CALL FOR LEARNING FACILITATOR ON EQUAL PARTNERSHIP

Background

Oxfam Novib, in line with Oxfam International, envisions practices of equal partnerships with all organizations it cooperates. Moreover, it identifies itself as a feminist organization. In general

“Oxfam understands partnerships as mutually empowering relationships in which the partners are aware of power dynamics and focused on mutual growth, organizational development, institutional strengthening and, above all achieving impact together. We are interdependent. We believe that implementing programs in partnership increases the collective knowledge, skills, reach and experience applied to an issue or challenge for all of us.”

Partnerships are undertaken at different levels within Oxfam Novib and exist in different constellations and variety of entities. This results in different understanding and practices of what a partnership is for Oxfam. In its programming, implementing partners, CSOs, activists, movements, research institutes and private sector are the most common types of partners. Additionally, we also speak of partnerships with donors, networks, multistakeholder initiatives and partnering with our supporters. Internally we partner with other Northern or Southern Affiliates, Oxfam International and its regional offices and Country Offices. While the form might differ, the approach on how we would like to collaborate should be based on the same feminist partnering principles and building on a shared organizational vision on what kind of partner we ourselves should and want to be and what it means to be in an ‘equal partnership.’

Within the wider development sector and in the Oxfam Confederation there is a growing consensus on the need to fundamentally shift ways of working to help end the perpetuation of an unequal division of resources with our civil society partners, whether financial, informational, knowledge and/or capacity based, governance and decision-making structures, on intended and unintended structures and practices, policies and procedures, (discriminatory) attitudes and (un)conscious biases which ultimately undermine, harm (and have harmed) the strength and influence of civil society organizations and its people in the Global South.

To work towards this transformation a broad agenda of change will need to be pursued. Oxfam Novib wants to contribute to driving this change. The organization clearly wants to take responsibility towards its civil society partners in the current political and socio-cultural debate to commit to equal partnerships. It has outlined its commitments in different strategic documents.

CALL FOR SUPPORT

To realize this change the program department has been working on the development of a process to work with the different stakeholders (external & internal) on equal partnership. However, we understand that this discussion cannot be legitimate without Southern thought leadership and experience. Both from our own partners based in the South (local organizations, movements & activists, country offices and regional platforms) and actual guidance in the process. Therefore, we are looking for a Southern learning facilitator who can be our critical and constructive sparring partner. This facilitator will focus on supporting the development of the vision on equal partnership and the identification of key changes needed. The facilitator will work closely with the partnership development specialist.

FRAMEWORK & PROCESS

We have chosen a draft framework to help us think through and define our equal partnership vision: ‘Partos Dream paper: Shift the Power.’ This paper outlines:

1. Collective learning journey as a sector to work towards a more equal and just international development cooperation system
2. Synthesis of discussion about a desired division of roles between Northern and Southern CSOs. The more clearly, we can envisage these roles, the better we can see system change is needed
3. and includes a critique of the current system, as well as additional ideas for system change.

This provides Oxfam Novib the opportunity to test how the envisioned roles in this paper would work out in practice and share from this experience to the collective learning journey of the sector.

The paper outlines key topics for us to consider,

• Partnership building
• Agenda setting, strategy development and implementation
• Advocacy
• Resource mobilization (and allocation)
• And additionally, communication, representation and the language we use, which cut across all these areas.

For the process we have developed the following parameters to guide our work:

• We envision a bottom-up participatory learning process to define vision, practices (ways of working, systems)
• We will focus on Oxfam Novib in the context of our work with COs/affiliates and CSOs including the ambitions of Oxfam to increase its work with informal movements
• We understand it is about changing mindset and behavior by and within the organization: it will take time: At the same time this process includes concrete elements for change
• We will define a set of milestones to monitor and hold ourselves accountable, and see this also as a continuous learning process and will work adaptive and flexible based on experience
• Show stories of change/success to illustrate how and where change is taking place
• We operate on the two levels, abstract, to develop a vision/ways of working and at the same time as concrete as possible, looking for opportunities to operationalize and pilot practices of equal partnership in programs.

To start the vision development we foresee a number of learning workshops with stakeholders from within the organization, and with key inputs of other relevant stakeholders, which should be facilitated by the learning facilitator and partnership development specialist.

Additionally, this process takes place in parallel with the development of our Partner Affiliate Role description. We expect coordination and cross-fertilization with this process. More information about the PA role description process can be found here.

OBJECTIVE OF VISION DEVELOPMENT

• For Oxfam Novib to have a shared vision and understanding on equal partnership, how this relates to the set ambitions of OI and ONL, also in light of the type of actors we would like to cooperate with (e.g. informal movements), and how this concretely affects our behaviors and systems

• For Oxfam Novib to understand what equal partnership means and would look like in the eyes of Country Offices and Affiliates and how to take other stakeholders in the Oxfam Confederation along in this

• For Oxfam Novib to understand what equal partnership means and would look like in the eyes of Oxfam partners we collaborate with in our programs

PROFILE

• A facilitator who is willing to be our ultimate radical and critical friend
• A facilitator who can challenge and explore new avenues with us by providing evidence, arguments, and a mirror to reflect
• Can bridge the geopolitical realities on neo- and decolonization and how to create meaningful dialogue on this
• Help create a safe learning space for all stakeholders involved
• Is rooted in the South/Representative of the Global Majority. Preferably based in the Netherlands (or neighboring country as – part of – the process is expected to take place face-to-face)
• Has a willingness to uphold Oxfam’s values and feminist principles, and apply these values and feminist principles to the process, including:

o Inclusiveness: We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

o Empowerment: Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.

o Accountability: Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take

responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions

FINAL PRODUCTS

• Inventory key partnership experiences/documentation
• Draft Equal partnership vision
• Key milestones to monitor the progress of the organization towards equal partnership
• Identification of key changes needed in the different areas of the organization