Access to Justice Consultant - Beirut - National Candidates Only

The IRC aims to ensure that vulnerable population groups, including Lebanese, Syrian refugees, migrants, stateless and refugees of other nationalities live in safety, equity, and dignity. In order to achieve this objective, the IRC increasingly aims to work alongside national institutions and community governance structures in order to ensure that all persons have access to justice in line with human rights standards and to enhance protective legal frameworks (national and local level mechanisms). In line with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), the consultancy will conduct a desk review and key informant interviews to understand the current work and needs to be able to identify key strategic entry points through which the IRC can contribute to national system strengthening to enhance the protective environment for women, men, boys, and girls in Lebanon.

Deliverables:

• Conduct two desk reviews:

1. Identify key areas on national systems strengthening objectives set out in the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), including a mapping of the existing actors working towards these objectives.
2. Review gaps on access and barriers to justice for children, women and men in the current system using a gender lens disaggregated by nationalities.

• Review the IRC's current Access to Justice Programming across the three streams of protection; Protection & Rule of Law (PRoL), Child Protection (CP) and Women's Protection & Empowerment (WPE) in order to identify potential cross-sectorial and entry points.
• Conduct key informant interviews with key stakeholders within the humanitarian coordination structures i.e., Protection Sector Lead, Child Protection Lead, SGBV Lead on the 'gaps' in the current legal framework and/implementation of the legal framework for the protection of women, men, boys, and girls of all population groups.
•  Conduct key informant interviews with line ministries which are highlighted as key entry points by the stakeholder interviews; for example, Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Internal Security Forces, Municipal Police, Judges and Bar association to identify their capacity building needs and level of interest in collaboration with NGOs.
• Provide a final report analyzing potential entry points for 'Protection Systems Strengthening' which align with IRC's current capacity or potential for expansion.

The final report:

1. Mapping of key stakeholders and institutions, with a topline outline of structure.
2. Summarize findings and recommendations from the sets of stakeholder interviews, including on key gaps, barriers and access issues identified.
3. Provide recommendations for the IRC to engage in National System Strengthening and either standalone or cross-sectorial plan.
4. Recommend how the IRC's expertise can be of added value to address the identified needs (also per sector as well as an integrated approach).

Payment Schedule:

•  Once off payment at the end of the assignment and submission of the final report.

Requirements:

• Strongly preferred to have a strong legal background and/or experience working directly with line ministries.
• Demonstrated ability to provide analytical written products in English.
• Pre-existing knowledge of Governance structures in Lebanon.
• Previous experience in consulting for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is desirable.
• Highly desirable to have a background in Protection.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Arabic is essential.