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Oxfam is an international confederation counting 17 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries.

Oxfam has been working in Iraq since the 1990s with both an expanding and contracting presence. In 2014, Oxfam established its first office in Mosul when the conflict with ISIS began and the country was thrown into a new humanitarian crisis, in an already fragile context. In 2021, Oxfam is amongst the largest NGOs operating in the country. With nine offices and almost 200 employees.

Oxfam in Iraq's strategy is shaped around 3 key pillars 1) Humanitarian response 2) Governance and 3) Equality. Within each of these pillars, intervention covers the following sectors: Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods, Water and Sanitation and Hygiene, Gender and Protection, Emergency lifesaving support, and Local Humanitarian Leadership.

In this framework, Oxfam in Iraq has recently launched a new project, Masarouna, aiming at supporting young peoples advocacy to achieve their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The program is implemented in six countries/territories of the MENA region. Masarouna identifies two main interlinked pathways to achieve the desired change. Pathway 1 is focused on the direct influencing of decision-makers and society to address inadequate legislation and harmful traditional social and cultural norms through strengthened youth engagement. Pathway 2 is focused on strengthening civil society, reclaiming civic space, and formation of new partnerships and alliances.

In the specific context of Iraq, young people face a series of challenges that limit their full enjoyment of SRHR: lack of evidence-based information about SRHR, limited access to information, lack of YP-friendly SRHR services, discrimination etc...

In this context, the Masarouna project in Iraq supports YP in accessing comprehensive information about SRHR, with a specific geographical focus on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Through increased knowledge and the building of alliances and solidarity, Masarouna in Iraq will equip YP individuals to demand their SRHR and create a supportive environment to enjoy them.

Under the Masarouna project, Oxfam in Iraq and the project partners will be working with Young People (YP) to influence decision-makers and different actors of society to address legislation and transform social norms. In addition to creating a lasting systemic and behavioral change while addressing root causes and barriers preventing YP from claiming their SRHR. Furthermore, it will work toward mobilizing, engaging, and building relationships with the communities we work with, starting from the designing process and up to the implementation of the project influencing Strategy. The project influencing work will also include knowledge sharing, creating spaces for engagement and dialogue, and building networks and alliances.

Overall, the influencing work with partners and allies under the project will aim to:

Cultivate active citizenship by working with young people, underrepresented groups, and social movements to increase their participation in decision-making spaces and secure their rights.

Provide young people with knowledge and skills to participate in decision-making spaces and work with citizens, partners, civil society, and duty bearers to better engage with young people.

Shift narratives on SRHR issues that concern young people in MENA to open space for policy change through communications, media networking, and the use of influence.

Transform public and official attitudes, social norms, and behaviors of the public and officials that deny SRHR and prevent policy implementation.

Link national-level youth-led activities to relevant regional and global influencing activities within the domain of Gender Justice and SRHR.

The Consultancy's overall objective is to develop an Iraq contextualized SRHR influencing strategy for the Masarouna project to support the design and implementation of the influencing interventions under the project. This will include the activities implemented by the Oxfam team and the project partners.

The Consultant is expected to develop the Strategy through the following methodology:

- Study the already available documentation on SRHR within the context of Iraq and KRI. Documentation consists of Masarouna baseline documents, Masarouna global influencing strategy.

- Conduct an additional comprehensive and extensive desk review on SRHR within the context of Iraq and KRI. This should include specifications of the context, gaps, and opportunities. The context analysis should provide strong insights into the social, cultural, religious, and legal environment in which SRHR exists in Iraq and KRI. It will also provide a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders and YPs perception, understanding, and ability to advocate for their SRHR rights.

- Conduct consultation meetings, which will guide the development of the Strategy, with different stakeholders, including:

members of national civil society,

members of the international community,

different and diverse groups of the community, including YP,

Oxfam team includes the project team in Iraq, regional teams, and relevant members of Oxfam affiliates,

relevant authorities' representatives,

- Conduct 2-3 workshops with identified stakeholders, mainly Oxfam team, Oxfam partners, and YP, and relevant members of the national civil society, and international community if relevant to develop the Strategy's objective and framework. The number of workshops can be adjusted according to the consultant's workplan.

- Develop a comprehensive influencing strategy with, but not limited to, clear objectives, stakeholder analysis, messages and indicators, and risk analysis.

- The Consultant will present the draft strategy through a validation work plan with the representatives of the groups who were part of the consultation meetings.

Oxfam will provide all relevant documents under the Masarouna project, including the project proposal, baseline assessment, and an in-depth analysis carried out by the implementing partners.

The Consultant is expected to commit to the following deliverables:

Inception report outlining the methodological approach and detailed understanding of the assignment (max. 10 pages).

Comprehensive and complete influencing strategy. The structure and content of the Strategy will need to be agreed on beforehand with Oxfam team.

At least 3 consultation sessions/meetings with stakeholders, partners and YP's representatives

At least 1 validation workshop.

Debriefing session with Oxfam team.

A final report indicating the summary of the activities, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.

The Masarouna Project Manager in coordination with the Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Manager, who will provide technical and practical supervision of the assignment.

Oxfam will be responsible for covering the following costs:

The venue, meals, and other needs for implementing the consultation meetings and workshops..

Media & photos etc.

Follow-up on action plans developed and status of scaling.

The Consultant will be responsible for covering the following costs:

All transportation and logistics-related costs for the Consultant and the team if valid.

Accommodation throughout the duration.

Stationary and other material support that are required during the training.

In case of an international consultant, visa and tickets.

The Consultant will be paid the agreed rate upon satisfactory completion of the assignment, including submission of deliverables and reports as per the below schedule:

40% will be paid upon signing the contract.

40% will be paid upon delivering the training.

20% will be paid after the submission and approval of the final reports.

The consultancy is expected to be carried out in a period of 30 days. The timeline can be extended and the number of working days can be refined based on the Consultant's work plan, nevertheless, early delivery is considered a plus.

The Consultant should submit a full financial plan, considering the financial elements mentioned in point 7.

The following key technical requirements will be taken into consideration when assessing consultants' technical competencies:

University degree in journalism, community development and communication studies, sociology, or other relevant fields.

The Consultant should have proven previous experience in conducting similar training and working with similar groups.

Proven skills and experience in developing influencing strategies.

High proficiency in understanding Iraq's context, SRHR, and influencing for it.

Familiarity with constraints and challenges encountered while working on similar topics.

Strong English skills, Kurdish and Arabic are recommended as policy documents and other governmental documents might be available in Kurdish or Arabic language.

11. Scoring criteria for selection of the service provider/consultant

SN Criteria Weight % Evaluation method

1 Technical proposal 70 % Review of the technical proposal

2 Financial proposal 30 % Review of the financial proposal

Total 100 %

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested individuals or consultancy firms with relevant experience and skills based on the ToR can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI), including the following:

Cover letter of no more than 1 page introducing the consultant/company and intention to deliver the assignment. The cover letter should also indicate the consultants' availability for the proposed period.

Technical proposal should provide details on the proposed methodology responding to the ToR and the deliverables in line with the competencies required for the assignment, including references to experience with similar assignments; a work plan detailing the anticipated timeline to undertake the assignment and finalize the deliverables, clearly indicating the dates of delivery; CVs of the consultant/consulting team directly involved in the assignment, including their specific roles; and three professional referees. A technical proposal should not be longer than 10 pages, excluding annexes.

Financial proposal includes a full budget of the offer, covering all major anticipated costs.

Statement on the willingness to follow Oxfam's Code of Conduct and guidance regarding safe programming.

Please submit the EOI and other documents by midnight Iraq time on the 16th of August toprocurementiraq@OXFAM.org.uk with Development of Iraq contextualized SRHR Influencing Strategy in the subject line. No EOIs will be accepted after the deadline.

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Consultant - Development of an Iraq contextualized Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Influencing Strategy - Iraq - ReliefWeb