Deadline: 15-Jul-22
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) seeks individuals or organizations to conduct research in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa assessing:
- How their governments used various measures, including emergency powers, laws and policies, and public participation strategies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of this response on civic space; or
- Action taken by civil society to ensure that the government’s COVID-19 responses complied with national law and international human rights standards.
The objective of the research is to consolidate learning and best practice that can inform future normative, policy, legal and practical responses to better manage pandemics consistent with respect for fundamental human rights
Funding Information
- The budget ceiling for each country study is $12,500.
- Consultants may apply to work on more than one country study, but priority will be given to individual or organizational consultants based in each study country jurisdiction.
Scope of Work
In order to further explore how governments can protect public health while safeguarding human rights and civic freedoms, ICNL aims to produce a comprehensive report examining in depth measures adopted by Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa, including emergency powers, laws and policies, and public participation strategies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Illustrative examples could include Kenya’s ad hoc Senate Committee on COVID-19, established to provide independent scrutiny of government measures and conduct outreach to the public; Malawi’s court-ordered social safety package seeking inclusivity of vulnerable groups; Nigeria’s proactive engagement of civil society actors in the legal and policy arena; Sierra Leone’s involvement of vulnerable groups in decision-making around COVID-19- related policies, and South Africa’s use of online technology as tools for robust information dissemination and stakeholder feedback.
As part of this proposed research, the individual or organizational consultant may apply to complete one or more country studies (with priority given to in-country researchers) covering the following:
- In-depth research on all enabling government policies related to COVID-19 that had a positive impact on civic space, or were generally in compliance with international standards on free association, assembly, expression, or public participation.
- Assessment of any COVID-19 related policies that raised human rights concerns or failed to protect civic space.
- The use of technology and digital tools in COVID-19 management, and examination of their impact on civic space.
- Case studies of how civil society organized to push back successfully in situations where government used emergency powers to restrict the work of civil society, including their freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, expression, or participation.
- Overall assessment of the country response, analysis based on international standards around human rights and emergency measures, and recommendations based on the findings of the study, including good practices that could be replicated in other countries, and strategies for promoting rights-respecting approaches during pandemic response measures.
Topics
Interested applicants should submit a proposal of four pages or less, addressing the following topics:
- Your knowledge and experience around pandemic measures and civic space issues (generally and in relation to the country of focus);
- Your experience undertaking research and writing policy reports;
- If more than one person will be involved in this project, a description of who will undertake different aspects of the project. ICNL reserves the right to approve or reject the use of any personnel;
- Proposed scope of work and any suggested revisions to the coverage presented above, methodology and timelines for conducting the research.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures;
- Quality of proposal, including the proposed methodology/design and feasibility of the project (e.g., activities are targeted to achieve stated results, and anticipated results are realistic and attainable);
- Depth of experience with the subject matter of this research consultancy and experience researching and writing similar reports;
- Commitment to producing high quality reports in a timely manner; and
- Proposed budget and value for money.
For more information, visit https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/vf_-Africa-CAIP-Government-Models-Research-Consultancy-Call.pdf