EXTERNAL EVALUATORS

Introduction

EuroMed Feminist Initiative (EFI) is a policy network that provides expertise in the field of gender equality as inseparable from democracy building and citizenship, and advocates for political solutions to all conflicts, and for the right of people to self-determination. EFI’s headquarter is in Paris and the regional MENA office is in Amman, Jordan with country offices in Amman and Beirut.

On October 1st, 2019, EFI in partnership with the Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) started implementing a two-year project “Enhancing women´s participation in decision making and peace building processes in Syria”, funded by the European Union (EU). The overall objective is to contribute to gender-sensitive and inclusive peace-building process in Syria through promoting women´s participation, empowerment and women´s rights.

Overview of the Project

The specific objectives of the project are:

VAWand CRSV are better addressed and women’s participation in decision making, peace and national reconciliation is promoted.

Survivor-led accountability for gendered crimes committed in Syria is enabled.

The expected results/outputs of the project:

WR CSOs and CBOs, have knowledge and skills on VAW and CRSV crimes and a common agenda is developed on VAW as a major barrier to women´s participation at all levels of decision making.

A wider women’s movement is unified behind VAW common agenda and UNSCR 1325, address VAW and advocate for women’s participation.

Victims and Survivors are empowered to pursue gendered justice and participate effectively in accountability processes

Main activities of the project:

Capacity-building and tools to address VAW and CRSV for Syrian women and Syrian women lawyers.

Raising awareness, pressure dialogue and networking.

Empowering victims and survivors to participate effectively in Syrian-led and inclusive accountability strategies.

Intervention Background

EFI has been supporting Syrian women rights and human rights organizations and activists for the last couple of decades involving both and activists who stand for and advocate for women´s participation in all decision- and peace-making processes for and in Syria and for gender equality as central to political transition. The present project builds on the discussions and outcomes of this work and the recommendations to enhance knowledge and skills on prevention and protection from violence against women (VAW) and   Conflict related sexual violence (CRSV), as a major obstacle to women’s participation in all decision-making processes related to the future of their country. During the networking meeting in 2016 organised by EFI with Syrian women’s organisations and networks from different political, religious and ethnic backgrounds, participants agreed on communalities and mechanism of cooperation, despite the differences in terms of understanding of democracy and gender equality or/and strategies to reach there. A preference was given to having regular thematic discussions, in particular sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Furthermore, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) held a preliminary dialogue with Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011, on how the project can support the IIIM in achieving its mandate. Accordingly, LAW has aimed to transform survivor’s access to justice, by integrating existing documentation efforts with a durable approach of placing survivors and female Syrian lawyers at the helm of a creative and coordinated accountability strategy and providing them with direct legal representation.

Rationale of the external evaluation

EFI wishes to conduct an external in-depth evaluation of the project in accordance with the general terms of agreement with the EU. The purpose of the External Evaluation is to measure the impact of the project, assess achieved objectives and results linked to the overall objective, and provide relevant findings, lessons learned, and best practices as well as recommendations that would help guide future interventions.

Scope of work

It is expected that the evaluator(s) will provide an external and independent evaluation of the action on the target groups and decision-makers. Moreover, the evaluation will assess the extent to which the specific objectives and expected results were achieved. The project performance during the implementation will also be evaluated. It is expected that best practices are drawn from the design, implementation, and monitoring mechanisms of the project and recommendations provided in regards to the sustainability of the action.

The evaluator(s) will develop a detailed methodology for the external evaluation, which will highlight aspects such as the research design, ethical considerations, sampling strategy and data collection in the targeted areas of the project including tools to be used, as well as a strategy in which both primary and secondary data will be analysed. The final report will comprise of both quantitative and qualitative data, which shall reflect the action’s progress in achieving its targets, objectives and desired impact.

The external evaluation shall cover all aspects of the project’s implementation and shall be conducted between September 15th and December 15th, 2021.

The external evaluation will focus on tracking the overall and specific objectives indicators in the monitoring and evaluation plan from baseline to the end of the project.

TEAM COMPOSITION AND REQUIREMENTS

EuroMed Feminist Initiative requires that the External Evaluation is conducted by a team of 2 people (one main evaluator and one assistant). Competencies expected from the evaluator are:

Master's or doctoral degree,preferably in Social Sciences.

At least 5 years’ experience in conducting assessments and evaluations in gender and human-rights based interventions. A good knowledge in transitional justice is desired.

Experience in monitoring and evaluation and in results-based management.

Experience in conducting external evaluations especially for conflict sensitive projects and programs

Ability to produce well-written reports that demonstrate excellent analytical and communication skills from the perspective of women’s rights as universal human rights.

A strong team leadership and track record of participatory approaches.

Ability to work with the organization and with other stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a high-quality product in a timely manner.

A full understanding of security related issues and approaches with regards to collecting sensitive information from project beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Regional/Country experience and knowledge.

Excellent command of English and Arabic is mandatory.

The selection of the assistant will be made in agreement between EFI management and the main evaluator.

DEADLINES FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation will be carried out during 15/09/2021 – 15/12/2021 (during 8 weeks within this period).

The deadlines for the completion of the evaluation will be agreed by the evaluation team and EFI’s management team in accordance with the technical proposal submitted by the evaluation team.

The preliminary findings for the project should be submitted and approved by EFI by November 15th 2021.

The wording of the final evaluation report, its presentation and approval should be completed by December 15th 2021.

BUDGET

The total estimate for the required external evaluation is:

Total € 25,000 (including VAT and all relevant taxes).

This amount shall cover fees for the team (one main evaluator and 1 assistant), the use of online platforms, travel and accommodation, and any other expenses incurred during the evaluation process.

SUBMISSION OF TECHNICAL PROPOSALS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

Submission of tenders should be made by email to the address listed below, indicating on the cover page the title of the corresponding project.

The content of the tender should include the following sections as a minimum:

A) Preliminary evaluation matrix, representing the working hypothesis based on the summary of the Project and the evaluation questions mentioned in this document.

The matrix must include the following elements as a minimum:

I- Evaluation criteria and relevant questions

II -Indicators that operationalize these questions,

III- Proposed information collection techniques for each case.

      B) Detailed schedule proposal with a breakdown of the work to be executed in all phases, including the proposed communication plan for conclusions and recommendations.

     C) Budget as detailed below:

Design and Desk Review Phase:

Document review

Adjustment and validation of evaluation design, production of final evaluation matrix and proposed methodology

Design and development of data collection tools and ethical protocol

Field Work Phase:

Execution of field work

Data interpretation

Results preview and feedback

Analysis and Report Write-Up Phase:

Preliminary report and revision of conclusions and recommendations

D) Curriculum vitae of the main evaluator

All proposals must be submitted in English.