Influencing and Communication Strategy -OXFAM عودة إلى الفرص

BACKGROUND About Oxfam 

Terms of Reference 

Influencing and Communication Strategy  

Oxfam is an international confederation of 20 affiliates networked together in more than 90  countries committed to ridding the world of poverty and injustice. To achieve this, we support local  projects in developing countries, we lobby governments and companies to consider the interests  of the poorest people and we campaign to involve citizens in our work. We implement our  programs by working with local NGO partners and civil society organizations and engaging with  private sector and governments. 

About the Project 

In a region where securing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is especially  challenging, Masarouna is a program on SRHR aiming to mobilize the power of young people’s  collective action in six MENA countries to support their fight for greater freedom of choice and  respect for their SRHR through new and innovative pathways for change. Our vision is that young  people meaningfully induce sustainable change that will enable them to claim their SRHR. 

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

We are looking for an experienced consultant to lead the design and development of the  Masarouna influencing strategy and communication plans 2023 – 2025 for Masarouna in North  Africa. The selected consultant(s) will work with Oxfam program staff, national implementing partners, and project’s wider stakeholders. The consultant(s) will design an influencing strategy

and the relevant communication plans for the program. The influencing strategy should include  a common vision for the program and four tailored action plans for the three national partners  and tailored plans for Oxfam. The influencing strategy will incorporate customized approaches  to effectively inform and engage various types of stakeholders including young people, local  communities and key actors and decision makers related to Gender Justice and Sexual and  Reproductive Health and Rights in the context. 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT & METHODOLOGY 

About projects influencing framework and the assignment: 

Under the Masarouna project, Oxfam and the project partners are working with Young People  (YP) to achieve more freedom to claim for their SRHR in inclusive societies. Capacity  strengthening for lobbying and advocacy, awareness raising and data for advocacy are the main  pillars of the Masarouna interventions in our context. Next to those main pillars, influencing work  will also include knowledge production and dissemination, creating spaces for engagement and  dialogue, and building networks and alliances.  

These interventions are targeting decision makers to formulate, implement, eradicate and-or  amend laws and-or policies to enable YP to claim their SRHR. Influencing interventions under  Masarouna also aim to promote safe, adequate and inclusive SRHR information and services,  in addition to creating a lasting systemic and behavioral change while addressing root causes  and barriers preventing YP from claiming their SRHR. Furthermore, the interventions aim to mobilize, engage, and build relationships with the communities we work with.  

The Influencing Strategy should reflect the needs of the program and include a common vision  for the program and tailored action plans for the three national partners and Oxfam. The plans  will be based on clear influencing outcomes (advocacy, public campaign, visibility,  communication and knowledge production) and provide a series of interventions to reach the outcomes. 

The Influencing Strategy should include, at least, the following aspects: 

– Tailored advocacy plans for partners and Oxfam, after identifying and documenting  convening spaces, opportunities and risks at the national, reginal and international  level (including coalitions, conferences, summits, informal spaces, decision makers, 

etc.);the plans should be guided by the project’s global influencing and  

communication strategy and workplans in place. 

– Tailored public campaigning plans for partners and Oxfam, after identifying and  documenting Identified needs, opportunities and risks for public campaigning  (including offline/online/digital) at the national level; 

– Tailored plans to increase visibility/ communication for partners and Oxfam, after  identifying and documenting needs, risks and opportunities. 

– Tailored research and knowledge production plans for partners and Oxfam, after  identifying and documenting needs, risks and opportunities to use data and  knowledge for influencing (advocacy, campaigning, awareness raising). 

– A general plan for common influencing efforts: research, campaigning. areas for  common campaigning and strategy for collective campaigning efforts. 

o This plan should identify and integrate opportunities for collaboration with youth movements and groups, including human rights organizations and  artistic and cultural movements. 

Methodology 

The selected consultant(s) is expected to develop the strategy through the following  methodology:  

– Conduct a comprehensive and extensive desk review on Gender Justice and SRHR  within the MENA countries context. This should include specifications of the context,  gaps, and opportunities. The context analysis should provide strong insights into the  social, cultural, religious, and legal environment in which SRHR exists in MENA  

countries. Study should also provide a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders and  young peoples’ perception, understanding, and ability to advocate for their SRHR  rights.  

– Conduct consultation meetings, which will guide the development of the Strategy,  with different stakeholders, including:  

• Members of national civil society,  
• Members of the international community,  
• Different and diverse local community groups, including YP,  
• Oxfam team including the North Africa project team, regional teams,  and relevant members of Oxfam affiliates, 
• Masarouna partners project teams, 
• Relevant authorities’ or government representatives, 

– Conduct 3 workshops with identified stakeholders, mainly Oxfam team, Oxfam  partners, and YP, and relevant members of the national civil society, and  international community if relevant to develop the Strategy’s objective and  framework. The number of workshops can be adjusted according to the consultant’s  workplan.  

– Develop a comprehensive influencing strategy with, but not limited to, clear  objectives, stakeholder analysis, messages and indicators, and risk analysis.  – The Consultant will present the draft strategy through a validation work plan with the  representatives of the groups who were part of the consultation meetings. 

Deliverables and Working Days 

The Consultant(s) is expected to commit to the following deliverables:  

April 2023 – June 2023 (20 working days)

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE 

Oxfam is seeking the services of individual consultants/consultancy firms who will work in close  collaboration with both Oxfam’s program on SRHR team as well as its partners to undertake the  consultancy. 

The consultant is expected to have the following skills and expertise:  

o Master Degree in relevant field: sociology, political sciences, social  

communication, gender, public health, or others. 

o Strong knowledge in terms of research, public campaigning, advocacy and  influencing. 

o A good network of CSOs and socially engaged organizations and initiatives in  MENA.  

o A solid understanding of the ecosystem working to advance gender and SRHR related topics in MENA 

o Good organizational skills; 

o Strong (intercultural) communication skills; 

o Excellent spoken Arabic, and written English. 

o A self-starter who can work independently and like to take the initiative; o Willing to learn and share your knowledge with others. 

o Experience with facilitating conversations 

o Experience in producing learning and communication materials;