Human Rights expert for the Africa region – Consultancy

Terms of References

Human Rights expert for the Africa region

1 June – 31 October 2021

1 – Background

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations in Africa are currently carrying out diverse projects in several countries, particularly in the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, and East Africa.

In coordination with different teams at the FIDH International Secretariat and member organisations in these regions, the Africa Desk has been working to document human rights violations, including sexual violence, in several contexts (specifically countries in conflict or crisis, and countries in transition) through research missions conducted in the field, investigative reports, and advocacy with national, regional and international bodies.

The most recent national elections in Kenya, which took place in 2017, led to violence, including sexual violence. Several recent national elections have been marred by violent acts, and fears of renewed conflict in the 2022 elections abound as election-related violence has emerged as a worrying trend. FIDH and its member organisation in Kenya, the Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC), have documented this sexual violence and are carrying out activities to prevent and respond to violations if they occur in the run-up to the 2022 elections. In this context, a joint report based on surveys conducted by KHRC and FIDH on sexual violence during the 2017 election period is being prepared for publication and is expected to be published this year, ahead of the 2022 election cycle.

In Sudan, FIDH and its member organisations, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), and the Sudan Human Rights Monitor (SHRM), have been active for several years in documenting human rights violations against civilians, including sexual violence, particularly in the context of the conflict in Darfur. Our organisations have conducted several documentation missions, resulting in the publication of investigative reports. Our organisations have also been involved in the follow-up to the investigation opened by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into crimes committed in Darfur. Since the fall of President Al-Bashir in April 2019, following an unprecedented popular uprising, the country has entered a period of transition. However, despite the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement between the Sovereign Council and rebel movements in October 2020, violence has erupted on multiple occasions, specifically in Khartoum and Darfur. In addition, the conflict in Ethiopia threatens Sudan’s stability at its eastern border. A joint report is being drafted on new forms of violence and the state of justice in Sudan.

The state of democracy and freedom is precarious in the Great Lakes region (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda), due to the stronghold of authoritarian regimes in the region, and the fragility of ongoing political transitions. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the December 2018 presidential election led to an unprecedented first political change with the arrival of Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi as president in January 2019. After years of authoritarian and repressive regimes and postponed general elections that resulted in a long and violent pre-election period (2015-2018), our organisations have witnessed encouraging signs that democratic space is opening up. However, many challenges for democracy and the rule of law persist including : the current fragile political situation, the weakness of national institutions, the lack of independence of some institutions in charge of overseeing the executive branch, the long history of repression and violence in the country and the presence of some actors known for their alleged responsibilities in serious human rights violations. Furthermore, the ongoing armed conflict and communal tensions in some parts of the country threatens efforts to achieve lasting peace. Our organisations are therefore working on a note to take stock and evaluate the new presidency in the DRC in terms of human rights, as a follow-up to the 2019 roadmap entitled “Five Priorities for a State that Respects Human Rights”, for publication this year.

In Burundi, the unsurprising victory of the candidate of the party in power since 2005, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), Évariste Ndayishimiye, in the May 2020 presidential election, and the death of the incumbent president, Pierre Nkurunziza, in June 2020, only confirmed the country’s authoritarian trend, which began in 2015. Since then, the country has been plunged into a deep political and security crisis characterized by serious human rights violations that go unpunished, including targeted killings, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions. These violations targeted opponents of the government and anyone suspected of expressing dissenting views against the regime. Civil society has been the victim of numerous attacks since 2015 and its main representatives still operate in exile. The CNDD-FDD party is attempting to maintain power, with the help of the ruling party’s youth militia, Imbonerakure, by implementing repressive laws and practices and manipulating any attempts to reconcile the population since the end of the civil and ethnic war of the 1990s. There have been tentative signs of openness from the presidency in recent months, but this remains weak given the scale of human rights violations in the country. This year, FIDH and ITEKA, our Burundian member organisation, are closely following the situation in Burundi, including through regional and international advocacy, particularly with the European Union in the context of the resumption of its cooperation with Burundi. Our organisations are also conducting fundraising activities and developing a human rights project in Burundi.

In Rwanda, since the last national elections in 2017, the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and media, and other dissenting voices, including those in exile, continue to be harassed and repressed by the ruling regime. Arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, killings, and other harassment, including interference by authorities in the management of local NGOs, are regularly documented by civil society, which operates mostly in exile and in fear, confirming a disturbing trend of restricted democratic space in the country. In 2015, 2 years before the end of Paul Kagame’s last presidential term and the 2017 elections, the Constitution was amended, allowing him to remain in power until 2034. Our organisations continue to monitor the human rights situation in Rwanda, including the state of democratic space, at the halfway point to the next presidential election in 2024.

FIDH and its member organisations in this region (the League of Voters – LE, the Lotus Group and the African Association for the Defense of Human Rights – ASADHO in the DRC; the Ligue ITEKA for Burundi ; the Rwandan League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights – LIPRODHOR and the Rwandan Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Public Liberties – ADL for Rwanda) are therefore carrying out actions aimed at contributing to the establishment of an environment conducive to democracy and freedoms, In particular, to consolidate the democratic gains observed during recent and fragile political transitions (as in the DRC) and to contribute to positive changes conducive to the emergence of regimes more respectful of democratic principles and the rule of law (as in Burundi and Rwanda).

In order to ensure the continuity of the actions already carried out in these countries, and in collaboration with its member organisations, FIDH would like to hire a consultant who is familiar with the context in these areas, and who has experience conducting advocacy as well as drafting and coordinating the publication of reports.

2 – Missions

a) Coordinate and promote a joint report on sexual violence in the 2017 elections in Kenya, which involves the following tasks

• Coordinate the thorough review of the report by an expert consultant in women’s rights/sexual violence ;

• Coordinate the publication of the report, including communication activities to launch the report;

• Operational follow-up, including budgetary follow-up, in particular concerning the actions planned for the dissemination of the report, in collaboration with KHRC, a member organisation of FIDH, and the other FIDH offices and departments concerned;

• Coordinate advocacy activities around the release of the report, in conjunction with KHRC and other relevant FIDH offices and departments.

b) Conduct advocacy for the position note on the DRC (the update to the March 2019 roadmap), involving the following tasks:

• Coordinate advocacy activities at the national level (in DRC), in conjunction with FIDH member organisations in the country ;

• Coordinate advocacy activities at the regional and international levels, in conjunction with FIDH member organisations and other relevant offices and departments;

• Operational follow-up, including budget follow-up, in conjunction with the other FIDH offices and departments concerned.

c) Coordinate the publication of a report on Sudan, including the following activities:

• Coordinating the release of the executive summary and recommendations of the report in English and its translation into Arabic (and possibly French) and other communication activities;

• Coordinating the release of the full report in English, Arabic and French that will follow, in conjunction with member organisations and other relevant FIDH offices and departments;

• Coordinate the organisation of activities related to the report at the national level, in collaboration with member organisations and other relevant FIDH offices and departments;

• Coordinate advocacy activities around the release of the Sudan report in collaboration with member organisations and other FIDH offices and departments;

• Operational follow-up, including budget, of the activities, in collaboration with the other FIDH offices and departments concerned.

d) Coordinate the preparation and publication of a note on the state of democratic space in Rwanda since the last presidential election of 2017 (update of the last note of August 2017), involving the following tasks:

• Coordinate the further drafting, finalization, publication and dissemination of the note, in conjunction with member organisations and relevant FIDH offices and departments ;

• Coordinate the advocacy actions envisaged, in conjunction with the member organisations and the relevant FIDH offices and departments.

e) Monitor the human rights situation in Central Africa, East Africa, the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, particularly in the priority countries for FIDH action: DRC, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya.

f) Participate in the drafting of project proposals on certain themes (women’s rights/Burundi) and democratic space (DRC and Great Lakes), based on existing concept notes.

g) Coordinate the drafting and publication of advocacy and information documents, draft investigation reports and position papers, notably in partnership with member organisations and other concerned FIDH offices and departments;

h) Participate in the coordination of the FIDH movement and network in Central Africa, East Africa, the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, and particularly in the priority countries mentioned above for FIDH’s action, including by contributing to the exchange of information and strategies with the FIDH International Office and FIDH’s member and partner organisations

3 – Profile of the expert

To carry out this mission, the consultant must have the following skills

• Excellent writing skills, in English and French, of advocacy and communication documents (reports, notes, letters, press releases and statements, etc.)

• Excellent skills and proven experience in coordinating actions and projects related to the defense of human rights

• Good knowledge of the context in these regions and of the work of FIDH and its member organisations

4 – Schedule

The mission will start on June 1 and end on October 31, 2021.

5 – Budget

The budget allocated to this consultancy is 16,000 euros including all charges for the period from June 1 to October 31, 2021.