Consultant - United in Security: A Collaborative Approach to Civilian Protection in Nigeria; Strengthening of Human Rights Monitoring Platforms (Stakeholders Workshop) at Search For Common Ground’s International

Terms of Reference

• We are seeking a consultant who can facilitate the link between human rights issues and civilian protection in Adamawa and Benue states.
• Following our 24 months program, we are primarily interested in relationships and collaborative efforts by the CSOs, media actors, community stakeholders, security forces, and local and state governments in preventing human rights violations in Adamawa and Benue states.
• The consultant facilitator’s proposal should include a plan to analyze these shifts across gender, age, and institutional demographics. Candidates’ teams should have experience in coordination, networking, and facilitation to explain the connection between programming, the context, and the changes observed.

The Project

• Escalating violence in Northeast and North Central Nigeria has necessitated the deployment of a heightened security presence across the region.
• While security forces have a mandate to maintain peace, their officers have been implicated in widespread human rights abuses against civilians.
• These abusive practices have eroded public confidence in the security sector, alienated security forces from the citizens they are charged to protect, and thwarted the effectiveness of their mandate.
• Collaborative efforts by CSOs, media actors, communities, security forces, and local and state governments are needed to prevent such violations and address the causes, drivers, and consequences of human rights abuses to find solutions that not only de-escalate the violence but ensure that security actors preserve lives, protect human rights, dignity and freedom.
• Search, in co-collaboration with its partners Initiative for Justice Development and Peacebuilding in Nigeria (IJDPN) and Foundation for Justice, Development and Peace (FJDP) is implementing a 24-month project in response to the challenges and opportunities outlined above in Adamawa and Benue states. 

Goal and Objectives of the Project

• The overall goal of the proposed project is to promote collaborative multi-stakeholder engagement and advocacy processes to reduce human rights abuse by police forces in Benue and Adamawa State.

The project pursues two specific objectives:

• To strengthen the capacity of target CSOs, media, and community stakeholders to advance evidence-based Human Rights monitoring, reporting, and constructive advocacy.
• To foster collaboration around increased accountability between target security forces, government authorities, civil society actors, and local communities.

Geographic Locations:

• The United in Security project covers three local government areas of Fufore, Girei and Yola North LGAs in Adamawa and in Otukpo, Makurdi, and Guma LGAs in Benue.

Consultant Objectives

• In support of objective 1 of the project which is to strengthen the capacity of target CSOs, media, and community stakeholders to advance evidence-based human rights monitoring, reporting, and constructive advocacy.
• The consultant will provide technical support training/workshops for new users of expanded human rights platforms, facilitate more cohesive and effective engagement of CSO, media, and community stakeholders around human rights protection foster accountability among target security forces and agencies, and provide practical guides for the platform to support monitoring and coordination of efforts on advocating for human rights; as well as hold the right authorities accountable.
• The workshop is aimed at improving coordination between key stakeholders around advocacy priorities and action focused on human rights monitoring and reporting in Adamawa and Benue states.

Deliverables

• Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline and budget:
• Develop a technical proposal detailing the methodology for the workshop and timeline, and will be shared with Search team for review 
• Identify ways of strengthening human rights platforms in the states.
• Identification and analysis of human rights platforms and ways for synergy and strengthening.
• Map out CSOs and media actors who respond to human rights issues between civilians and security operatives in the states.
• Co-designing a training program and agenda in consultation with Search training specialists.
• Develop and conduct a pre-and post‐training evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the training.
• Overall workshop facilitation. Prepare an interactive/engaging training module with all the major contents included.
• Conduct the training after discussion with the Search team on the materials, duration, and timing.
• A follow-up report on what stories or cases the trained journalists have discovered or reported during the training.
• Assist the trainees to produce ideas on small-scale peace initiatives that would foster collaboration between security and civilians.
• A draft report in English [insert other languages if needed], for review by Search staff and partners.
• A final report in English (30 pages maximum, excluding appendices) that is consistent with Search branding, training and workshop standards.

The Report:

• Uses the Search report template unless otherwise agreed in the contract.
• Provides a clear connection between the conflict or context assessment and the intended results, articulates the project’s Terms of Contract (ToC), and includes other relevant project specifics.
• Fully explains the objectives and training/workshop approaches, limitations, and methods chosen for facilitation and analysis, and the link between the project, its Theory of Change, and its contribution to our strategy.
• Recommendations should have a clear audience and be specific, accessible, and actionable.
• Appendices should include detailed action plans and a clear timeline for each action across the state.

Methodology and Tools
The workshop approaches will include:

• Facilitation.
• Participatory discussion
• Related video clips
• Analysis of collaborative approaches between civilians and security on human rights issues.
• Case study: To illustrate context-specific scenarios and practical learning activities on human rights issues between security and civilians.
• Roleplay.
• Group exercise.
• Gender inclusion.
• Development of action plans for joint action between civilians and security.
• In addition, Do No Harm strategies, gender inclusion, and strategies for conflict sensitivity shall be adhered to.

Logistical Support:

• Consultant(s) will be responsible for organizing his/her own logistics for the training workshop (Car hire, flight, accommodation, and per diem), and this must be budgeted into the workshop.
• Search can provide support in arranging logistics as agreed upon based on the consultant’s proposal. At least one Search staff member may be available to support logistics.
•  In addition, Search and partners will share the following elements with the external consultant(s): Background materials including the project proposal and logframe, M&E plan, etc.

Timeline:

• The consultancy will begin the third week of October 2022. The training should commence by October 28-29, 2022 in Benue and October 5-6, 2022 in Adamawa states.
• All training reports should be completed no later than November 14th, 2022.
• The entire consultancy will cover a period of 6 working days for each state (2 days for training/workshop, 2 days for development of training materials, and 2 days for report writing).
•  Withholding tax will be deducted at source from the total cost of the consultancy fee.
• All logistics arrangements should be included in the proposed budget.

Budget:

• A detailed budget should be provided by the consultant for the workshop, including daily rates, and all associated costs related to the workshop deliverables across the target locations.

Requirements
The following skills and experience are expected by Search for our consultants for this project:

• Proficiency in English (written and spoken) and Pidgin and Hausa language will be an added advantage. 
• More than 5 years of experience in conducting training/workshops on Conflict Sensitivity, Stakeholder networking, security and civil relation, and human rights monitoring and documentation.
• Experience in conflict analysis and working with justice and civil society sectors;
• Familiarity and experience with contextual challenges in the geographic location(s) where the workshop will take place.
• Familiar with Middle Belt and Northeast context, including knowledge of the existing CSOs and organizations.
• Experience working with international INGOs, Media organizations, and mentorship skills.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills and ability to lead a plenary. 
• Ethical Considerations

In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:
Comprehensive and systematic inquiry:

• The consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review.
• Consultants should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries.
• He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work.
• He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.

Competence:

• Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.

Honesty and integrity:

• The consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.

Respect for people:

• Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

Selection Criteria
Consultant proposals will be selected for:

• Relevance of proposed methodology to the goal, and objectives for the project.
• Quality of proposed methods, conflict sensitivity approaches, and delivery quality.

Qualifications of the candidate(s)

• Proposed budget in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team.
• Timeline for proposed activities.
• Experience in delivering similar training or consultants.