Many people in South Sudan have unmet justice needs countrywide for both everyday disputes and severe abuses. After decades of war, the country 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. 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-ARCCS 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.

UNDP’s Access to Justice, Security and Human Rights Program supports the Judiciary of South Sudan; the Ministry of Justice; and the Ministry of Interior, including the South Sudan National Police Service and the National Prisons Service of South Sudan, the Law Reform Commission and the South Sudan Human Rights Commission to provide to increase access to justice, strengthen security and promote human rights in South Sudan as enablers for sustaining peace and development. Using a sector wide approach, UNDP provides support to the priorities of the rule of law institutions as articulated in their institutional strategic and or action plans, as well as promoting access to justice and safety by these institutions with community and civil society initiatives. Additionally, the Program accompanies the government to implement its rule of law related commitment in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, 2018.

The programme has prioritized support to strengthening the rule of law in specific states which seeks to improve the technical and functional skills of justice actors, increase access to justice and strengthen human rights. As a member of the Access to Justice, Security and Human Rights program, the Rule of Law Officer will focus on ensuring effective and tailored support towards these efforts through the provision of technical advice and implementation of projects to support the capacity building of rule of law and human rights institutions, promotion of people centered justice measures and making linkages with interventions to improve community security.

Provision of advice and technical support:

• Advise the state leadership and high-level officials in relevant institutions on strategic approaches to rule of law issues and establishing sustainable mechanisms and processes for improving access to justice and human rights;
• Advise the stakeholders on policies, strategies, systems, methods of management and training needs of human rights actors and stakeholders in the transitional justice area;
• Liaise with the Chief Technical Advisor to provide overall technical guidance on matters of government policy on the rule of law to implement these issues with the states;
• Put in place policies, strategies and systems for effective rule of law and access to justice in line with democratic principles;
• Collect and issue updates on activities in the rule of law area including changes in legislation and national or regional strategies or action plans;
• Support relevant stakeholders in the review and potential reform of customary laws.

Capacity building of state level stakeholders:

• Support national institutions to develop and implement strategies, systems and action plans for the establishment of effective and representative rule of law mechanisms;
• Support the development and practice of promoting a focus on vulnerable groups, communities and victims in rule of law processes and mechanisms;
• Develop and implement capacity building strategies to meet the capacity and training needs of the state institutions involved in the rule of law and rule of law mechanisms themselves;
• Support community-based organizations and groups, state government, traditional authorities and vulnerable groups to participate, engage in and benefit from rule of law processes and mechanisms;
• Promote skills for mainstreaming gender, applying a human rights-based approach and support to vulnerable groups into reform priorities of and services provided by rule of law mechanisms;
• Coordinate and manage implementation of capacity building support to rule of law, justice and human rights;
• Identify and support initiatives for addressing the concerns of vulnerable groups such as SGBV survivors, women and children and provide basic legal aid services;
• Organize and/or conduct human rights and rule of law trainings as well as civic education related to the program;
• Link capacity-building activities with infrastructure development conducted under the program to maximize their utility.

Support to programme planning and implementation:

• Provide substantial inputs to programme planning, implementation and monitoring, including drafting of relevant documents such as memos, briefs, talking points, meeting debriefs, minutes;
• Develop detailed Annual Work Plans for rule of law and human rights initiatives together with other Specialists deployed at state level, and provide inputs to develop the consolidated Program Annual Work Plans;
• Support development of ToRs for Small Grants, oversee the work of beneficiaries of Small Grants Facility, and ensure quality of outputs in keeping with grants applications;
• Ensure programme work plans in the state are implemented and supervise UNDP supported work undertaken in the state as required;
• Submit quarterly analytical reports and provide inputs into other reporting requirements to the donor and M&E activities in the rule of law, justice and human rights area to the Programme Manager on work done and further prospects as decided by the programme;
• Support the programme management to develop necessary documentation (concept notes, briefs, and fundraising notes) to operationalize and steer programmatic initiatives and activities.

Facilitation of the strategic partnerships:

• Develop strong working relationships with national and state stakeholders, traditional justice institutions, CSOs and international partners;
• Liaise with partners and facilitate communication on Program-related activities including organizing joint thematic learning and networking events on rule of law topics;
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with civil society and community groups to facilitate project implementation, as well as identify issues, risks, priorities, and opportunities that support effective programme implementation;
• Liaise with and establish strong working relationships with other UN agencies and international organizations to promote a coordinated approach to the development and implementation of rule of law, justice and human rights activities.

Knowledge management and communication of results:

• Collect monitoring data on a regular basis and issue updates on activities in the rule of law area including changes in legislation and national or regional strategies or action plans;
• Monitor the key interventions of the Programme on the rule of law particularly for vulnerable groups such as victims of past abuses, IDPs, children, the elderly, and survivors of SGBV;
• Monitor and report on the rule of law issues locally, and identify emerging trends using program mapping and other available data;
• Communicate results based on corporate principles of gender-responsive communications and non-discriminatory language.

Institutional Arrangement

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Chief Technical Advisor for Rule of Law and Program Manager, the Rule of Law Officer will focus on ensuring effective and tailored support towards these efforts through the provision of technical advice and implementation of projects to support the capacity building of justice and human rights mechanisms and promotion of inclusive and people centered approaches.