Advocacy Evaluation Consultant

PBI Advocacy Evaluation
Terms of Reference

1. Purpose
   Peace Brigades International (PBI) is seeking an experienced consultant to undertake a global evaluation of PBI’s advocacy impact.

2. The Organisation
   PBI is a non-governmental organisation, registered in the USA, which protects human rights and promotes nonviolent conflict transformation. We provide protection, capacity building and other support for threatened human rights defenders and communities striving to promote social justice and human rights in areas of violent conflict and repression. Our current field projects are in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico and Nepal.
   PBI project work is supported by a network of 14 country groups in Europe, North America and Australia, who carry out volunteer recruitment, advocacy and fundraising, and a small International Office (IO) in London. PBI uses a non-hierarchical model of organising, and decisions are made by consensus. The two governing bodies of PBI are the International Council (IC) and the International Operations Council (IOC). An Advocacy Working Group (AWG) coordinates advocacy work and develops collective strategies. For further information see www.peacebrigades.org.

3. Background to consultancy
   Advocacy, both preventative and reactive, is the “backbone” of PBI protection and support for HRDs. Advocacy is integral to PBI’s international protective accompaniment work in Latin America and Africa, and is also a key component of PBI’s capacity building projects in Asia. It includes in-country representation before authorities, multilateral bodies and the diplomatic corps, reinforced and complemented by a range of activities by Country Groups, mainly in the form of policy work, urgent actions and speaking tours. These aspects of advocacy are Project-driven, with the programmatic support of Country Groups. Three Projects also have advocacy staff in Europe and Washington directly mobilising support for PBI’s work in Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.
   In 2008, the Advocacy Working Group (AWG) was created to help coordinate and bring conceptual clarity and a more unified, global approach to PBI’s advocacy. This was followed by the creation of dedicated staff positions to drive and support these efforts. An International Advocacy Coordinator was established at the IO in 2010 and this was later replaced by a post created by PBI Switzerland in Geneva to coordinate the AWG and strengthen PBI’s work before the United Nations. These initiatives have raised PBI’s advocacy to a new level, by bringing the collective experience of PBI to bear on international and multilateral policy frameworks, debates and processes that have the potential to affect HRDs more widely than Project-specific advocacy can do. This new type of advocacy is intended to tap the multiple resources of PBI, for greater impact at an international level. It requires not only knowledge of PBI’s Projects and accompanied HRDs, but of the many contexts in which policy negotiations take place, and involves contributions by all PBI entities. Though the advocacy area was reviewed in 2011 as part of a global evaluation of PBI, a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of this core aspect of the organisation’s work has not been undertaken before.

4. Scope of the consultancy
   The main objectives of the evaluation are:
   to demonstrate what outcomes / impact PBI advocacy generates and how (accountability)
   to foster internal capacity building (learning)
   To achieve these objectives, the evaluation should:
   · describe outcomes / impact that have been generated in the last 10 years
   · identify the specific strengths and added value of PBI’s advocacy within the overall context of INGO advocacy for HRD protection
   · describe the theory of change that PBI advocacy has been built upon in the last 10 years, showing how the different elements of advocacy (advocacy before authorities, advocacy before the international community, international support networks, alliance building, case-specific advocacy, policy advocacy, etc.) link to each other. The evaluation should also show which target groups PBI has worked with and which of them have had influence to bring about the changes PBI advocacy wants to contribute to
   · show how PBI advocacy has used networks and alliances and windows of opportunity
   · indicate to what extent PBI advocacy has shown capacity to adapt strategy and tactics to changes in the political context
   · assess whether PBI advocacy has used strategic target groups, messages, policy frameworks and tactics to achieve its overarching objective
   · identify opportunities and ways to increase PBI access to key decision makers at policy level
   · assess the effectiveness of PBI’s advocacy structure and resources in supporting the achievement of PBI’s advocacy objectives
   In relation to the accountability objective, the evaluation will provide material for fundraising and reporting.
   In relation to the learning objective, it will help PBI to:
   · enhance understanding of barriers that limit PBI’s advocacy impact as well as entry points to maximise impact
   · document best and promising practices
   · develop the organisation’s capacity to effectively monitor advocacy impact in the future
   · develop the organisation’s capacity to more effectively demonstrate and use its advocacy impact
   · identify key strategic objectives for global advocacy work
   To achieve these objectives the evaluator will be expected to:
   · review all relevant PBI advocacy strategies, materials, activities and external outputs · survey and interview PBI staff, target groups, beneficiaries and partners for PBI advocacy

5. Outputs
   The consultant will produce a detailed report containing his/her evaluation and recommendations. This report will be reviewed by PBI’s Strategy Development Committee, the Advocacy Working Group and the International Operations Council, and its conclusions and recommendations taken into account when developing the organisation’s 2018 – 2023 Global Strategic Plan and the triennial strategies of Projects and Country Groups.

6. Key background documents
   · PBI Global Evaluation report 2011
   · PBI Global Strategic Plan 2012 – 2017
   · PBI Fundraising Review 2014
   · Thematic advocacy strategies
   · Project and Country Group advocacy strategies
   · Advocacy Working Group planning documents · Examples of PBI submissions to regional human rights bodies and mechanisms

7. Duration and timeline
   The Consultancy will begin on 2^nd January 2017 and be completed by 28^th February. A draft version of the report must be shared by 15^th February and the feedback considered before submission of the final version.

8. Supervision and guidance
   The Consultant will be expected to be self-motivated and able to work independently. Supervision and support will be provided by the International Coordinator, a representative of the Advocacy Working Group and the Strategy Development Committee.

9. Person specifications
   Essential
   • Substantial experience undertaking evaluations for international NGOs
   • Experience in strategic planning and organisational development
   • Excellent organisational and time management skills
   • Excellent report writing skills
   • Excellent spoken and written English and Spanish
   • Availability to travel as needed
   Desirable
   • Experience developing and implementing advocacy strategies for international human rights NGOs
   • Field experience working with human rights defenders Please explain how you meet these criteria by writing a statement of interest of no more than 1000 words that clearly addresses each of the bullet points and how your background and experience make you the most suitable candidate. Applicants who do not provide this information in the format we have requested will not be shortlisted for interview.

10. Terms and conditions
    Interested individuals should submit a narrative proposal and cost estimate for implementation of this evaluation.

Application process:

Applications should be submitted to Laura Clarke, International Coordinator, at laurafclarke@peacebrigades.org.

The application should include (i) your CV, (ii) the statement, outlined in Section 9 above, that indicates how you meet the specifications for the job, and (iii) an implementation proposal. Contact details should be provided for two people who are qualified to comment on your ability to undertake this work.

All enquiries to Laura Clarke at laurafclarke@peacebrigades.org

Deadline: 9 December 2016

Interviews: 15 – 16 December 2016

Please note that we are unable to respond to applicants who have not been selected for interview.