occupied Palestinian territory: Short-Term Consultancy For the Development of a Programme Backbone document for Oxfam’s Gender Justice Programming in OPTI

Terms of Reference (TOR) for a Short-Term Consultancy

For the Development of a Programme Backbone document for Oxfam’s Gender Justice Programming in OPTI

1.Background

Oxfam’s vision is a just world without poverty, in which people can influence the decisions that affect their lives, enjoy their rights, and assume their responsibilities as full citizens of a world where all human beings are valued and treated equally. Gender justice in economic, social and political spheres is a vital prerequisite for the achievement of this vision.
Oxfam defines “gender justice” as follows:

“Gender justice” brings work towards gender equality into a rights based framework. It is the goal of full equality and equity between women and men in all spheres of life; resulting in women jointly and on an equal basis with men defining and shaping the policies, structures and decisions that affect their lives and society as a whole, based on their own interests and priorities. Gender Justice commits to taking a gender perspective on the definition and application of civil, political, economic and social rights. Gender justice is an outcome and a process. As an outcome, it implies equal access to and control over resources for women and men, combined with agency (the ability to make choices). As a process, it brings an additional essential element: accountability, which implies the responsibility and answerability of precisely those social institutions set up to dispense justice.

Through the Oxfam Country Strategy (OCS) in OPTI, Oxfam works to increase our impact on development and humanitarian work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel (OPTI) focusing on three change goals: Gender Justice (GJ), Economic Justice (EJ) and Saving lives Now and In the Future (SL). Together with Right to Be Heard (RTBH), Gender justice is also mainstreamed throughout the Oxfam OPTI Country Strategy, addressing the double layer of inequality and violence Palestinian women face, i.e. occupation and patriarchy. The OCS guides Oxfam’s collective work in the OPTI from 2016-2019 which will be used to focus resources, campaigns and programs over the course of four years to meet our strategic goal and change objectives.

Oxfam’s Theory of Change on Gender Justice envisages that more Palestinian women will achieve and claim their rights, meaning that changes must take place at the individual, household, and systemic levels. At the individual level, we mean individual men’s and women’s attitudes and beliefs underpinning systemic gender discrimination must change along with individual women’s access to resources, including voice and decision-making processes, access to services for GBV, sexual and reproductive health, capital assets, etc. At the systemic level formal policies, laws and practices of institutions must change along with socio-cultural norms and exclusionary practices (such as in matters of economic, political, civil and social rights) which maintain everyday inequality. These levels are inter-related in as much as it is individual men and women that produce and reproduce behaviours and attitudes endorsed and acceptable by their society and laws and policies reflect and fossilize these believes.

2.Overall objective of this consultancy

The objective of the consultancy is to support Oxfam in the development of a programme backbone document in line with Oxfam’s OCS in OPTI to operationalize the Gender Justice change goal that will ultimately help in the delivery and resource mobilization of Gender Justice programming including gender mainstreaming in OPTI.

3.Scope of Work and deliverables:

In carrying out the assignment the consultant will:

• Employ a collaborative approach in ensuring that inputs are obtained from Oxfam staff and a wide cross section of Oxfam’s partners and stakeholders in OPTI;

• Employ best practices and International Standards, approaches and methodologies in the area of Gender Justice Programming;

• Ensure that the programme document adheres to Oxfam’s OCS, including overall theory of change, approaches and strategies planned under the Gender Justice change goal;

• Formulate the programme backbone document based on an agreed upon format, content, and quality standards of Oxfam;

• Ensure that the assignment adheres to Oxfam’s Common Approach to Monitoring and Social Accountability (CAMSA) especially related to Gender Justice programming and gender mainstreaming.

Specifically, the consultant is required to:

-Ensure that the programme backbone document includes sections with specific theories of change in addition to short, medium and long term programmatic interventions on the following crosscutting thematic areas:

· Women’s political participation and transformative leadership

· Women Peace and Security (WPS)

· Women’s Bodily Integrity (WBI)

· Women’s Access to Justice

· Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

• Propose clear linkages and synergies in programmatic interventions in relation to the abovementioned crosscutting thematic areas and programmatic interventions;

• Propose specific methodologies, tools and community of practise for gender mainstreaming within Oxfam’s other Change Goals (EJ, SL) in addition to RTBH as a crosscutting theme.

A.Expected deliverables: (see below timetable for further details in section 4)

· Carry out meetings with Oxfam’s key staff members (programme, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), policy) at country level, including regional and Headquarters (HQ) levels where relevant in order to have an overall understanding on Gender Justice programming of Oxfam, particularly in OPTI (including in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip).

· Conduct a desk review of the OPTI OCS, Gender Justice MENA strategy including other relevant documents, proposals, reports and other relevant material pertaining to Oxfam’s Gender Justice work.

· Conduct participatory partner consultation workshops: The workshops will be interactive, and draw from the experiences of the participating organizations in order to contextualize and scale up thematic and programmatic areas of Oxfam. The workshops will also provide brainstorming and food for thought alongside the introduction of practical, easily implemented initial tools to facilitate the development of theories of change and programmatic interventions pertaining to the thematic areas. As such, the consultant, in coordination with relevant staff at Oxfam, will conduct and/or co-facilitate workshops with Oxfam’s partners and key stakeholders (where relevant) with the following deliverables:

· Conduct a series of workshops with Oxfam’s partner organizations and key stakeholders to develop specific theories of change pertaining to the different thematic areas ensuring a cross-programmatic approach; using methodologies and tools to help develop programmatic interventions areas mentioned above;

· Develop a programme backbone document: in coordination with designated Oxfam staff, develop a consolidated programme backbone document encompassing the specific programmatic interventions pertaining to Oxfam’s thematic areas and theories of change based on the workshop results in addition to consultations with Oxfam and partners.

· Where relevant, participate in workshops and meetings that will be organized by Oxfam during the timeframe of this consultancy to provide advise and steer on Gender Justice programming. The consultant might be requested to provide inputs and/or review relevant documents if needed.

1. Duration of the consultancy:

The timeframe of this consultancy work is scheduled for a maximum of 26 working days commencing on January 20^th and completed no later than March 31^st 2017. It is the responsibility of the consultant to ensure that the number of days earmarked for this consultancy is adhered to. All materials produced in the course of this consultancy are the property of Oxfam. The consultant will not share any internal documents provided by Oxfam with the outside world without the explicit written permission of Oxfam.

https://oxfam.box.com/s/bj65l6wure4mleb8awtpwwsmla3cd8ft

5.Payment

A payment plan will be developed upon consultation and agreement with the selected consultant prior to signing the service contract. Payment instalments will be issued upon receipt of deliverables as agreed between Oxfam and the selected consultant and following submission of official documents as prescribed below:

A. Individual consultants, private companies, are eligible to apply, subject to the availability of official documents of registration in the country/state where located, as follows:

B. Companies registered under the Palestinian Authority (PA) are required to an official tax invoice;

C. Companies registered under the Israeli authorities are required to submit an official tax invoice;

D. International and local consultants must abide by the Israeli Tax Law in considering the Israeli income tax in their price offer, as 25% will be deducted from their payments for Internationals, and 30% for locals, to be paid directly to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on their behalf.

1. Budget

The maximum budgeted amount for the full consultancy fees is 13,000 EUR.
All other costs will be covered by Oxfam. The contract will be awarded to the administratively and technically compliant bid that is the most economically advantageous, taking into account the quality of the services offered and the price of the offer. Oxfam reserves the right to negotiate, accept or reject any or all proposals and quotations at its sole discretion and to pursue or act further on any responses it considers advantageous.

7.Consultancy Service Requirements

· Academic Degree in Gender and Development Studies;

· At least 10 years of experience in developing and delivery of Gender Justice Programmes especially within the context of MENA region; particularly in the Palestinian Context;

· Proven experience in strategic planning;

· Strong knowledge about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Palestinian civil society;

· Strong understanding of development and humanitarian needs and issues in the Palestinian context;

· Strong analytical, interpersonal and communication skills;

· Experience in conducting and facilitating similar programme planning processes with INGOs.

· Knowledge and experience of using participatory approaches and innovative facilitation techniques

· Strong knowledge on Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning;

· Excellent communication and writing skills in English language. Knowledge of Arabic will be an asset.

· Ability to travel to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip

*This consultancy is open to both local and international consultants with preference for their availability to work at Oxfam’s offices in Jerusalem.

Bids must include the following:

1. A letter of motivation outlining how your experience, skills, qualifications and professional background fit with the required deliverables (maximum one page) attaching at least two concrete examples of similar work demonstrating the consultancy service requirements.

2. A Curriculum Vitae (CV) detailing relevant skills and experience including three contactable referees (maximum two pages).

3. A detailed budget in EURO covering all consultancy related costs inclusive of VAT.

4. A proposed detailed methodological approach, timeline and work plan based on the key deliverables described above; (the selected consultant will be requested to adjust the work plan for resubmission- as the first deliverable, following the signing of the consultancy contract with Oxfam).

The bids should be submitted via email in a PDF format addressed to Fadi Touma, Gender Programme Officerfadi.touma@oxfamnovib.nlwith a copy to Anton Naber:anton.naber@oxfamnovib.nl received no later than midnight GMT, January 12th 2017.