Short-term consultancy: support ClientEarth’s work in the Congo Basin

Duty station: Home-based / remote

Type and duration of contract: Consultancy contract, part-time for 3 months (with the option to extend for up to an additional 3 months based on ClientEarth’s need and available budget)

Preferred starting date: 1 July 2024

Closing date for applications: 24 June 2024

Background: ClientEarth has been engaging in the Republic of Congo for the past 10 years. Over this time, our work has focused on supporting civil society engagement in law reform processes in the forestry sector and on the promotion of community forestry as a tool to enhance Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ forest management and governance, reduce deforestation, conserve biodiversity and enhance livelihoods. ClientEarth’s activities in the Republic of Congo focus on legal analysis, training and advocacy. We work through trusted partnerships with in-country associates who have proven track records to ensure that interventions are locally owned, suited to the local context, and that relationships with key stakeholders are properly nurtured. Elements of this work are mirrored in Gabon, where ClientEarth also supports legal reform processes in the forestry sector and the implementation of national community forestry legal frameworks. In July-September 2024, ClientEarth requires support on the following tasks related to our work in the Republic of Congo and, in a more limited capacity, in Gabon.

Tasks for the consultant: Analyse selected implementing decrees to the Congolese Forest Code and Environmental Code, in order to provide legal inputs to civil society’s advocacy efforts. This may include sharing experiences from other regions, good practices and suggestions on legal approaches and processes; Support ClientEarth and national Congolese partners to develop a training programme for community members, community lawyers and a nascent paralegal network; In the event of a new draft text being published by the Government, analyse the draft of the Gabonese Forest Code, in order to provide legal inputs to civil society’s advocacy efforts; Support the development of user-friendly materials to make existing briefings and research on selected legal topics more accessible to Congolese and/or Gabonese audiences; Supporting Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning and reporting processes, if required; and Attending external project and/or civil society coordination meetings, if required. Biweekly reports or meetings should be sent to or held with ClientEarth staff to update on ongoing work and results of monitoring activities. The consultant will not be asked to represent ClientEarth. The location for this consultancy is home office. The consultant is expected to provide her/his own office space, accommodation, transport, IT equipment (including email address) and working materials. The consultant will be expected to keep a timesheet and bill based on hours worked on a monthly basis.

Profile and experience:

  • Bachelor's degree in law (desirable), or equivalent professional experience (essential);
  • Working knowledge of one or more of these areas: natural resources governance; human rights law and policy; environmental governance; forest governance; land tenure; legal reform processes (essential)
  • Experience working on, or knowledge of issues relating to forest governance, international forest policy processes (such as FLEGT VPAs, REDD+ or EUDR), community rights and land tenure (desirable) Good understanding of civil law legal systems (essential)
  • Experience delivering projects with civil society organisations in an international setting (essential)
  • Knowledge of and or experience in the Congo Basin and/or Republic of Congo and/or Gabon (desirable)
  • Commitment to ClientEarth’s vision, mission, values, and a working style which reflects these, including a commitment to a decolonial, feminist, anti-racist and partner-led approach (essential).

Skills

  • Excellent legal and policy analysis skills
  • Ability to explain complex legal information in a simple language and to adapt language, content and style to different audiences
  • Critical thinking, highly creative, flexible and solutions-oriented
  • Fluent in French and English (CEFR level C1) with outstanding written and oral communication skills
  • Well-developed interpersonal communication style and ability to work collaboratively with partners from a distance and split across different geographies

Timeframe

The consultancy should start by 1 July 2024, at the latest.

Fees

Consultancy of a maximum of 40 days (spread over 3 months), up to a maximum fee budget of £15,000.

The possibility of an extension of this consultancy for up to an additional 3 months is based upon ClientEarth’s continued need for support and the availability of funding.

How to apply

Send your CV, including a proposed fee rate, and a short concept note to Caroline Haywood (chaywood@clientearth.org) and Eugenie Galbas (egalbas@clientearth.org) before 24 June 2024.

Interviews will take place in the week of 26 June 2024.