Posting Title: Consultant to Develop a Comprehensive Communication Strategy for the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ)

Department/Office: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Duty Station: NAIROBI

Posting Period: 09 September 2021 - 19 September 2021

Result of Service

1. After an inception meeting submit an inception report detailing the consultant’s understanding of the present terms of reference and the strategy (methodology and workplan) towards accomplishing the task.
2. Undertake as outlined above an expansive review of the relevant resources and undertake consultative engagement on the development of the Strategy.
3. Submit to UNODC an initial draft of the developed Strategy that would incorporate strategies and guidelines
4. Present the draft Strategy to relevant stakeholders for validation and implement any changes agreed on.
5. Submit to UNODC a consultancy report on the tasks undertaken together with the final validated and amended version of the Strategy.

Work Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Expected duration: 70 Working Days between September and December 2021

Duties and Responsibilities

1.Background of the Assignment

As the global guardian of the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, UNODC is mandated to support Member States in upholding the rule of law, promoting crime prevention and effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems. Within the framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021), and in close cooperation with the Regional Section for Africa and the Middle East at UNODC headquarters, the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CPCJ) Programme seeks to implement these objectives through support to major justice reforms processes undertaken by East African States.

In line with this mandate, the UNODC project ‘Strengthening the Administration of Justice and operationalising alternatives to imprisonment in Kenya’ aims to support the Government of Kenya to strengthen efficiency in the delivery of judicial services, enhance coordination within the criminal justice sector and widen the use and application of alternatives to imprisonment.

The project is designed to implement a part of the Programme for Legal Aid and Empowerment in Kenya (PLEAD). The Programme is funded by the European Union and targets the counties with the five largest urban centres of the country (Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru and Uasin Gishu) and seven counties of the most marginalised area within the country (Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Tana River and Wajir).

The PLEAD component implemented by UNODC targets support to the following institutions in the justice chain (national partners):
i. The National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ);
ii. The Judiciary;
iii. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP);
iv. The Kenyan Probation and Aftercare Service (KPAS);
v. The Witness Protection Agency (WPA).

UNODC, through PLEAD, has supported the various criminal justice institutions develop their strategic and communication plans. In 2020 UNODC through the PLEAD Programme supported the NCAJ in the development of its (draft) strategic plan, as well as the work its various Committees and Task Forces. The Programme now seeks to support the development of the organisation’s communication plan.

This support is intended not only to strengthen the NCAJ but also highlight its critical role in enhancing coordination in the criminal justice sector. The communication specialist will be expected to develop a comprehensive strategy that would incorporate strategies and guidelines to ensure coherent, coordinated and targeted communication, as well as enhance the visibility and efficiency of the organisation. The Communication Specialist will also be expected to engage the relevant stakeholders in the development of the strategy, as well as present the strategy to the NCAJ for validation.

2.Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of the assignment is to develop a comprehensive communication strategy (hereinafter “the Strategy”) for the NCAJ, in consultation with the relevant membership and staff of the organisation, and other partners.

3.*Specific Tasks to be performed by the Consultant*

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Representative and direct supervision of the Head of the Criminal Justice Programme UNODC ROEA, and within the framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021) the consultant will be expected to:

1. Conduct an inception meeting with NCAJ and UNODC and draft an inception report outlining their understanding of their task, as well as their intended methodology and workplan including on stakeholder consultations.

2. Conduct a review and stakeholder engagement exercise and draft a report as follows:

   i. Review all relevant documents and resources, including but not limited to: the NCAJ Strategic plans, the NCAJ website as well as those of the constituent membership and partners of the NCAJ, the NCAJ Bridging Communication Strategy and the State of the Judiciary Reports (SOJAR);

   ii. Engage as agreed with UNODC the relevant stakeholders and partners of the NCAJ on the development of the Strategy.

   iii. Identify the conflicts, overlaps, institutional gaps, challenges and opportunities relevant to successful implementation of the Strategy, and outline how they can be addressed in the Strategy.

3. Following international best practices, develop a comprehensive communication strategy that would incorporate strategies and guidelines to ensure coherent, coordinated and targeted communication, as well as enhance the visibility of the organisation as follows: i. Key messages and communication objectives across various initiatives and action areas in the work of the NCAJ.
   ii. Guidelines on internal and external communications, including stakeholder engagement and outreach to national institutions, civil society and other development partners by members of the NCAJ and Secretariat staff.
   iii. Strategies for both routine and event-related engagement of traditional media as well as social media engagement, including the adoption of hashtags and other identifiers.
   iv. Strategies to enhance the visibility of the various actions and work outputs, publications, training materials, etc. of the various Committees, Task Forces or Working Groups of the NCAJ, as well as of the NCAJ Secretariat and Court User Committees (CUCs).
   v. Guidelines on the planning and management of multilateral engagement, events, sensitization campaigns and other social gathers conducted by, or in partnership in the NCAJ.
   vi. Guidelines on the development and publication of Information Education and Communication (IEC) and other outreach materials including the development and use of banners, logos, corporate videos or documentaries etc.
   vii. Development of public relations strategies, including for crisis management.
   viii. Development of evaluation criteria for assessing the impact of the forgoing communication tasks, including the use of website analytics and other statistics.
   ix. Development of NCAJ website policy or guidelines.
   x. Provision of strategies for knowledge management related to communications as well as recording, publication and archiving of all produced materials such as photographs, videos and communication plans.
   xi. The strategy shall also clearly outline the preferred qualities and skillset of NCAJ communication staff, and their role(s) in the implementation of the strategy.
   xii. The strategy should also identify the required resources for its implementation.
   xiii. The strategy should also include the visual identity of NCAJ

4. As agreed with UNODC and other relevant stakeholders present at the NCAJ for discussion and validation, and make amendments as advised.

5. Draft and submit a comprehensive report on the tasks undertaken, together with the final validated and amended strategy.

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualifications: An advanced degree in journalism, communications or a related field is required. A first-level university degree or equivalent, with an additional two years of relevant working experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

Experience:
• A minimum of 10 years of work experience in communication is required.
• Experience in developing communication or partnership strategies is required.
• Experience in working on engagement and outreach programs is desirable.
• Experience in handling media houses at national level is desirable.
• Experience in working with development partners in supporting justice reform or justice sector support programs is desirable.
• Experience working with national partners in the criminal justice system is desirable
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in English, i.e. oral and written proficiency is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.