Consultant on Political Normalization

Terms of Reference for Consultant on Political Normalization

Contract to Design, Manage and Implement Capacity Strengthening for Decommissioned MILF Combatants and Community-Based Political Leaders on Democracy, Nonviolence and Peace

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TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROJECT

 I. About Nonviolent Peaceforce

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a global civilian protection agency (NGO) based in humanitarian and international human rights law. NP’s Mission is to protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies, build peace side by side with local communities, and advocate for the wider adoption of these approaches to safeguard human lives and dignity.

NP has been present in Mindanao, Philippines for 16 years working and living within the conflict-affected areas and being the first international NGO to be part of the Civilian Protection Component (CPC) tasked to monitor civilian protection issues under the signed peace agreements of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) since 2009.

With the recent Bangsamoro transition, NP’s current strategy is directed towards supporting and complementing the operations of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) and other normalization mechanisms on the ground.

NP has been granted funding support by the European Union (EU) to realize its ATTAIN 2.0 Project: Accompanying the transformation of conflict, transitional justice and reconciliation, actions supporting nonviolent means of political participation and initiatives sustaining the gains of normalisation in BARMM. The ATTAIN 2.0 project is a practical and relevant follow up of the previous action to ensure NP’s continued support to normalisation bodies on the ground and overall contribution to the Bangsamoro peace process

II. Project Background

Decommissioned MILF combatants and community-based political leaders, play an important role in shaping the future of the Bangsamoro governance, peace and security. However, their past experiences often make it challenging for them to adjust to democratic and nonviolent conflict resolution practices. Therefore, it is crucial for them to learn concepts and skills such as democracy, nonviolence, and compromise to help build a peaceful and democratic society.

Democracy is a fundamental principle in any society that aims to uphold the rights and interests of its citizens to have a say in political decisions. For former combatants, learning democratic principles and values can help them understand the importance of inclusive decision-making processes and how to engage in peaceful electoral competition. Nonviolence skills are equally crucial since rebels' past may lead to a tendency to resort to violent means as a way of settling conflicts. By learning techniques of peaceful conflict resolution, they can contribute towards building a peaceful and stable post-conflict environment. Furthermore, compromise skills are necessary for transitioning conflict-affected areas to achieve reconciliation. Given that decommissioned combatants will be facing factions, it's vital that they learn to compromise and work towards common goals, ultimately promoting peaceful coexistence. In conclusion, by learning these critical skills, decommissioned combatants can contribute positively to the development of sustainable peace and democracy in the Bangsamoro

III. Objectives

The overall objective of this engagement is for Decommissioned MILF combatants and their communities to be able to meaningfully participate in democratic and governance processes to ensure conflict transformation and peaceful political transition in Bangsamoro.

Specifically, this action will:

1. Strengthened the capacity of decommissioned MILF combatants and community-based political leaders on democracy, nonviolence and peace.

2. Established a platform promoting an open Bangsamoro government and political discourse to strengthen relationship and cooperation between government leaders and communities.

IV. Methodology and Scope of Work

The Consultant will:

1. Design a training curriculum
   1. a detailed training curriculum tailored to meet the specific needs of the groups, including course material, learning objectives, and evaluation strategies.
2. Develop training modules
   
   1. create a set of training modules that cover key topics such as democratic principles, electoral processes, dialogue, negotiation, and compromise.
3. Prepare Training Materials
   1. collection of training materials, including handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and interactive learning tools.
4. Create an Implementation Plan
   
   1. An implementation plan that outlines the steps necessary to deliver the trainings, including scheduling, participant selection, and training logistics. This would include the areas of implementation and the participants.
5. Facilitate dialogues and meetings between MILF political leaders and communities
6. Lead and manage the implementation of the Plan
7. Design a Sustainability Plan that outlines the strategies and mechanisms for ensuring the long-term impact of the project beyond the duration of the consultancy.
8. Submit a Final Report that summarizes the results of the pre- and post-training assessments, participant feedback, and recommendations for future training programs.
9. Create a Stakeholder Engagement Plan that outlines the strategies and channels for engaging relevant stakeholders, such as government officials, civil society organizations, and community leaders.
10. Submit a Final Report that integrates all the outputs and deliverables of the consultancy and provides a summary of the overall project outcomes and achievements.

Table 1: Geographic Area

Participants’ Area

The participants will be coming from different provinces of BARMM particularly in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur and Sulu.

Table 2: Key Participants, Targets, Impact Groups

Impact or Target Group

Institutional Actors: Decommissioned MILF combatants, community-based leaders

Families and Individuals: (Young people, former combatants and their families, Men, Women)

V. Preparation of the Deliverables/Timelines and Financial Proposal

The main consultant’s engagement shall commence on September 01, 2023 to July 31, 2024. The activities with corresponding deliverables or outputs are the following.

Key Activities: Submission of Activity/Implementation Plan

# of days: 10 days

Outputs: Work/Implementation plan of Activities

Key Activities: Designing of Training Curriculum, Developing Training Modules, Preparation of Training Materials

# of days: 30 days

Outputs: Training Modules and preparatory documents Developed

Key Activities: Conduct Training of Trainers

# of days: 20 days

Outputs: Trained facilitators

Key Activities: Conduct community-based sessions

# of days: 50 days

Outputs: Trained participants

Key Activities: Regular coordination and meetings

# of days: 50 days

Key Activities: Facilitate dialogues and meetings between MILF political leaders and communities

# of days: 20 days

Key Activities: Submission of activity reports

# of days: 20 days

Total # of days: 200 days 

The main consultant will ensure that the following gender considerations are integrated in conducting the assignment:

• The entire process will take into consideration key gender issues for each area of focus.
• Set gender equality protocols for the data collection, ensure all tools and data collection techniques are sex-disaggregated
• Collect data using good gender equality practices. Note that data sets must be sex-disaggregated and collect information from women and men as separate individuals or groups

The financial proposal should comprise consultant professional fees. Cost related to survey and Project End Assessment will be under NP. All costs should remain valid up to 30 days from the day of proposal submission.

VI. Roles and Responsibilities of the Consultant

In close cooperation with the programme’s unit particularly the Program Manager and M&E Officer, the consultant will:

1. Coordinate all activities with NP to ensure smooth preparation and implementation of the actions on the ground.
2. Submit regular progress reports on the implementation of the activities under the consultancy
3. Implement the activities as mentioned in the scope of work of the consultant
4. Regularly review, assess and evaluate the implementation achievement of the consultancy
5. Oversee the safety and security of the target beneficiaries of the action.
6. Jointly coordinate with Normalization bodies related to the activities including but not limited to TFDCC and JTFCT.

VII. Expected Output

Draft and final report should be submitted according to the schedule. With submitting a draft report, the consultant should organize an in-person or virtual meeting and discuss on comments and suggestions of the project staff. Relevant comments should be considered in the final report.

VIII. Copyright and Ownership of the Study

Any and all documents produced under this consultancy shall be the joint property of NP and the main consultant. Expressed permission from the main consultant is needed for use..

IX. Professional Fee and Mode of Payment

The professional fee will be inclusive of tax and the payment will be done according to the following arrangement:

1st Installment

20% of the total amount

Upon submission of workplan of activities

2nd Installment

30% of the total amount

Upon submission of training curriculum, training modules and training materials

3rd Installment

20% of the total amount

Upon completion and submission of written report upon the completion of the Trainors’ Training

4th Installment

20% of the total amount

Upon the completion and submission of the community trainings

5th Installment

10% of the total amount

Upon submission of comprehensive evaluation report and sustainability plan

The payments will be made in A/C payee cheques in the name of the consultant/company.

X. Qualification of the Main Consultant

The consultant shall have the following qualifications:

General qualification and skills

• Postgraduate degree in Law, Political Science, or related relevant fields, being a member of the Philippine Bar an advantage;
• Deep experience in Bangsamoro peace process;
• Experience in democracy, human rights, elections and political party work;
• Experience in designing and delivering capacity building programs on politics and peace with decommissioned MILF combatants and community-based leaders in the Bangsamoro;
• Experience in working with governments and institutions, both in the National Government and in the Bangsamoro in a senior-level position;
• Demonstrated experience in peace, conflict resolution and governance;
• Experience in working with development partners and multilateral agencies;
• Fluency in spoken and written English including excelling drafting skills, particularly in being able to write documents (such as reports) concisely; and
• Fluency/ Knowledge of at least one local language is desirable but not required.

XI. Application Process and Requirements

Qualified and interested parties are asked to submit the following:

• Letter of interest in submission of the proposal addressed to:

               DELSY RONNIE

               Head of Mission and Regional Representative for Asia

               Nonviolent Peaceforce Philippines

• A detailed technical proposal clearly demonstrating a thorough understanding of this TOR and including but not limited to the following:
• Consultant/Company Profile
• Description of the Methodology
• Demonstrated previous experience in similar assignments and qualifications outlined in this TOR (provide 2-3 sample work)
• Proposed data management plan (collection, processing and analysis)
• Study work plan
• Team composition and level of effort of each proposed team member (include CVs of each team member)
• A financial proposal with a detailed breakdown of costs for the study quoted in PHP.

HOW TO APPLY

• Candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit abovementioned requirements. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• This shall be in rolling basis.
• The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 30 August 2023
• As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a written assignment and if successful, participate in an interview process.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Nonviolent Peaceforce is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff at all levels. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. However, all qualified applicants regardless of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, or age, will be considered for this opportunity.

Nonviolent Peaceforce acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, beneficiaries and other stakeholders and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice in the Humanitarian and Development sector.

NO FEE 

PLEASE BEWARE OF FRAUDULENT JOB OFFERS. NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR ASK FOR FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (INCLUDING APPLICATION, INTERVIEW, MEETING, TRAVELING, PROCESSING TRAINING, ETC). NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE WILL NOT REQUEST INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.