Oct 18, 2012

Security Consultant ,Tunisia

Training of security forces on freedom of expression, freedom of press and security of journalists to promote democratic principles in Tunisia

Closing date: 26 Oct 2012

UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Download DOC (77 KB)

Background to the contract
The safety of journalists has become one of the foremost priorities of media organizations supporting freedom of expression in Tunisia. To assure the success of the democratic transition now underway, it is essential to encourage respect for human rights and democratic principles, freedom of expression and the safety of journalists.

The emphasis of this project will be on the safety of media professionals in order to secure the conditions for the implementation of freedom of expression, press freedom and media pluralism and to ensure that a critical form of journalism can take place, unhindered by any actor, particularly security forces.

This project aims at training security forces to respect human rights, freedom of expression and the security of journalists. It will comprise the following components: enhancing the capacity of executives of the security forces regarding the judicial framework governing the media sector (i.e. right to freedom of expression, right to access to information of public domain, etc.) and the management of acts of communication with the medias and journalists; training of trainers (TOT) within the police academy and training for police members and national guards with journalists; practical exercises for law enforcement officers and members of the press on ways to resolve concrete cases prone to generating incidents (manifestations, trials, etc.); and increasing Tunisian journalists’ knowledge of their rights, personal security procedures, as well as of the missions and competencies of law enforcement.

The objective is to enhance the security of journalists and foster freedom of expression in Tunisia by making security forces more aware of their responsibility toward journalists and their specific role in a democratic society. Thus, the security forces will not be a threat for journalists and will be cognisant of their legal obligation to protect media professionals from violent actions by any group.

UNESCO is called upon to contribute to Tunisia’s successful transition period after the 14 January revolution and particularly in the field of freedom of expression, freedom of press and security of journalists. This consultancy concerns the capacity building of the security forces of the Tunisian Ministry of Interior (MoI) and constitutes part of a larger effort of gearing the MoI towards respect of human rights and international standards.

Duties and responsibilities
The consultant(s) will work under the overall authority of UNESCO Rabat Office and the immediate supervision of UNESCO Project Office in Tunis. Specifically, the consultant(s) will:

Travel to Tunis to consult with UNESCO Project Office, MoI staff and Tunisian Journalist Union.

Develop training materials for delivery of a 11-day training course for MoI security forces (police and national guard) in Tunisia, which will be divided between a 7-day training course for security forces and a 4-day joint training course with members of security forces and journalists.

The training materials should include a participants’ work book and a trainer’s guide, PowerPoint sessions, learning exercises and references to support materials (documents, video, website links, etc.). The various workshop sessions should fulfil the objectives outlined above and should employ a wide variety of learning techniques, interactive activities and perspectives. They should be richly illustrated with actual cases from transitional and post-conflict settings around the world, with a focus on the region in which the training is taking place.


The training materials should include sections on international standards regarding freedom of expression (FOE) and freedom of press (FOP), Right to access information and security of journalists, the Tunisian national legal framework, and plenty of case studies, practical exercises and various different scenarios, describing what kinds of actions are appropriate.

The training material should address FOE, FOP and security of journalists in various situations and topics including: street demonstrations, protests and public events, trials and court of justice, protection of public personalities, election periods, FOE and FOP in a state of emergency, imprisonment of journalists, threats and acts of violence against journalists, investigation of assaults against journalists and killings of journalists, protection of journalists in violent instability periods, libel and defamation, protection of journalists’ sources, freedom of information laws, online journalism and social media, relations with national and international NGOs defending FOE and FOP, Public Service Broadcasting roles and regulation, self-regulation of the media, communication with the media, and embedded journalists.

The training materials should be presented electronically and on paper, in loose-leaf format, with attractive layout and design, the details of which are to be determined in consultation with UNESCO Project Office in Tunis

Background information for the training material will include pedagogical resources adapted to the security needs of media professionals and edited on the basis of the resources of the UNESCO Communication and Information Sector and other international organizations. (Press freedom, safety of journalists and impunity, FOE toolkits, etc.)

The training materials, which include a participants’ work book and a trainer’s guide, should be delivered before 25 November 2012.

Development of tools to assess participants learning

Deliver a 11-day training of trainers (TOT) course in Tunis, Tunisia (November 2012) for security forces trainers and journalists.

Deliver a series of seven 5-day training courses in Tunisia (January 2012- September 2013), together with trainers selected from the TOT, for security forces agents and journalists. These training will be given by one consultant with Tunisian trainers trained at the TOT.

Contribute to the production of Standard operating procedures (SOP), flyers and code of conduct for MoI security forces, in cooperation with other MoI partners, that will reflect international standards regarding freedom of expression (FOE) and freedom of press (FOP), Right to access information and security of journalists and the Tunisian national legal framework.

Provide two separate reports (one on the TOT and one on the series of trainings for agents), including an analysis of participants’ feedback on the workshops and revision of the material if necessary.

Required Qualifications
Jointly or individually, the consultant(s) engaged for this activity, will need to have:

• University degree in a relevant social science; • Thorough knowledge and understanding of FOE, FOP and security of journalist issues; • Extensive experience in journalism in conflict or transitional contexts or in security in relation to journalists; • Experience in developing and delivering training, preferably on the same and/or related subjects; • Strong knowledge of international standards, international actors and journalism issues in transition contexts; • Excellent training, presentation and public speaking skills; • Strong skills in research, drafting, writing and editing for publication. • Written fluency in French and/or English. Ability to deliver training in French and/or Arabic.

Tentative Schedule
October 2012 Consultant(s) and UNESCO hold preparatory meeting in Tunis with stakeholders to consult about training programme. Consultant(s) presents a detailed outline of the training material to UNESCO. 15 November 2012 Draft training materials for workshops presented to UNESCO. 25 November 2012 Final training material submitted to UNESCO. End of November 2012 Translation, editing and printing of training material. Consultant(s) provide(s) background material to be sent to participants. December 2012 11 day TOT workshop in Tunis, Tunisia January-February 2013 5-day workshop n°1 for agents in region. Tunisia Mars-April 2013 5-day Workshop n°2 and n°3 for agents in region. Tunisia June-July 2013 5-day Workshop n°4 and n°5 for agents in region. Tunisia September 2013 5-day Workshop n°6 and n°7 for agents in region. Tunisia October 2013 Consultant(s) provide(s) final reports (one on the TOT and one on the training for agents), including an analysis of participants’ feedback on the workshops November 2012-July 2013 Production of SOP, flyers and code of conduct for MoI

Project duration

The consultancy is ideally for a team of two people. Duration is approximately 62 days of work over a 12 months period for each consultant. This duration might be different at the time of the establishment of the contract.

The last date for application is the 26 October 2012.

All mission related expenses will be covered by UNESCO.
How to apply:


Requirements (in English or French)

Interested persons should send to a.socias@unesco.org and m.benchelah@unesco.org the followings:


A CV
Writing samples
A statement indicating how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment
An indication of the approach he/she would adopt to carry out the assignment, including a work plan.
Their daily rate for salary and the monthly rate

Travel and daily subsistence allowances will be discussed separately at the time of the establishment of the contract.