Tenders are invited for Thematic Evaluation of DCA and Partners Human Rights-Based Approach to Saving Lives, Building Resilience and Fighting Extreme Inequality in Marginali. Closing Date: 30 Aug 2024 Type: Consultancy DanChurchAid Denmark is looking to hire a consulting team to conduct a thematic evaluation of DCA and partners Human Rights-Based Approach. This global thematic evaluation will cut across all three of DCAs international goals, Saving Lives, Building Resilience and Fighting Extreme Inequality. DCA hereby invites consultants, consulting teams and/or consulting firms to provide proposals for this evaluation. The evaluation aims to assess the appropriateness, timeliness, relevance, and overall effectiveness of DCAs HRBA. It seeks to improve knowledge, policy, and practice by examining how well the PANEL + principles are integrated across global goals. Additionally, the evaluation will document results, impact, and challenges related to HRBA implementation, including the role of partners such as CSOs and faith actors. A full description of the consultancy is available in the Terms of References, which are pasted below: Annex 1: Terms of reference Thematic Evaluation of DanChurchAid and partners Human Rights-Based Approach to Saving Lives, Building Resilience and Fighting Extreme Inequality in marginalised communities. In 2024, DanChurchAid (DCA) has decided to commission a global thematic evaluation of its Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA), including engagement with faith actors, youth engagement and gender equality as well as key themes of relevance to the HRBA such International Humanitarian Law, Protection and Do No Harm. The evaluation of the HRBA will cut across three Strategic Goals in our Global strategy, specifically Saving Lives, Building Resilience and Fighting Extreme Inequality. Background and INTRODUCTION DCA is a multi-mandated organisation with more than 100 years tradition of supporting the worlds poorest in their struggle for a dignified life and helping those whose lives are threatened. We provide emergency relief in disaster-stricken areas and long-term development assistance in poor regions to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world. DCA is active in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Ukraine with presence in 19 countries, working to achieve its 4 global goals of Saving Lives, Building Resilient Communities, Fighting Extreme Inequality and Creating Engagement reflecting its work across the nexus of humanitarian response, development, and peace building. DCA operates in a complex, fragile and ever-changing world where conflict, climate related disasters, pandemic(s), poverty, extreme inequality and pressure on human rights and democracy cause suffering and form barriers to opportunities for the Worlds poorest and people in need. This is the setting that the evaluation of our HRBA will take place in. Human rights are the foundation for all our work, while the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) is part of DCAs fundamental principles in our Global Strategy (2023) and shapes all project and programme work across the triple nexus. DCA has been a rights-based organisation for more than two decades and is well recognised for its rights-based programming. DCA is following its Human Rights Policy (2018) and our Action Guide to HRBA (2020). DCAs approach to HRBA is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and UNDPs framework for implementing a Leaving No One Behind approach. In our humanitarian response we are guided by four humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. DCA sees inequality, which is perpetuated by unjust structures, norms, and institutions, as a major development and human rights issue as well as a driver of humanitarian conflict. DCA has a holistic approach to the thematic areas of HRBA, gender equality, faith actor engagement and civic space. This is the special niche position of DCA when it comes to human rights protection, and promotion as well as gender transformative work. Faith actors are better protected and on occasion more influential than human rights organisations in many countries where DCA works, and hence faith actors are better positioned to protect and reclaim civic space than other civil society actors. This holistic approach provides DCA with a unique position to create structural, sustainable, and rights-based change because it gives us the leverage to work on norms, values, practices, as well as legal and political frameworks. With this holistic approach as the point of departure, DCA wishes to evaluate the HRBA plus gender equality across country programmes. DCAs country programmes are all developed through a Theory of Change approach which the evaluation will take into account. DCAs HRBA aims at strengthening rights holders to know and claim their rights and at supporting the capacities of duty bearers to know and meet their obligations. DCA mainstreams the Human Rights-Based Approach through the PANEL+ principles: Participation of rights holders in decision making in society and project implementation. Accountability of formal and informal duty bearers in relation to human rights obligations. Non-discrimination by ensuring that all people have equal access to fully enjoy their rights. Empowerment by strengthening the capacity of rights holders to know and claim their rights. Linking to human rights framework and international humanitarian law. The + refers to addressing barriers and root causes to gender discrimination and injustice. DCAs HRBA focuses on the needs, rights, and dignity of the poverty-stricken and groups in vulnerable situations such as displaced and marginalised people, ethnic and religious minorities, indigenous peoples, SOGIE minorities and persons with disabilities, with a special focus on youth and women and intersectionality within all groups. We have particular focus on these groups knowing, owning and being able to claim their rights in a world where the belief in human rights is decreasing due to authoritarianism rising and people not being able to see that the words on paper make a difference in their daily lives. Attention to non-discrimination and inclusion of those most at risk, including various minority groups, is also a key aspect of mainstreaming the protection principles which mirror the PANEL principles. Strengthening non-discrimination, inclusion, and pluralism in and through our work is a continuous focus. The promotion and protection of human rights at local and national level is a core element of DCAs work and is supported by regional and global advocacy, as well as extensive stakeholder engagement and leadership. DCA focuses on womens rights, climate justice and securing space for civil society through the ACT Alliance, through relevant human rights mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, Convention of the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW), and through our Danish stakeholder engagement and media work. DCA also promotes space for civil society by supporting the resilience of partners and faith actors against crackdowns on civic space, restrictive NGO-laws, illegitimate use of criminal and antiterror legislation, surveillance technology etc. We engage with relevant international mechanisms, e.g. the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, and build multistakeholder alliances that promote civic space as an enabler for sustainable rights-based development and just transition. Potential relevant policies: Gender Equality Policy 2022; Partnership Policy 2022; Human Rights Policy 2018; Climate and Environment Policy 2023; Risk Management Policy 2022; Contract purpose and Expected results An evaluation of DCAs HRBA now is timely since DCA is increasingly working in fragile, authoritarian contexts, presenting new challenges and paradoxes when it comes to implementing a rights-based approach. DCA would like to ensure that we continue integrating and developing our HRBA also when the world and the contexts, that we work in, are changing. Therefore, the organisation hopes to build on its comparative advantage and existing experience with working rights-based to further excel in its conceptualisation, application and integration of the HRBA in fragile, authoritarian, climate change and/ or conflict affected settings. Therefore, at a conceptual level, this evaluation has the overall dual purpose of contributing to organisational learning by seeking to improve knowledge, policy and practice when integrating HRBA across the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding nexus mirrored in the three global goals of Saving Lives, Building Resilient Communities and Fighting Extreme Inequality. Specifically, this evaluation will seek to learn from present practice and provide recommendations: Assess the Human Rights Policy and Action guide to HRBA and the application of practice of the HRBA across the three global goals and the triple nexus, with a view to identify how well the various project and programmes supported by DCA and its partners integrate the PANEL + principles. This will be an assessment of the Human Rights Policy and Action Guide to HRBA and application of these across the global goals. This will be an assessment seeking to identify areas of emergent good practice in how DCA and its partners integrates the HRBA across projects and programmes in fragile settings. Document the results and impact of DCAs overall HRBA, including the role of partners such as CSOs and faith actors in the achievement of this impact, exploring overall successes, gaps and lessons learned: How well are we implementing our HRBA (the PANEL + principles) across all global goals? Where do we have successes, gaps and where ne Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4078233/thematic-evaluation-dca-and-partners-human-rights-based-approach-saving-lives-building-resilience-and-fighting-extreme-inequality-marginali
