ABA ROLI seeks a part-time consultant to provide technical assistance to an in-person and online Community of Practice (CoP) of rule of law practitioners on the nexus of transnational organized crime (TOC) and corruption, including contributing to a Practice Note or Toolkit on a subtopic selected by the CoP members, helping to identify written materials or resources which may be of assistance to CoP members, facilitating online CoP discussions on the nexus of TOC and corruption, and perhaps leading discussions on the draft Practice Note or Toolkit at a symposium on TOC and corruption in Washington, DC.
Background The Justice Sector Training, Research, and Cooperation Plus (JusTRAC+) program is a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the U.S. Department of State, the University of South Carolina’s Rule of Law Collaborative (ROLC), and the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI). It aims to enhance knowledge, skills, and coordination amongst individuals who fund, design, manage, and implement justice sector programs across the U.S. Government and beyond.
ABA ROLI’s JusTRAC+ Research and Coordination program aims to improve coherence of justice sector-wide programs and collaborative practices within the U.S. Government and beyond for the benefit of justice sector program beneficiaries. ABA ROLI will accomplish this objective through a multi-pronged approach that includes knowledge-sharing, mapping of evidence and programs, development of analytical products, and facilitation of coordination dialogues and other stakeholder consultations. This envisions a flexible approach that provides for a series of sequenced, coordinated, and well-targeted interventions that directly correspond to USG rule of law assistance priorities in post-conflict and transitional states and reflect the day-to-day knowledge-sharing and coordination needs and capacities of USG officials and other key stakeholders involved in relevant programming.
In particular, the JusTRAC+ Research and Coordination component will convene U.S. Government practitioners to participate in thematic Communities of Practice (CoPs) in which they share information, resources, and co-create practical toolkits to guide programmatic decision making. These resources and toolkits will be housed on an online Knowledge Portal viewable to other U.S. Government stakeholders. Stemming from various scoping activities conducted in FY2019, in FY2020, ABA ROLI will develop knowledge products, operational guidance, and coordinate online and in-person CoP discussions in two focal areas: (1) Justice Measurement and Data Collection, and (2) Strategies to Address the Nexus of Corruption and Transnational Organized Crime (TOC).
This consultancy will support Focal Area 2: Strategies to Address the Nexus of Transnational Organized Crime and Corruption. The nexus TOC and corruption is concerned with how TOC both facilitates and is underpinned and fueled by public and private sector corruption. Focal Area 2 will provide a platform for research and learning to inform the design and delivery of justice sector programming to combat TOC where corruption is inevitably linked as either a cause or enabling factor. Specifically, it will provide frameworks and replicable practice documentation for use by U.S. agencies in addressing the intersectionality of TOC and corruption, which can impact both anti-corruption and TOC interventions alike. Focal Area 2 will facilitate interagency coordination and collaboration to identify lessons learned around the intersectionality of TOC and corruption; enhance understanding of the contexts and factors that enable this, as well as its impacts; and build a repository of best practices that will help agencies design programs and implement effective programs in this focal area.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Expert Consultant – Transitional Organized Crime and Corruption will work with a second expert consultant to support ABA ROLI to implement activities under Focal Area 2 by providing remote technical assistance to the CoP on addressing the nexus of TOC and corruption. In particular, the Consultant will assist the CoP to develop a Practice Note or Toolkit on a subtopic at the nexus of TOC and corruption, help moderate online CoP discussions on the nexus of TOC and corruption, and, if possible, lead discussions on the draft Practice Note or Toolkit at a symposium on TOC and corruption in Washington, DC.
Convened by ABA ROLI, the CoP will identify and answer key learning questions on the design and delivery of justice sector programming at the intersection of TOC and corruption. CoP interaction will be facilitated through an online platform as well four in-person meetings and events in Washington. ABA ROLI will host a secure online discussion forum for the TOC and Corruption CoP on the JusTRAC+ knowledge portal, for which the Expert Consultant will help generate and moderate online discussions among CoP members with the support of ABA ROLI personnel in Washington.
To support the learning objectives of the COP, ABA ROLI will develop a series of Practice Notes or Toolkits, which will provide step-by-step guidance on how to support programming at the nexus of TOC and Corruption. The Practice Notes will outline foundational approaches, drawing on lessons learned by U.S. Government stakeholders, bilateral donors, experts and practitioners to tackle the linkages between TOC and Corruption. In FY2020, ABA ROLI will support the CoP to develop one Practice Note or Toolkit.
ABA ROLI will conduct a mapping of existing literature, resources and knowledge products and interviews with the JusTRAC+ Liaison Committee, CoP members and other stakeholders, which will inform the CoP’s learning agenda for the year. The two Expert Consultants hired for this CoP will conduct research on the learning topic selected by the CoP and assist the ABA ROLI Focal Area Leads to draft a Practice Note or Toolkit based on the research findings and consultations with CoP members.
ABA ROLI will coordinate the development of the Practice Note with the USCROLC’s Symposium on TOC and Corruption, expected to be held on June 29 and 30 in Washington, DC. ABA ROLI will use the USCROLC symposium as a platform for the Liaison Committee, CoP members and stakeholders to comment and provide feedback on the Practice Note/Toolkit before publication. If possible, the Expert Consultant will attend the Symposium on TOC and Corruption and lead discussions with CoP members on the draft Practice Note/Toolkit and how it can be revised for maximum effectiveness.
Following the symposium, the Expert Consultant will assist the ABA ROLI Focal Area Leads to incorporate the comments from the symposium into the Practice Note, after which the revised Practice Note will be uploaded to the Knowledge Portal for final comments from the CoP. The final Practice Note will be launched in September 2020.
Duration and Timeline
ABA ROLI expects to hire two Expert Consultants to support this Community of Practice. Each Consultant will spend no more than sixty (30) working days between February and September 2020 supporting the activities above. Online discussion moderation is expected to be ongoing between the launch of the online CoP and the end of the consultancy. The following is a notional schedule of key dates for the other activities:
Activity/Task
Date
CoP Meeting 2/Q2:
CoP members identify learning objectives and develop a learning agenda for Year 2 based on the mapping exercise
Thursday March 26, 2020
Conduct research to inform the development of Practice Note 1
March 27 - June 5, 2020
Develop first draft of Practice Note 1
March 27 - June 5, 2020
Share draft Practice Note with CoP members in advance of the TOC/AC Symposium
June 8, 2020
TOC/AC Symposium:
The Q3 CoP meeting will be combined with a symposium organized by USCROLC. At the symposium ABA ROLI will invite comments and feedback from CoP members and symposium participants on the draft Practice Note 1.
Online CoP members will be provided with the opportunity to provide feedback and comment through the online CoP forum.
June 29-30, 2020
Share revised Practice Note with CoP members for comment through online platform
July 31, 2020
CoP Meeting 4/Q4:
ABA ROLI and CoP members hold roundtable to launch Practice Note 1 with web streaming for online CoP participants.
Practice Note published on JusTRAC+ website.
September 3, 2020
Scope of Work/Expected Deliverables
In collaboration with a second subject matter expert, the Expect Consultant will support the Focal Area 2 Leads and the TOC/Corruption CoP as follows:
Conduct desk research on a topic(s) at the nexus of transnational organization crime and corruption to inform the development of a Practice Note or Toolkit on the topic;
Assist ABA ROLI’s Focal Area 2 Leads to draft a Practice Note/Toolkit based on this research and consultations with the TOC/Corruption CoP members and stakeholders;
If possible, attend the USCROLC Symposium on TOC and Corruption in Washington, DC in June 2020 and lead discussions on the draft Practice Note/Toolkit and/or moderate a panel discussion;
Assist the ABA ROLI Focal Area 2 Leads to incorporate the comments from the symposium into the draft Practice Note/Toolkit;
Help moderate discussions about the nexus of TOC and Corruption on the CoP’s online forum, including inviting specific members of the community to respond to questions from others on the forum, calling attention to responsive resources on the Knowledge Portal, or contextualizing or removing comments that are incorrect or misleading;
Generate discussion on the CoP’s online forum by highlighting important/recent developments, resources, or events related to the nexus of TOC and corruption; asking follow-ups to discussion questions from CoP members; etc.; and
Any other related task as directed by ABA ROLI.
Desired Qualifications
For this assignment, ABA ROLI seeks a subject matter expert with the following qualifications:
A qualified lawyer with a degree in law from an accredited law school. JD, LLM, PhD or JSD preferred.
At least fifteen years of experience as a judge, prosecutor, lawyer, investigator, and/or in criminal justice sector reform or capacity building, particularly with respect to transnational organized crime and/or corruption.
Demonstrated knowledge of issues and applicable international law at the nexus of transnational organized crime and corruption.
Demonstrated experience implementing international rule of law development programs related to transnational organized crime and/or anti-corruption.
Experience implementing U.S. government-funded rule of law programs.
Ability to work effectively with a large, multi-stakeholder team, spread across time zones.
Sufficient computer skills to engage with and moderate discussions for an online Community of Practice.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required.
Place of Performance
Home-based with one trip to Washington, DC in June 2020.
Reporting Lines
The Consultant will report to the JusTRAC+ Program Director.
Remuneration
In consideration for the Services performed, and provided that the Services are reasonably acceptable to the ABA, the Consultant will be compensated up to $600/per day, at an hourly rate of $75 per hour, for a maximum of 8 hours per day for up to 30 days.
How to apply:
Send applications to: justrac-recruitment@abaroli.org