1/ General information
1.1/ Introduction and context
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) believes that the right to reliable information concerns all aspects of economic, social, cultural and political life. With this in mind, RSF works to ensure access to reliable, free and independent information throughout the world.
The existence of free, independent, and pluralistic journalism is one of the conditions for the existence and vitality of civil societies. In a context of shrinking space for dialogue within civil society, journalism is on the front line and is too often confronted with logics of delegitimization, instrumentalization, and repression that can then be extended to the rest of society.
RSF is redoubling its efforts to support and defend the media and journalists, denouncing obstacles and abuses, and advocating and bringing solutions to governments. Concurrent crises affect the future of journalism: geopolitical crises (aggressive authoritarian models, armed conflicts), technological crises (absence of democratic guarantees), democratic crises (polarization, policies of repression), crises of trust (suspicion, even hatred toward the news media), and economic crises (impoverishment of quality journalism).
This Multi-Year Partnership Agreement (MPA) is a significant opportunity for RSF to strengthen its ability to respond to these major challenges. It allows RSF to expand its international position and its ability to influence through its network, by developing its agility and flexibility . It gives it the means to implement innovative structural solutions to increase the impact of its actions around the world.
1.2/ Reporters Without Borders
Founded in 1985, RSF defends the right to reliable information. Its mandate is based on Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
RSF strives to ensure that all human beings have access to information that allows them to know, understand, and form opinions on the issues facing the world and their environment. To this end, the organization is developing a holistic strategy , with 360° activities , for global change. RSF acts at four levels : press freedom, relations between the public and journalists, the information market, and the information space.
RSF is creative in creating systemic initiatives that address the causes of problems: the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) and the Partnership on Information and Democracy (I&D).
RSF has an international secretariat in Paris , thirteen sections and offices worldwide, and more than 150 correspondents, four representatives, and local partners in numerous countries. It is a recognized public-interest association in France and has consultative status with the UN and UNESCO.
2/ The Multiannual Partnership Agreement
On 9 November 2022, Reporters Without Borders signed a multi-year partnership agreement (CPP) with the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) to strengthen RSF’s intervention to address the major challenges facing free, independent and pluralist journalism around the world.
This Convention is implemented in 67 countries on four continents with the support of RSF’s international network and local partner organizations.
- Duration: 4 years (01/01/2022 to 12/31/2025)
- Budget: EUR 5,320,000 (EUR 7,600,000 with co-financing)
A mid-term evaluation, covering the first phase of the Agreement (01/01/2022 to 31/12/2023), was carried out in 2023.
2.1/ Purpose of the Convention
To address the major challenges facing free, independent, and pluralistic journalism around the world, the Convention aims to boost RSF’s work and impact. It supports the evolution of RSF’s intervention strategy, particularly with the shift to campaign mode, and allows for the strengthening of its international network, giving it the means to be more agile and proactive. RSF is thus becoming more responsive and flexible in its activities to protect and support journalists and media outlets, as well as in its legal and advocacy activities.
At the same time, this Convention contributes to the development of initiatives providing structural responses to information chaos, such as the Information and Democracy Initiative (I&D) – which aims to implement democratic guarantees in the global communication and information space, and the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) – which proposes indicators of reliability of journalism and rewards respect for ethics and professional standards.
2.2/ Target country
The geographical scope of the Convention covers 67 countries of intervention on four continents. The majority of these countries are located in Africa , followed by the Americas , then Asia and Europe .
2.3/ Target audience of the actions
- Direct beneficiaries: journalists, media professionals, media, press freedom organizations.
- Indirect beneficiaries: civil society as a whole, national and international bodies (United Nations, EU bodies, etc.), political decision-makers.
- Members of the RSF network: offices, sections, correspondents, representatives, local partner organizations.
2.4/ Objectives and planned activities
The overall objective of the Convention is to defend and promote freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism to guarantee the right to reliable information.
Specific objective 1: Develop and strengthen RSF’s response capacity
- Result 1.1: RSF’s international structure (including offices, representatives and correspondents) is strengthened
- Activity 1.1.1: Development of the network of RSF representatives and correspondents
- Activity 1.1.2: Strengthening offices and opening a new office, particularly in one of the countries receiving official development assistance
- Activity 1.1.3: Strengthening the integration of cross-cutting themes and campaigns into RSF’s operations and activities
- Result 1.2: Formal partners who are members of the RSF network are strengthened
- Activity 1.2.1: Capacity building and support for partners and the network according to their needs
- Activity 1.2.2: Conducting joint activities
- Activity 1.2.3: Financial support for partners’ activities
Specific objective 2: Protect and strengthen journalists and those who defend them
- Outcome 2.1: Media, independent journalists and their advocates are strengthened through support
- Activity 2.1.1: Support press freedom actors so that they are able to resist when they are under pressure or face threats
- Activity 2.1.2: Support and strengthen the skills of press freedom stakeholders
- Result 2.2: Media, independent journalists and their defenders receive support when they are threatened or in exile
- Activity 2.2.1: Provide financial support to threatened journalists and defenders
- Activity 2.2.2: Provide legal support to the media, independent journalists and their defenders
Specific objective 3 : Develop an advocacy strategy (public and non-public) to counter attacks against journalism
- Result 3.1: Authorities and public opinion are engaged through public advocacy campaigns or initiatives
- Activity 3.1.1: Data collection, certification and analysis of information on press freedom violations
- Activity 3.1.2: Investigate and produce reports and publications on the situation of press freedom in the world
- Activity 3.1.3: Implement advocacy actions with authorities and institutions following the dissemination of reports and publications
- Activity 3.1.4: Define and implement specific communication/awareness campaigns aimed at the general public with the aim of denouncing attacks against journalism
- Result 3.2: A dialogue is established with decision-makers and third parties to negotiate concrete solutions in favor of press freedom (institutional advocacy)
- Activity 3.2.1: Conduct bilateral advocacy to invite leaders to commit to journalism through common positions (direct engagement)
- Activity 3.2.2: Mobilize third parties regarding attacks on press freedom (bilateral with third parties)
- Activity 3.2.3: Mobilize international organizations to ensure they do not give in to attacks on international standards
- Result 3.3: RSF develops its legal expertise for individuals and institutions to concretely improve press freedom and fight against impunity.
- Activity 3.3.1: Carry out advocacy actions for the establishment or strengthening of mechanisms for the protection of journalists at the national, regional or international level
- Activity 3.3.2: Analyze laws, formulate recommendations and support civil society and professionals in their advocacy
- Activity 3.3.3: Strengthen and activate national, regional and international standards, mechanisms and litigation remedies concerning predators and their practices
Specific objective 4: Develop initiatives aimed at providing structural responses to information chaos
- Result 4.1: RSF supports the development and promotion of the I&D Initiative to foster regulation and self-regulation of the information ecosystem
- Activity 4.1.1: Promote the Information and Democracy Initiative and increase the number of signatories to the I&D partnership
- Activity 4.1.2: Support the I&D Forum in the creation of working groups and the mobilization of southern stakeholders
- Activity 4.1.3: Support the publication and dissemination of recommendations at local and international levels
- Result 4.2: RSF supports the development and promotion of the JTI standard for media reliability, transparency and sustainability
- Activity 4.2.1: Improve the use of the JTI mechanism by media outlets, targeting media managers and publishers
- Activity 4.2.2: Carry out targeted communication and awareness-raising actions
- Activity 4.2.3: Encourage regulators and other stakeholders to promote the use of the JTI standard
3/ The evaluation
3.1/ Scope of the evaluation
The evaluation will cover tranches 1 and 2 of the Agreement (01/01/2022 to 31/12/2025).
3.2/ Use of the evaluation and actors
The evaluation of the Convention must be carried out in a participatory manner and representative of all the stakeholders involved.
The stakeholders to be involved in the evaluation will be:
- RSF headquarters teams
- RSF office teams
- Correspondents and representatives
- The partners
- Beneficiary journalists and media
- AFD and the MEAE
The evaluation will be based on contributions from all stakeholders. It must be carried out externally and independently and will be overseen by the MEAL Officer and the Project Manager.
Recommendations will be made to enable RSF to sustain the strengths of its implementation, exploit its room for improvement, and take into account the various areas of vigilance identified by the evaluation with a view to optimizing its implementation strategy. The lessons learned from the evaluation will serve as a basis for capitalizing on good practices.
3.3/ Objectives and evaluation questions
The final evaluation should be based on and complement the results and recommendations of the mid-term evaluation carried out in 2023.
The objectives of this assessment will be to:
- carry out an evaluation of the Convention in accordance with the OECD/DAC criteria, focusing more specifically on the effects and impacts of the Convention;
- provide a critical analysis of the work implemented within the framework of the Convention, in particular the deployment of the campaign mode, which will serve as a basis for RSF’s internal learning process;
- carry out an in-depth analysis of the anchoring and local appropriation of structural initiatives carried out by RSF at the international level (OS4);
- provide RSF with strategic recommendations and suggest areas for improvement.
Relevance and consistency
- Were the activities carried out under the Convention (support for journalists, media and local organisations, capacity building, public and institutional advocacy, litigation) appropriate and did they meet the needs of the target audience?
Efficiency and effectiveness
- Did the campaign mode help to strengthen RSF’s effectiveness and efficiency by increasing its agility and flexibility?
- Have the results and objectives of the Convention been achieved?
- Was the Convention’s support in structuring the JTI and the Forum on Information and Democracy complementary to the other funding provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Did all of this support create leverage in terms of deploying the JTI and empowering the Forum on Information and Democracy?
- Has the Convention helped to strengthen the anchoring and local ownership of structural initiatives (I&D and JTI) supported by RSF?
Impact and sustainability
- Did the campaign mode have an impact (positive/negative, direct/indirect) on the functioning of the organization?
- What are the effects and impacts (positive/negative, direct/indirect, expected/unexpected) of the Convention on the target audience?
- Are the positive effects and impacts of the Convention likely to last over time?
- Has the JTI brought benefits, particularly in terms of internal structuring, for the media?
International network
- Did the campaign mode help to strengthen the network’s involvement in RSF activities?
- Has the Convention helped to strengthen RSF’s international network, particularly local partners, in terms of structure and capacities?
Genre
- Has the Convention enabled better consideration of gender in the organization’s internal policies (governance, management and operations)?
The Multiannual Partnership Agreement (MPA)
- Has the CPP tool helped to strengthen RSF’s effectiveness, efficiency, and influence?
- Has the CPP tool helped to strengthen dialogue between RSF, the AFD and the MEAE?
- Has the Convention had any unexpected effects, particularly in France and internationally, outside the target audience?
3.4/ Approach and evaluation methods
Teams will be required to present and describe their evaluation approach and data collection methodology in the proposal. They will need to propose a methodology that can provide credible answers to the evaluation questions. The evaluation design, methodology, data collection and analysis methods will then need to be fully developed and presented in the scoping report. The evaluation team will be responsible for defining the sampling (case studies, individual and group interviews, questionnaires, etc.).
The evaluation of the Convention must be carried out in a participatory manner and be representative of all stakeholders involved. Evaluators are expected to implement the entire evaluation process with particular attention to how the evaluation will be used by RSF. Evaluators must therefore present in their proposal how stakeholders will be involved in the evaluation process. The proposed methodology and data collection methods must allow for the creation of a space for reflection, discussion, and learning within RSF.
Recommendations will be made to enable RSF to consolidate the strengths of its implementation, exploit its room for improvement and take into account the various areas of vigilance that may have been identified by the evaluation in future projects.
A gender-sensitive approach and methodology (tools, data analysis method) should be used.
As sensitive or confidential issues may be addressed during the evaluation, evaluators should ensure that the evaluation design does not endanger respondents and stakeholders during the data collection phase or the results dissemination phase.
3.5/ Quality
The evaluation must comply with OECD/DAC quality criteria. Evaluators must specify in the proposal how they will ensure quality during the evaluation process.
3.7/ Schedule and deliverables
A timeline and work plan must be presented in the proposal and will then be detailed in the scoping report. The timeline and work plan must ensure flexibility during the implementation of the evaluation. The dates of interviews, questionnaires, and potential missions must be decided in consultation with key stakeholders during the scoping phase.
The evaluation should begin in early September 2025 and the final report should be validated by RSF by early February 2026 at the latest. The table below details the key stages and deliverables of the evaluation and provides indicative dates:
- Kick-off meeting: Early September
- First version of the framing report: 10 days after the launch meeting
- Framework meeting (presentation of the first version of the report and discussion of RSF feedback): To be defined during the framework phase
- Data collection period: From the beginning of October to the beginning of December 2025 (To be defined precisely during the scoping phase)
- Debriefing meeting (discussions on the initial results of the evaluation following data collection): To be defined during the scoping phase
- Participatory workshop on recommendations: To be defined during the framing phase
- First version of the evaluation report: No later than January 5, 2026
- Meeting to discuss RSF feedback and potential additional back-and-forth on the report: Between the sending of the first version and February 6, 2026
- Evaluation report validated by RSF: No later than February 6, 2026
- Feedback meeting with RSF, AFD and MEAE: To be defined in agreement with AFD and MEAE
Expected deliverables:
The scoping report forms the basis of the evaluation process and must be validated by RSF before the start of the data collection phase. The report must be written in French and will include:
- Updating the schedule and work plan based on the document review and the framing meeting.
- Updated methodology, evaluation questions, data collection tools, etc.
- The list of people who will be contacted and the expected dates.
The final report should not exceed 30 pages and be written in French. The executive summary should not exceed 5 pages and be written in French and English. The final report, which will incorporate RSF’s feedback, will include:
- An executive summary including the main conclusions and recommendations resulting from the evaluation. Recommendations should be ranked in order of priority (high, medium, moderate).
- A main report including the background, objectives and evaluation methodology, detailed observations and results of the evaluation based on the objectives and evaluation methodology, and finally the conclusions and recommendations.
- In the appendix, the brief reports of the various meetings, the questionnaire models used, and any other relevant document (the appendices can be in French or English).
- In-person presentation in English with a PowerPoint presentation in the presence of RSF teams and the network (partners, correspondents, representatives, etc.)
3.8/ Profiles sought
For this evaluation, RSF is seeking a team of consultants . Preference will be given to teams with relevant expertise and proposing a participatory evaluation methodology.
The following skills will be sought:
- Skills and significant experience in project evaluation (methodology, conducting interviews, analysis, writing reports, etc.), particularly in countries eligible for official development assistance and on human rights issues;
- Experience in evaluating projects including an international network (offices abroad, local partners, etc.);
- Experience in evaluating projects for journalists and the media;
- Gender-sensitive assessment experience;
- Expertise related to press freedom issues;
- Knowledge of international NGOs and how they operate;
- Experience working on projects funded by the French Development Agency;
- French and English spoken and written fluently, proficiency in Spanish is a plus.
3.9/ Human and financial resources
The budget available for this evaluation is a maximum of €30,000 including tax. This amount must include all costs necessary to carry out the evaluation mission.
The evaluation can be conducted remotely, or the evaluation team can propose one or more missions, which will then be discussed and validated with RSF. In the case of missions, the associated costs must be included in the total budget, and the evaluators must take care of the logistics, including security arrangements.
All documents necessary for the evaluation concerning the Convention will be made available to the evaluator, in particular: documents relating to the Convention, reports, evaluation questionnaires, etc.
How to apply
4/ Submission of offers and selection
Consultants interested in the evaluation mission must include the following documents in their application file:
- A technical proposal detailing the understanding of the evaluation issues (with a critical analysis of the terms of reference), the proposed evaluation method, as well as the planned implementation schedule.
- CV containing: training and experience.
- Description of relevant previous experience in the same field. Please provide examples of similar evaluation or consultancy contracts: funder and implementing organization, budget and duration of the projects concerned, budget and duration of the evaluations/consultancies, main results, etc.
- A detailed budget explaining the total amount including tax.
Proposals must be submitted in French . Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Complete applications must be sent by email to the following addresses before August 11, 2025 :
- Laura Lequio, Project Manager: lllequio@rsf.orglequio@rsf.org
- Charlie Troncy, MEAL Officer: ctroncy@rsf.org
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Technical proposal
- Understanding the terms of reference
- Evaluative questions
- Proposed methodology
- Experience and expertise of consultants
- Lead Consultant(s)
- Associate Consultants
- Complementarity of the team as a whole
- Budget and schedule
- Proposed budget
- Proposed duration, schedule and work plan
- Added value: specific tools, expertise, languages, etc.
The first interviews with the pre-selected teams can be organized from August 25, 2025