| Overview : Rule of law is a core pillar of the United Nation’s response to the Sustainable Development Goals. In fragile States, national and local capacities must be empowered to respond to immediate justice and security needs, ensuring that peace dividends are translated into inclusive growth. As Liberia straddles the humanitarian-development axis, unobstructed access to rule of law institutions remains a decisive factor in efforts to rebuild societies and create an enabling environment that contributes to poverty reduction, sustainable growth and development, gender equality and guarantees for the respect and protection of human rights. The Joint Rule of Law Programme’s engagement in this area seeks to address key developmental challenges by promoting the rights of women, gender equality, and children’s rights, while ensuring that physical and legal protection, as well as psychological wellbeing of people, communities and civil society and that their access to justice is enhanced. The Programme will support an enabling environment for growth and development by strengthening transparency institutions to increase accountability and combat corruption, while introducing policy and structural reforms to ensure that the judiciary and relevant law enforcement agencies—in close collaboration with other relevant sectors—provide timely, credible, predictable and acceptable responses to crimes and legal disputes. In response to the prevalence of gender-based violence, the Programme has supported the Judiciary of Liberia to establish specialized SGBV Criminal Courts E to provide accountability to survivors of SGBV. In addition to the Court E in Montserrado county, two such courts were recently established in Bong and Nimba counties. To ensure the efficiency of such courts, the Programme intends to build a network of women CSOs in each county to sensitize the public on their services, provide support to survivors of SGBV and witnesses, and remedies and monitor the efficiency of the courts and referral pathway. Consequently, two CSOs are required to establish networks of CSOs that will work in an integrated manner to monitor the courts. UNDP is seeking proposals from qualified CSOs/CBOs to Establish a network of women CSOs and support the INCHR to provide awareness on and monitor the Courts E in Bong and Nimba counties. Contract will be awarded to the most technically compliant and responsive CSOs/CBOs based on demonstrated capacity and experience. Selected CSOs/CBOs will be expected to work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the Judiciary, INCHR, other key stakeholders, and the Rule of Law Joint Programme at UNDP |
