| Overview : In 2018 the Government of The Gambia established the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in line with the Paris Principles as part of various mechanisms established during the transitional process. The NHRC is a first of its kind in the country and is a permanent institution with a broad mandate to promote and protect human rights in The Gambia. Thus, the NHRC is a key institution in the human rights framework of the country acting as an ‘important bridge’ linking government, the National Assembly, other state entities, academic and research centers, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the international, regional and national human rights protection systems. It began its operations in February 2019 with the swearing-in of five Commissioners and has since then commenced implementation of its mandate, engagement of substantial staff along and the development of internal rules and procedures to guide its operations. With over a year into its operations, the NHRC with support from the Transitional Justice and Human Rights Project seeks to conduct a needs assessment of its operations thus far, to decipher the extent to which these are in line with the Paris Principles and to enhance the Commission’s effectiveness. The exercise will identify existing gaps and specific initiatives to undertake with respect to legislative, institutional and operational reforms. Objectives: Working under the supervision of the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, the national consultant shall: - Assess the capacity, strengths and needs of the NHRC; - Support the NHRC to assess its current capacity to implement its mandate; - Support the NHRC identify any gaps in complying with the Paris Principles; - Identify priority capacity gaps that should be urgently addressed; - Recommend strategies to address identified capacity gaps. - Recommend tailored capacity development strategies that addresses identified capacity gaps of the NHRC; - Develop a practical capacity assessment tool that can be used for self-assessment on a regular basis by NHRC. Academic Qualifications: Advanced University Degree (minimum Master’s Degree in law, human rights, development, social sciences, or other related fields). Experience: • Five years of experience in policy development or programme management, design and implementation. • At least five years of experience in planning, design, preparation and implementation of development programmes. • Experience with UN Agencies and/or strong understanding of UN, EU or other international donor-funding systems, frameworks and structures, particularly in programming. • Prior experience of developing a strategic document would be an advantage. Please submit your proposal to bids.gm@undp.org with a subject title "Consultancy for NHRC Need Assessment" | 
