United Nations Development Programme
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I. BACKGROUND
After decades of war, South Sudan was left with a barely functioning justice and policing system, and institutions are unable to provide the coverage, accessibility and effectiveness of services people require. Many people have unmet justice needs countrywide for both everyday disputes and severe abuses. Where they are delivered, services are unequal, untimely and outcomes are often unfair. Despite security improvements, crime rates are high, SGBV remains prevalent; and human rights violations are regularly reported. The delays to implement the R-ARCSS widens the justice gap and human rights deficit, as the review of essential laws, security concerns, as well as conflict-related abuses of the past and root causes of conflict remain unaddressed in the absence of transitional justice, accountability, reconciliation, healing, and other constitutional and security sector reforms.
The subregion of Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) in South Sudan continues to experience inter- and intra-communal conflict and organised violence. Endemic conflict and violence are characterised by deliberate attacks on civilians and their livelihoods. This violence is within and between communities. The proliferation of small arms following decades of the civil war and armed conflict has reduced the power of local authorities whilst military and political actors – motivated by rivalries and/or economic interests – have at times made cattle raids and abduction of women and children into a tool of political violence. Persistent communal violence, compounded by climatic shocks – the worst flooding in almost 60 years – and limited investments in infrastructure and services, renders Jonglei and GPAA a focal point of communal violence, hunger, and poverty in the country. The upsurge in the organised and intercommunal violence between the Murle, Lou Nuer, and Bor Dinka communities has led to loss of lives, destroyed property, forced thousands of families to flee their homes, opportunistic profiteering raids, cattle rustling, gender-based and sexual crimes, child abduction and robberies. Trust deficits and competition over resources have further strained relations and spread social tension.
The community members especially women, girls, SGBV survivors, elderly and returnees face several protection challenges that include widespread sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), impact of high crime levels e.g. assault and theft as well as other grievances and rights violations. Yet, they do not have easy and equal access to justice chain actors such as the police, public prosecutors, public defense lawyers and the court, leaving many of their criminal and civil cases unaddressed or attended to with significant delays and imbalanced legal representation. The capacity gap in the judiciary, the Ministry of Justice/Legal Administration, police, prisons and among lawyers/legal aid providers fails to deliver justice and enforce laws in a nondiscriminatory, accountable, and trustworthy manner. A lack of public legal information and awareness of laws/ remedies of that can enable a person to stand for herself/ himself and fight against injustice in the society worsens the situation.
In response to the justice and security challenges in Jonglei, the project “[Door tendersglobal.netGanon tendersglobal.netMal]: Community Violence Reduction (CVR) in central-southern Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) – Phase II” was develop and is implemented jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), International Organization for Migration, United Nations High Commission for Refugees and International and national civil society organizations and supported by the South Sudan Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund (RSRTF). The Area Based Programming (ABP) for Phase II builds on the results and lessons of Phase I, to reduce intra- and inter-communal violence, strengthening safety and security as a foundation for longer term development.
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 (2) competent and reputable registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) having operations in Pulbura in Yuai County and Burmath Akobo County in Jonglei State to submit proposals for nine (9) 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 organizations (CSO), national non-governmental organizations (NNGO) or community-based organizations to raise legal awareness, strengthen Community dispute resolution mechanisms and build linkages between the formal and informal justice system in Pulbura in Yuai County and Burmath in Akobo County in Jonglei State:
- Establish and operationalize paralegal centers/networks to provide pro bono legal assistance to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of clients’ cases to develop effective legal strategies and 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 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 pertinent issues of 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.
- 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.
Call for 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 and Burmath Akobo County in Jonglei State.
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