Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in close collaboration with the African Union (AU) will organize and hold the Eighth African Governance Forum (AGF-VIII) in October 2012. These three organizations have entered into a strategic partnership to embark on this project in collaboration with other key actors including the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat, the African Development Bank (AfDB), women and youth organizations, civil society organizations, policy/research institutes, universities, governance think-tanks, governments, development partners and UN agencies that form part of the Governance Cluster of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM).
As is customary with other previous AGFs, the eighth forum (AGF-VIII) will focus on a specific theme that is relevant, timely and germane to Africa’s development challenges including democracy building at that particular time of the forum. Therefore, the selected theme for AGFVIII in 2012 is ‘Democracy, Elections and the Management of Diversity in Africa’. This theme was chosen and agreed to by the AGF-VIII Steering Committee during its meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa on 4-5 October 2010. It was chosen primarily in recognition that Africa is making steady progress in building and nurturing representative and participatory democracy. Additionally, this theme is consistent with the major challenges confronting the continent today as identified in the various country reports of the African countries that have undergone African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) thus far. Equally importantly, this theme is in consonance with the theme of the third edition of the African Governance Report (AGRIII) that both UNDP and ECA are currently involved in.
One of the visible markers of democracy building in Africa today is surely the holding of regular multiparty elections across the five regions that constitute the African Union. But this progress has not been without its own challenges, chief among which is the extent to which democracy-building, broadly-speaking, and elections specifically, facilitate constructive management of diversity in contemporary Africa. It is also worth noting that while in some African countries commendable strides have been made towards achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and young people through electoral processes and representation of the same in high echelons of decision-making, others still lag far behind.
While in some African countries, elections have facilitated a peaceful process of nation-building, reconciliation and harmony especially following protracted violent conflicts, in others, elections have tended to accentuate societal divisions, aggravating problems of political instability, insecurity and war. While electoral violence has been extremely costly to affected countries, evidence abounds suggesting that social groups that have borne much of the brunt of election-related political violence are women and youth. It is for this and other related reasons that AGFVIII will pay particular attention to issues of gender equality in democracy in Africa. Equally important, the forum will also aim to ensure that voices of the youth and women are heard and their interests well articulated.
Objectives of the Eighth African Governance Forum (AGF-VIII):
The main purpose of AGFVIII is to bring together various stakeholders to deliberate on the current state of democracy in Africa in relation to elections and the management of diversity. In this regard, the forum will highlight progress being made by African countries in democracy-building. It will outline challenges with particular reference to gender imbalances and marginalization and disempowerment of youth with a view to highlight how these problems delay progress towards the nurturing and consolidation of democracy on the continent. The forum will not only be preoccupied with highlighting governance challenges, but will also proffer possible policy options for redressing these problems. The AGF will also show-case best practices in elections and management of diversity in some African countries. The forum will combine scientific rigour, policy relevance and development orientation of the dialogue on democracy, elections and the management of diversity drawing heavily on (a) APRM Country Mission Review Reports (where they exist), (b) the AGRIII country reports and (c) the AGRIII country profiles.
The specific objectives of AGF-VIII will include the following:
- Engage in policy-relevant deliberations on the state of democracy in contemporary Africa;
- Share ideas on how gender equality and women’s empowerment can contribute to democracy;
- Explore various avenues for increased citizen participation in democracy with special reference to youth empowerment;
- Take stock from a gender perspective of the significance of elections to Africa’s democratisation experiences and what impact elections have had on democracy-building across the continent;
- Deliberate on the impact elections have had on management of diversity;
- Identify best practices in elections and management of diversity in Africa;
- Offer concrete policy proposals regarding how African-owned institutional and policy frameworks can better ensure that elections facilitate constructive management of diversity; gender equality is promoted and youth participation in democracy is enhanced.
The methodology of AGF-VIII is a multi-stakeholder dialogue at various levels: national, sub-regional and regional. The forum will take place on October 2012 in 29 African countries. The selection criteria will include, inter alia, the involvement of countries in AGRIII and geographic balance covering all the five regions of the continent. Stakeholder consultations will start at the national level using the African Governance Report III (AGR III) country reports as the main basis of dialogue. These national-level consultations will be driven by the multi-stakeholder AGRIII Steering Committees that oversaw the production of these country reports.
The second layer will be regional consultations informed by regional reports prepared by consultants. The consultants will use the AGRIII country reports, AGRIII country profiles and the background/concept paper to come up with regional reports. Regional consultations will be driven primarily by the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders. The final layer of the Forum will be the continental dialogue led by UNDP in partnership with ECA and in close collaboration with AUC, PAP, AfDB, NPCA, APRM and other key stakeholders including governance think tanks, research institutions and civil society organisations.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will be tasked mainly to undertake desk research and produce a policy-relevant and development-oriented Issues Paper on “Gender Equality, Elections and the Management of Diversity in Africa”. Overall, the TOR for the consultant will include, inter alia:
- Survey of the existing literature on gender equality, elections and diversity management in Africa;
- Distillation of emerging key issues on gender equality, elections and diversity management from AGRIII reports, APRM reports and previous AGF reports as well as other relevant documents of the AU, its organs and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs);
- Preparation of an Issues Paper on Gender Equality, Elections and the Management of Diversity in Africa of between 15-20 pages;
- Undertake some interviews with the AU, UNECA, and some Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
- Submission of the draft Issues Paper to UNDP and ECA for review;
- Revisions of the draft Issues Paper and resubmission of the final draft to UNDP and ECA;
- Presentation of the Issues Paper during a validation workshop to be co-organised by UNDP and UNECA planned for June/July 2012.
Methodology:
The methodology for the study is as follows:
- Desk research;
- Review and synthesis of key issues emerging from AGRIII country reports;
- Review and synthesis of key issues emerging from APRM Country Review Mission Reports;
- Drafting of the Issues Paper;
- Revisions of the Issues Paper;
- Presentation of the Issues Paper during a validation workshop; and
- Submission of the final Issues Paper;
In undertaking the work, the consultant will be answerable to the Programme Advisor, UNDP/ECA Joint Governance Initiatives. Upon signing the contracts, the consultant will be expected to provide (a) an inception report, (b) work-plan and (c) weekly reports on progress on the assignment. As part of the application, the prospective consultant will be required to submit the following documents:
- A comprehensive technical proposal; and
- A detailed financial proposal.
Expected Deliverables:
Over a period of three (3) months, the consultant is expected to:
- Undertake research and produce an Issues Paper on Gender Equality, Elections and the Management of Diversity in Africa;
- Prepare a one-page feature article for the media;
- Present the Issues Paper during a validation workshop.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Performance of the consultant will be regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure that the expected results are achieved. The M & E system to be used will include the following:
- Monthly progress reports;
- Weekly consultative meetings;
- Internal and external review of products for quality control/assurance.
Competencies
- Familiarity with gender and governance discourses in Africa;
- Familiarity with election debates in Africa;
- Familiarity with diversity discourses in Africa;
- Proven record of research and publications in the areas above;
- Communications skills;
- Presentation and facilitation skills;
- Proficiency in English;
- Working knowledge of French will be an added advantage.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Ph.D or equivalent in Law, Public Administration, Development Studies, Economics, Political Science, or any other relevant Social Science discipline;
Experience:
- At least ten (10) years proven experience of work in the governance filed broadly and specifically on gender issues.
Timeframes and Institutional Arrangements:
The consultant will engaged for three (3) months between May-01 and 31 July 2012. In undertaking this work, the consultant will be answerable to the Programme Advisor, UNDP/ECA Joint Governance Initiatives. Deadline for applications is Monday, 16 May 2011. Upon signing the contract, the consultant will be expected to provide (a) an inception report, (b) work-plan and (c) monthly reports on progress on the assignment.
Documents to be included when Submitting the Proposal:
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
1. Proposal: (not more than 450 words)
(i) Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
(ii) Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work (if applicable)
2. Financial proposal: indicate monthly fee
3. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references
Financial Proposal:
Contracts based on monthly fee
Monthly payment upon receipt of the certification of payment duly signed by the Programme Advisor, UNDP/ECA Joint Governance Initiatives
Evaluation:
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:
Cumulative analysis
The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
* Technical Criteria weight; 70%
* Financial Criteria weight; 30%
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 point and above would be considered for the Financial Evaluation| Criteria | Weight | Max. Point |
| Technical (based on CV, Proposal and Interview) | | |
| Minimum educational background and work experience (CV) | 10% | 10 |
| Understanding of scope of work and methodology (From Proposal) | 20% | 20 |
| Individual Competencies (Interview) | 40% | 40 |
| | | |
| Financial | 30% | 30 |