Consultancy on Gender Issues

Consultancy on Gender Issues

Terms of Reference

October 2020

INTRODUCTION

Danmission has established partnerships to support Muslim and Christian Dialogue initiatives in Egypt since the year 1998. The various Dialogue projects that Danmission is currently funding through the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs are focussed on building tolerance, acceptance of others, mutual respect, and peaceful co-existence. The projects’ interventions target multiple groups of intellectuals, opinion-makers, religious leaders, media professionals, civil society activists, young leaders, and academics.

Danmission’s support to Egypt aims at strengthening inclusive and just communities, promoting peaceful conflict management, reducing poverty, and strengthening resilience at the local levels.

MOTIVATION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In line with the National on Egyptian Women Empowerment 2030 and Egypt’s efforts to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender Equality and while Danmission prioritizes the need to enable women and men with a better quality of life and facilitate improved access for marginalized groups to basic human rights, a big majority of in particular women residing in the targeted areas in Egypt face issues of gender inequalities hindering their ability to enjoy a dignified and rights violation-free life away of all sorts of discrimination and abuse. During 2021 and onwards, Danmission will re-strategize their programmatic efforts to better address the aforementioned issues from a faith-based perspective and through adopting faith and gender-sensitive project models and programmatic approaches to be streamlined across all programs and projects including those funded through the Danish Arab Partnership (DAPP) and Strategic Partnership (Spa) programmes. Besides being a long-term demand internally in Danmission, this study- co-funded by DAPP and Spa- is also initiated in continuation of the Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MFA) effort and process on gender equality in 2018-19. The final ministry of foreign affairs’ workshop report stresses that “Gender Equality is a high priority and a crosscutting theme in DAPP(..).Gender equality in DAPP goes beyond quantitative objectives such as equality in representation and parity in numbers. DAPP aims at achieving transformative gender changes with a focus on challenging gender stereotypes, male roles, and masculinities.” 1

This study will serve as Danmission’s direct response to the above through its utilizing its capacity and experience as a faith-based organisation working through religiously-engaged actors and other stakeholders, and will be a prerequisite to developing an evidence-based theory of change for the Danish Arab partnership (DAPP) project -LBES. Furthermore, findings, new knowledge, methods, and tools will be shared internally in Danmission and will hereby also by utilized via Danmission’s engagement on the Strategic Partnership (Spa) projects 2in Egypt.

OBJECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS

As part of promoting the Human Rights-based approach 3(HRBA) and its principles, Danmission intends to adopt and streamline a transformational approach to promote and protect gender equality through the resources made available by the ongoing projects in Egypt. The objective of the community consultations is, therefore, to identify direct and indirect gender inequalities when accessing rights, due to:

• Legislative constraints

• Social and sectarian norms and values

• Economic constraints

• Institutional and structural barriers

The outcome of the consultations should inform Danmission and its partner’s operating procedures and approaches and leave no one behind by designing activities that address the identified gender inequalities and gaps to ensure effective and sustainable programming

SCOPE OF THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS **

The consultations will cover all program districts, namely: Cairo, Alexandria, Northern Upper Egypt, and South Upper Egypt (Giza, Bani Suif, El Minya, Assuit, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan).

Specifically, the consultations are expected to answer the below-listed questions under each sub-domain

Data:

Does the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics systematically collect gender-disaggregated data? If yes, what does this include?

Are there other sources of data?

Legislation:

Does the Egyptian Constitution and legislation address the non-discrimination principle 4regarding gender?

Are there any national equal treatment legislation/policies in Egypt, i.e. legislation/policies on gender equality/opportunities (for women)? If yes, which sectors of the society does it/they target? How is the legislation/policies implementation monitored?

Are there national/local mechanisms to protect against discrimination based on gender?

Are there bylaws or policies on national, governorate and local levels regarding gender (women) equality/opportunities? If yes, which ones and how can these be categorised?

Strengths and disadvantages of the Egyptian Personal Status Law and the way it influences the gender perspectives of men and women including religious and political actors, youth, and representatives of educational institutions, etc.

Consultation with duty bearers (national, governorate and local authorities and institutions)

What is the duty bearer’s perception of gender equality/ gender equal opportunities? Does gender equal treatment matter for them in their work? How?

How is the gender disaggregated data perceived by the different stakeholders? Is the data useful and reliable?

Where do the stakeholders see a need for more data on gender? And how do they believe the data can be collected reliably?

How does Egyptian legislation influence the promotion of gender equality?

Do the duty bearers know of SDG 5? If yes, do they consider it in their field of work? How?

Are the duty bearers aware of international, national legislation/policies regarding non-discrimination and gender equality?

How do duty bearers perceive the role of legislation and policies in promoting and protecting gender equality/opportunities?

How do duty bearers see their own role in promoting and protecting gender equality/ gender equal opportunities in the society?

Are gender equality/ gender equal opportunities an issue in the Egyptian society? If yes, for whom, where, when, why and how? If no, why?

Does the authority/institution perceive a need to promote gender equality in their own structures? If yes, why, and do they have the human, financial and technical capacity?

In the opinion of the duty bearers what is best way of promoting and protecting gender equality/ gender equal opportunities?

Consultation with civil society organisations (Danmission’s partners, National Women Council, faith-based organisations, local CSO’s, etc.)

How do organisations understand the concept of gender equality?

How is the gender-disaggregated data perceived by the different stakeholders? Is the data useful and reliable?

Where do the stakeholders see a need for more data on gender? And how do they believe the data can be collected reliably?

How do civil society actors perceive national legislation in protecting against gender inequalities and the promotion of gender opportunities?

Are there gaps in legislation? Policies regarding gender equality?

Is gender equality/ gender equal treatment an issue in Egyptian society? Please elaborate?

Do organisations know Egypt’s international commitments to promote gender equality? Knowledge of SDG 5? How do they incorporate I.e. CEDAW commitments and SDG 5 in their organisations and in their work? Is the work visible?

Where are the main barriers or gaps for gender equality? Are there differences between urban and rural areas? Civil status? Education? Income? Faith? Norms and values? Etc. Age?

What influence do Egyptian religious and educational institutions have on gender equality? And the production of gender norms and narratives

What are the necessary actions/interventions to close the gender gap, promote and protect gender equality in Egypt? What are the barriers to implementing the necessary actions/interventions?

What role do the organisations themselves have in advocating for the promotion and protection of gender equality? Do they have human resources, finances, and technical capacity?

Consultation with right-holders (programme target groups/beneficiaries, CBOs)

What is the right-holders perception of the role of women as social and economic capital – as perceived by men and by women?

Do right-holders experience a difference based on their gender when accessing public services (including, health, education, and legal services) and resources? If yes, what differences?

What is the role of faith in what men do and what women do? How do the rights-holders perceive the role of religious leaders in their daily life? What religious arguments are used to withhold rights? What religious arguments govern the discourse otherwise?

Who else has an impact on the way men should be and the way women should be? What arguments from culture (that are not from religion) are used to withhold rights or govern the discourse otherwise?

How does the division of labour at home and the workplace look like from a gender perspective?

What would the rights holders like to see change regarding gender roles in their communities? How can the proposed changes happen? What can they do themselves? What support do they need?

Consultation with religious community leaders (local imams, priests, and pastors)

(Religious community leaders constitute a cross-cutting category of stakeholders. They might be perceived as government-affiliated duty bearers in the case of ministry-assigned imams to registered mosques. They might also be seen as civil society leaders in the case of clerics in charge of independent religious communities.)

What principles from religion and tradition guide the role of men and women in the respective communities? How do religious leaders evaluate these principles?

What religious and traditional principles hinder gender equality in the community and how might they be overcome?

Are religious leaders aware of SDG 5? How much is this goal in line with the religious and traditional values of the community they lead?

How do religious leaders view target 5.4 (recognition of unpaid care and domestic work)? Does it have a place in the value system of the community they lead?

How do religious leaders view target 5.a (equal rights to economic resources)? Does it have a place in the value system of the community they lead?

What role do religious community leaders assign to themselves in promoting equal rights?

What role do religious community leaders assign to information technology in promoting equal rights (target 5.b)

Key tasks and outputs

Mapping of basic demographics including gender-disaggregated data in different sectors (health, education, labour market, economy, politics, religious institutions, etc) using international, national, and local reliable statistics sources.

Conduct a literature review on studies and analysis that involve situational analysis of the social, political, and the socioeconomic factors affecting gender in Egypt, as well as previous interventions of Dialogue, Peacebuilding, and Human rights with a special emphasis on unpacking the inclusion of women.

Review the national efforts, including laws, decrees, and policies that directly or indirectly affect gender equality

Mapping of relevant stakeholders and duty bearers, civil society organisations and CBO’s

Consultation with stakeholders

Conduct a gender analysis of the collected data and generate a report with the identified gaps.

Methodology

The methodology is to consist of a literature review, a gaps analysis, a mapping of stakeholders, and quantitative and qualitative analysis of relevant themes preferably with a rights-based approach.

The consultations should involve semi-structured consultations and/or focus group discussions of a representative number of stakeholders.

Selection criteria

The selection of participants for the stakeholder consultation is conducted in dialogue with the reference group. The criteria for selection should be based on exposure, gender, age, and population target groups and should be well detailed.

Tools

Tools are to be developed in a very sensitive and culturally appropriate manner to meet the level of comprehension of the target groups. All interview guides should be approved by the reference group.

Data collection, management, and analysis

The consultant is responsible for data management, including data collection and analysis concerning the confidentiality principles and EU data protection legislation (GDPR).

The preferred approach should involve an internal workshop for the partner’s team as an entry point to the overall assessment. This very first workshop will serve in better understanding the technical, programmatic and operational capacities, skills, and experiences of Danmission’s partner in Egypt. It will also help in understanding the different types of partnerships, relationships and coalitions Danmission’s partner is part of at the community, local, national and international levels.

interviews and FGDs with the selected respondents’ groups and individuals should follow. The partners advise and insights on the consultations’ modalities are to be considered.

The selected participants will be contacted by the partner and invited to participate in the consultations. The participants will be informed of the purpose of the consultation, ensuring the confidentiality of discussions and ideas shared. The consultant should ensure that note takers are present for taking notes and for observing the interaction of the participants. If the recording is necessary, consent from the participants will be required.

Once data is collected, all KIIs will be analysed and FGDs will be transcribed by the consultant as notes, coded, and analysed using quantitative and qualitative data processing and analysis tools/software. The analysis will include context and demographics, identification of patterns and important messages, and findings and will be divided by community and stakeholder groups.

Data Interpretation

The consultant is expected to present, at an interpretation workshop the main quantitative and qualitative findings and reflect on the lessons learned and recommendations on how to consider a transformational approach to the streamline of gender equality in light of future programming.

Ethical and other Considerations

Informed Consent

All interviewers/enumerators are to be trained by the consultant on interviewing skills, survey administration, and ethical guidance on data collection especially with high-level leaders and ensuring informed consent. They should also be trained in managing possible respondent reactions. Enumerators will be using a common script to introduce themselves and explain the purpose of the study, the confidentiality of the answers, and the voluntary participation in the study. The same process applies as well for the qualitative component whereby the purpose of the meeting and ensuring confidentiality of discussions and ideas shared are explained to FGDs and KIIs participants.

Confidentiality and Anonymity

Anonymous IDs should be assigned to surveys to ensure the confidentiality of reporting. Respondents’ names will not be mentioned in the survey.

Cultural and gender sensitivity

Cultural and gender sensitivity will be taken into account through specific and simple measures such as: ensuring that male interviewers do not interview female respondents (hence having a male and female pair of enumerators), especially among the most conservative communities; ensuring that questions asked are not harmful and that the wording of the questions is appropriate.

Safety and security of the consultancy team and participants

The study team is to adopt relevant safety and security measures as advised by Danmission and its partner, with special emphasis on the national guidelines on the prevention of the spread of COVID19.

The expected deliverables throughout the process include:

1. An inception report, including at least

2. Validated, tested and translated data collection tools

3. Data collection updated plan and timeline

4. An elaboration of the RBA approached applied by the consultant

5. Hard copies of the questionnaires (if hard copies) and/or raw cleaned data (if on tablets) in annexes

6. Data analysis plan and timeline

7. Budget breakdown

8. A narrative report answering the objectives of the consultations, and include the following

9. Datasets (should be delivered in an excel database structure)

10. Qualitative data analysis spreadsheets

11. List of interviewed respondents

12. 2-page summary factsheet (in English and Arabic)

13. The report must be structured in line with the RBA framework and the five PANEL principles.

14. Dissemination workshop (possibly online) for partners in the project, including

15. PowerPoint presentation of the findings

16. Special focus on learning aspects of the findings in the report

All collected data is legally owned by Danmission and its partner and the consultant is expected to hand over all data sets. The consultant shall maintain in confidence and protect all information provided to him/her by the consortium partners, employees, and beneficiaries. The consultant may only disclose the extent necessary to perform the baseline.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONSULTANT

The consultant should have the following competencies and experience:

Have a degree in either Gender, Social Work, Anthropology, Economics or a related field

Exposed to the Human Rights-based approach and its principles

Minimum of five years of consulting experience including collecting primary data and fieldwork

Minimum of three years of experience in equality issues

Demonstrated ability to write high quality, methodologically sound, analytical papers in English

Solid communication skills and sensitivity to the target groups

Ability and experience to hold appropriate conversations with senior officials of the government and social partners.

Ability to conduct explorative and qualitative (semi-structured dialogue) interviews in local communities

Ability and experience in working within an HRBA framework

Ability to speak and write Arabic fluently

Ability to speak and write English fluently

BUDGET

The consultations budget available for assignment is USD 12,000. The fees will include the development of tools and testing, travels, transportation, logistics and accommodation fees identified by the consultant, recruitment of data entry clerks, as well as quantitative and qualitative data collection, data entry, analysis, translation fees and report writing, and revision based on feedback received. A detailed budget breakdown needs to be submitted by the consultant.