CONSULTANCY – Study on Perspectives of feminism in the target countries Intercultural and Intersectional Lenses for Gender Justice

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
   1. Introduction to Diakonia

Diakonia is a Swedish faith-based development organization that works to change unfair structures that generate poverty, inequality, oppression, and violence. Diakonia works with around 400 partner organizations in 25 country offices and four regional offices in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the MENA (Middle East and Northern Africa) region and Sweden.

Diakonia believes that every person regardless of gender or sexual identity or preferences should have the power, knowledge and resources to contribute to shaping their own life and the society they live in. This is what we mean when we talk about gender justice. It has been proven that across the world, the women’s and feminist movements have been, and still are, the primary actors in the fight for gender justice. They are the ones that pressure States and raise the awareness of the general public, so that change happens. Therefore, we know that a feminist approach is the most effective way to work for gender justice. As a consequence of this understanding, Diakonia made a commitment in 2019 to work towards becoming an organisation that operates based on feminist principles.

About the Transformative Knowledge (TraK) Programme

The Transformative Knowledge (TraK) programme is a global five-year programme (2021-2025) of Diakonia aimed at transforming through knowledge. The overall objective of the programme is that Program stakeholders (partner and Diakonia) develop and gain transformative knowledge and competences to deal with selected change processes, allowing them to examine, question and address the root causes of power imbalances. The programme deals with five change processes related to Diakonia strategic priority areas namely:

1. Re-thinking democracy
2. Local knowledge and alternative views of development for resilience
3. Business and Human Rights
4. Intercultural and intersectional lenses for gender justice
5. Rights-based and faith-based agendas in civil society.

The ownership of the program is at national, regional, and head offices, and with partners; all understand the commitments, benefits, and demands that the program has. The program is jointly planned and managed through close collaboration between partners and the different Diakonia offices staff.

About the Intercultural and Intersectional Lenses for Gender Justice project

A specific project has been developed for each of the change processes above. The Intercultural and Intersectional Lenses for Gender justice project aims to improve understanding of gender justice from a national, regional and global point of view, based on the exchange of experiences and learning, and the construction of knowledge with an intercultural approach (interaction in diversity).

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To increase the level of knowledge amongst project stakeholders to be able to make change at the policy level (at/or beyond the organization level).
2. Women to know and enjoy their rights in the different contexts.

In line with the above, the project seeks to conduct a study on different perspectives of feminism in the target countries and regions, namely Kenya in Sub Saharan Africa, Egypt and Lebanon in the Middle East, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand in the Asia Pacific region, Bolivia, Colombia, and Paraguay in the Latin America region.

The project Intercultural and Intersectional Lenses for Gender Justice includes participants from different regions and countries across the globe. Participants to the project work at national and regional level and acknowledge the different perspectives of feminism together with their commonality as a way to achieve gender justice. In order to build a shared view of the main current feminist perspectives, the project proposes to conduct a study on the different perspectives of feminism in the target countries and regions.

1. OBJECTIVE OF THE PROCUREMENT

Diakonia seeks to procure a team of consultants to conduct a study on perspectives of feminism in target countries for a project on Intercultural and Intersectional Lenses for Gender Justice.

1. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to analyse how feminism manifest itself in the target regions (Sub Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Asia, and Latin America) so as to allow the project to align and adapt its work to the specific contexts

1. CONTENT OF TENDER

You are invited to submit a tender based on the Terms of Reference (Appendix 1) and other requirements included in this Procurement Request.

The tender shall include the following information when sending it to Diakonia:

1) A presentation of the consultant(s) proposed to implement the assignment, including education, expertise, and previous experience of relevance, including a presentation on how gender mainstreaming is to be ensured in the implementation of the assignment

2) A description of the approach and methodology for implementing the assignment, with gender mainstreaming, following the Terms of Reference.

3) Proposed timeframe

3) Itemised budget, separating fees and reimbursable expenditure (if applicable). All costs shall include VAT and all other applicable taxes

4) Signed “Diakonia’s Procurement Guidelines for suppliers” (Appendix 2)

5) Contact details (Appendix 3)

6) Signed “Confirmation of Eligibility” (Appendix 4)