great Lakes region.

The AtJ project is implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) around 5 border points with Rwanda (Petite and Grande Barrières in Goma, Ruzizi 1 and Ruzizi 2 in Bukavu and Kamanyola); and in Rwanda around 5 border points with the DR Congo (La corniche border post and poids lourde border post in Rubavu, Rusizi 1 and Rusizi 2 in Kamembe and Bugarama), with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for a period of four years.

The project is providing direct support to various stakeholders including communities living in cross-border areas, civil society organisations and state institutions who are either directly involved in the governance, delivery and promotion of justice or impacted by the issue of access to justice.

This mid-term evaluation is planned for the end of the second year of implementation of the project and is part of the perspective of examining the progress made and taking note of the change achieved so far by the project with a view to learning to contribute to the consolidation of peace in the Grand-Lacs region, to identify lessons learned and to address challenges that may hinder the successful achievement of the project results.

This evaluation will be carried out externally by an independent consultant or consultancy firm, who will work under the leadership of the MEAL teams of the AtJ consortium, in liaison with the coordination of the consortium, in order to ensure the quality of the data and the report that will be produced.

OBJECTIVES OF THE MID-TERM EVALUATION

The purpose of the mid-term evaluation is to determine the progress made in achieving the expected results of the Uhaki Bila Mipaka project during the first two years of implementation (from December 2022 to November 2024) and to identify corrective measures, if necessary.

This mid-term evaluation will in particular make it possible to:

• Assess the criteria including the relevance, effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, and sustainability of the AtJ project. In addition to these criteria, the evaluation will also assess the criterion of integration of gender, localization and cooperation issues.
• Analyze the effectiveness of the implementation and partnership agreements between the members of the AtJ consortium.
• Assess progress made by identifying successes, opportunities, challenges and risks in order to identify lessons learned regarding the design, implementation, coordination and management of the project.
• Conduct an analysis of the project’s key approaches, highlighting in particular technical achievements and lessons learned.
• Propose mid-term corrections and/or adjustments to the work plan, if necessary, to be taken into account in the remaining period of the project or in another probable access to justice project/intervention

Specifically, the following themes will be addressed:

Accountability : The evaluation will analyze and report on the performance and results achieved at the current stage of the project:

• Evaluate the intervention of the Uhaki Bila Mipaka project in accordance with OECD principles (details of the questions for each criterion are included in section 4 of these ToRs)
• Verify the modalities of knowledge on rights and free and rapid access of communities living in target areas to legal aid services in order to prevent the escalation of conflicts in the Great Lakes region
• Assessing the degree of achievement of the results framework indicators: a baseline study was conducted at the beginning of the project and an annual survey for the last two years has just been finalized, at the end of which it is possible to compare the progress of the indicators against the reference data.

Participation : The evaluation will seek to analyze how project stakeholders, including community structures, officials, beneficiaries of legal clinics, etc. are involved in the implementation of the project. And how this involvement facilitates the achievement or not of results.

Learning : The evaluation will identify why certain outcomes have or have not occurred, in order to draw lessons, best practices and indications for learning. It will provide conclusions that are based on solid evidence that can inform operational decision-making. Observations will be actively disseminated and lessons will be incorporated into appropriate lesson-sharing systems as the project continues:

• Capture existing lessons and good practices that can feed into recommendations and the planning process
• Analyze strengths and weaknesses, best practices of the intervention and critical issues identified
• Refine the recommendations on the intervention logic of the Uhaki Bila Mipaka project and, where appropriate, a programming proposal concerning the main stakeholders in the project.

SCOPE

Period : This mid-term evaluation covers the period from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Geographic coverage : the evaluation will be carried out in all areas of project implementation – around 5 border points with Rwanda (Small and large barriers in Goma, Ruzizi 1 and Ruzizi 2 in Bukavu and Kamanyola); in Rwanda around 5 border points with the DR Congo (La corniche border post and poids lourde border post in Rubavu, Rusizi 1 and Rusizi 2 in Kamembe and Bugarama).

Direct beneficiaries of the project: beneficiaries of legal clinics, members of community structures supported by the project, border officials, judicial authorities and local authorities (mayors, burgomasters, territorial administrators, group leaders, etc.).

Please note that these are just a few of the requirements for this position. For full job requirements, please click here to view the job description.