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Article 19 Consultancy on Media Legal and Regulatory Framework in Ethiopia

Status: Open

Deadline: Ongoing

Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development (PRIMED) is a 3-year programme to support the provision of public interest media in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, beginning in October 2020. It is implemented by a consortium of media support organizations with expertise in different aspects of media and development. Led by BBC Media Action, other core consortium members are ARTICLE 19, Free Press Unlimited, International Media Support and Media Development Investment Fund. Other specialist organizations will provide support in specific areas, including DW Akademie, Global Forum for Media Development, Global Voices and The Communications Initiative.

One of PRIMED’s objectives is to provide technical assistance to local partners from across the media sector to strengthen their ability to advocate for change in the media environment and better defend media freedom. It will help them to identify priorities and opportunities for media reform and seek to strengthen their ability to work together and so magnify the impact of their advocacy in areas such as legal reform and improving regulatory standards. PRIMED will help build coalitions of individuals and organizations, including those representing the interests of disadvantaged groups, who have a common interest in supporting the viability of public interest media.

For the PRIMED programme, ARTICLE 19 is recruiting a consultant for a four-to-six-month mission consisting in completing a baseline survey of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to media in Ethiopia, completing a detailed mapping of media stakeholders in Ethiopia, and liaising with programme partners to review and finalize the programme’s activity plan and other programme deliverables.

Scope of work

The consultant will:

  1. Complete a baseline survey of the current legal and regulatory framework applicable to online and offline media in Ethiopia, including an analysis of the gaps between the current legal and regulatory framework and international standards on freedom of expression and other fundamental rights, and including the identification of risks and opportunities for legal reforms in the country;
  2. Complete a detailed mapping of media stakeholders in Ethiopia, including all actors involved in media regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms, including the existence of current and past initiatives that have sought to establish a self-regulatory mechanism for media in Ethiopia and the lessons that can be learnt from such experience.
  3. ConductinterviewswithmediastakeholdersinEthiopiatoinformthebaselinesurvey,the mapping of stakeholders and all areas of the work;
  4. In coordination with ARTICLE 19 and PRIMED partners, assess existing strands of work, review and finalize the programme’s activity plan and any other programme deliverables as reasonably required by ARTICLE 19. Such activity plan and programme deliverables will include plans on the engagement with local, regional and international partners;
  5. Liaise with ARTICLE 19 and report on progress, including on questions of methodology or any issue relevant to the work, to ensure a timely delivery of the work, including the timely delivery of methodology, draft reports and draft documents as reasonably required by ARTICLE 19;
  6. Liaise with ARTICLE 19 and PRIMED partners (such as BBC MA and IMS) on a continuous basis to ensure a smooth implementation of the work and facilitate effective synergies between partners;
  7. Ensure the timely delivery of programme deliverables, according to current logframe and as reasonably detailed by of ARTICLE 19;
  8. Provide training to, and facilitate onboarding of, new ARTICLE 19 staff on the basis of the baseline survey, mapping of stakeholders and other programme deliverables.

The consultant will work under the authority of the Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 EAF and will collaborate closely with the Head of Media Freedom at ARTICLE 19 and other ARTICLE 19 staff, as required for the completion of the tasks.

ARTICLE 19 will provide the consultant with relevant current PRIMED documents which will serve as a basis for the baseline survey, stakeholders analysis, activity plan and other programme deliverables.

The consultant should be able to start the work at the beginning of January 2021. Key deliverables need to be finalized by mid-March 2021.

Profile

The consultant should demonstrate:

  • Extensive expertise and experience in international legal and policy frameworks supporting freedom of expression, including media regulation and self-regulation;
  • Strong knowledge of international human rights law, especially in relation to the right to freedom of expression and the right to information;
  • Robust experience and successful track record of conducting field-assessment and interviews with media stakeholders in complex development settings;
  • Extensive experience and successful track record of development assessment methodologies, completing desk and field research, and authoring highly professional reports including practical recommendations;
  • Experience in design of strategic advocacy efforts supporting actions of local, regional and international actors working to strengthen freedom of expression and media pluralism;
  • Preexisting knowledge and familiarity with the Ethiopian context, including the media stakeholders in the country, and effective capacity to work effectively with Ethiopian media stakeholders and civil society organizations;
  • Knowledge and capacity to identify, prioritize and map key stakeholders involved in promoting free media, and explore their level of influence and power and the role they are playing in media engagement and ongoing media reform processes in Ethiopia;
  • Suitable qualification such as Master’s Degree in international law, international politics, media or related topics;
  • Effective communication skills, including the capacity to work independently as well as in cooperation with ARTICLE 19 staff and partners;
  • Fluency in written and spoken English, including the capacity to deliver finalized, edited reports of high professional quality.

More information here.

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