Location : Abuja, NIGERIA
Application Deadline : 01-Mar-11
Type of Contract : SSA
Post Level : National Consultant
Languages Required :
English
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 07-Mar-2011
Duration of Initial Contract : 1 month
Expected Duration of Assignment : 1 month
Background
Support to Democratic Governance for Development Project aims to consolidate and advance democratic governance and accountability in Nigeria to achieve the country’s stated development priorities and outcomes specified in the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) viz.: improvements in accountable governance in accordance with the rule of law and in response to public demand, in the key areas of: elections, justice, and anti corruption. An integral, cross-cutting aspect will be the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment for sustainable democracy and development.
While there is evidence of improved liberalization of the political space with an increase in the number of political parties from three in 1999 to thirty in 2003, to the present-day sixty-three registered parties, only few political parties appear to be viable.
Nigeria has a history of multi-party system dating to the 1920s, but despite their importance as institutions in the democratic process, political parties have remained weak and fragile. Essentially, political parties have exhibited a limited understanding of their larger role in a democracy and political elites have retained interest in parties as a mere procedural element of electoral democracy.
The previous two sets of general elections (2003 and 2007) have clearly been missed opportunities for parties to inform and rally the electorate behind a democratic vision and ideology, and rise above the conflict and political violence which have marked the electoral landscape, typically by armed militia groups and third forces, mobilized by the major political parties.
The limitations of the political parties as institutional foundations of democracy and the irresponsibility of political actors, have significantly weakened electoral democracy in Nigeria’s 4th Republic. Principal weaknesses of the party system include: the absence of internal democracy; exclusion and marginalization of women; weak financial accountability; lack of effective representation; and resort to violence as means of resolving conflicts.
In accordance with 3rd Schedule, Part 1, Section 15 (c and f) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the mandate and responsibility of monitoring the operations of political parties in Nigeria. The Commission’s Department of Political Parties Monitoring and Liaison has a challenging task of monitoring the political parties in the run-up to the 2011 elections. Some of the aspects that INEC, Media and CSOs are supposed to monitor include Party conventions and congresses, party campaigns, party financing and rules and regulations governing political parties.
A Political Party Code of Conduct was developed in 2007 by political party functionaries to create an enabling environment for peaceful elections. The document is being reviewed and updated by the national leadership of political parties, under the guidance of INEC to meet the challenges of democratic transition in 2011 electoral process.
UNDP Nigeria seeks the services of two national consultants to facilitate sensitization meetings on Political Party Code of Conduct at the zonal level. The objectives of this consultancy are:
To increase the awareness of political party functionaries at the state level to the rule and regulations governing campaign and electioneering processes, as contained in the Political Party Code of Conduct.
To support the adoption of non-violence declaration by political party functionaries in the geo-political zone.
To strengthen the capacity of INEC and civil society organizations to monitor the compliance of political party functionaries to the code of conduct in 2011 elections and beyond.
Duties and Responsibilities
Key functions:
Work with the Political Parties Monitoring and Liaison Department of INEC to identify political parties that have presence in each of the states of the federation and make recommendations to UNDP DGD on participant selection for the zonal public sensitization.
Develop a framework and checklist for monitoring political party compliance with non-violence declaration.
Prepare a facilitation module on public sensitization on political party code of conduct.
Provide technical facilitation of public sensitization on political party code of conduct in all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
Facilitate a communiqué indicating the compliance of political party functionaries in the geo-political zone with the Political Party Code of Conduct.
Prepare a report on proceedings and outputs from the zonal sensitization program on political party code of conduct to guide future intervention by DGD.
The Consultants deliverables include:
Facilitation module
Checklist and procedures for monitoring political party compliance with non-violence declaration.
Facilitate six 1-day zonal sensitization meeting on political party code of conduct
Draft and final reports of consultancy assignment
Payment Modality:
15% upon signing of contract; 85% upon submission of key deliverables and completion of assignment
DSA and transportation costs (according to the UN rate) will be covered for all travel outside Abuja.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
Management and Leadership:
Ability to focus on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
Ability to share knowledge and experience, good interpersonal skill, a good team player, possess leadership and self-management.
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude, always in control even under pressure.
Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage complexities
Leads teams effectively and shows mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
Ability to lead strategic planning and experience in results-based management and results-oriented approach.
Ability to coordinate the works of others
Ability to implement new systems and effect attitudinal change
Ability to facilitate meetings and guide discussions towards set goals and objectives
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
A minimum of Master’s degree in Communication, Political Science, Development Studies, Law or equivalent.
Experience:
A minimum of 10 years of functionally related professional experience in development work on Political Parties and interface with civil society intervention work.
A minimum of 10 years experience as a lead facilitator, especially on democratic and / or electoral issues.
Knowledge of the key electoral issues, democratic tenets and environmental factors as they affect the electoral processes leading to the general elections.
Knowledge of gender dimensions of electoral processes and the impact of female political participation in Nigeria. Familiarity with UN systems and/or the UNDP system, rules, procedures, reporting, monitoring and evaluation is not a requirement but will be an advantage.
Experience in working with government agencies (central and local), EMBs, civil society organizations and international organizations are an asset.
Language Requirement:
Excellent written communication and skills in English, with analytical capacity and ability to synthesize project issues and compile narrative documents.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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