External Evaluation of a 3 year project

Terms of Reference: External Evaluation for the Countries at Risk Project: Results of the Second and Final Phase of “Curbing the risk of a resurgence of the death penalty in four countries: Maldives, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Turkey” (2021-2024)

1) Presentation of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, an alliance of more than 170 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions, was create in Rome on 13 May 2002. The aim of the World Coalition is to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its ultimate objective is to obtain universal abolition of the death penalty. To achieve its goal, the World Coalition advocates for a definitive end to death sentences and executions in those countries where the death penalty is in force. In some countries, it is seeking to obtain a reduction in the use of capital punishment as a first step towards abolition.

2) Background

Since the creation of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in 2002, significant progress has been made towards ending the death penalty. As of March 2024, 112 counties have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while 23 countries can be considered abolitionist in practice as they have not held an execution for the last 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.

But while progress in the abolitionist struggle seems irreversible, abolitionists risk serious setbacks in certain countries around the world that have abolished the death penalty in law or practice and wish to reintroduce it (Philippines, Turkey) or resume executions (Maldives, Sri Lanka).

The situation in each country is unique, but these four countries all have a number of points in common that give meaning to this project. Firstly, in these countries, the threat of a backlash against the death penalty has been made politically and is used by the leaders of these countries to gain popularity before or after elections. These are also countries where the death penalty appears to be a deceptively simple response to a complex problem: the fight against drug trafficking in the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and the use of religious arguments in Turkey and the Maldives. Secondly, these are the four countries where the risk of backsliding is greatest, and where concrete steps have been taken in this direction. Finally, the general context in which local civil society operates is very similar: repression of human rights defenders, restrictions on freedom of association and expression. It is against this difficult backdrop that local abolitionist actors have turned to the World Coalition, and that the international member organizations of the World Coalition have sought to coordinate their efforts.

In 2018, the World Coalition launched a campaign to secure the abolition of the death penalty in countries that are abolitionist in law and practice and where there are known risks of a resurgence of the death penalty. This first phase, from 2018-2021, was a discovery phase and focused on understanding the complexities in a country that can lead to a step backwards, the impact this can have on civil society, and what are effective strategies that can be deployed.

The campaign, “Countries at Risk”, has continued for a second phase which has allowed for the campaign to capitalize upon its successes, asses the strategies learned and reflect on best practices. These reflections will be compiled into a ‘how-to’ guide that will be a tool for NGOs who are looking to combat a potential return to the death penalty in their countries. It has been decided that there will be no 3rd phase, and the project will end in 2024.

3) Objectives

This evaluation aims to understand the impact of the second phase of the Countries at Risk campaign, with a larger overview of the impact of the last six years. A survey was sent out to the project’s partners to ask where the focus of the evaluation should be, the following is a compilation of the responses.

The objectives of this evaluation are as follows:

a) Evaluation of the preventative strategies developed during the project. A focus of phase 2 was to understand and apply what had been learned in terms of effective strategies for maintaining abolition during phase 1. However, preventative strategies can be interpreted in a very large sense- not only effective advocacy strategies, but also effective means of communication, leveraging socio-political contexts, supporting civil society in general, etc. A few questions for this objective can be considered below.

• Are strategies shared by partners replicable in other countries?
• What constitutes signs of progress over the course of the project? (this can include but is not limited to prohibiting the return of the death penalty, involving more partners in the abolitionist movement, creating broader networks, utility of sharing best practices, etc)
• What have partners and members (local, regional and international) gained/ learned by being involved in this project?
• Have the lessons learned from other World Coalition campaigns (e.g. making gender discrimination visible in the application of the death penalty) influenced the partners and their strategies?
• How did the first phase differ at all from the last? (showing progression over the two phases)
• What has the World Coalition gained from this experience?

b) Success of providing local actors with more direct access to the global abolitionist movement (contacts, tools, best practices, etc) A hopeful outcome of this project was to support actors local or regional to the target countries of this project, as they are best positioned to know what is needed. The following questions explore this objective a little further:

• How can the World Coalition best support/ assist anti-death penalty work in spaces where there is either no capacity, priority is elsewhere, or there are no local members?
• What role, if any at all, should the World Coalition play in supporting the work on the ground to prevent a return to the death penalty knowing that much of the work is not always urgent or pressing?
• In what way has the project contributed to local partners feeling of being part of the larger abolitionist movement?
• Has the project enabled partner organisations to forge new links at local level? If so, with what type of organization?
• In what way has the project contributed to the work that local partners were leading on the ground?
• How has this project created connections for organizations involved in the project that will make it easier in the future to react in the case of a return to the death penalty?

c) Developing a coherent exit strategy. Even though the project is ending, it’s crucial that the project does not leave behind a vacuum and continues to support preventative work to achieve universal abolition. The evaluation will also design a useful matrix in knowing how to achieve this, while considering the question below:

• How can the World Coalition improve its power sharing approach in the abolitionist movement (and avoid replicating structural problems related to global North and global South dynamics?)

4) Coordination and Methodology

Coordination

The study will be conducted by an external consultant (hereafter referred to as “the Consultant”) who will work under the direction of the Program Manger of the World Coalition and under the supervision of the Director of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, as well as the 4 working groups created for the project (Philippines, Maldives, Turkey and Sri Lanka).

The Consultant will work in collaboration with the World Coalition’s member organizations, and the actors involved in this project. He/she/they will benefit from their support, through accessing existing working documents, research and information.

Methodology

The evaluation will be carried out using a quantitative and qualitative methodology, based in primary and secondary data analysis.

For the primary data, a participatory approach that solicits the opinions and evaluations of all parties will be adopted and interview will be conducted with:

• Members of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
• Members of the 4 working groups created for this project (Philippines, Maldives, Turkey, and Sri Lanka)
• Members of the Secretariat of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
• Any additional group identified by the Consultant and validated by the members of the World Coalition and the staff

Interviews will be conducted predominantly in English, with at least one interview in French.

The Consultant’s methodology must include a gender-sensitive approach.

For the secondary data, the following documentation will be used:

• Results of the 2020 Internal Evaluation for “Countries at Risk Phase 1”
• Results of the 2021 External Evaluation for “Countries at Risk Phase 1”
• A preliminary version of the guide “How to React to the Risk of a Return to the Death Penalty”
• Presentations and feedback made during the July 2023 Best Practices Seminar in Malaysia
• Narrative reports from the small grants provided during “Countries at Risk Phase 2”
• Any additional document found by the Author during his/her/they research.

The Consultant is required to prepare, present, and defend the methodology he/she/they deem appropriate to meet the objectives of the service. He/she/they will have to adapt his/her/they methodology according to the objectives of this consultancy. For that, the following guidance is offered:

1st phase: Initial or pre-organization phase

After the selection of the Consultant, a meeting will be organized to contextualize and provide a foundational understanding of Phase 1 of the project, and, more importantly, Phase 2. Likewise, the consultation implementation process and the expected products will be specified and defined.

2nd phase: Validation of the methodological approach

The methodology proposed by the Consultant when submitting the application will be reviewed, revised, and validated by the Program Manager and Director of the World Coalition, as well as the 4 working groups.

3rd phase: design / implementation and first expected results

Development of the analysis by the consultant. A first version of the document structure will be shared for validation as well as the first draft.

4th phase: Sharing the results

Presentation and approval of complete products.

5) Deliverables

The consultant must produce the following deliverables:

• Methodological note detailing the approach proposed for the realization of all the stages and the production of the deliverables mentioned.
• A report synthesizing findings of the impact of the Countries at Risk Project Phase 2 (in either French or in English).
• A short report or layout outlining an Exit Strategy for the Countries at Risk project.
• Presentation of the report to a virtual meeting of project partners.

6) Implementation Timetable

Meeting with the World Coalition Staff

1 month for research, interviews and questionnaires

Month’s end- submission of outline of the report and results of the report

1 month to draft the submission on the basis of the outline’s validation

2 weeks to provide comments to the submission

2 weeks for the Consultant to integrate comments

Translation and publication

7) Budget

The experts’ financial proposals for this evaluation must be below a maximum ceiling of 25,000 EUR.

8) Candidates’ Profile

• Graduate degree (Master’s or equivalent) in human rights, or political science;
• Proven professional experience in drafting studies and evaluation of at least 5 years;
• Proven experience working in collaboration with local/ grassroots organizations and coalitions would be desirable.
• Knowledge and professional experience working on issues related to gender, including gender sensitive and inclusive communication is desirable;
• Advanced report writing and analytical skills;
• Fluency in English is necessary, and capacity to professionally work in French is desirable.

9) Application Timeline

Fixed deadline 10 June.

2 weeks to review offers and select a consultant.