Procurement Notices

The presence of paralegal networks in the justice chain systems forms part of a decades-long, worldwide access to justice movement to make rights effective, especially for the poor and marginalized including children and women. Over the past years, legal empowerment agendas have increasingly embraced paralegal networks as a policy solution for facilitating access to justice in countries with limited or no legal aid provision. In South Sudan, however, paralegal programmes are at an early stage of development. Several factors make access to justice particularly difficult: poverty, scarcity of lawyers, ongoing post-conflict reconstruction, and a dualist legal system, under which the customary system has primary relevance for many people. These challenges coupled with the inadequate statutory rule of law presence and capacity in greater Tonj, has led to increased backlog of cases with numerous adverse effects, including handling of serious criminal cases by customary authorities outside their jurisdiction, overcrowding in the prisons due to irregular detentions, delayed justice, underreporting of SGBV/CRSV, and perpetuating discriminatory practices and human rights abuses, including against traditionally disenfranchised groups such as women, children, and displaced persons.  

As part of its support to peace and security, the “RSRTF-Kong Koc” project implemented jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Peace Canal, ADRA and TOCH supported by the South Sudan Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund (RSRTF) is executing several activities to lay the foundation for peaceful, stable, and resilient communities in greater Tonj. The program applies a systemic approach to reduce violence, improve the management of intercommunal conflict, strengthen accountability and the rule of law, foster civil participation and good governance, support human capital development, and create peace dividends for communities in greater Tonj.  

To further support rule of law and access to justice, the stabilization pillar under Kong Koc project intends to Identify and engage three (3) civil society organizations working in greater Tonj to establish and support initiatives for providing legal assistance such as legal aid centers and community-based paralegals/mobilizers to advise victims, detainees, survivors of gender-based violence, and their families; with particular focus on mainstreaming gender, respect for human rights and support to vulnerable groups into reform priorities of and service delivery by rule of law institutions;

This call for proposal invites competent and reputable registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working across the greater Tonj – Warrap State to submit proposals for a three (12) months grant aimed at supporting communities’ access to justice and rule of law in greater Tonj counties of Warrap State through the establishment of Paralegal and legal aid centers, contributing to awareness-raising on rule of law, and communities’ general awareness about their legal rights.  

I.OBJECTIVES:

The main objective of the grant is to identify competent and reputable registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations, or community-based organizations to strengthen Community dispute resolution mechanisms and linkages are built between the formal and informal justice system in greater Tonj – to:   

1. Establish and operationalize paralegal networks that can help and provide pro bono legal assistance to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of clients’ cases to develop effective legal strategies.
2. Participate in negotiations with counsel to reach an out of court favorable settlements for clients. This includes offering advice, and creating awareness on human rights, legal rights, and the right to litigate one’s case before a competent court of jurisdiction. 

1. Carry out awareness creation and sensitization programs for communities in the project location on human rights, general knowledge about the legislations; and stay up to date on changes in laws and regulations.
2. Organize various and tailored training and workshops to members of the communities on pertinent issues of rule of law and access to justice in the community; offer legal assistance to members of the community to resolve less legally complicated issues through negotiations and mediations. 

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. Three (3) paralegal centers established and operationalized in the three (3) counties of the Greater Tonj (each CSO establishes one paralegal center in the assigned County) empowers and sensitize community members on crucial aspects of legal aid, human rights, and access to justice. 
2. 3,000 community members in Greater Tonj (1,000 from each County) benefited from the legal aid services and awareness; including survivors of communal violence, SGBV/CRSV survivors, and internally displaced people on pro-bono basis.
3. 150 cases including SGBV/CRSV cases in Greater Tonj referred to formal and informal dispute resolution mechanisms by each CSO/paralegal center disaggregated by gender
4. 120 community members in Greater Tonj (40 from each County) trained as paralegals to sensitize community members on crucial aspects of legal aid, human rights, and access to justice and provide legal aid services to survivors of communal violence, SGBV/CRSV survivors, and internally displaced people on pro-bono basis.