RFQ FY22-106 Advocacy expertise to refresh plan international’s Global Advocacy Strategy (GLAS) At Plan International

Background Information

The current Plan International Global Advocacy Strategy (GLAS 2020-2022) will expire in June 2022. This presents an opportunity to refresh the strategy and ensure it is aligned with the new Plan International Global Strategy (GLOSUP) starting in July 2022. It is also an opportunity to revisit advocacy priorities given the rapidly changing global environment – the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic, climate change, humanitarian crises and shrinking civic space have all changed the way we live, and the way work, and create a very challenging environment in which to advance children’s rights and equality for girl. Our advocacy needs to adapt to this context.
Based on initial consultations in Sept/Oct 2021 with key internal stakeholders we have developed a light-touch process to refresh the GLAS. This will focus on addressing identified challenges, weaknesses, and gaps in the GLAS and significant global trends that shape how and what we advocate on.

Address critical thematic gaps in the GLAS GOALs and content

The intention of the GLAS is to provide focus for advocacy activities across the organization, allowing us to concentrate and maximize collective efforts. The GLAS goals cannot capture all areas of advocacy work that offices are doing. However, several thematic gaps were identified, to see if and how they might be included. These are Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Digital inclusion.

Anchor cross-cutting issues in the GLAS more clearly

Early consultations identified two very important agendas – Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) and climate change – that aren’t adequately grounded in the GLAS. Neither have a specific goal. Advocacy on CEFMU is reflected in the objectives of two of the goals – Adolescent Pregnancy and Violence. However, climate change isn’t in any of the Goals or their objectives.

We need to anchor these important agendas in the refreshed GLAS.
The key questions we will consider are:

• CEFMU is a ‘special focus’ across GLAS goals. How can this be anchored, should it have a specific goal and objectives, or is there another way to do this? How can this be aligned with CEFMU ambitions in regional and other advocacy strategies?
• Climate change is a ‘key action area’ in the GLAS, but currently does not have a standalone goal or cross-cutting objectives. How can this be anchored more clearly with specific ambitions set-out that align with our climate advocacy priorities, capacity and wider global context?
• COVID19 is a ‘key action area’. How can the impact of the COVID pandemic and building back from this be firmly anchored in the GLAS, both across the goals as well as within the wider narrative framing of the GLAS?
• Humanitarian crises. How do we address the different crises we are seeing across the world e.g. food insecurity, humanitarian, conflict? Are these captured by the Girls in Crisis Goal and objectives under other goals, or is there another way to do this? How do we embed the development, humanitarian, peace nexus approach?
Refresh the GLAS narrative
We will also update the GLAS narrative to address the following:
• The COVID pandemic and its impact on girls’ rights and gender equality must be central, alongside humanitarian and climate crises. This should include the development, humanitarian, peace (HDP) nexus and how this approach is changing the sector as a whole
• Need to speak to key agendas of anti-racism, localisation, inclusion, intersectionality and sharpen rights and social justice/ feminist language
How can we reflect and strategically address the growing trend of shrinking civic space, restrictive contexts and the roll-back on rights?
• How should we recognize the vulnerability of the youngest girls/children?

Objectives

We are looking for a seasoned advocacy and political strategy expert to support the process to refresh the GLAS, working with the Head of Profession for Policy and Advocacy in the Global Hub. This will involve drafting the refreshed narrative for review by a small review group; analysing and collating the various consultation workshop outputs into a draft refreshed GLAS framework for review by technical leads and senior sign-off; and facilitating the identification and development of a coherent multiyear advocacy plan/s to leverage and link specific opportunities at international, regional and country-levels, to advance aspects of the GLAS.

1. Draft refreshed GLAS narrative for review by small review group
2. Review, analyse and collate the various consultation outputs into a draft refreshed GLAS framework (goals and objectives, and narrative) for review by the Head of Profession Policy and Advocacy and technical leads
3. Lead a one-day virtual Consolidation Workshop to review draft GLAS
4. Support finalisation of draft GLAS 2.0
5. Lead the identification and development of a multiyear advocacy ambition to be led by the Global Hub with a set of advocacy priorities and coherent delivery plan/s, which leverage and link specific opportunities at international, regional and country levels. This should clearly contribute to delivering the refreshed GLAS, and should leverage specific influencing windows, processes and opportunities in the international space as well as in country and regional spaces over FY22-24 (July 2022- June 2024). This will include running a one-day workshop with key internal stakeholders.

Experience

The successful consultant should have the following characteristics:
➢ Highly skilled in developing global level advocacy strategies and strategic frameworks in the global development context (essential)
➢ Strong knowledge and expertise in gender equality and inclusion, girls’ rights, and youth-centred approaches in support of global advocacy aims (essential)
➢ Expertise in understanding global trends across the development and humanitarian spectrum and their implications for advancing global advocacy ambitions as expressed in the GLAS (essential)
➢ Expertise in planning and facilitating interactive virtual workshops (essential)
➢ Fluency in English, with excellent writing skills and verbal communication skills (essential).
➢ Flexible approach and ability to work with colleagues from across the global organisation (essential)
➢ Experience of working with Plan International and familiarity with our existing Global Strategy (highly desirable)
➢ Experience with/knowledge of the NGO sector (essential)