The democratic reforms that took place in Burma over the past ten years presented unprecedented opportunities and immense challenges for the U.S. Mission. Nevertheless, the February 1, 2021 coup d'etat severely disrupted the democratic trajectory, and led to a rapid deterioration of the rule of law and assault on basic human rights. Military leaders likely assumed the arrest of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders would cause the broader population to fall in line and succumb to their rule. Following the coup, USAID shifted programming from strengthening justice sector institutions to restoring the rule of law with a focus on providing critical support to human rights activists. Expert attention will be required to re-envision and perhaps modify the ongoing rule of law program to focus on and build out the most effective interventions in an increasingly closed space. Simultaneously, analytical work needs to begin to focus on the design of future rule of law programming, with a special focus on human rights. Subject areas for exploration include: vulnerability to human rights violations and access to formal and informal justice; patterns of vulnerability to human rights violations in various areas and appropriate response mechanisms; current and emerging needs of vulnerable people, in particular: women, victims of human trafficking and sexual and gender-based violence, internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities, any new vulnerable groups; openings across the justice sector and potential partners in the informal justice sector; challenges, constraints and capacity gaps of actors (lawyers, journalists, community/religious/traditional leaders, CSO leaders and CSOs) in the informal sector; and demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR). Other areas of consideration include specialized knowledge countering restrictions to civil and political rights, expanding access to justice, addressing threats to physical security, advancing legal empowerment, applying rights-based approaches, mass atrocity monitoring and prevention. The position of the Senior Rule of Law and Human Rights Advisor is located in the USAID/Burma Office of Democracy, Governance, and Humanitarian Assistance (DGHA). S/he will provide senior professional leadership and management and will assist USAID/Burma with the strategic development, design and implementation of the rule of law and human rights programs. In addition, s/he will serve as expert advisor on rule of law, governance, and human rights for the entire U.S. Mission. The incumbent will engage with key civil society actors and networks to ensure a locally-driven, human-rights focused approach to programming.
