Consultancy to Facilitate Capacity Building of Political Parties in Gender Transformative Approaches and Intra Party Democracies to Support Participation of Women, Youth and Marginalised Groups in Politics, including the Formalisation of Transparent Proce

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background and Context

Oxfam in Malawi under the Southern Africa Cluster has Program Priority on Gender Justice, which is focused on Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Empowerment. The goal of the Gender Justice is that Diverse women, girls, and marginalized groups fully realize their rights, exercise their leadership, and live a life free from violence, discrimination, and poverty. One of the priorities under the Gender Justice Program is the Transformative Women’s Leadership (TWL). The TWL seeks to ensure that Diverse women, including young women, have full agency, exercise their rights, and shape decisions in all levels of social, economic, and political life. This work is in line with the National Gender Policy and the Government of Malawi’s commitment to promote the political participation of women through its regional and international agreements such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development. It is directly contributing to the Malawi Government Strategy on Political Empowerment of Women.

Description of the Programme

Oxfam in Malawi under the Transformative Women’s Leadership (TWL) pathway supports the Political Empowerment of Women in line with the Government’s National Program on the Political Empowerment of Women and Decision Making and the Political Empowerment of Women (PEW) Strategy. With funding from the European Union, Oxfam in Malawi, and its partner Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC) are implementing a project on Promoting Gender Transformative and Youth Inclusive Democracy in Malawi, under the wider European Union supported Malawi Democratic Governance – (Boma Lathu) Program. The Project aims to enhance the inclusion of women, youth, and marginalized groups to meaningfully participate in political and decision-making structures and processes.

The Project has national level coordination and influencing activities but will be specifically implemented in 7 preselected target districts of Rumphi, Mzimba, Dedza, Salima, Machinga, Mulanje, and Nsanje, and will focus on the following pillars:

1. Increased commitment and action to adopt and enforce legal and policy frameworks related to Women, Youth and other Marginalized groups’ participation in politics and decision making.
2. Inclusive and gender transformative political party regulations and practices that include Women, Youth and other marginalized people’s representation and equal participation at all levels.
3. Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities have capabilities and are empowered to participate in politics, governance processes and decision-making positions.
4. Women, Youth, and Marginalized groups have improved access to economic opportunities that enable them to contest and be viable for decision making positions.

In line with this Project, the Consortium of Oxfam and WOLREC seeks services of a qualified consultant to faciliate capacity building of political parties in gender transformative approaches and intra party democracies to support participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in politics, including the formalization of transparent procedures around party primaries.

Objectives of the Assignment

The Overall Objective of the study is to facilitate capacity building of political parties in gender transformative approaches and intra party democracies to support participation of women, youth and marginalised groups in politics, including the formalisation of transparent procedures around party primaries. The Specific Objectives of the assignment are as follows:

1. Conduct a thorough review of the governing instruments of the six political parties targeted in the project these are MCP, UTM, DPP, UDF, PP and Aford to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to gender transformative approaches and the participation of women, youth, and marginalized groups.
2. Develop and deliver tailored capacity-building programs for each political party based on the review findings.
3. Based on information obtained from the study, provide practical recommendations for overcoming the identified barriers, leverage on identified opportunities to enhance the inclusion of Women, Youth, and Marginalised groups participation in political and decision-making structures in context of the 2025 General Elections.
4. Provide best practice examples and guidelines for the adoption of transparent and inclusive procedures for party primaries and candidate selection.
5. Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the impact of the capacity-building initiatives.

Methods and Scope of the Assignment

The assignment will adopt a mixed method- combining quantitative and qualitative strategies in the study. The scope of the assessment includes a review of relevant political party documents to analyse constitutions, manifestos, policies, and other relevant documents to assess their alignment with gender-transformative principles. It will also include some focus group discussions, key informant interviews with key stakeholders among them; party members, including women, youth, and marginalized groups, to gather qualitative data on their experiences and perspective.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

By the end of the consultancy assignment, the Consultant will have delivered the following completed tasks:

1. An inception report approved by Oxfam clearly outlining the proposed methodology, work plan, data collection tools and a mapping of stakeholders to be engaged.
2. Draft report presented.
3. Successful delivery of capacity-building workshops, with a summary report of each session.
4. A guide outlining best practices and recommendations for transparent procedures in party primaries and candidate selection.
5. Final report clearly outlining key findings based on the five specific objectives approved by Oxfam.

Media Products

The consultant will be guided by the Oxfam Media and Comms Team on the communications requirements as adhered to by Oxfam, such as consent forms and guidance on photographs to use.

Required qualifications, skills, and Experience.

Minimum of a Master’ Degree in Law, Public Administration, Gender Studies, Political Science, or relevant social sciences. Those with a PhD will have an added advantage.

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience in conducting research especially with a focus on gender and governance issues.
• Proven in-depth knowledge, expertise, and practical experience in the democratic governance sector in Malawi.
• Expertise in gender and women’s political empowerment in Malawi
• Strong analytical and research skills.
• Familiarity with the political landscape in Malawi
• Excellent communication and report writing skills.

Competencies:

• Fluent in English.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Active listening skills.
• Strong facilitation skills.
• Diplomacy

Submission Instructions

Interested consultant (s) should submit their Technical and Financial Proposals in electronic copy form specifying

‘Consultancy to facilitate capacity building of political parties in gender transformative approaches and intra party democracies to support participation of women, youth and marginalised groups in politics, including the formalisation of transparent procedures around party primaries. The proposals should be submitted by 17:00 hours local time on Friday, 26th July, 2024

All correspondence for the consultancy should be addressed to:

Internal Procurement Committee (IPC)
Oxfam in Malawi
Green Heritage House (Area 13 Market)
P/Bag B331 LILONGWE 3, Tel: +265 1 770 489/525
Email: procurement.malawi@oxfam.org.uk

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