Charmaine Rodrigues 

Professional experience

 

Global Constitutional Assistance and Political Dialogue Specialist 

United Nations Development Programme (New York, USA)

October 2014 - March 2015

Summary: Leading on policy development and providing direct technical and programming advice to UNDP country offices and national partners on constitutional reform process and content issues, including in Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, CAR, Yemen, Libya, Lesotho and Nepal. Key responsibilities include:

• Lead technical specialist in BPPS on constitutional reform issues, and parliamentary development. Services provided include: supporting the UN Somalia Integrated Constitutional Support Team (UNSOM and UNDP) with technical advice and inputs, incl. developing UN Constitutional Support Project funded by the Somalia Development and Reconstruction Fund; undertaking the Grenada UN-DPA Grenada Constitutional Assessment Mission and designing the subsequent UN Constitutional Support Project; reviewing draft constitutional Bills, incl. for Yemen and Grenada; providing written papers and advice for UNDP Country Offices and Regional Bureau, incl. analytical paper on extension of term limits in Africa, policy inputs on Burkina Faso and advice to the Lesotho Country Office; working with DPA to produce the UN ConstitutionMaker portal;

• Leading and/or contributing to key UNDP knowledge products, incl substantive technical inputs to the UNDP “Constitution-Making Strategy Note” and “Mainstreaming gender in constitutional processes” publication and producing 4 editions of the UN Constitutional Newsletter;

• Substantively engaging in high level UNDP policy and corporate processes, including: developing UNDP's partnership on constitutional support with the Department of Political Affairs; co-managing the UN Working Group on Constitutional Support; and developing the UNDP concept note on the new inclusive political processes portfolio;

 

Global Crisis Governance Programme Specialist 

United Nations Development Programme (New York, USA)

July 2012 - September 2014

Summary: Providing strategic and technical programming advice to UNDP country offices and national partners in conflict countries, including Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, CAR, Yemen, Libya, OPT and Lebanon. Key responsibilities include:

• Crisis governance technical specialist in support of inclusive political processes programing, including on parliamentary development, constitutional reform, electoral support and women’s political participation. Services provided include designing national/regional projects and providing quality assurance to UNDP Country Offices in support of results based management. Key outputs include: substantively developing the Afghanistan Inclusive and Legitimate Politics Strategy and Myanmar Democratic Governance Programme Document; drafting constitutional and parliamentary support Project Documents in Somalia, Sierra Leone, Libya and Myanmar;

• Leading and/or contributing to key UNDP knowledge initiatives, including: substantive technical inputs to UNDP “Strategy Note on Political Parties Support” and development of UNDP's work on Strengthening the Social Contract for Peace and Development;

• Substantively engaging in high level UNDP corporate processes, including development of the UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-17) and managing BCPR's engagement in the Civilian Capacities Review regarding inclusive political processes.

 

Pacific Democratic Institutions & Accountability Specialist

United Nations Development Programme (Suva, Fiji Islands)

January 2007 - June 2012

Summary: Managed a broad range of inclusive political processes and accountability portfolios, including parliamentary development, anti-corruption, women’s political participation, FOI and media development. Work with a range of regional and national partners, including UNDP Country Offices, key UN agencies, the Pacific Islands Forum and donors. Key achievements include:

• Manage UNDP’s Pacific regional Parliamentary Support Programme, including: designing and implementing parliamentary projects in 8 countries; designing and/or delivering MP induction workshops in 5 countries; running seminars for Pacific MPs on governance and peacebuilding issues; developing parliamentary development knowledge products(eg. corporate plans, handbooks); and working with IPU, CPA (incl Aust and NZ branches) and UN agencies;

• Managing UNDP’s programming on Pacific women’s political empowerment, including: partnering with PIFS to deliver the first-ever Mock Parliaments for Women in Kiribati, RMI, Palau and PNG; providing technical advice to Governments on TSM, including inputs to Cabinet papers  in Vanuatu and Kiribati and advice to NGOs/NCWs in Tuvalu, Fiji, Tonga and PNG

• Managing UNDP’s Pacific Anti-Corruption and FOI Programme, including: collaborating with UNODC on the 2010 “Pacific Regional UNCAC Meeting”, resulting in accession by an additional 7 Pacific Island countries to date; providing technical advice on UNCAC implementation; providing technical advice to the PNG Government to develop their National Anti-Corruption Strategy; supporting the 2010 and 2011 Asia Pacific UNCAC Community of Practice Meetings; organising national FOI workshops in Nauru, Solomon Islands, Palau and Tonga; supporting the development of national FOI policies in Tonga, Vanuatu and Kiribati;

• Supporting management activities within the Pacific Centre, including: developing Pacific Centre funding proposals; providing management support to the Pacific Centre Manager, including to produce Pacific Centre Annual Reports (2008-10); supporting UNDP Samoa and Fiji Multi-Country Offices during 2011/12 UNDAF development processes, incl. inputting into multiple Common Country Assessments.

 

Senior Advisor (Acting)

Shadow Minister for Overseas Aid and Pacific Affairs (Melbourne, Australia)

July 2006

Summary: Interim political and technical advisor to the Australia Opposition Shadow Minister at the national level. Key achievements included:

• Providing high level advice to the Shadow Minister on development and Pacific affairs issues and providing briefing and speech-writing support;

• Drafting a discussion paper on Protecting and Promoting Pacific Culture, including consulting with key stakeholders throughout the Pacific region;

• Drafting an initial set of recommendations for amending the Australian Labor Party Development Policy Platform in relation to development issues.

 

Programme Coordinator, Right to Information

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (New Delhi, India)

July 2003 - June 2006

Summary: Global expert on the right to information. Managed global Commonwealth Right to Information Programme, including managing staff, programme development and resource mobilisation. As part of senior management team, also contributed to outputs in the areas of police reform and human rights promotion and protection. Key achievements included:

• Representing CHRI at regional FOI meetings in the Pacific, Africa and South Asia and key international meetings, including: the CPA 2004 and 2005 Annual Conferences; 2005 CPA FOI Workshop for Pacific MPs; FOI workshops in Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa; and two Global Transparency Initiative delegations to the Asian Development Bank;

• Providing technical assistance to governments and CSOs working on transparency issues, including reviewing draft legislation in Vanuatu, Fiji, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Cayman Islands, and assisting with implementation. Major knowledge outputs included: jointly authoring draft Right to Information Bill for Indian National Campaign on the Right to Information - subsequently enacted as Right to Information Act 2005; developing a Pacific Information Disclosure Policy Toolkit; and substantively contributing to on-line “Human Rights Training for MPs” resource kit;

• Supporting CHRI human rights advocacy activities, including drafting submissions to Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group and Ministerial Meetings, and commenting on official papers.

 

Programme Officer, Solomon Islands Desk

Australian Agency for International Development (Canberra, Australia) 

March 2001 - June 2003

Summary: Programme officer at AusAID, rotating through positions in the Strategic Policy Branch, Asia Regional Branch and Pacific Branch. Primary responsibilities included Ministerial/agency briefings, country programme management and budget oversight. Key achievements included:

• Overseeing country projects worth approx. $26 million in the health sector and $2 million in the governance sector and appraising project designs, submissions and other key documents (including M&E documentation, annual reports, period reporting and technical advisor reports);

• Developing key policies and strategies, including the AusAID Peace, Conflict and Development Policy and Operational Plan and contributing to the Solomon Islands Interim Country Framework, Community Sector Program Strategy and economic governance sector strategy;

• Representing Australia at meetings with other donors, government agencies and recipient governments, and drafting Ministerial submissions and briefings for high level meetings, including coordinating Minister for Foreign Affairs 2001 ASEAN briefing from AusAID;Managing the Solomon Islands sub-section as Acting Country Program Manager in October 2002, including supervising 3 officers and overseeing the budget.

 

Additional work experience

• Project Officer, The East West Foundations of Australia and India, Chennai, India (Sept ’99 - Dec '00): Voluntary work with two health and educational charitable non-government organisations in Chennai/Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.

• Secondee Solicitor, Public Interest Law Clearing House, Melbourne, Australia (June ’99 - Aug ’99): Coordinated referral of pro bono legal work to member law firms.

• Articled Clerk/Solicitor, Mallesons Stephen Jaques Solicitors, Melbourne, Australia (Mar ’98 - Aug ’99): Admitted to practice as a solicitor and barrister in Victoria in May 1999. Practised as a corporate lawyer undertaking detailed legal research tasks, drafting legal advices, working in various teams on major litigation and corporate acquisitions and managing client files.