1. Background
1.1. Background
Amid profound turbulent developments in the Middle East region, marked by deteriorating
security situation, the war on Gaza and its implications on the region, shrinking civic space,
the notable pushback against women’s rights organizations and persistent gender-based
structural violence. Women-led and feminist civil society organizations continue to face
significant barriers, which hinder their efforts and advocacy in advancing gender justice and
women’s rights. In this challenging environment, the pursuit of Women, Peace, and Security
(WPS) agenda has become more relevant than ever.
Recognizing the critical importance of advancing the WPS agenda, Oxfam, War Child, PAX, and CARE Nederland seek to hire a consultant to develop a comprehensive policy paper on WPS. The policy paper will focus on the Middle East region, with particular emphasis on Iraq, Palestine and Yemen. It aims to capture lessons learned from WPS programming, highlight challenges that hinder the progress in advancing the WPS agenda in the Middle East, identify ways to strengthen the advocacy strategies on WPS. Furthermore, it will propose actionable recommendations to policymakers and relevant stakeholders on how to further localize and improve the implementation of the WPS agenda, ensuring that it reflects the political, social and cultural contexts of the Middle East.
1.2. Overall purpose of the assignment
Oxfam, War Child, PAX and CARE Nederland will commission an external consultant or team
of consultants, to develop the WPS Policy Paper (WPSPP). The assignment of delivering the
WPSPP is planned to take place between the months of October 2024 and January 2025.
The researcher is expected to develop a comprehensive policy document that highlights the
lessons learned on WPS implementation from various countries in the Middle East region,
specifically Iraq, Palestine and Yemen. This includes but not limited to preparing case studies, mapping all learned lessons and challenges, and providing actionable recommendations for improved advocacy strategy on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in the Middle East, as well as advise on strategies for improved international influencing efforts on the WPS priorities in the Middle East region.
2. Scope of work and key deliverables
2.1 Expected deliverables
o Conduct qualitative research to gather insights on the currently most pressing political issues, thematic priorities, key advocacy agendas for women activists and data on lessons learned from various initiatives and experiences in Iraq, Palestine and Yemen.
o Liaise and harness knowledge from selected local partners to support the identification of key themes, challenges and lessons learned.
o Analyze collected data to identify key themes, challenges, successful strategies and
lessons learned.
o Write detailed case studies for each country, highlighting specific examples, outcomes,
and lessons learned.
o Compile the findings and case studies into a coherent policy document with clear actionable recommendations for policymakers based on the identified lessons and challenges.
o Develop roadmap/action plan with clear pathway to implementing these recommendations, which includes recommendations on enhancing advocacy and international influencing strategies.
o Participate in a 3-days joint learning event bringing together WPS country teams (which
will be held from the 4th to the 6th of November in Amman), and integrate takeaways, insights and lessons learned from the learning event into the overall analysis and recommendations.
o Review the proposed format of the learning event’s sessions developed by the facilitator/s and give recommendations on how to enhance the learning and engagement during the workshops.
o Organize side sessions in consultation with the lead organisations during the learning event in a form of meetings or interviews and focus groups to collect data from the participating women activists and CSOs leaders.
o Propose creative methods and communication plan on how best to present the policy paper in different platforms and venues.
3. Coordination
It is to be noted that the WPSPP coordination team (representatives from Oxfam, War Child, PAX and CARE Nederland) will select either a group of policy analysts or researchers (who work as a team with clear division of responsibilities) or individual applicants as policy analysts or researchers, who will look at specific elements of WPS policies in Iraq, Palestine and Yemen– and acquire the ability to develop strategies and actionable recommendations towards improved advocacy and influencing strategies on WPS issues and priorities in the Middle East. The applicant(s) will work in direct coordination with the WPSPP coordination
team. Regular meetings and decision-making moments will be planned throughout the consultancy.
4. Applicant assessment and track record
The applicant has strong experience in policy research and analysis and will be required to
provide proof of earlier products or experiences in WPS in the Middle East region.
The main selection criteria are:
o Extensive experience in policy analysis and development.
o Proven ability to conduct in-depth qualitative research and synthesize complex information.
o Strong writing skills, with experience in developing case studies and policy documents.
o Familiarity with the socio-political contexts of the MENA region, particularly Iraq, Palestine and Yemen.
o Expertise in Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) issues.
o Excellent understanding of advocacy tools and mechanisms around WPS priorities.
o Excellent communication skills and ability to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders.
o Ability to provide clear, actionable recommendations and develop joint advocacy
strategies.
The selection committee will invite a selected number of candidates for further assessment
through interviews.
5. Planning and Financial arrangements
Objective / Deliverables / Time period
– Submissions of application / Technical and financial offers / 2nd week of September
– ToR and contracting / Signature for agreement / 4th week of September
– Inception report (include the tools, methodologies, and action plan) / Detailed and elaborative plan for the Policy paper (based on understanding
of the assignment and expectations) / 2nd week of October
– Data collection and analysis / Engage with the WPSPP coordination committee, local partners an relevant stakeholders / October, 2024 – Mid
January, 2025
– First draft Policy Paper report / Delivery of the first draft / 2nd week of January,2025
– Participatory results validation, interpretation,
and discussion / Deliver a half a day online workshop (validation exercise) / 3rd week of January, 2025
– Closure assignment: final report with all the annexes / Policy paper submitted by the
consultant is approved by WPSPP coordination team / 4th week of January, 2025
* These terms can be adjusted based on the proposals provided by the consultant. The
consultant is expected to identify the number of days needed to complete all deliverables in
the technical offer they will submit.
How to apply
Interested companies/consultants are invited to apply by submitting technical and financial proposals by September 14th 2024 to recruitment.opt@warchild.nl, citing “WPS Policy Paper Middle East: name of the applicant” in the subject line. An evaluation committee will evaluate the offers technically and financially. 75% of the final score will be given to the technical offer, while the remaining 25% will be given to the financial part.
The technical offer shall include the following:
• Executive Summary: explaining why the applicant is the most suitable for the work.
• Comprehensive methodology: provide well-elaborated methods on how the assignment will be carried out.
• Consultant’s CV /or list of team members: the CV of the policy researcher /or a complete list of CVs for the suggested team personnel in English with an indication of 2 references and e-mail and phone contact.
• If it was a team, provide description of the level of effort division and roles for the team members: consulting firms should provide a breakdown of the team members’ level of effort divisions and functions across the assignment tasks and plans.
• A detailed work plan: taking into account the timeframe of the assignment.
• Portfolio of experiences & relevant track record: list at least three recent similar assessments that included policy analysis or policy research. Note: WPSPP coordination team might contact the references and collect information on the quality
of the candidates’ work at any point after receiving the complete offer. The experience
shall be summarized in a table that includes: the name of the client, starting and ending date of the contract, the purpose of the assignment, the expert /or the team experts involved in the assignment, along with the reference(s).
Financial offer
The Financial offer or budget breakdown should be submitted in Euro for the daily rates and other anticipated costs (taxes, VAT, travel, accommodation, transportation, insurance,
translation…etc).