CFPs: Improved Access to Quality Legal Aid Services in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System

UNODC seeks to foster engagement of Civil Society Organizations and Universities through a call for proposal aiming at “improved access to justice in the Ethiopian criminal justice system, in particular for the poor, women and other groups living in vulnerable situations through access to legal aid and assistance”.

UNODC’s Call for Proposals seeks to provide funding through the support of the European Union – Basket Fund for Legal Aid Service Provision in Ethiopia – to not-for-profit organizations and university legal aid clinics aiming at improving availability, accessibility and quality of legal aid services in the Ethiopian criminal justice system.

Objectives

• The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has been supporting the criminal justice system in Ethiopia to provide quality and standard services including legal aid services. As part of this ongoing effort, UNODC in collaboration with Center for Justice (a local CSO organization) have developed a project proposal to enhance the quality and coverage of legal aid services being provided by CSOs and University Legal Clinics in the country. The project has secured funding from the EU in Ethiopia and is being implemented starting September 2023.
• The objective of the project is linked to the specific objective 3 of the EU Programme titled “Support to Criminal Justice Reform in Ethiopia”, i.e., improved access to justice for all, the poor, women and other groups living in vulnerable situations through increased access to legal aid and assistance. More specifically, the project seeks to deliver activities and outputs that would target CSOs and University Legal Aid service providers with financial and technical support towards improved availability, accessibility and quality of legal aid services in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System.
• The overall objective of the project is to create improved access to justice in the Ethiopian criminal justice system, in particular for the poor, women and other groups living in vulnerable situations through access to legal aid and assistance. The specific objective of the project is to enhance improved availability, accessibility and quality of legal aid services in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System.

Thematic Focus and Priority Issues 

• This Call for Proposals seeks to provide funding support to not-for-profit organisations and university legal aid clinics working in the area of improving availability, accessibility and quality of legal aid services in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System. It will support activities designed to deliver outputs in relation to raising legal awareness and legal aid service provision including legal literacy and capacity building initiatives focusing on the following key areas:
  • Provide quality free legal assistance to vulnerable populations, i.e., the poor, women and other groups living in vulnerable situations as well as arrested, accused and detained persons and victims and survivors of crime.
  • Raise awareness of legal rights and due process among vulnerable populations such as the poor, women and other groups living in vulnerable situations (including IDPs, PWD) as well as arrested, accused and detained persons and victims and survivors of crime.

Funding Information

• Proposals with budgets ranging from 60,000 USD to 100,000 USD will be considered for award. Please note that value for money will be assessed as a part of the rating criteria.

Duration 

• All activities financed by this partner programme must be implemented by May 31, 2026.

Fundamental Principles 

• Applicants are expected to consider the following fundamental principles in designing their project proposals:
  • Partnership/collaboration/cooperation with other stakeholders.
  • Project design with the potential for replication.
  • Targeting rural and urban populations.
  • Sustainability of project activities.
  • An approach that values diversity among men and women.
  • Initiatives that are innovative and have inventive ideas.
  • Mainstreaming gender and human rights.
  • Enhancing institutional and technical capacity of implementing stakeholders.
  • Leave no one behind approach.

Activities and Outputs

• Project proposals that contribute to one or several of the following indicative activities and outputs will be given priority in the selection process:
  • Project proposals focusing on increasing legal awareness and of due process of the law and their rights targeting vulnerable populations by:
    • Conducting community outreach and legal awareness raising for vulnerable populations through mobile legal clinics, in person sessions, and virtual events (depending on access options)
    • Producing beneficiary-specific legal information materials on legal issues, rules, procedures, and support options relevant for targeted vulnerable groups, in Amharic and/or other local languages used by beneficiary groups.
    • Contributing to and participating in the formation and expansion of local, regional, and national networks of legal aid practitioners
      • Join, participate, and contribute to networking and coordination meetings and events
      • Join, participate, and contribute to capacity building activities conducted by UNODC/Centre for Justice and partner agencies.
      • Provide and facilitate referral service to other legal aid organizations
  • Project proposals that contribute to increasing (quality and quantity) access to appropriate legal assistance and representation for vulnerable populations by:
    • Providing legal consultations and legal advice (out of court) on specific criminal cases (as well as associated civil, or administrative cases) through in-person meetings or through suitable and safe communication channels through the use of local languages as appropriate to the context.
    • Providing legal services and legal representation to eligible persons in criminal and other related cases at any stage of the adjudication process including pre-trial and investigation process.
    • Providing legal services and legal representation to eligible persons who appear in court in criminal matters at all stages.

Location 

• Applicants may submit proposals targeting one or more geographical areas in Ethiopia including all Federal, Regional States and City Administration.
• Balanced geographical coverage of the partner projects throughout the country will be considered in the final selection process. Projects targeting fair allocation of resources targeting rural and urban populations will also be taken into consideration for selection process.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for funding, applicants must:
  • be a non-profit making organisation (CSOs including NGOs, CBOs) registered under the relevant Laws of Ethiopia (the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO). Or a university legal clinic duly established under the relevant legislations.
  • have been registered not less than three (3) years.
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, i.e. not acting as an intermediary.
  • demonstrate prior experience of at least three years implementing activities in the area of legal literacy, legal aid and legal assistance as indicated in this call.
  • have a bank account; and autonomous financial management and reporting capability is required.
  • Prior work relations and successful project management expertise with UN Agencies and Development Partners is desirable.

For more information, visit UNODC.