Consultancy: Advocacy Strategy – Afghanistan

INTRODUCTION

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 1956 that works in more than 40 countries throughout the world. DRC fulfils its mandate by providing direct assistance to conflict-affected populations, refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host communities in conflict areas. DRC places a primacy on promoting a rights-based approach to humanitarian aid with a commitment to protection at the core of its mission.

DRC reaches over 1,000,000 displacement, conflict and disaster affected people in Afghanistan annually, currently operating in four out of six regions in the country. DRC started engaging in Afghanistan in 1984 through its support to DACAAR, established its own operational presence in Afghanistan in 1999 through the Mine Action work of DDG work, and expanded its operational presence into a full multi-sector country programme covering Protection, Livelihoods, Emergency Response and Mine Action in 2011.

DRC recently finalised its global 2025 Strategy. ​​​​​​​With the 2025 Strategy, DRC intensifies its fight against systemic inequality and structural discrimination of conflict and displacement affected persons. The agency does this by redoubling its focus on the two main goals that guide its work, namely: Increased Protection; and, Enhanced Inclusion. Further to the 2025 Strategy, DRC identifies three foundational priorities, one of which is “Impactful advocacy based on evidence.” To this end, DRC’s Afghanistan Country Office is seeking to enhance the impact of its advocacy activities across its relevant areas of operation and align those activities accordingly with its national, regional, and international levels.

SCOPE

The consultant is responsible for developing a national advocacy strategy for DRC Afghanistan to be implemented throughout the remainder of 2022.

The consultancy will ensure effective coordination for the strategy development process amongst key and relevant staff, including those based in the country, regional, representative and headquarters offices.

The position is directly supervised by the DRC Asia Regional Advocacy Coordinator and has a dotted technical line to the Country Director of DRC Afghanistan.

The position will also coordinate with the following roles:

• DRC Afghanistan Country Office: Country Director, Head of Programmes, Head of Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (HDP), Access Coordinator, Protection Coordinator, and select others;

• DRC Asia Regional Office: Protection Coordinator, Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Head of Programme, Asia Displacement Solution Platform (ADSP) Manager, Mixed Migration Centre – Asia (MMC) Manager, and select others;

• DRC Representative Offices: Advocacy Coordinator (Brussels), Humanitarian Liaison Officer (Geneva), and select others; and,

• Key external stakeholders: Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief & Development (ACBAR) Advocacy & Communications Manager, and select others, including Afghanistan advocacy focal points of other agencies.

Location: Remote (Preference for candidates based in/around the Asia region). No travel requirements anticipated for the duration of this project.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY

STRATEGY & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (90%)

· Undertake a desk review of key project documents, including existing DRC national and international strategies and plans.

· Develop a brief strategy development plan which defines the anticipated process, timeline, and outputs and provide weekly updates to the project supervisor (Regional Advocacy Coordinator) and DRC Afghanistan Country Director.

· Ensure effective and inclusive coordination with key and relevant stakeholders in the strategy development process, including through efficient means/methods which minimize burdens on individuals and teams.

· Develop a clear, concise, and realistic Afghanistan advocacy strategy for the remainder of 2022 with agreed and defined: background/context overview; objectives; sub-objectives; activities/tactics; targets [via stakeholder mapping of ‘allies’ and ‘blockers’]; roles and responsibilities; key performance indicators (KPIs); linkages to Afghanistan’s Programme Strategy and the DRC Strategy 2025; key dates/opportunities; risk register; and, operationalization/ implementation overview, including a “way forward” which provides clarity on what can be accomplished based on current resources versus increased investment, such as dedicated advocacy staff.

· Coordinate the development of resource pack related to the project, including an executive summary for external use, key messaging around the agreed objectives and sub-objectives, and language which can be used in donor proposals to increase investment in DRC’s advocacy capacities in Afghanistan.

· Prepare for and participate in relevant internal and external coordination meetings, including weekly DRC Afghanistan programme [national], bi-weekly DRC Afghanistan Advocacy & Communications [international], ACBAR Advocacy Working Group, regional programme, and select other meetings.

· Present the finalized strategy and complementary resources to relevant, internal [DRC] audiences.

REPRESENTATION (10%)

· Represent DRC Afghanistan to key internal and external stakeholders as suggested by the Regional Advocacy Coordinator and DRC Afghanistan Country Director and provide them with information about project objectives, risks, constraints and progress, ensuring positive and constructive working relationships**

DELIVERABLES

• One (1) inception report (maximum 2 pages) which will highlight methodology and timeline (to be delivered within 5 workdays of starting the consultancy);
• One (1) DRC Afghanistan advocacy strategy (maximum 10 pages) and inclusive of an implementation plan (templates will be shared by DRC);
• Resource pack (templates to be developed by the consultant; some existing templates will be shared by DRC);
• One (1) joint advocacy strategy consultation workshop and pre-workshop tools (questionnaire template will be shared by DRC); and,
• One (1) validation workshop prior to finalisation of the Advocacy Strategy.

TIMEFRAME & DURATION

The 30-day consultancy is expected to run full-time, starting 18 April 2021 and ends on 27 May 2022. Please note that the role will require significant interaction with the DRC Regional Office in Bangladesh (GMT+6) and the Country Office in Afghanistan (GMT+4:30). The work week for both of these locations is Sunday – Thursday. The consultant will be expected to be available during standard working days and hours for Bangladesh and/or Afghanistan.

EXPECTED PROFILE/QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of dedicated work experience in leading advocacy strategy development processes on humanitarian issues, human rights, and/or issues in complex emergency contexts.

· Ability to draft clear and concise advocacy resources, including key messages and actionable recommendations for target audiences.

· Experience in supporting the training and capacity-building of humanitarian staff in the principles of advocacy.

• Excellent communication and report writing skills in English

Desired Qualifications **

• Having a clear understanding of the national protection concerns and proven skills in advocacy work in Afghanistan.
• Good knowledge of regional dynamics, particularly in neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, and international stakeholders, including key advocacy actors and institutions.
• Language proficiency in Dari and/or Pashto.

Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

Master’s degree in International Development, Human Rights, Social Work, or similar.

As this consultancy is remote-based, it is open to nationals of any country; however, the selected individual will be expected to be available during Afghanistan’s working days (Sunday – Thursday) and hours (09:00 – 17:00 GMT+4:30).