DRC: Research Consultant
Mar 7, 2021
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EarthRights International
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EarthRights International, a non-governmental, non-profit organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment, seeks a qualified consultant to conduct an assessment of the needs and interests for human rights legal and advocacy training of civil society organizations and environmental defenders who are working on environmental, land, and natural resource issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The assessment will inform EarthRights’ program design relating to possible adaptation of its EarthRights School Global training methodology and curricula for the DRC and other countries in the Congo Basin region. This assessment will help to inform EarthRights’ decision on whether to develop programming in the region at a future point.
Scope:
The consultant will design an assessment project that will seek to answer the following questions, among others:
- Identify the nature and scope of legal and advocacy training programs that currently exist in DRC for civil society organizations and environmental defenders who are working on environmental, land, and natural resource issues.
- Identify key gaps in current training programs and safe convening spaces as identified by DRC civil society organizations and environmental defenders.
- Identify key environmental, land, and natural resource issues in the country for which training and safe convening spaces could be beneficial to advancing civil society organizations’ and environmental defenders’ objectives.
- Identify potential modalities and partners for developing training programs.
- Identify potential risks to trainees and trainers involved in implementing legal and advocacy training programs.
The consultant will conduct a minimum of 40 structured interviews with civil society leaders, environmental defenders, trainers, community representatives, academics, and international funder representatives based in the country or with a strong presence in the country. The list of interviewees will reflect gender diversity and be determined in consultation with EarthRights. The consultant will also conduct a thorough desk review of relevant materials from national and international organizations, academic studies, and journalistic reports.
Deliverables:
The consultant will produce a 30-40 page report summarizing the findings of the assessment and including recommendations for future steps relating to the potential development of an advocacy training program. The report will be for EarthRights’ internal use and may be kept confidential. A summary of the findings will be shared with assessment interviewees.
Qualifications of Consultant
The preferred consultant will be based in the DRC or the Congo region and be a national of the DRC or regional country. S/he will be fluent in French and English, and preferably in relevant local languages. S/he will have 10+ years experience working with civil society organizations in a staff or consultant capacity. S/he will have relevant academic training and excellent research and writing skills. S/he will have familiarity with advocacy training methodologies.
EarthRights International is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and actively encourages people of color, women, people with disabilities, and LGTBQI people to apply.
Production Calendar:
The consultant will produce a first draft of the assessment for review by EarthRights within 60 days of commencing the project. The consultant will provide a final draft within two weeks of receiving written comments from EarthRights.
Consultancy Fees:
The fee for the consultancy is US$10,000 plus expenses to be agreed in advance with Earthrights. Payment will be contingent upon timely receipt of satisfactory first and final drafts of the assessment document.
Applications:
Please send a Letter of Interest with a resume, three references, previous report, and a 1-2 page proposal outlining the methodology, timeline, and approach to the consultancy to recruiting @earthrights.org. Please put “DRC consultancy” in the subject line.