Deadline May 18, 2024 (Midnight, East Africa Time)
I. Introduction
The International Center for Transitional Justice, on behalf of the Initiative for Transitional Justice in Africa (ITJA) Consortium, seeks to create a regional roster of transitional justice experts and professionals in the related fields of gender justice, mental health and psychosocial support, documentation, truth-seeking, reparation, international criminal justice, the rule of law and human rights, and policy development and analysis. The preselected experts will be enlisted on the Roster of Transitional Justice Experts in Africa and will be considered for secondment on a remunerated consultancy basis to provide specialized services in response to future requests for technical assistance from African Union (AU) Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) channeled through the AU Commission.
II. About The Initiative for Transitional Justice in Africa (ITJA)
The Initiative for Transitional Justice in Africa (ITJA) is a three-year project jointly launched by the AU and the European Union (EU). The project is coordinated by the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and co-implemented in collaboration with the African Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR). The primary goal of the ITJA project is to promote the implementation of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) and support the roll-out of the AU's Roadmap for the Implementation of the AUTJP. The main objectives of the ITJA are as follows:
Objective I: To strengthen relevant AU organs, RECs, and AU Member States to implement the AUTJP and design and operate tailored gender-sensitive reconciliation and reparation mechanisms.
Objective II: To make available rigorous and relevant knowledge on Transitional Justice experiences in Africa to inform the design of stabilization and reconciliation strategies consistent with the AUTJP.
Objective III: To strengthen the accountability and popularization of African TJ mechanisms while ensuring comprehensive consultations with the various strides of affected societies, particularly women and youth.
III. About the Coordinating Organization
The tendering and contracting process for the Roster of Transitional Justice Experts in Africa (African TJ Experts Roster) is coordinated by the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), with the support of its consortium partners, operating under the mandate of the ITJA project granted by the AU and EU.
ICTJ is an international non-profit organization specializing in the field of transitional justice. ICTJ works across society and borders to challenge the causes and address the consequences of massive human rights violations. We affirm victims' dignity, fight impunity, and promote responsive institutions.
IV. Functions of the Roster of Transitional Justice Experts in Africa
The African TJ Experts Roster is a critical mechanism for realizing the ITJA’s objectives and the imperative outlined in the AUTJP to build and strengthen national and local capacities. The pool of preselected experts enlisted on the roster might be called upon to perform one or more of the following functions during the lifetime of the project:
a. Provide technical assistance to AU Member States and RECs in formulating, implementing, and monitoring transitional justice initiatives.
b. Organize and conduct workshops, meetings, and training on transitional justice themes for staff, commissioners, and members of transitional justice mechanisms and relevant government institutions.
c. Facilitate strategic discussions, internal briefing sessions, and meetings to discuss transitional justice approaches for the AU member states. -
d. Policy development: Support the AU Member States in formulating their transitional justice strategies and policy frameworks.
e. Conduct needs assessment and analysis to establish the transitional justice needs of the respective AU Member States.
f. Prepare advisory notes and technical memoranda on specific themes upon request by the AU Member States
g. Undertake any other necessary assignment that may arise, tailored to the needs of the AU Member State.
V. Relevant Professional Expertise
The ITJA consortium welcomes expressions of interest from individuals with professional expertise in various areas, including but not limited to:
a. Transitional Justice
b. International Criminal Justice
c. International Human Rights Law
d. International Humanitarian Law
e. Constitutionalism and Rule of Law
f. Democracy and good Governance
g. Documentation
h. Gender Justice
i. Women Peace, and Security
j. Institutional reform
k. Mental health and Psychosocial support
l. Policy Development and Analysis
m. Reparations
n. Security Sector Reform
o. Truth Seeking and Truth Telling
p. Youth, Peace, and Security
VI. Skills and Qualifications
The experts should have the following skills and academic qualifications:
i. Postgraduate degree in human rights, political science, law, sociology, development, psychology, anthropology, gender, history, or related field
ii. At least seven years of experience in the respective field of expertise
iii. Proven research and analysis skills
iv. Strong written English, French, or Arabic
v. Strong capacity for analytical thinking.
vi. Ability to adhere to strict deadlines.
vii. High level of professionalism and attention to detail
VII. Regional and Language Considerations
i. The selection process will consider experts from the five core regions of the African continent, namely South, East, West, North, and Central Africa.
ii. The selection process will consider experts who are fluent in English, French, Arabic, or Portuguese. Knowledge of any of the two languages will be an added advantage.
VIII. Terms of Engagement
Preselected experts enlisted on the African TJ Experts Roster might receive invitations to submit their consultancy bids in response to closed calls for technical assistance announced by the coordinating organization to roster members according to the needs and requests of the project implementation. The coordinating organization, in consultation with its consortium members, the AU Commission, and the EU, will select expert(s) from the submitted bids and propose them the assignment. The coordinating organization and the selected expert(s) will finalize specific terms of reference for each assignment. The remuneration for undertaking the assignments will be determined through mutual agreement between the assigned expert(s) and the coordinating organization prior to deployment or commencement of the assigned tasks.
Please note that enlistment on the African TJ Experts Roster does not establish a contractual relationship between the enlisting expert and the coordinating organization or its consortium partners or principals.
IX. Application Procedure
Transitional Justice (TJ) experts interested in enlisting on the African TJ Experts Rosters should apply through this application form. Each applicant should submit only one application during the calendar year. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Successful applicants will be notified via the email and contact details provided as part of their application on the form and will be assigned a unique Vendor Number. Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply but are ineligible to do so within the same calendar year. Please note that all applications must be made directly by the applying expert. Nominations are not accepted.
For inquiries, please send an email with the subject line 'The African TJ Experts Roster' to jobs@ictj.org.
