Consultant to the National Human Rights Commission of Burkina Faso on institutional advocacy techniques AT American Bar Association

American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) – “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Burkina Faso (DHAJ)” Project

NOTICE FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT TO TRAIN MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (CNDH) OF BURKINA FASO ON INSTITUTIONAL ADVOCACY CONDUCT TECHNIQUES

TERMS OF REFERENCE

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Reference: 01/11/ABA-ROLI/BKF/2023

2. Location of the consultation: Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou, with the possibility of holding the training session in Koudougou). The Work will be done in collaboration with the ABA ROLI Program team based in Ouagadougou.

3. Title: “Consultation mission for the training of members and staff of the CNDH of Burkina Faso on institutional advocacy techniques for the consideration of the recommendations and opinions of the Commission by the authorities”.

4. Period of execution: 30 days including working days in Burkina Faso. The consultancy period could be reviewed by mutual agreement with the Consultant who will be recruited.

II. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION AND THE DHAJ PROJECT

has. American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)

The Rule of Law Initiative is a public service project of the American Bar Association that aims to promote legal reform efforts in more than 40 countries around the world. ABA ROLI believes that promoting the rule of law is the most effective long-term response to the most pressing problems facing the global community today, including poverty, economic stagnation and high levels of corruption . ABA ROLI focuses its technical legal assistance efforts in the following areas: 1) Fight against corruption and public integrity; 2) Criminal law and the fight against human trafficking; 3) Gender issues; 4) Human rights and conflict mitigation; 5) Judicial reform; 6) Reform of legal education; and 7) Reform of the legal profession. ABA ROLI draws on individuals with the skills and commitment to effectively promote the rule of law in host countries. We regularly seek experienced lawyers, judges and law professors willing to contribute their expertise to our programs for long- and short-term pro bono assignments abroad. For more information, please visit our website at www.americanbar.org .

b. The “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Burkina Faso (DHAJ)” Program

The DHAJ Program is an intervention funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by a consortium of organizations including ABA ROLI, Freedom House, Search For Common Ground and Pact. Initially planned for a period of three (03) years (May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2023), the program was extended until December 2024.

The aim of the program is to “strengthen the capacity of the State to prevent and punish human rights violations, as well as to increase public awareness and access to remedies leading to reparations”. To achieve this goal, the program is structured around three specific objectives:

Objective 1 aims to contribute to strengthening the capacity of the CNDH to implement its mandate and respond to human rights violations.

Objective 2 aims to support CSOs in defending human rights and combating violations in target areas.

Goal 3 aims to support greater coordination among key human rights actors to build a sustainable movement around reducing human rights violations and preventing atrocities.

This consultation is part of the implementation of training activities for members and staff of the CNDH provided for by objective 1 of the Program.

vs. The CNDH and the context of this training

The CNDH is an independent public authority established as the national institution for the promotion, protection and defense of human rights in Burkina Faso. Initially created by decree n°628-2001/PRES/MJPDH of November 20, 2001, reformed by law n°062-2009/AN of December 21, 2009, its creation is now based on law n°001-2016/AN of March 24, 2016 in accordance with the Paris Principles, the reference framework for national human rights institutions (INDH). 2021 the CNDH received, by law n°002-2021/AN of March 30, 2021 amending law n°001-2016/AN of March 24, 2016, a mandate to serve as a national mechanism for the prevention of torture in Burkina Faso. In May 2023, a new team of Commissioners was appointed and installed, and in October 2023 the institution’s strategic plan for the period 2023-2027 was validated. The CNDH is currently working to boost its institutional work.

During the first phase of implementation of the DHAJ Program, the Program’s support enabled the CNDH to assert its status as a national human rights institution, including by substantially improving its visibility and its interaction with the other stakeholders and by conducting credible investigations and documentation of human rights violations. However, the CNDH still has difficulty generating a follow-up to the results of its surveillance and investigation actions. As a result, the commission’s ability to follow up on its findings poses a challenge to enable it to be more effective in the services it offers to victims. The CNDH therefore needs to strengthen its internal capacities to engage in effective advocacy/lobbying with political decision-makers and administrative authorities for the implementation of its findings and recommendations. With this in mind, it is important that the members of the CNDH and particularly the Commissioners and the leadership of the technical staff have the knowledge and tools to enable them to influence the vision and responses of decision-makers regarding vis-à-vis human rights violations, and that the latter ultimately become vectors sensitive to human rights.

This service therefore responds to the desire to better equip the main actors of the CNDH in their approach and interactions with the various decision-makers, so that the latter can understand the importance of acting on cases of violations reported to them, and can ultimately be safe channels for protecting the rights of victims.

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTATION

The overall objective of the consultation is to strengthen the capacities of members and staff of the CNDH in carrying out advocacy/lobbying actions with a view to facilitating the consideration and implementation of the recommendations and opinions that the institution formulates as part of the implementation of its mandate. It is expected that the acquisition of advocacy/lobbying skills will enable the Commission to mobilize and benefit from the support of institutions and resource persons in the implementation of its missions.

The specific objectives of the consultation are in particular to strengthen the capacities of beneficiaries through the training to be organized covering the following elements:

• Familiarize members of the CNDH with the different advocacy techniques by a National Human Rights Institution;
• Provide the Commission with tools likely to help the institution effectively implement its human rights advocacy initiatives, including in times of security crisis.

IV. PROFILE OF BENEFICIARIES

The training session that the Consultant is called upon to provide will benefit the members (commissioners) and staff of the CNDH.

V. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT

1) Prepare the documents necessary for carrying out the training;

2) Design and develop training modules covering the specific objectives defined above and adapted to the profile of beneficiaries;

3) Propose the terms of reference, including the methodology to be used and an agenda for the training session;

4) Facilitate the face-to-face training session;

5) Write a mission report including observations and recommendations on the mission carried out, in particular on the methodology applied and on the evaluation of the results obtained.

VI. TRAINING MODULES: ARTICULATION AND CONTENT

Each of the modules must be structured so as to highlight the following elements:

1) Title of the module: It must be designed and proposed so as to be both concise and as representative of the content as possible.

2) Educational objectives of the module: They must be defined clearly to:

· allow an objective reference during the evaluation by the consultant himself and by ABA-ROLI of their achievement;

· guide the division of training into sessions and activities;

· inform (knowledge) and engage (know-how) with knowledge of the training beneficiaries.

The consultant can in particular classify these objectives by category, according to whether they are (i) cognitive (knowledge or knowledge – domain of thought); (ii) psychomotor (know-how or technical aptitude) or (iii) emotional (skills or behavior). The consultant will indicate, among other things, the skills targeted within the framework of each module.

3) General overview of the content: For the purposes of this consultation, an overview means an indicative and explanatory overview of the main theoretical knowledge and current school debates on training subjects. An overview extends beyond a bulleted list or simple statement of these topics. It briefly introduces the material and highlights the most essential points of knowledge and debate.

4) Content of the module: It includes the development of the points retained for each module, with indication of the sources.

5) Educational materials: The consultant inventories and classifies the documentation recommended to learners (in particular the legal instruments referred to in each module), including the case studies that he/she ( she) proposes in the appendix of each module. He/she will provide a briefly explained list of equipment to be provided and will describe the sequence or order of sequence of the proposed activities.

6) Type of evaluation: For each module, the consultant proposes and justifies a form or process for evaluating the progress recorded by the learners in relation to the educational objectives.

VII. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

1) The terms of reference for the training session, to be developed with the DHAJ project team, including the methodology to be used and an agenda.

2) A participant’s manual or notebook containing the modules designed for the training and all the useful tools for reference by the participants after the training.

VIII. PROFILE OF THE CONSULTANT

1) Qualifications and professional experience

· Holder of a higher university degree in law or communication, with a minimum of 10 years of experience in the topic covered by the training to be provided.

· Very good written and oral knowledge of French.

· Reading and understanding English in addition would be an advantage.

· Good knowledge and handling of IT tools (Microsoft Office, Internet).

· Proven experience as a trainer or facilitator of adult training using participatory methods.

· Experience as a trainer in conducting institutional human rights advocacy.

· Proven experience in contextual analysis, design/writing and synthesis.

· Good knowledge of the current context in the Sahel.

· Knowledge of issues relating to the human rights situation in Burkina Faso.

· Any additional relevant expertise will be valued.

2) Skills and qualities:

· Autonomy, integrity, sense of responsibility, sense of priorities, ability to work in a multicultural team, proactivity, spirit of initiative, listening attitude.