Job Description

Brief Description The consultancy is for IFES\' program for the country of Sudan, but the position will be remote, with occasional travel to Kenya or Ethiopia. About International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) : IFES advances democracy for a better future. We collaborate with civil society, public institutions, and the private sector to build resilient democracies that deliver for all. Our technical assistance and applied research develop trusted electoral bodies capable of conducting credible elections; effective and accountable governing institutions; civic and political processes in which all people can safely and equally participate; and innovative ways in which technology and data can positively serve elections and democracy. Since 1987, IFES has worked in more than 145 countries, from developing to mature democracies. In accordance with IFES\' approach: A society is able to reach its full potential in a world in which people of all genders are fully engaged as equal partners in their families, workplaces, and communities. Based on international human rights standards and best practices, IFES promotes political participation, justice, and equal rights around the world. IFES reflects these values in its programming and workplace culture. The greatest assets of IFES are our team members. IFES offers competitive benefits and pay, as well as the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment. Every member of the IFES team is responsible for carrying out the mission of IFES and integrating IFES values into their work every day: Commitment to Excellence, Effective Communication, High-Quality Decision-Making, Accountability, Teamwork, and Collaboration. Background The war between Sudan\'s military and RSF paramilitary group continues, causing unprecedented loss, destruction and terror for much of the country\'s population. Recent reports suggest that there is a strong possibility that the current crisis might fuel tribal and ethnic feuds and eventually lead the country to civil war. International, regional and local mediation efforts started long before the war as tension had been building for months between Sudan\'s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup. On the other hand, Sudan\'s civilian forces have a long-standing tradition of disagreements among and between sate actors, politicians, civilians and various tribes and ethnicities, continuously failing to reach consensus around the most basic fundamentals of state and government system in Sudan. It is in this backdrop that the country has experienced five transitional periods since its independence, all of them failed to deliver desired change and always ended by another military coup. The Republic of Sudan currently is at a critical juncture in its history and serious efforts are required to stop the war, violence and destruction and return to peace. Many Local, regional and international initiatives have called for ceasefire and peaceful resolution of the Sudan crisis. The most prominent among them is the Jeddah platform initiated by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Locally, many initiatives have been proposed by different stakeholders and actors. However, the war caused much polarization and distrust between the main national players and actors. Most of the initiatives call for support from the same ideological/political alliance and do not attempt to establish a serious breakthrough to build strong common grounds between different stakeholders, additionally, most of the initiatives were proposed by the elites without consulting/engaging their grassroots or social incubators, even actors who share the same vision and approach failed to reach consensus. All these structural weaknesses deepen the distrust and the effectiveness of any initiative. To help the initiatives remedy these gaps, IFES will facilitate discussions on legal, regulatory, electoral, and constitutional requirements and frameworks that will guide the post war process of transition, democracy and elections. The purpose of these discussions is to increase coordination and promote consensus among these initiatives on legal, regulatory, electoral, and constitutional requirements and frameworks and reach an understanding of the decisions that would have to be made to move a democratic transition forward. Finally, IFES will support the initiatives\' outreach to grassroots organizations to bring them into the decision-making process on the legal, regulatory, electoral, and constitutional issues. This approach is recommended after careful assessment of the current absence of concerted coordination among and between the political and non-political civilian actors leading peacebuilding initiatives at various levels. Scope of Work Within this framework, the consultant will provide technical legal expertise in the areas of legal, regulatory, electoral, and constitutional frameworks and reform; expert perspective on workshops, roundtables, and forums preparation in coordination with other stakeholders; facilitation of technical workshops, roundtables, and forums; and briefing papers on technical topics in support of IFES programming. Specifically, the consultant will perform the following tasks during the period of performance: Technical Expertise Serve as technical expert for IFES Sudan Program Team and program stakeholders. Advise IFES Sudan on programmatic strategies to help civilian-led peace initiatives better engage in peace processes and to prepare for a future democratic transition. Contribute to IFES Sudan technical products. Event Facilitation Preparation and content development: As lead facilitator, the consultant is required to coordinate pre-event preparation in collaboration with other consultants and IFES Sudan program team. Pre-event preparation will entail: Research and development of contents/case studies on international best practices in coordination with other experts. Design the structure and contents of discussions and session plans accordingly in coordination with other consultants and IFES Sudan. Discuss and finalize in coordination with other consultants about persons required for conducting various sessions. Develop provisional agenda in coordination with other consultants and IFES Sudan. Gather discussion materials and resources as needed. Coordinate preparations, including allocating discussion materials and resources appropriately and assigning facilitating team members\' activities. Advise IFES Sudan about most relevant participants for the forums. B. Implementation of events: As lead facilitator, the consultant will lead the team of facilitators and initiate forum discussions, make presentations, and facilitate questions and answers sessions. Briefing Papers In coordination with IFES Sudan, draft documents intended to provide technical expertise to Sudanese civilian forces as they navigate critical decisions, tasks, and priorities during peace negotiations and a future democratic transitional period. The papers could address the following points: Historical overviews of and lessons learned from transitional periods in Sudan including regulatory and constitutional frameworks governing transitions; Advice on the priorities and steps required to move from war situation to- peace and from peace to transition and democracy. Advice on post-war transition priorities with particular focus on constitutional and legal frameworks, legal mechanism and technical expertise required to support them. Proposals, recommendations, roadmaps, or framework on post-war transition priorities, including in the areas of laws, regulations, electoral frameworks, and constitutions. Timeline and work plan The consultant will be engaged for approximately 40 working days during the term of contract that starts on or about January 8, 2024, and ends on May 31, 2024. Position Requirements University degree, preferably in law. At least ten years of professional experience in supporting political processes and organizing dialogues. Mastery of dialogue facilitation skills; Proven experience in coordinating with political stakeholders; Expert understanding of Sudan\'s history, law, politics, and political transitions; Excellent writing skills; Excellent command of Arabic; Proficiency in English. #Prioritize

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