Participatory Evaluation of the National Youth Policy At Interpeace

Background

The project “Inclusive Policies and Institutions for a Peaceful Society: Strengthening Social Fabric and Fostering Youth’s Meaningful Participation in Decision-Making in Guinea-Bissau” is a project funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) with a duration of 24 months, to be implemented by Interpeace and Voz di Paz in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Interpeace (IP) is an international peacebuilding organization established in 1994 by the United Nations and became independent in 2000. Headquartered in Switzerland, it operates in more than 20 countries worldwide, working alongside national partners to ensure greater ownership of its peacebuilding actions and methodologies. Interpeace has been active in Guinea-Bissau since 2007, in partnership with Voz di Paz, offering innovative tools, advice, and strengthening the technical capacities of the team when needed. Since April 2017, Interpeace has had a representative in Guinea-Bissau and has worked with the Voz di Paz team to promote good governance and the inclusion of young people and women in decision-making at various levels.

Voz di Paz – Peace Consolidation Initiative (VdP) is a Guinean NGO active in the country since 2007 and based in Bissau. Its aim is to encourage citizen engagement of the entire population to consolidate peace and contribute to good governance, with a specific focus on vulnerable groups such as youth and women. Voz di Paz’s mission is articulated around three strategic axes that constitute the pillars of its operational engagement: i) conflict management and peace consolidation, ii) strengthening good governance, and iii) contributing to security sector reform. Voz di Paz uses Participatory Action Research as its methodology and is guided by the principle of including all actors in the peacebuilding process, following international best practices. Its partnership networks, inclusive approach, and use of participatory tools make Voz di Paz a pioneering organization in peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau.

The Project:

The project aims to create an enabling environment for active youth participation to make Guinea-Bissau a more inclusive society, fostering intergenerational trust while minimizing the risks of youth disillusionment, manipulation, and corruption, thus contributing to social cohesion. To achieve this, the project seeks to strengthen the role of young people in the development and monitoring of public policies through a participatory and inclusive approach, expanding the scope of youth participation to include young women, rural youth, and representatives of traditionally marginalized groups in redefining institutions and policies related to youth.

Specifically, Interpeace, in partnership with its collaborator Voz di Paz, aims to promote a participatory evaluation of the National Youth Policy (output 2.1). The National Youth Policy (NYP), developed in 2015 with the support of UNFPA, is valid until 2035 and has so far been inadequately disseminated and implemented. Consultations conducted in 2021 as part of the PBF-funded project “No Ianda Djuntu – Charting the Path Together” highlighted the lack of knowledge, ownership, and legitimacy of the NYP among young people across the country, as well as a call for its revision.

The Objective of the Consultancy:

The purpose of this consultancy is as follows:

1. Strengthen the capacities of Interpeace, Voz di Paz, and national partners (Youth Institute and other key youth organizations) in the field of public policy evaluation.
2. Support Interpeace and Voz di Paz in designing and implementing a participatory methodology for the evaluation of the National Youth Policy and review the results.
3. Allow Interpeace and Voz di Paz to develop an institutional learning on the methodology adopted and its implementation through the development of a guidance note including lessons learned and best practices.

The Participatory Evaluation of the National Youth Policy (PNJ):

In order to better frame the work of Participatory evaluation of the National Youth Policy the team start a reflection and identiy objectives, questions and activities to undergo this exercise which are listed below. These elements are indicative and not exhaustive and can be taken in consideration by the consultant while supporting Interpeace and Voz di Paz in developing the methodology.

Objective of the participatory evaluation of PNJ:

1. Within the framework of the project presented above, the evaluation of the National Youth Policy (PNJ) has two main objectives:
2. Incorporate the perspective of young people into national policies related to youth.
3. Adopt a highly participatory process to broaden youth participation.

Youth organizations and their members jointly develop recommendations to make the PNJ more responsive to the needs of young people and more effective in its implementation. Through this process, they are indeed included in the formulation of public policies.

Research Questions:

This work will enable an analysis and identification of:

1. To what extent does the PNJ reflect global developments in the context of Youth, Peace, and Security (in terms of language and content, for example)?
2. Does the PNJ still reflect the political, economic, and social reality of young people in the country?

The proposed work is in a complex context characterized by the actions and interactions of many actors at various levels. In this context, it is important that the entire process of PNJ evaluation is informed by global trends and strategies and the history of work already carried out in this area in Guinea-Bissau.

To this end, the consultant, in collaboration with Voz di Paz and Interpeace, can develop a methodology that includes the following activities. The list is considered indicative and not exhaustive:

• Develop a literature review process focusing on

1. the African Union’s Youth Strategy and other youth policies in different contexts (with a priority on ECOWAS, PALOP, and CPLP countries)
2. The process that was carried out for the development of the PNJ in 2015
3. Other existing documents and reports related to youth and their political participation.

• Identify existing gaps in the PNJ, which will guide data collection work with two main objectives:

1. Provide an overview of the current situation in different dimensions of the PNJ.
2. Test the relevance of the PNJ in people’s lives.

• Develop and apply data collection tools.
• Analyze the collected data in a participatory manner.
• Develop recommendations for the revision and better implementation of the PNJ.

Expected Output of the Participatory Evaluation of PNJ:

The expected final product of this work is a policy brief that will be developed by Voz di Paz and Interpeace with the support of the consultant. This brief will be a concise document including recommendations developed in a participatory manner to make the PNJ more relevant to the needs of young people.

Activities and Deliverable of the Consultancy

Requirements

Interpeace and Voz di Paz are looking for one or more experienced consultant with the following skills and experience at a minimum:

• Significant experience in providing methodological and technical support to CSOs ;
• Significant experience in public policy cycle with a focus on public policy participatory evaluation;
• Strong knowledge of and experience with peacebuilding programmes;
• Demonstrated understanding of participatory processes and methodologies and experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection;
• Experience working in Guinea-Bissau;
• Excellent command of English (report writing) and Portuguese (conducting workshops).
• Ability to work effectively and inclusively with people of different culture, race, nationality, gender, political or religious belief, age, sexual orientation, disability, or marital status.