ToR for Developing a National Influencing Strategy

1. General Background

Oxfam is an international confederation counting 19 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries. Oxfam has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the 1950s; a country office was established in Jerusalem in the 1980s. Oxfam mainly works in the most vulnerable communities in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Area C.

1. Program Background

Masarouna is a five-year regional program that works in 6 counties across the MENA region. The program aims to mobilize the power of young people (YP) aged 18-35, for collective action to support their work for freedom of choice and respect for their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The program works on strengthening youth engagement to influence decision makers and targeted communities to address inadequate legislation and harmful social norms that hinder youth from claiming their SRHR. Additionally, Masarouna works on strengthening civil society organizations to form alliances and lobby and advocate for SRHR.

1. The Overall Objective of the Consultancy

Masarouna program is focused on influencing with and by youth for their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), such influencing will address gaps in services, policies and procedures related to SRHR. The program long terms influencing objectives aim to formulate and implement where possible policies, and/or remove/amend policies to enable YP to enjoy their SRHR. To realize the program influencing objectives Oxfam seeks to hire a consultant to work with the Masarouna Program partner to develop contextualized national advocacy strategy that aims at achieving the program advocacy goals.

1. Specific Objectives and Scope of Work

Task 1: Preparatory Stage, a desk review of relevant documents, planning and consultations

• Conduct preliminary consultations with Oxfam to discuss this assignment and get a better understanding of the task, scope of work and the role of the consultant.
• Desk review of all relevant program and task documents. This includes public actors’ policies and plans in relation to SRHR.
• Review partners current interventions and studies conducted under Masarouna, as well as advocacy initiatives and identify potential priorities and areas of focus.
• Prepare an inception report identifying the methodology of conducting the assignment and a clear work plan of how to develop the national influencing strategy. The consultant is encouraged to utilize participatory methodology in conducting the different deliverables.

Task 2: advocacy prioritization

• Prepare a draft report of potential advocacy priorities to be further discussed by partners and youth.
• Organize a one-day consultation workshop with partners’ organizations to identify areas of advocacy for the next three years.
• Organize a one-day consultation workshop with the youth advisory group and identify priority areas for advocacy over the next three years.
• Organize consultation meetings with relevant ministries.
• Prepare a final document of the advocacy priorities to be developed into a full advocacy strategy plan.
• Based on the consultation sessions and prioritization, the consultant will conduct a 2-day workshop with partners, youth and relevant stakeholders and decision-makers to develop the advocacy strategy. Based on Oxfam and the partner’s initial assessment the consultant is expected to strategize two priorities to be embedded in the final advocacy strategy taking into consideration that each priority will require its own customized work plan.

Task 3: Develop the full advocacy strategy:

• Develop a draft advocacy strategy, followed by validation sessions with youth, partners and relevant stakeholders.
• Submit a complete advocacy strategy, outlining clear objectives, targets, activities, allies, deliverables, and indicators, as well as an implementation plan.

1. Duration of the Assignment

The total duration of the assignment will be from 30th of July till the 30th of October 2022.

1. Expected Deliverables

• Prepare an inception report identifying the methodology of conducting the task and a clear work plan on how to develop the advocacy strategy.
• Draft report of the priorities identified by partners and youth.
• Draft plan of the full national influencing strategy for review.
• Final plan of the influencing strategy.