Consultants to formulate and write Adyan’s Iraq Strategy 2022-2024

About Adyan

Adyan, Foundation for diversity, solidarity and human dignity, works locally, regionally and internationally for pluralism, inclusive citizenship, community resilience, and spiritual solidarity, through homegrown solutions in education, media, policymaking, and intercultural and interreligious relations.

Adyan is registered in Lebanon as a non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO), under registration number 1103 by a ministerial decree dated 18 September 2008.

Background

For the past few years, Adyan has been working on several initiatives to enhance Inclusive Citizenship in Iraq. Based on recommendations of partners and external evaluations done previously to assess these projects, a new strategy is currently being developed to determine the organization’s future involvement in Iraq.

Brief about the Project

The Adyan Iraqi Strategy (AIS) is a short-term preparatory project that leads to increased understanding by Adyan’s team about issues related to conflict sensitivity, gender sensitivity, education on inclusive citizenship and environmental analysis in Iraq. The project also allows for the Adyan team and partners in Iraq to have a clear roadmap for the best way to develop Adyan’s presence in Iraq, including comprehensive awareness of stakeholders and how to support existing structures, key areas where Adyan’s expertise can have maximum impact, how to ensure long-term sustainability of Adyan’s work in Iraq, and any potential risks and how to mitigate them.

The document produced under this consultancy, as a result of this preparatory work, will:

I. Outline the motivation for Adyan to undertake this strategy; the planned role of Adyan in Iraq; and the planned process to establish Adyan in Iraq, with a democratic structure;

II. Highlight the experience and expertise that Adyan will bring, and explain why Adyan is uniquely placed to undertake this work;

III. Contain stakeholder and power analysis, including how Adyan connects to Iraqi civil society organizations (CSOs); how Adyan can add capacities to existing organization; and how Adyan can complement existing networks;

IV. Detail a process-oriented strategy for the coming three years, including results framework;

V. Involve rights-holders and duty-bearers in the planning process

VI. Include comprehensive, up-to-date context analysis, incorporating gender awareness, and a lens/sensitivity to different stakeholder groups (youth, women, etc.)

VII. Identify the priorities and the feasibility of steps to implement within the recommendations that arose from previous projects implemented by Adyan in Iraq*. These priorities will later on be the bases for future projects to be implemented in 2022-2024.

*The “Roadmap to Building Citizenship and Good Governance in Iraq” is a report that was developed throughout Adyan’s latest involvement in Iraq, between 2018 and 2021, by a group of 33 Iraqi Track II individuals from religious leaders, politicians, civil society activists and academics. It identifies 20 challenges facing inclusive citizenship in Iraq and their related recommendations.

A suggested report outline is included as “Annex I”.

Consultancy Overview

Adyan Foundation requests applications from Consultants or Consultancy firms to formulate and write Adyan’s Iraq Strategy 2022-2024. This will involve working closely with the Adyan team in Lebanon and key stakeholders in Iraq.

The consultancy involves the following tasks, which will require desk review, key informant interviews and focus group discussions:

I. Review of Adyan’s work and existing networks in Iraq, to identify Adyan’s area of unique expertise, and how Adyan can complement/support other organizations and networks

II. Context analysis on Iraq, to identify threats and opportunities for Adyan’s work and strategy in Iraq. We recommend the analysis consists of two steps:

a. Screening the overall context (involving identifying current problems, trends and risks in the context, and assessing the impact of those identified issues on diversity, inclusive citizenship, and Freedom of Religion and Belief.

b. Analyzing the potential context’s impact on Adyan’s work in Iraq (including assessing what actions could be taken to avoid negative impacts on project results).

III. Conflict sensitivity analysis: Assess the potential impact of Adyan’s work on the overall context (including how could negative impacts be managed, and what are the opportunities to maximize positive impacts)

IV. Gender analysis of Adyan’s areas of intervention, including a specific focus on assessing the needs and implications for all genders and ages of planned action. The aim is to ensure gender justice is mainstreamed into the Strategy, ensuring women’s, men’s, boys’ and girls’ concerns and experiences are an integral perspective of Strategy design, so that all gender and ages benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The Strategy will need to outline how Adyan’s work in Iraq will promote gender justice and address the underlying factors that create and maintain gender inequality.

V. Stakeholder and power analysis, including mapping key potential stakeholders and an analysis of capacities, interest and power of the stakeholders

VI. Risk analysis, outlining any major external and internal risks and mitigation strategies

VII. Production, review and finalization of a Strategy document that outlines the findings of the above steps, and also incorporates the findings of two separate assessments being conducted as part of the Strategy development process: one on Education on Inclusive Citizenship in Iraq, and an Environmental Analysis of Iraq.

VIII. As well as regular presentations and discussions about the process of developing the strategy with the Adyan Team, the Consultant(s) will also be expected to facilitate one preparatory workshop with the Adyan team, and one workshop as part of the review process of the draft Strategy document.

The consultancy will consist of approximately 28 days of work spread over September – December 2021. It is possible for all work to be carried out remotely.

Methodology

I. Data Collection:

The assessment should adopt a participatory approach with mixed methods to ensure a range of inputs. It is anticipated that the data collection will likely consist of the following, however we welcome suggestions as part of the bidder’s proposal:

a. Secondary data:

Desk review, including of relevant publications, reports produced by international or local institutions, media coverage, etc. Adyan will support will supplying organizational and project materials and other documents as appropriate.

b. Primary data:

Key informant interviews, and focus-group discussions with beneficiaries, partners and stakeholders. Adyan will support with suggested participants and arrangements where appropriate.

II. First Output: Inception Report

A brief report that follows the initial meeting with the Adyan team. This report ensures mutual understanding of the Consultant’s methodology, work plan and timeline for conducting the assessment. It also provides additional guarantee of adherence to, and interpretation of, the consultancy contract.

III. Second Output: Preparatory Workshop

A short workshop with the Adyan team and relevant stakeholders to discuss expectations of Adyan’s Iraq Strategy 2022-2024, including key outcomes, outputs and target groups.

IV. Third Output: Draft Strategy Report

A report that includes key findings from the desk review, interviews and focus-group discussions. The report will be written in English, to a professional standard. As needed, references to materials used during the consultancy and other external materials will be included as footnotes or as an appendix. The report’s draft must be shared with Adyan Team for review, and then the amended version will be used by the Consultant to prepare for the workshop with the Adyan Team.**

V. Fourth Output: Presentation and Review Workshop

The Consultant will conduct a workshop with Adyan staff and key stakeholders to present the findings of the report. This will also give an opportunity for the Adyan team to provide feedback on the report. In addition, the workshop should build the Adyan’s team’s understanding of the process of developing the strategy, to allow for ongoing assessment of the context in Iraq, and how this may affect project and strategic planning in the future. This workshop can be conducted remotely if necessary.

VI. Fifth Output: Final Report

The Consultant will make any necessary amendments based on the workshop to update the report. Adyan will make any necessary comments and send them back to the Consultant. The latter will make final amendments and send back the final version of the report.

Timeline

Tasks & Deliverables

Approximate Due Date

Meeting with Adyan to Finalize the Consultancy Work plan and Sign Agreement – 24 September 2021

First Output: Inception Report – 6 October 2021

Second Output: Preparatory Workshop – 15 October 2021

Third Output: Draft Adyan Iraq Strategy 2022-2024 Report – 26 November 2021

Fourth Output: Presentation and Review Workshop – 8 December 2021

Fifth Output: Final Adyan Iraq Strategy 2022-2024 Report – 15 December 2021

Budget

We expect the total budget for this consultancy to fall within the range of USD $15,000 – $20,000. However, this range is an indication only; the final budget will be based upon the methodology proposed.

I. Bank charges and due taxes are to be covered by the Consultant, or deducted from the payment. If relevant, this will include the 7.5% taxes for non-resident consultants and any other taxes that are the Consultant’s responsibility.

II. If needed and outlined in the work plan, and agreed in the contract, Adyan can cover travel and accommodation expenses for the Consultant.

III. The Consultant can have support from local/field assistants if needed, however their fees must also be included in the total budget presented by the Consultant.

Consultant Profile

The Consultant Team must:

1. Have comprehensive experience of developing strategy documents in the field of development and/or governance reform
2. Have extensive experience in arranging and conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions, including on sensitive topics
3. Have in-depth knowledge and awareness of the nuances of the social and political contexts of Iraq.
4. Be able to fluently understand written and spoken Arabic and English, personally or with the support of an assistant engaged by him/her in the consultancy, with professional standard in producing the reports in English.
5. Be independent from Adyan, Adyan’s relevant donors and the AIS project.
6. Be sensitive to and respectful of religious, social and cultural differences and comfortable with working and communicating across differences, including being able to communicate complex ideas in accessible ways and gather data from and with partners across society.
7. Be skilled and experienced in offline and online workshop facilitation.
8. Have access to their own computer. To note: no hardware/software or IT support will be provided by Adyan. Also, have access to fast, stable internet connection and a webcam. Even if the selected Consultant is based in Lebanon, a work station at Adyan’s office in Lebanon will not be provided.

Annex I: Outline of Final Strategy Document

We would expect a final strategy document of between 25 – 40 pages (not including annexes), containing the following sections although the final report composition will be discussed during the consultancy.

· Executive summary

· Introduction including methodology

· Context & problem analysis, including gender analysis

· Background of Adyan in Iraq, including networks in Iraq and lessons learnt

· Problem statement and project justification

· Stakeholder and power analysis, including gender analysis

· Detailed information of targeted group(s), including gender analysis

· Gender justice and equality

· Environmental and climate change analysis*

· Inclusive citizenship education analysis*

· Conflict sensitivity

· Results framework

· Risk analysis

· Annexes

* Based on analysis being carried out for Adyan by experts as separate consultancies, with their work feeding into the final Strategy Document