Cameroon: Volunteer - Law Enforcement

I. Background & Justification

The Congo Basin and Cameroon in particular are experiencing unsustainable rates of poaching and illegal wildlife trade, which constitute the most serious threat to endangered wildlife species. In an effort to support government’s efforts in the fight against these problems, WWF Cameroon has traditionally been supporting anti-poaching patrols aimed at maintaining a permanent patrolling in and around priority landscapes. With the steady rise of poaching and trafficking in flagship species (elephants and great apes), WWF Cameroon is engaged in a strategic expansion of its traditional anti-poaching approach with the aim of tackling the poaching and illegal wildlife trade problems from multiple sides, including establishing field-based intelligence networks, supporting targeted arrest operations against poachers and wildlife traffickers and establishing and maintaining a deterrent at the judiciary level by increasing the ratio of wildlife prosecutions per arrest while eradicating rampant corruption within the system.

It is in this line that WWF CCPO has developed a law enforcement support strategy and established a core team in Yaounde initially composed of the Senior Law enforcement coordinator and the law enforcement assistant to provide strategic leadership and assistance respectively in its implementation.

Furthermore, and in the context of the global WWF/TRAFFC Illegal Wildlife Trade Campaign, launched in Central Africa in October 2012, WWF and TRAFFIC have significantly raised the profile of illegal wildlife trade and wildlife criminality at the highest level of governments, regional bodies as COMIFAC and ECCAS, as well as with partners. Both organizations have launched in 2014 the WWF/TRAFFIC Wildlife Crime Initiative and activities to be carried out in Central Africa under this initiative will be built around two of its four pillars: the “stop de poaching” and “stop the trafficking” pillars. All this will not only position WWF as a leading law enforcement partner in the Congo Basin, but more importantly aims to curb the current disastrous downward trend in the region’s elephant populations by June 2016. This will also contribute to achieve the goal and objectives of the new Wildlife Practice strategy, especially outcome 3 – “Illegal wildlife trade is eliminated for priority species”.

With the reassignment of the CCPO Senior Law enforcement coordinator as Head of Policy in charge of managing the Central Africa Wildlife Crime Programme, there is a need to reorganize the CCPO Law enforcement support unit so as to provide appropriate human resources capacity as compared to the workload.

In consideration to the above, CCPO seeks to recruit a volunteer to provide support to the Head of Policy WCP and the CCPO Law enforcement Officer (a.i.).

II. Specific Objectives of the Volunteer are:

1. Collect relevant law enforcement data in various field sites and assist in updating the national central law enforcement databases (legal database, intelligence database)

2. Maintain regular communication (by e-mails, phone calls) with lawyers, monitor and assess their performance and provide assistance where necessary; this could also include field visits to areas where Law firms are established and meetings with judiciary authorities (Magistrates, court registrars etc.)

3. Assist in the drafting and review of key administrative, technical and financial documents related to law enforcement support. This includes and not limited to: terms of reference, official correspondences, technical reports, payment requests etc.

4. Provide support for the drafting of the technical reports (TPRs, anti-poaching annual report etc.)

5. Provide assistance (administrative, logistics) as the need may arise in order to facilitate the organization of some field law enforcement support activities (training and capacity building of law enforcement agents, meetings with WWF law enforcement partners etc.) carried out by the CCPO Law enforcement unit;

6. Assist the Head of Policy WCP in activities related to the roll out of the zero poaching approach in Cameroon

III. Key areas of intervention

Key areas on intervention are:

· Yaounde

· The different project sites and court/law firms areas.

IV. Expected Results

1. The legal and intelligence databases are regularly updated

2. Lawyers’ monthly reports are available

3. Administrative, technical and financial documents related to law enforcement support drafted and available as per request

V.Methodology
· Regular meetings with the Head of Policy WCP and CCPO Law enforcement Officer (a.i)

· Regular e-mails and phone calls to lawyers

· Regular communication and meetings with partners like MINFOF and TRAFFIC

· Frequent field visits to project sites and law firms

· Regular communication with field offices to collect information and get updates

VI. Working relationships

Under the supervision of the Head of Policy WCP, the Volunteer will work closely with the following CCPO thematic leaders: Law enforcement officer (a.i), Bio-monitoring and wildlife management coordinator. The volunteer will also collaborate with field Programme Managers and the Communication Officer based in Yaounde.

VII.Duration of the Volunteering

This Volunteer work is for 5 (five) months , with possible extension pending financial availabilities.

VIII. Supervision and reporting

The volunteer will work under the supervision of the Head of Policy WCP.

A monthly report of activities undertaken will be discussed and jointly analysed with the supervisor and the Law enforcement officer (a.i).

IX. Profile

Required qualifications

• Minimum MSc level,

• Experience working in the field of law enforcement (anti-corruption, anti-poaching,

wildlife law or/and protected area management) and in/with a Law firm will be an asset;

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong communication skills - both written and verbal (English and French) as appropriate for the needs of the audience;

• A team player but also very capable of working with minimal supervision

• Ability to manage enforcement databases

• Capacity to build institutional relationship and to work in remote areas

• Culturally aware and able to work effectively in various cultural environments

• Thorough understanding of both legal and intelligence management systems especiallyconcerning sensitive intelligence

• Adhere to WWF’s values: Knowledgeable, Optimistic, Determined and Engaging. 78tz

All applications should be sent to recruit- cam@wwfcam.org , with CC to aononino@wwfcam.org and levouna@wwfcam.org with reference “Volunteer Law enforcement support” (subject of the email).