Consultant – Evaluation of the Project: Protecting Human Rights in Sudan

Final Evaluation of the Project: Protecting Human Rights in Sudan through Inclusive civil society-led legal reform 

Location: Remote – Fee: €7,500 

Term: Final report submitted no later than 30 August, 2024 

Deadline for applications: 30 June 2024 

REDRESS is seeking an experienced evaluator to conduct a final evaluation of its project: Protecting human rights in Sudan through inclusive civil society-led legal reform (‘the Project’).

Background of the Project

REDRESS is an international NGO based in the UK and the Netherlands, with more than twenty years’ experience working to support victims’ efforts to access meaningful justice for mass atrocity crimes and torture in all parts of the world. Our work has helped to strengthen and further develop international law standards on victims’ rights and to give these standards practical relevance and application to everyday lives. 

REDRESS has worked in Sudan for over two decades to combat violations of human rights and to seek justice for victims of torture and other violations. 

1. Objectives of the Project 

The overall impact objective of the Project is: To contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights in Sudan through promoting and supporting an inclusive and democratic legal reform process. 

Past and ongoing human rights violations in Sudan are a result of a lack of accountability and protection within the Sudanese legal and institutional framework and practices. Sudan’s criminal code does not properly criminalise many violations, while other legislative shortcomings, including immunities provisions, have historically ensured that members of Sudan’s police, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the other security forces could not be held accountable. Outside of the legal framework, structural and institutional factors have also historically—and presently—facilitated the commission of serious human rights violations. The failure to bring perpetrators at any level to justice has reduced victims’ trust in Sudan’s legal system, while permitting the continuation of serious crimes in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan, including under the current acting authorities; equally, a lack of accountability has long had an effect on political participation in Sudan, and until concrete steps are taken to reduce impunity, it will be difficult for the country to restore trust in any transitional democratic system. 

Though some of these institutional roadblocks were removed under the transitional government established in August 2019, a coup in October 2021 and recent armed conflict in April 2023 have deepened the security crises, while human rights violations have significantly increased across the country. 

An agenda for human rights protection and strengthening of rule of law and democracy in Sudan includes: (i) further legislative reforms, including to ensure that torture, sexual- and gender-based violence, and international crimes are properly defined and criminalised; (ii) institutional reforms and changes to policy and practice, as needed to translate legislative amendments into genuine human rights protections and to guarantee the non-repetition of violations; and (iii) meaningful accountability initiatives, including initiatives for truth telling, memory, reparations, and international and regional accountability (such as at the International Criminal Court and UN human rights treaty bodies). 

Against this backdrop, the project is designed to enhance the capacity of civil society organisations to engage in human rights law reform processes and to promote strategic accountability initiatives in Sudan. 

The specific objectives (outcomes) are:  

• Enhanced capacity of Sudanese civil society and other stakeholders to contribute to an inclusive and democratic legal reform process; 
• Strengthened national and international advocacy that promotes democratic legal reform. 

The Project activities involve activities mapping actors and issues of legal reform, with a combination of organisational strengthening, mentoring and collaboration activities, as well as advocacy at national, regional and international levels with key stakeholders, practical support to victims and survivor groups, including through strategic litigation, and sharing of good practices on documentations of violations. 

Findings from interactions with domestic CSOs, expert and policy meetings, workshops and our general research have been documented in policy briefs and key reports. More detailed information on the project activities and outputs will be made available to the consultant once selected. 

The target groups for the Project include CSO representatives, national policy makers, marginalised groups, survivor and victim communities, and regional and international policymakers. 

2. Purpose of Evaluation

The purpose of the final evaluation is to provide a full review of the overall project and provide REDRESS and its partners with: 

• An assessment of the performance according to the outputs, activities and overall objectives detailed in the Logical Framework;
• Based on the findings, develop conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned that will be beneficial for similar projects in the future; and
• Provide an assessment of impact based on a indicators defined in the logical framework and provide feedback on that framework.

This final evaluation will be shared with the Donor (the European Commission) and to the extent that there are no security concerns, the main conclusions will be discussed with stakeholders and beneficiaries of the project. 

3. Scope of work

The final evaluation will be guided by the revised OECD M&E guidelines and will assess: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, impact and sustainability. 

In relation to case work that has been carried out through the life of the action, the evaluation should also be guided by REDRESS’ Practice Note on Evaluating the impact of strategic litigation against torture. 

4. Approach and Methodology

The evaluation should be participatory and carried out in close collaboration with REDRESS and its partners. The consultant will be provided with a complete dossier of project documents and relevant background materials as might be needed. 

The evaluation should be conducted utilising a simplified monitoring and evaluation model, designed and agreed by the consultant and REDRESS. Basic elements of the evaluation should include:  

• Desk review of project documents and relevant background materials (to be provided by REDRESS); 

• Preparation of an inception note presenting preliminary questions, a proposed methodology, work plan, and overview of key questions to facilitate interviews and guide assessment of project outputs. To be discussed, developed and finalised in collaboration with REDRESS; 
• Participatory evaluation which involves project implementers and target beneficiaries in all key evaluation tasks via interviews* with project (management) team, staff, as well as with target groups, stakeholders and beneficiaries; 
• Drafting and finalisation of project evaluation report. The report will include data and analysis for each of the criteria mentioned in ‘Scope of work’, above. 

* Interviews will largely be conducted by phone or video-conference, or through written questions by email. Field visits are unlikely to take place, due to travel restrictions to Sudan. If necessary (and where possible), in coordination with REDRESS, focus group(s) may be organised to facilitate exchanges between the consultant and beneficiaries and/or other stakeholders at the local level. These will be organised in close collaboration with the relevant colleagues. 

5. Deliverables

The output of the evaluation will be a report in English. The structure and content of the report is for the discretion of the consultant but should be no more than 20 pages (excluding annexes) and include the following: 

• A brief inception note outlining the main findings from desk review and the proposed methodology and work plan for the evaluation process; 
• A short preliminary report of a maximum of three pages at the mid-point of the process; 
• A written report of approx. 20 pages (excluding annexes), including an executive summary; 
• All deliverables shall be presented in English. 

6. Necessary Experience and Expertise

The successful evaluator will need to have: 

• Significant understanding of human rights, including accountability efforts; 
• Experience delivering evaluations of human rights projects, particularly those involving community involvement and legal advocacy; 
• Fluency in English. Working knowledge of Arabic is desirable; 
• It is also desirable that the evaluator has a good knowledge of the situation in Sudan. 

7. Timeframe and Budget

The evaluation should take place between 22 July and 23 August 2024, with the final report submitted no later than 30 August 2024. 

The fee for the evaluation is €7,500, including all costs and expenses associated with the work. The evaluator will be responsible for any tax incurred. 

8. How to apply

Candidates who are interested in being considered for the project should upload to our recruitment portal a single PDF file with:   

• A cover letter setting out your relevant experience and other qualifications for the role; 
• Your CV; 
• A short work plan setting out your evaluation matrix, the methodology you would propose to adopt, and a timeframe for the evaluation. 

Deadline: 30 June 2024  –  Interviews will take place in the week of 8 July 2024.