Programmes Associate (Africa)

1. Overview of Services

The Human Dignity Trust (the Trust) is seeking to contract two Programmes Associates (the ‘PA(s)’) to support the delivery of key aspects of the Trust’s strategic litigation and legislative reform work in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Location: 1x East or West Africa & 1x Southern Africa
• Languages Required: English (essential), Arabic/French/Portuguese (desirable)
• Starting Date: 8 January 2024
• End Date/Duration of Assignment: 31 March 2025
• Total number of days over 15 months: 225
• Fees: dependent on experience and location

2. The Human Dignity Trust

2.1 About Us

The Human Dignity Trust is a legal charity based in London, UK that supports local lawyers and human rights defenders to uphold human rights and constitutional law in countries where private, consensual same-sex sexual conduct is criminalised.

Currently, 66 jurisdictions worldwide maintain these criminal laws. Legal provisions that criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people put them beyond the protection of the law, fostering a climate of fear, stigma and violence. These provisions also violate constitutional and international human rights law.

The Trust provides pro bono legal and communications technical assistance at the request of, and in collaboration with, human rights defenders, local lawyers and other partners who wish to use the courts to challenge the laws that criminalise same-sex intimacy or related repressive governmental actions that are justified on the basis of the criminal law. We also provide legal, communications, and stakeholder engagement technical assistance to governments and civil society groups working to reform discriminatory, colonial-era sexual offence laws and enact legislation that protects LGBT people, women, persons living with disabilities and other marginalised groups. Since our inception in 2011, we have worked with partners in over 25 countries in all regions of the world.

Our legal technical assistance is carried out by our expert staff team in collaboration with a panel of leading international law firms and barristers who assist us pro bono, and in the case of our legislative reform work also with our Commonwealth Group of Experts comprised of legislative drafters, lawyers, academics and other subject-matter experts.

3. Background and Purpose

The Trust is currently engaged in providing legal and communications technical assistance for both legislative reform and litigation work globally, including in the Sub-Saharan African region. Our focus is on exploring and advancing opportunities to decriminalise LGBT people, to effect wider change to sexual offence laws, to develop certain forms of protective legislation such as hate crime and equal opportunity laws, and to counter new and emerging anti-LGBT laws. In the coming years, depending on funding, the Trust is anticipating being able to expand our support for this type of work in the region, while ensuring it is locally informed and driven.

To this end, the Trust is looking to contract two PA(s) with proven success in promoting human rights through legal and/or policy change in jurisdictions that criminalise or have recently decriminalised private, same-sex, consensual sexual activity. The PA(s) will play an important part in identifying, exploring, and advancing opportunities for strategic litigation and legislative reform in the region.

The PA(s) will be based and have extensive experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa, will have experience in providing complex logistical support for international events and travel, and will be able to manage relationships with diverse stakeholders across the region, including civil society, lawyers and senior government officials. They will have a strong understanding of human rights and excellent interpersonal and organisational skills.

The PA(s) will work closely with our small London-based team of lawyers, researchers, communications experts, administrative staff, and other consultants based in their respective regions, and will be expected to travel several times per year regionally, and at least once to London, to engage with activists, lawyers, elected and government officials and other stakeholders.

Regrettably, as a consequence of the nature of the Trust’s work, the PA(s) will be subjected to distressing critiques of LGBT people, in particular, and the successful candidates will have to tolerate this with resilience, tact, and professionalism.

4. Services

The PA(s) shall each:

• Support the preparation of monthly and quarterly project plans, ensuring that planning documents are accurate and maintained up to date;
• Assist with the monitoring of, and reporting on, the delivery of activities on a quarterly basis, assisting to ensure that key milestones are reached on time and on budget;
• Support the management of activity and project budgets;
• Support the Trust to ensure that MEL is incorporated in projects and activities;
• Provide administrative and logistical support to ensure the successful delivery of activities, events, and workshops;
• Provide administrative support to ensure invoices are processed on time and payments are tracked across programme activities within the relevant region;
• Provide logistical support with travel, including the development and management of itineraries, booking flights and accommodation, and supporting related activities, and the production of travel reports;
• Maintain accurate records, including by taking minutes of meetings;
• Support the Trust to build and strengthen relationships with key partners in civil society and government;
• Build relationships with external service providers and consultants;
• Support the preparation of materials for key activities and events;
• Deliver any other tasks as reasonably required by the Trust for the region.

5. Deliverables

The following deliverables shall be submitted to the Trust by each PA(s):

• Attendance at a co-creation workshop in London in early 2024 (likely week commencing 22 January);
• Attendance at a wrap-up workshop in February 2025 (likely in London, depending on budget);
• A regional stakeholder database by 30 June 2024, to then be updated regularly;
• A concept note and proposed list of invitees for a regional thematic conference by 15 December 2024;
• Quarterly narrative progress reports (ongoing between 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025), with specific reference to the Services in paragraph 4 above.

Please note, the selected PA(s) shall agree to assign to the Trust all right, title and interest in and to all the Deliverables produced, including without limitation everything outlined above and any analyses, reports, presentations, recordings, footage, which shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Trust. The PA(s) shall not make any use of any of the Deliverables in any manner whatsoever without the Trust’s prior written consent.

For the avoidance of doubt, any intellectual property (i) owned by the selected PA(s) prior to the signing of any contract between the selected PA(s) and the Trust, and (ii) any intellectual property independently developed by the selected PA(s) otherwise than pursuant to any contract with the Trust, would not be caught by the above assignment.

6. Payment

Payments shall be effected upon receipt of invoices and according to the following payment intervals:

Payment Interval: Monthly, between January 2024 and March 2025

Amount: TBC

7. Requirements

Essential

• Studies and/or work experience in international development, human rights, project administration and/or management or a related field;
• Demonstrated experience of providing planning, logistical, administrative, and related support for complex projects, preferably with an international dimension;
• Exceptional organisational skills and ability to think ahead, prioritise and manage multiple streams of work;
• An understanding of the LGBT human rights movement or intersectional human rights movements within the region and globally;
• Attention to detail, accuracy, and ability to meet demanding deadlines;
• Experience of providing support in a fast-paced working environment;
• Outstanding problem-solving skills, creativity, and flexibility;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• High standard of written and spoken English, and ability to tailor communications to different audiences, including state officials and dignitaries;
• Excellent IT skills, especially use of Office 365, and project management software;
• Ability to operate in a multi-cultural environment with tact and discretion.
• Ability and willingness to undertake regional and international travel, sometimes at short notice;
• Knowledge of and commitment to the human rights of LGBT people.

Desirable

• Experience of strategic communications within an NGO, IGO or government;
• Expertise in legislative reform with a focus on human rights;
• Experience of project management.

8. Reporting

The PA(s) shall report to the Trust’s Senior Lawyer(s) who will oversee the Deliverables. During the reporting process, the PA(s) also will seek written approval from the Senior Lawyer(s) should any need to depart from the agreed outline arise or for any other issue entailing a change of the conditions detailed in these Terms of Reference.

9. Code of Conduct and Confidentiality

The PA(s) is/are under an obligation to confirm that they have no conflicts of interest and to report all potential conflicts of interest prior to the signing of a contract in relation to the Services detailed under this Terms of Reference, including all personal or professional relationships that may compromise their independence or objectivity.

The PA(s) shall act in a respectful and professional manner and shall not disclose information or make statements that could harm the Trust, its staff or Board or its partner organisations. The PA(s) shall not disclose any confidential or classified information connected to this assignment to any third party, either during or after the consultancy. The obligation of confidentiality includes information on personnel matters obtained during this contract period. The PA(s) shall be subject to confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations as part of the Trust’s standard contracts and must comply with all relevant data protection laws and regulations including the General Data Protection Regulation.