USAID’s Promoting Peace and Justice Activity

Terms of Reference (ToR)
for
The Short Term Technical Assistant (STTA) for Designing and Facilitation Regional Workshop and compilation of Ethical Standard of Legal Aid Committee Panel Lawyers

Project Title: Promoting Peace and Justice (PPJ) Activity

Implementing organizations: Democracy International

Country: Bangladesh

Subject: Short Term Technical Assistance for Designing and Facilitation Regional Workshop
                 and compilation of Ethical Standard of Legal Aid Committee Panel Lawyers

 

1.  General Project Information in Brief

The Promoting Peace and Justice (PPJ) Activity is a USAID-contracted project implemented by Democracy International. PPJ seeks to work with legal aid delivery organizations, judges and judicial staff, and vulnerable groups to improve access to and delivery of services in Bangladesh. In turn, it will promote rule of law, increase confidence in public institutions, and counter violent extremism. It will do this through three interrelated components: 1) improve the delivery of legal aid in the formal justice system, 2) strengthen case management capacity of the judiciary, and 3) raise citizen awareness of legal rights and responsibilities. PPJ is expected to positively impact access to justice in Bangladesh by improving the performance of District Legal Aid Committees to better serve the public. PPJ will strengthen the engagement of legal aid committee members to increase the utilization of legal aid funds. Proposed interventions will also create an enabling environment for the Government of Bangladesh to include legal aid law reformation into its policy change agenda. PPJ will also enhance the capacity of District Court judges to better perform as members of the judiciary and serve clients more efficiently.  The Activity will strengthen the ability of citizens to effectively access and utilize legal aid services. Through extensive countrywide public awareness and educational campaigns, PPJ will empower citizens to act on their legal rights and responsibilities. PPJ’s public awareness campaigns will also disseminate messaging targeted for communities vulnerable to trafficking, labour law violations, gender-based violence, and violent extremism.

USAID’s Promoting Peace and Justice Activity (PPJ) seeks to work with legal aid delivery organizations, judges and judicial staff, and vulnerable groups to improve access to and delivery of services in Bangladesh. To improve the delivery of legal aid in the formal justice system need to promote client-oriented, women-friendly, and vulnerable population friendly lawyering for legal aid cases. PPJ aim to address the dearth of good panel lawyers. A major obstacle to increasing access to legal aid is the dearth of strong Panel Lawyers, who are responsible for dispensing legal aid to citizens. Panel Lawyers often report feeling undercompensated and burdened by the high caseload. PPJ’s intention also to promote and showcase the work of legal aid panel lawyers to encourage taking on legal aid cases and disposing cases quickly. In turn, it will promote rule of law, increase confidence of justice seekers, and counter violent extremism.

2. Details of the Workshop

Number of Workshop:
Total workshop- 04
04 regional workshops, Panel Lawyers will participate from 4 (four) PPJ regions which will cover the following districts -

Dhaka (Dhaka, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Naryanganj, Sherpur, Tangail),

Rajshahi (Rajshahi, Bogura, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Panchagar, Sirajgonj), 

Khulna (Khulna, Jashore, Satkhira, Barisal), 

Chattogram (Chattogram, Cumilla, Cox’s Bazar, Lakshmipur)

Tentative dates of workshops:

  • PPJ anticipates that all work under the contract will be completed by September 2020.

Workshop time and duration:

  • All workshops will be a daylong that would be held at 09.00am – 04.30pm.

Participants:

  • 25 - 30 Panel Lawyers will be participated in each workshop.

3. The advisory services of the STTA on the workshop relate to the following subjects/areas:

  • Design  sessions under the guidence of NLASO and PPJ Technical Team.
  • Prepare workshop materials.
  • Conduct sessions with/without other experts.
  • Incorporate feedback in workshop curriculum
  • Make the best use of rsource persons and other resources

4. Deliverables:

  • Prepare workshop facilitation guideline.
  • A list of workshop materials (workshop aid, handout etc.)
  • Facilitate workshop as described in workshop details
  • Submit a detailed report on the workshop based on the recommendations of the participants. Soft and hard copy of the workshop report.
  • Submit draft ethical standard guideline to NLASO and PPJ team for finalization.
  • Submit final ethical standard guideline incorporating feedback for publishing.

Contract duration:

  • Up to 27 working days (as scheduled by PPJ). 27 days are segregated as follows: 10 (ten) days for preparation with all interviews of NLASO, Bangladesh BAR Council, President/ Secretary of Dhaka District BAR Association, Attorney General Office, Legal Aid Officers, one or two NGO who enacted policy for their panel lawyers; preparing workshop handout based on all interviews, NLASO directives, BAR Council rules for lawyers; finalize handout after working closely with NLASO. 8 (eight) days for 04 (four) workshops facilitation including 4 immediate report with recommendations. 05 (five) days for compilation of all recommendations from those workshops and work with NLASO and prepare draft of ethical standard, feedback compilation and finalization and submission for printing. Three working days for travel to workshop sites.

Qualification and experience:

The STTA is required to have at least 5 years of experience as consultant. The applicant should have proven knowledge on BAR Council Rules and Orders, Code of Conduct of Advocates, Government Legal Aid Services Act, Rules, Regulations, Policies and International practice on ethical standard and probono lawyering. Interested applicants are invited to submit technical and financial proposal including eligibility condition to PPJ program office. Address: USAID’s Promoting Peace and Justice Activity, Road # 99, House # 11/A, Apt # B-2, Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212.
 

How to Apply:

All interested candidates are requested to submit their proposal with profile to ppjgrants@democracyinternational.com on or before 13 April 2020.