The Center for Human Rights Defenders Association is seeking a consultant for a final external evaluation

Final External Evaluation  

Type of Contract: 

Consultancy

Location:

Based in Tunis, Tunisia 

Duration of the Contract

25 Working Days

Start Date: 

19th September 2022

End Date:

21st October 2022

Purpose

The Center for Human Rights Defenders Association is seeking a consultant to conduct a final evaluation for its EU-funded project between September and October 2022. 

organization background

The Center for Human Rights Defenders Association (CHRDA) Is an independent non-governmental organization registered and founded in France in 2016. CHRDA aims to promote the rights of Human Rights Defenders and vulnerable populations, analyze the difficulties facing the application of International Human Rights Law and disseminate Human Rights Culture in the MENA Region, and engage in a dialogue between cultures. A crucial part of CHRDA’s mandate is to help shape the understanding of the most pressing human rights defenders’ concerns within the region and then coordinate and mobilize the key players and NGOs from across the Arab world to work together. CHRDA is a member of the Platform (Coalition of 13 Libyan organizations).

Furthermore, CHRDA is a Libyan HRD’s network, that supports, empowers, and protects Libyan HRDs inside and outside Libya. CHRDA emerged from the need to find a space for Jurists outside their country, especially with the outbreak of armed conflict in several cities in Libya and targeting defenders and activists; attacks and abuses sometimes reached the limit of assassinations.

Project context 

The project provides immediate, direct, and professional assistance, in particular, psychological rehabilitation and legal aid services to selected cases identified as victims of conflict-related violations (CRV). Furthermore, the project provides a number of grants to help civil society organizations inside Libya. 

Along with other partner organizations, the project aims to reinforce the local response capacities of a selected group of professionals to enable them to provide primary psychological rehabilitation and legal aid services inside Libya.

In summary, the project has the following specific outcomes:

OC1: Conflict-related victims of CRV including women, children, GBV, and LGBV are provided direct psychological rehabilitation

OC2: 2. Create a multidisciplinary network of professionals and CSOs 

Objectives and Scope of the Evaluation 

Objectives:

The main objective of the evaluation is to assess the sustainability, effectiveness, and relevance of the project approach in achieving the desired objectives and the impact of the achieved outcomes. The evaluation is carried out as the end of this implementation phase approaches and in the context of leveraging the adopted process, with the intention that its recommendations and findings contribute to identifying the integration of improvements and learning in the next programming phase. Furthermore, this final evaluation should focus on the following specific objectives:

• Assess the outcome and impact of the project in relation to its objectives, activities, and outputs as set out in the log frame;
• Assess both negative and positive factors that have facilitated or hampered progress in achieving the project outcomes, including external factors/environment, weakness in design, management, and resource allocation;
• Assess the capacity and commitment of the professionals  
• Identify and document substantive lessons learned, best practices, and also opportunities for scaling up future interventions;
• Provide evidence of the relevance of project interventions   
• Provide forward-looking pragmatic recommendations for the next programming phases of the project.

Scope of work:

The scope of work for the consultant leading this evaluation will include but not be limited to:

• Lead the development and implementation of the evaluation methodology that will include the elaboration of how each evaluation question will be answered along with proposed methods, proposed sources of data, and data collection and analysis procedures;
• Lead the designing of tools and data collection;
• Lead the data collection, analysis, and interpretation;
• Lead the development and the finalization of the evaluation report;
• Lead the presentation of initial findings and de-brief;

Evaluation Criteria and Evaluation Questions:

The following are key, though not exhaustive, research questions that the evaluation should seek to address:

Relevance and coverage:

• To what extent does the project respond to the actual needs of the targeted CRV, activists, civil society actors, and professionals including specific needs related to geographical location, gender, and socioeconomic status?
• To what extent has the project design been adapted over time to a changing environment and shifting priorities? 

Effectiveness and efficiency:

• To what extent has the project achieved the objectives and expected results/targets as described in the logical framework of the project?
• Has the project taken the right approach to support and protect the CRVs? Did the CRVs who received treatment show improvement? Were their needs met without jeopardizing their safety?  
• To what extent did the project workshop develop the professionals’ skills? For example, do the professionals have the capacity to provide Medical and legal services to victims? 
• How functional and effective are the grants? Are the grantees satisfied with the provided support, and were they able to reach their objectives through the grants? Are the grantees able to manage the funds they received? Do they have sufficient organizational capabilities to carry out projects professionally?
• How effective was the project approach in developing the capacities of the civil society actors and the selected professionals? Were they satisfied with the training/support and what kind of capacity they would like to develop in the future? are they willing to continue their engagement as the project continues and beyond it?
• How can future programming be improved in terms of both project objectives and methodology? What lessons can be drawn to enhance its relevance and effectiveness?
• What overall lessons can the management team of the project learn from the implementation of the project?

Coordination:

• • How effective were the organization’s cooperation and coordination with other relevant stakeholders of the project? 
  • Did the project mechanism contribute to the strengthening of coordination among civil society actors and among the selected professionals? Did it offer increased networking and collaboration opportunities for them? 
• How effective was the internal operational coordination and cooperation among the organization’s partners, and with the donor? What best practices can be identified and what lessons have been learned?

Sustainability and Added Value:

• What is the level of sustainability in the project interventions? How will the project ensure the sustainability of interventions after the end of the project?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of having CHRDA implement the project?
• To what extent did the project establish links with the relevant local, and national existing structures to ensure the continuation of the national referral mechanism with the activities in the future?

Methodology:

The consultant is expected to propose a sound evaluation design and methodology (including a detailed methodology to answer each evaluation question) and submit it to CHRDA in an inception report following a review of all key relevant documents and meetings with relevant key stakeholders. However, it is preferred that the evaluation should use a mixed method approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data using multiple sources in order to draw valid and evidence-based findings and conclusions, and practical recommendations. The final decision about the specific methodology for the evaluation will be made after consultation with the CHRDA team and key stakeholders with consideration of the limitations of budget, time, and data.

Methods and Sources that can be used in the evaluation but are not limited to: 

• Desk Review
• Project document
• Result Framework/M&E Framework
• Annual Work Plans
• Annual Reports
• Meetings minutes
• Activity reports 
• Database

• Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders 
• Focus group discussions and Key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders
• All interviews should be undertaken in full confidence and anonymity. The final evaluation report should not assign specific comments to individuals

• Surveys and questionnaires involving stakeholders and beneficiaries 
• Analysis of project’s budgets and expenditures 
• Data review and analysis and triangulation of the various data sources

The final methodological approach including the interview schedule, data collection timeline, and sources to be used in the evaluation should be clearly outlined in an inception report and fully discussed and agreed upon with the CHRDA team and relevant project partners and stakeholders.

Expected Deliverables and Timelines:

Expected Deliverables

The consultant is expected to:

• Participate in preparation/coordination meetings with the organization’s staff;
• Attend at least one project activity;
• Prepare an evaluation plan;
• Provide weekly updates on the evaluation’s progress throughout; 
• Provide the following deliverables during the evaluation assignment as per the agreed evaluation plan:

• Inception report: Following the desk review and initial analysis of the available information, the consultant should develop an inception report to explain the evaluation methodologies, including how each evaluation question will be answered along with proposed methods, proposed sources of data, and data collection and analysis procedures. This report will also include a proposed timeline of activities and submission of deliverables. 
• Comprehensive evaluation report (30-50 pages excluding annexes) including the following: 

• Executive summary (including main findings and recommendations)
• Introduction/Purpose of the evaluation/ Evaluation Methodology/
• Findings related to each evaluation question /Lessons learned and best practices/Conclusions/ Recommendations /Annexes. 

• Two presentations to be delivered summarizing methodology and findings: The first one for the draft report, and the second presentation for the final report. 

Tentative Timeline and payments schedule:

 The tentative outputs, deliverables, and payment schedule are as follows:

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in social sciences, political sciences, international law, international relations, human rights, or related field  
• 5-7 years of work or academic experience in a professional capacity in Human Rights, International Relations, Law, Political Science, or related field; 
• Extensive experience in conducting evaluations of human rights projects preferably involving multiple partners and the European Union as a donor, including designing and employing both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, which are participatory and sensitive to conflict-related context;  
• Deep understanding of the Human rights context in Libya 
• Experience in working in politically sensitive countries and ability to maintain security and confidentiality considerations throughout the evaluation process and beyond;  
• Excellent inter-cultural communication skills and ability to forge strong cross-cultural relationships and build trust; 
• Strong facilitation, presentation, and communication skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic; working knowledge of French is an asset. 

How to Apply

Qualified consultant(s) are invited to submit their application via e-mail to the following e-mail addresses: recruitment@defendercenter.org, with the subject line: “EU project final evaluation – consultant”, at the latest by 23:59, 23 September 2022. The applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as the consultation implementation is conducted during Sep and Oct 2022. 

Applications should include: 

▪ Technical Offer on the methodology, tools, approaches, potential limitations, and challenges and how they will be addressed.; 

▪ Financial Offer with a detailed budget, and indicating costs in EUR. VAT;

▪ Up-to-date CV(s); 

▪ Confirmation of legal registration (e.g. tax number) of the applicant for providing evaluation services and the ability to issue an invoice.  

Applications must be in English. Submissions in other languages will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted as a single application package, documents sent separately will not be accepted. The Technical and Financial Offer must be signed on the first or last page (as well as stamped if an official stamp is available). Both Offers should contain the name and contacts of the evaluator (or the representative of the evaluator team)

We look forward to learning more about you.