Deadline: 23-May-2024
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is inviting proposals from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including NGOs for small grants to provide legal aid including establishment of paralegal centers, legal awareness, legal advice, and psychosocial support to vulnerable groups including women, girls, SGBV survivors, elderly, and returnees in; Pulbura in Yuai County, Burmath Akobo County in Jonglei State, and Lekunagule in GPAA.
UNDP’s Access to Justice, Security and Human Rights program contributes to strengthening the rule of law and human rights and creating the conditions for people to experience peace and security, enjoy their human rights and actively fulfil their societal roles. Working at national level and in states, with priority being placed on the people and states that are most affected by the conflict, the program supports national partners to address the drivers of conflict and build resilient communities through strengthening capable institutions that can resolve disputes quickly and fairly; empowering groups of vulnerable people to claim their rights peacefully; increasing safety and security at community level; establishing transitional justice mechanisms to effectively address past abuses and building a national human rights system to curtail further human rights violations.
The programme under the stabilization pillar expects to build linkages between the informal and formal justice systems, enhance accountability and accountable and responsible community-led local governance mechanisms, strengthen community dispute resolution and advocacy. To underpin the above, UNDP’s Access to Justice Security and Human Right’s Strengthening Programme under the stabilization pillar proposal invites two competent and reputable registered Civil Society Organization (CSO) having operations in Pulbura in Uror County and Burmath Akobo County in Jonglei State and Lekuangule in GPAA to submit proposals for seven (7) months to establish of paralegal centers/networks and support initiatives for legal aid, legal awareness, legal advice, communities’ general awareness about their legal rights and psychosocial support to vulnerable groups including women, girls, SGBV survivors, elderly and returnees.
Objectives
- The main objective of the grant is to identify TWO competent and reputable civil society organization (CSO), national non-governmental organizations (NNGO) or community-based organizations with established Confidence Centers and operational presence and capacities in the project locations to raise legal awareness, strengthen community dispute resolution mechanisms and build linkages between the formal and informal justice system in Pulbura in Uror County and Burmath in Akobo County in Jonglei State and Lekungule in Greater Pibor Administrative area:
- Establish and operationalize paralegal centers/networks to provide pro bono legal assistance to review clients’ cases for action and develop effective linkages between the formal and informal justice systems.
- Provide legal advice in both civil and criminal cases or administrative matters for the most vulnerable group such as women/girls, SGBV survivors, elderly, and returnees.
- Provide legal awareness including on key justice problems and how to address them, human rights and the services provided by the paralegal centres/networks to the vulnerable groups i.e. survivors of SGBV, elderly, returnees etc.
- Organize tailored trainings and workshops to members of the customary courts and community members on the justice referral pathways, accountability and access to justice in the community.
- Offer legal assistance to members of the community to resolve less legally complicated issues through alternatives to dispute resolution mechanisms and making appropriate referrals.
- Work closely and in collaboration with the established Justice Confidence Centres in Bor and Pibor.
- Conduct regular visitation to detention centers to identify survivors of SGBV and other vulnerable groups to ensure early release on bail and bond, fair hearing etc.
Funding Information
- The budget should be detailed, complete, rational, and realistic, and must not exceed the equivalent of USD$ 35,000.00 per project location ( Pulbura and Burmath as one project location) in Jonglei State and second location is Lekuangule in GPAA).
Duration
- The Project duration is seven (7) months.
Expected Outputs/Deliverables
- The CSO/NNGO/CBO are encouraged to develop their own expected results based on their analysis of the needs and particularities of the context during the period of implementation. However, expected results will include the following:
- Two (2) Paralegal network/centers will be established and operationalized in Pulbura and Burmath in Jonglei State and Lekuangule in GPAA to provide pro bono legal assistance to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of clients’ cases to develop effective legal strategies. One center to cover Pulbura and Burmath) and second to cover Lekuangule.
- 750 community members from each of the locations benefited from the legal aid services and alternative dispute resolution including survivors of communal violence, SGBV/CRSV survivors, and internally displaced people, making a total of 1,500 people, ensuring inclusion for women and youth.
- 100 SGBV survivors, from each of the two locations, benefiting from victim redress mechanisms, including on courts, transitional justice, and reparations, reaching more than 200 people in total, ensuring inclusion for women and youth.
- 150 cases including SGBV/CRSV cases referred to formal and informal dispute resolution mechanisms in each of the two locations by each CSO/paralegal center disaggregated by gender; reaching 300 persons, ensuring inclusion for women and youth.
- 10,000 community members reached in each of the 2 locations with Legal awareness on GBV, property rights, legal rights, available services at the paralegal centers through, public meetings, drama, outreach awareness sessions etc. reaching more than 20,000 persons, ensuring inclusion for women and youth.
- 25,000 people reached through radio talk shows and recorded messages in each of the 2 locations on availability of paralegal centres, legal awareness and legal advice, and psychosocial support to vulnerable groups including women, girls, SGBV survivors, elderly, and returnees in the project locations, reaching more than 50,000 persons in total.
- 10 monthly referrals made to the JCCs for further action.
- 35% of community members reached with legal aid, paralegal services, alternative dispute resolution and Justice referral pathways information through radio programmes and community out reaches are seeking and receiving legal redress through ADR, traditional and formal courts.
- 7 monthly visits to the detention centers (police stations) to identify survivors of SGBV and other vulnerable groups to ensure early release of 15 on bail and bond, get fair hearing etc.
- Submit 6 monthly reports or as need arises with accurately documented information on activities implemented and 1 end of project report.
Eligibility Criteria
- The CSO/NNGO/CBO must meet the following criteria to be eligible for selection:
- Be legally registered as CSO/NNGO/CBO with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and in possession of a valid registration certificate.
- The mandate and founding document should be in line with the activities for which the fund is being sought.
- Have proof of an established office in the proposed location of implementation (letter from RRC coordinator), as well as experience in implementing similar/related activities.
- The CSO/NGO/CBO must not have been awarded a grant by UNDP the last one year.
- One CSO or a Consortium to apply for only one location.
For more information, visit UNDP.