Call for Proposals from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including NGOs for small grants to provide legal aid including legal representation, legal awareness and legal advice, and psychosocial support to vulnerable groups including women, girls, and SG

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Overview :

UNDP’s Access to Justice, Security and Human Rights Programme works to enable all members of society to experience peace and security, enjoy their human rights and actively fulfil their societal roles through the realisation of access to justice, rule of law, human rights, and security. This work prioritises people and states most impacted by the conflict, with a key focus on the most vulnerable members of society, such as women and girls, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) survivors, youth and the elderly, as well as internally displaced people (IDPs) and returnees. Equally and importantly, engagement includes both national and state levels, supporting national stakeholders in addressing drivers of conflict and building resilient communities.

 

A key characteristic of such vulnerable groups is the inability to access justice institutions capable of resolving disputes in an expedient and fair manner, without prejudice to the rights of any group. While engaging statutory and customary judicial bodies, central to such work is ensuring equality in access to fair and impartial justice for all. The urgent need for legal aid services has been identified country-wide in various fora – this ranges from legal representation, awareness of rights, effectively seeking redress for past abuses, psychosocial support along with support to manoeuvre referral paths for court representation and access to other identified needs. Dependable institutions allow for citizens to enjoy their rights and find stability in safe and secure surroundings.

 

Vulnerable populations are often left in precarious circumstances, without accessible pathways to claim their rights or seek justice, with high illiteracy rates and limited knowledge of laws and legal processes make it difficult for many to seek justice or recourse for abuses or to follow the status of their cases without legal aid. Without the support of legal aid, vulnerable populations are often unable to get justice in personal, family, property, or business disputes.

 

In 2022, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in partnership with UNDP contracted the Hague Instituted for Innovation of Law (HiiL) carried out a Justice Gap Assessment. The assessment established that every year, 1.75 million people in South Sudan face one or more legal problems. 60% of these problems relate to land disputes, domestic violence, and crime. 57% of them are completely or partially resolved mainly through traditional systems while 12.5% are perceived to be resolved unfairly. As such, South Sudan has an annual justice gap of almost 2 million unresolved legal problems which require people to have legal aid services.

 

Accordingly, UNDP, through the Access to Justice, Security and Human Rights Programme, and with support from the Government of the Netherlands, is engaging in supporting the provision of legal aid to vulnerable groups and establish referral paths. In this call for proposals, UNDP is seeking competent and reputable registered organisations (including CSOs, NGOs, CBOs, etc.) to establish Justice and Confidence Centers (JCC) in one the following locations where they have a presence: Central Equatoria, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Western Bahr El Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Upper Nile, Warrap, Lakes, Unity and Jonglei States, and Greater Pibor Administrative area, Ruweng Administrative Area and Abyei Administrative Area.

1. OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the grant is to identify national organizations – whether civil society organizations (CSO), national non-governmental organizations (NNGO) community-based organizations (CBO), or the like – with operational presence and capacities in one of the states and Administrative Areas– Central Equatoria, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Western Bahr El Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Upper Nile, Warrap, Unity, Lakes Jonglei, Greater Pibor Administrative area, Ruweng Administrative Area and Abyei Administrative Area. – to: 

 

1. Establish (where not established) and operationalize sustainable time-bound Justice Confidence Centers (JCCs) with the capacity to efficiently resolve cases within a six-month operational period, employing a trauma-informed, gender-sensitive approach that prioritizes the needs of victims.
2. Safeguard fundamental human rights by offering legal advice and representation in civil, criminal, and administrative matters, focusing on the most vulnerable groups, including women, girls, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), the elderly, persons with disabilities, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees.
3.  Provide legal representation, advise and assistance to prevent wrongful convictions, ensuring fair trials and legal representation for individuals involved in legal proceedings.
4.  Empower communities through awareness campaigns on legal rights, responsibilities, and effective means to address legal issues.
5.  Facilitate the peaceful and just resolution of disputes using alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation, contributing to overall community stability.
6.  Deliver legal education and information to the public through Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials, such as posters and flyers, detailing step-by-step processes, such as what to expect when someone is arrested or explaining the court hierarchy. This initiative aims to enhance public understanding of the legal system and enable individuals to navigate legal processes more effectively.
7.  Conduct targeted legal awareness-raising initiatives on key justice issues, civil and criminal proceedings, human rights, and referral pathways, emphasizing effective navigation.
8.  Undertake regular visits to police stations, prisons, and detention centers to identify individuals experiencing prolonged pretrial detention, assess their legal needs, and work towards securing their early release on bail or bond. Additionally, provide support for legal representation and monitor legal procedures for fairness.
9.  Provide counseling and psychosocial support to victims, prisoners, and individuals facing prolonged legal challenges to protect and promote their mental health and psychosocial well-being.
10.  Offer legal advice and referrals to hospitals for medical assistance, as well as connect individuals to appropriate mechanisms and mental health services if needed.

 

1. EXPECTED OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES 

 

The organizations are encouraged to develop their own expected results based on their respective assessment of needs, issues, and challenges of vulnerable groups during the period of implementation. Expected results will include the following:

1. Ensure the establishment and (or where they are established) operationalization of Justice Coordination Committees (JCCs) that are easily accessible to vulnerable groups, delivering legal services to a minimum of 500 individuals per location, including women, girls, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), the elderly, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and people with HIV/AIDS.
2.  Provide psychosocial support and counseling to 100 individuals per location, while offering referral services to an additional 50 people at each location.
3.  Implement legal awareness programs through JCCs, reaching a minimum of 100,000 individuals per location through outreaches and dialoged and 250,000 persons through radio, such persons include women, girls, SGBV survivors, the elderly, IDPs, returnees, and people with HIV/AIDS. Utilize diverse mediums such as training sessions, public meetings, drama, community outreach awareness sessions, radio broadcasts, and other media engagements.
4.  Measure the impact of JCCs by showing a 5% monthly increase in the registration of cases for legal services following awareness programs, ensuring that at least 55% of the total recipients of legal aid services, every month are women, girls, people suffering from HIV and the elderly.
5.  Conduct regular visits to police stations, prisons, and detention centers, providing legal aid services to a minimum of 200 prisoners and detainees in pretrial detention. Identify their legal needs with the aim of ensuring early release on bail or bond for 70% of them, provide legal representation, and monitor legal procedures for fairness. Additionally, offer legal advice and representation to those wrongfully convicted.
6.  Submit monthly reports, or more frequently if necessary, containing accurately documented information on implemented activities and specific results achieved in alignment with the outlined objectives (a to j)

Documents :

CFP-Legal Aid EES,WES,NBG, WBG,UNS, LS, JS, GPB, 2 Admin Area

South SUdan – SOUTH SUDAN

Deadline :

02-Feb-24

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